* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:00:42] GOOD MORNING, WOULD YOU PLEASE BE SEATED? WELCOME TO THE CITY COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING OF JANUARY 11TH, 2018. COUNCIL MEMBER VINNO. HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER SHAW HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER VRAN. HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER SALDANA. HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER GONZALEZ. COUNCIL MEMBER BROCK HOUSE PRESENT. COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER LIA PRESENT, COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE PRESENT. COUNCIL MEMBER PERRY HERE. AND MAYOR NURENBERG HERE. MAYOR, WE DO HAVE A QUORUM. AND YES, UH, I SEE THAT SHIRLEY GONZALEZ JUST ENTERED. THANK YOU. OKAY. GOOD MORNING EVERYONE. THE TIME IS 9:11 AM ON THIS THURSDAY MORNING. WELCOME TO OUR CITY COUNCIL, A SESSION AGENDA. AND FOR ALL THOSE OUT THERE, HAPPY NEW YEAR. UH, WE'LL START, UH, THIS MORNING WITH AN INVOCATION, AND THAT IS A GUEST OF COUNCILWOMAN SANDOVAL, REVEREND DR. JOSHUA SNYDER. SO I'LL ASK, UH, COUNCILWOMAN SANDOVAL FOR AN INTRODUCTION. THANK YOU, MAYOR. GOOD MORNING, EVERYONE. UH, COLLEAGUES, IT IS MY PRIVILEGE THIS MORNING TO WELCOME OUR IN VINDICATOR, THE REVEREND DR. JOSHUA SNYDER OF THE FIRST UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CHURCH OF SAN ANTONIO. UH, DOCTOR, THE REVEREND DOCTOR WAS RECRUITED TO THE UNIVERSALIST UNITARIAN. UM, JUST ABOUT, UH, IN 2015 IS WHEN HE CAME TO SAN ANTONIO AFTER SPENDING TIME IN DELAWARE, WISCONSIN, NEBRASKA, ILLINOIS, NORTH CAROLINA. AND HE STAYED DESPITE THE HEAT THAT HE EXPERIENCED IN AUGUST, 2015. THAT'S AROUND THE SAME TIME THAT I STARTED ATTENDING SERVICES AT THE, UH, AT THE UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CHURCH. SO I THINK, UH, WE BOTH STARTED AROUND THE SAME TIME. UM, UH, AS A MICHIGAN NATIVE, REVEREND SCHNEIDER GRADUATED FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN IN 1995, UH, MAJORING IN ANTHROPOLOGY AND RELIGION STUDIES. UH, HE LATER STUDIED AT RICIO COE KAI GAKUIN SEMINARY IN JAPAN BEFORE ENTERING SEMINARY AT MIDVALE LOMBARD THEOLOGICAL SCHOOL, WHERE HE EARNED A DOCTOR OF MINISTRY. AND IN 2000, REVEREND SNYDER AND HIS WIFE SHARON, HAVE TWO SONS, THOMAS AND MATTHEW. AND REVEREND, WELCOME TO CITY COUNCIL. AND THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR DELIVERING OUR INVOCATION THIS MORNING. THANK YOU. LET US PRAY. OH, SPIRIT OF LIFE AND LOVE AND JUSTICE. WE ARE SO THANKFUL FOR LIFE TODAY, FOR THIS NEW YEAR, THE 300TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO. BLESS. WE ASK YOUR BLESSINGS ON OUR MAYOR, OUR CITY COUNCIL, AND THEIR STAFF. MAY THEY KNOW YOUR PRESENCE. OH SPIRIT, MAY THEY FEEL YOUR PRESENCE AS STAMINA WHEN THE WORK IS HARD AS WISDOM, WHEN THE WAY FORWARD IS UNCLEAR AS COMPASSION FOR ALL THE CITIZENS OF OUR CITY. NO MATTER HOW MARGINALIZED, FORGIVE US WHEN WE FALL SHORT OF YOUR VISION. GIVE US THE STRENGTH AND ENERGY TO STRIVE TO DO THE RIGHT THING, NO MATTER HOW DIFFICULT IT MAY BE. THANK YOU FOR THE BLESSINGS OF THIS DAY. AMEN IONS TO THE FACT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS, ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, LIBERTY, AND JUSTICE FOR ALL. I THANK YOU REVEREND SNYDER. WE HAVE A, A ANNOUNCEMENT FOR TRANSLATION SERVICES. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU MAYOR. ALL RIGHT. OUR FIRST [3. Approval of Minutes for the City Council Regular Meetings of November 1 - 2, 2017] ITEM FOR BUSINESS IS THE APPROVAL OF THE CITY COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING MINUTES, UH, FROM NOVEMBER 1ST THROUGH THE SECOND. [00:05:03] THERE'S A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR APPROVAL OF CITY COUNCIL. NOVEMBER ONE AND TWO. MEETING MINUTES, PLEASE VOTE. MOTION CARRIES. ALRIGHT. [Additional Item] THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR BEING WITH US THIS MORNING. UH, WE HAVE SEVERAL DISTINGUISHED GUESTS IN OUR AUDIENCE, AND I'M GONNA START WITH A FEW PERS POINTS OF PERSONAL PRIVILEGE. FIRST, I'D LIKE TO WELCOME, UH, THE MAYOR OF SUPERIOR, WISCONSIN TO THE PODIUM, MR. JIM PAYNE. AS SAN ANTONIO PREPARED TO CELEBRATE ITS 300TH ANNIVERSARY THIS YEAR, CITY LEADERS WANTED TO REIMAGINE THE RIVER BARGE EXPERIENCE BY OFFERING A NEWLY DESIGNED MORE SUSTAINABLE FLEET TO MEET THE NEEDS OF BOTH TOURISTS AND RESIDENTS. ANNUALLY, MORE THAN 11 AND A HALF MILLION PEOPLE VISIT OUR RIVER WALK, AND THESE VISITORS HELP STIMULATE AN OVERALL ECONOMIC IMPACT OF $3.1 BILLION AND HELP SUPPORT 31,000 JOBS. THE RIVERWALK AND THE BARGES THAT FLOW DOWN THE RIVER ARE AN ESSENTIAL PART OF SAN ANTONIO'S URBAN FABRIC THAT ATTRACTS BUSINESSES AND VISITORS FROM AROUND THE WORLD. I WOULD LIKE TO COMMEND THE CITY OF SUPERIOR WISCONSIN AND LAKE ASSAULT BOATS FOR THE CONTRIBUTION TO THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO'S RIVERWALK, WITH THE CONSTRUCTION OF OUR BRAND NEW RIVER BARGE FLEET, THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO WORKED CLOSELY WITH LAKE ASSAULT BOATS TO REFINE THE DESIGN AND BUILD THE BEST PRODUCT POSSIBLE. LAKE ASSAULT DID A TREMENDOUS JOB OF STAYING WITHIN OUR BUDGET, ADJUSTING THE DESIGN CHANGES THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS, AND MEETING SOME VERY TIGHT DEADLINES TO DELIVER THE FULL FLEET OF BARGES. THE ESTIMATED ECONOMIC IMPACT, THE PROJECT ON THE ECONOMY OF SUPERIOR WISCONSIN WAS $10 MILLION AND SUBSEQUENTLY HELPED CREATE 16 NEW FULL-TIME JOBS FOR RESIDENTS. THE PROJECT IS A GREAT EXAMPLE OF TWO CITIES WORKING TOGETHER TO BENEFIT THEIR LOCAL COMMUNITIES AND THEIR ECONOMIES. THANK YOU, MAYOR JIM PAYNE OF SUPERIOR AND JAMES FARKAS, PRESIDENT AND C O O OF LAKE ASSAULT BOATS FOR YOUR WORK ON THIS IMPORTANT PROJECT. AND I ALSO WANT TO TIP MY HAT TO OUR COUNCILMAN RO ROBERTS, UH, TREVINO, UH, WHO REALLY PUSHED US IN THE DIRECTION OF HAVING A TRANSFORMATIVE RIVER WALK EXPERIENCE FOR OUR TRICENTENNIAL MAYOR. THANK YOU. AND GOOD MORNING, MR. MAYOR, HONORABLE COUNSELORS. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR INVITING ME, NOT JUST TO THIS MEETING, BUT TO YOUR FANTASTIC CITY THAT I'VE HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF GETTING TO KNOW OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF DAYS. I, IF I COULD TAKE JUST A MINUTE. THOSE OF US FROM SUPERIOR IN WISCONSIN GENERAL ARE VERY, VERY PROUD OF WHERE WE'RE FROM. AND I'M NOT IN THE HABIT OF, OF PUTTING OTHER STATES BEFORE MY OWN, BUT IT IS A FORECAST TO BE AS LOW AS 10 BELOW IN SUPERIOR WISCONSIN. TODAY, THE SCHOOLS ARE CLOSED BECAUSE OF A BLIZZARD. AND SO I, I GUESS ALL I CAN REALLY BEGIN THIS SPEECH WITH IS GOD BLESS TEXAS . IT IS FANTASTIC TO BE HERE TODAY AND, AND TO GET TO KNOW THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO AND THIS RIVER THAT WE ARE, I HOPE, HELPING YOUR CITIZENS TO EXPERIENCE. UH, I'M VERY PROUD OF MY COMMUNITY AND OUR, UH, STRONG MANUFACTURING CORE, OUR STRONG WORK ETHIC. WE ARE A VERY AUTHENTIC COMMUNITY, A WORKING CLASS COMMUNITY, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, WE ARE A COMMUNITY OF WATER. WE ARE LOCATED ON THE SHORES OF LAKE SUPERIOR. WE HAVE THREE RIVERS ROLLING THROUGH OUR COMMUNITY, ALL OF WHICH ARE NAVIGABLE BY PEOPLE. WE HAVE THE LARGEST INLAND PORT IN THE UNITED STATES WITH, WITH THE LARGEST VOLUME OF SHIPPING, TRAFFIC OF ANY GREAT LAKES PORT. UH, AND AGAIN, THE THE LARGEST INLAND PORT. SO RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE UNITED STATES. OUR CITIES, SAN ANTONIO AND SUPERIOR WISCONSIN ARE CONNECTED BY I 35. AND BY THIS SPIRIT, I THINK OF DIVERSITY, OF HARD WORK AND OF WATER WATER'S. ONE OF THE THINGS I LIKE TO TALK ABOUT IN NEARLY EVERY SPEECH ABOUT SUPERIOR, AND I'VE HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF SEEING YOUR RIVER WALK ALREADY, AND IT DOES SOME INCREDIBLE THINGS IN THIS COMMUNITY. IT CONNECTS YOUR DOWNTOWN, IT CONNECTS YOUR WHOLE CITY, AND IT BRINGS YOUR PEOPLE TO WATER. WATER IS THE REASON THAT COMMUNITIES EXIST WHERE THEY DO. AND I HEARD SOMETHING VERY SPECIAL, I THINK, FROM ONE OF THE PEOPLE THAT IS, IS MOST CONNECTED TO WATER IN OUR COMMUNITY. ONE OF THE PEOPLE THAT RUNS OUR MUNICIPAL MARINA, HE SAID THAT IT IS ONE THING TO LIVE NEXT TO WATER, BUT YOU HAVEN'T TRULY EXPERIENCED WHAT DRIVES YOUR COMMUNITY UNTIL YOU HAVE BEEN ON THE WATER, UNTIL YOU'VE HAD THE CHANCE TO SEE YOUR CITY FROM WATER. AND I HOPE THAT WE'VE HELPED YOU TO DO THAT. OF COURSE, I WANT TO THANK THE MAYOR FOR MENTIONING THE ECONOMIC IMPACT THAT THIS PROJECT HAS HAD ON SUPERIOR. WE ARE ALWA, WE ARE MOVING FORWARD IN OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, ESPECIALLY INDUSTRIAL AND MANUFACTURING. SO WE WERE THRILLED TO PARTNER WITH YOU IN THIS PROJECT. I HOPE I'M THE FIRST OF MANY CITIZENS TO EXPERIENCE YOUR NEW RIVER BARGES. I WILL CERTAINLY BE BACK TO THIS CITY. I WILL CERTAINLY BE BRINGING GUESTS WITH ME. I WANT TO THANK, UH, PRESIDENT FARKAS OF FRAZIER SHIPYARDS AND LAKE O ASSAULT, BOTH FOR JOINING ME HERE AND FOR LEADING THE WAY ON THIS PROJECT THAT HAS BEEN SO FANTASTIC FOR BOTH OF OUR CITIES. UH, THANK YOU AGAIN FOR INVITING ME AND THANK YOU FOR THIS INCREDIBLE PROJECT. I LOOK FORWARD, UH, TO SPENDING A LITTLE BIT MORE TIME IN YOUR CITY AND CERTAINLY FOR COMING BACK. BEFORE I STEP DOWN, THOUGH, UH, THE MAYOR MENTIONED TO ME THAT YOU HAVE ANOTHER ITEM ON THE AGENDA TODAY THAT IF YOU DON'T MIND, I'D LIKE TO SPEAK JUST BRIEFLY TO, UH, THE TOBACCO [00:10:01] 21 PROJECT THAT I'M JUST LEARNING ABOUT THIS MORNING, I THINK IS A VERY, VERY FORWARD THINKING PROJECT AND A VERY POSITIVE STEP FORWARD FOR PUBLIC AND COMMUNITY HEALTH IN THIS CITY. I WANNA COMMEND YOU FOR EVEN CONSIDERING THIS, AND I WANNA STRONGLY URGE YOU TO PASS THIS ORDINANCE, UH, THIS, THIS WOULD BE A FANTASTIC STEP FORWARD FOR SAN ANTONIO. I'M INSPIRED, I WANT TO TAKE THIS BACK TO SUPERIOR WISCONSIN AND SPEAK TO MY COUNSELORS ABOUT IT. I'M GONNA DO THAT THIS AFTERNOON, AND, UH, I I STRONGLY ENCOURAGE EVERYBODY TO VOTE YES ON THAT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR VISITING AND FOR YOUR CONTRIBUTION TO SAN ANTONIO, MAYOR JIM PAYNE AND MR. FARKAS. UH, COUNCILMAN TRAVINO. THANK YOU MAYOR. AND I JUST WANNA THANK THE MAYOR FOR, FOR COMING DOWN TO VISIT SAN ANTONIO. I WANNA THANK PRESIDENT, UH, JAMES FARKIS OF LAKE ASSAULT. UH, WE'RE VERY, VERY HAPPY TO HAVE YOU HERE IN OUR, OUR, OUR GREAT CITY. BUT I ALSO WANT TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO THANK LORI HOUSTON, JOHN JACKS AND JIM MARY FOR ALL THEIR HARD WORK. UH, WE KNOW THAT THIS TAKES A VERY COL UH, HUGE COLLABORATIVE EFFORT. AND, UH, TO SEE THOSE BARGES, UH, ON THE RIVERWALK IS, IS TRULY, TRULY A SPECIAL THING FOR ALL OF US. AND KNOW THAT, UH, WE HERE IN SAN ANTONIO ARE VERY, VERY PROUD OF OUR CITY, PROUD OF OUR RIVERWALK. AND OF COURSE, NOW WE CAN BE VERY, VERY PROUD OF THE WORK THAT WENT INTO GETTING THESE BEAUTIFUL BARGES INTO THE WATER. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN VINEO. COUNCILWOMAN GRO. THANK YOU, MAYOR. I JUST WANTED TO OFFER MY, UH, WELCOME AND THANKS TO YOU, MR. MAYOR, UM, AND BRINGING, UH, FOR YOU TO ENJOY SOME WARMER WEATHER HERE RIGHT NOW. BUT ALSO THANK YOU FOR REMINDING US ABOUT THE IMPACT THAT OUR DECISIONS UP HERE MAKE TO OTHER PARTS OF THE UNITED STATES, TO OTHER COMMUNITIES. UM, THIS IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT FOR US, AND AS WE JUST SEE THE FINISHED PRODUCT, THANK YOU, AND LAKE ASSAULT BOATS, WHO'S HERE AS WELL, THANK YOU BECAUSE WE ARE SEEING THE FINISHED PRODUCT, BUT WHAT IT ALSO INSPIRES IN OTHER COMMUNITIES. THANK YOU FOR THAT. AND UM, SO, YOU KNOW, MANY PEOPLE IN TEXAS ALWAYS CALL, THEY HAVE TWO HOMETOWNS IF YOU'RE FROM TEXAS, AND SAN ANTONIO IS ALWAYS ONE OF THEM. SO, UH, CONSIDER US THAT YOU ARE HERE AT HOME IN YOUR HOMETOWN IN TEXAS, AND WELCOME BACK, PLEASE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, COUNCILMAN GRO. AND SO IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE NOW, PEOPLE WILL KNOW. THE SAN ANTONIO RIVER WALK IS TRULY A SUPERIOR EXPERIENCE. THANK YOU, MAYOR . ALRIGHT, I'D NOW LIKE TO, UM, WELCOME, UH, TO OUR CHAMBERS, UH, VERY DEAR FAMILY TO OURS, UH, HERE IN THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO AND THE MCCLENDON FAMILY. UM, SO IF, UH, DENVER AND, AND, UH, ANGELA, IF YOU COULD STAND, RUTH JONES. MCCLENDON WAS A SAN ANTONIO AND LEGISLATIVE GIANT. SHE LEFT A LEGACY OF BOLD, IMPORTANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. MANY POLITICIANS WHO GAIN THAT TYPE OF STATURE ARE UNAPPROACHABLE, CAPTIVATED BY THEIR OWN LOFTY REPUTATIONS, NOT RUTH. SHE WAS ACCESSIBLE, SHE WAS WARM, AND SHE WAS FRIENDLY, AND SHE WAS TOTALLY LACKING OF ARROGANCE AND PRETENSION. IF YOU KNEW RO RUTH, YOU LOVED RUTH AND SHE LOVED SAN ANTONIO AND THE STATE OF TEXAS, SAN ANTONIO'S POLITICAL COMMUNITY FIRST GOT TO KNOW RUTH JONES MCCLENNAN THROUGH HER WORK ON THE STATE DEMOCRATIC EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE, BUT AS AN ELECTED OFFICIAL, RUTH WASN'T A PARTISAN WARRIOR. SHE WASN'T INTERESTED IN SCORING POLITICAL POINTS AT THE EXPENSE OF OTHERS. INSTEAD, SHE WORKED WITH BOTH SIDES OF THE AISLE TO PASS LEGISLATION THAT MADE A DIFFERENCE FOR HER CONSTITUENTS, HER CITY, AND ALL OF TEXAS. RUTH JONES MCCLENNAN WILL PROBABLY BE KNOWN IN TEXAS HISTORY FOR THE WORK SHE HA SHE AND HER FRIEND, SENATOR RODNEY ELLIS DID CREATING THE TIMOTHY COLE EXONERATION REVIEW COMMISSION THEIR WORKFORCE, THE TEXAS CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM, TO SYSTEMATICALLY CONFRONT AND ADDRESS FLAWS THAT LED TO INNOCENT PEOPLE SERVING TIME IN PRISON. THAT WAS ONE OF ONLY SEVERAL IMPORTANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF RUTH JONES MCCLENDON AND ONLY ONE OF THE CRIMINAL AND SOCIAL JUSTICE BATTLES SHE FOUGHT. IN THE MEANTIME, SHE WAS A CHAMPION FOR SAN ANTONIO FOR PUBLIC HEALTH AND FOR JOB TRAINING PROGRAMS. RUTH USED HER CONSENSUS BUILDING SKILLS TO SECURE A SEAT ON THE HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE UNDER TWO REPUBLICAN HOUSE SPEAKERS. SHE WORKED TIRELESSLY FOR SAN ANTONIO AND HER CAUSES, EVEN AS SHE BATTLED CANCER. AND SHE WAS WELL REMEMBERED AT CITY HALL FOR HER TENURE AS A DISTRICT TWO COUNCILMAN FROM 1992 TO 1996. WE ALL MISS RUTH, BUT HER SPIRIT AND HER LEGACY WILL BE WITH US FOREVER. NOW, I'D LIKE TO READ THIS RESOLUTION OF APPRECIATION ON BEHALF OF THE CITY TO THE MCCLENDON FAMILY. AND I'D LIKE, UH, TO ASK IF, IF DENVER, YOU WANTED TO MAKE ANY COMMENTS. AND THIS IS A RESOLUTION IN AN APPRECIATION OF RUTH JONES MCCLENDON. WHEREAS [00:15:01] RUTH JONES MCCLENDON WAS A DEDICATED PUBLIC SERVANT WHO FOUGHT TO DEFEND THE RIGHTS OF ALL TEXANS AND REPRESENTED HER CONSTITUENTS AND CI IN THE CITY WITH GRIT AND GRACE. WHEREAS MRS. MCCLENDON PROUDLY SERVED AS A MEMBER OF THE SAN ANTONIO CITY COUNCIL FROM JUNE, 1993 TO AUGUST, 1996, AND WENT ON TO SERVE 10 TERMS IN THE TEXAS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. AND WHEREAS MRS. MCCLENDON ACHIEVED AN EXTRAORDINARY RECORD OF LEGISLATIVE ACCOMPLISHMENT AND INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO HER STRONG SUPPORT FOR FUNDING HAVEN FOR HOPE EFFORTS TO PROTECTING CAMP BULLIS, HER ROLE IN CREATING THE TIMOTHY COLE EXONERATION COMMISSION AND NUMEROUS OTHER CRIMINAL AND SOCIAL JUSTICE REFORM MEASURES. AND WHEREAS THROUGHOUT HER OUTSTANDING CAREER AS AN ELECTED OFFICIAL, MRS. MCCLENNAN MANAGED TO MERGE HER LOVE OF FAMILY, FRIENDS, CHURCH, COUNTRY, AND COMMUNITY INTO A COMPLETE AND WELL-ROUNDED LIFE OF COMMITMENT TO ALL. NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO, THAT WITH THE PASSING OF RUTH JONES MCCLENDON, THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO HAS LOST A VALUABLE ASSET TO ITS PAST, ITS PRESENT, AND ITS FUTURE. THE CITY COUNCIL WISHES TO RECOGNIZE MRS. MCCLENDON'S STELLAR YEARS OF SERVICE TO THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO AND THE STATE OF TEXAS. AND IT IS HEREBY DIRECTED THAT A COPY OF THIS RESOLUTION BE PRESENTED TO HER FAMILY AS A TOKEN OF OUR HEARTFELT GRATITUDE PRESENTED THIS 11TH DAY OF JANUARY, JANUARY TO 18. MR. MAYOR, COUNCIL MEMBERS, FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU FOR THE TRIBUTE THAT YOU HAVE PAID TO, UH, RUTH. UM, SHE EXEMPLIFIED PUBLIC SERVICE, AND I HOPE THAT FAMILY AND FRIENDS AND ASSOCIATES CAN IDENTIFY WITH THAT PUBLIC SERVICE AND WE WILL DO WHAT WE CAN TO, UH, HELP THIS CITY AND STATE MOVE FORWARD. AGAIN, THANK YOU. THANK YOU TO THE MCCLENDON FAMILY. ALL RIGHT. AND NOW TO TURN IT OVER TO, UH, COUNCILMAN ROBERT TREVINO FOR A POINT OF PERSONAL PRIVILEGE. THANK YOU, MAYOR. AND I WANT TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO INTRODUCE, UH, KATHLEEN VEL, THE NEW CHAIR OF THE, THE SYMPHONY SOCIETY OF SAN ANTONIO, TO COME UP AND, AND SAY A FEW WORDS. FIRST, I WOULD JUST SIMPLY SAY SAN ANTONIO HAS, HAS ALWAYS APPRECIATED AND KNOWS THE, THE BENEFITS OF ARTS AND CRAFT, AS EVIDENCED BY OUR APPRECIATION FOR THE NEW BARGES THAT ARE NOW, UH, ADORNING OUR BEAUTIFUL RIVER WALK. BUT ALONG WITH THAT IS UNDERSTANDING THAT THE ARTS IS SUCH A COMPLEX AND SUCH A BIG, BIG PICTURE HERE IN SAN ANTONIO, AND WE REALLY APPRECIATE THAT IN A CITY, OBVIOUSLY CANNOT HONOR WHAT IT DOES NOT CULTIVATE. AND SO, KATHLEEN, THANK YOU COUNCILMAN VINEO. I'M SO HONORED TO BE HERE TODAY AND, AND, UH, APPRECIATIVE OF YOUR, ALLOWING ME TO SPEAK TO YOU, MAYOR, COUNCIL PERSONS. THANK YOU. UM, I JUST GOT A CALL ON THE WAY DOWN HERE FROM A PRINCIPAL OF THE BARGE COMPANY WHO SAYS SHE WANTS TO GET THE ORCHESTRA ON THE BARGES. THOUGHT YOU'D LIKE TO KNOW THAT. UM, I, AND I ALSO NEED TO THANK YOU KINDLY FOR YOUR PAST SUPPORT TO THE SAN ANTONIO SYMPHONY, YOUR PRESENT SUPPORT, AND I HOPE FOR YOUR FUTURE SUPPORT. UM, WE HAVE A LOT OF WHAT I CALL PUBLIX AT THE, AT THE SYMPHONY. WE HAVE THE LONGTIME, SERIOUS, HARDCORE CLASSICAL MUSIC LOVERS WHO WERE THERE COME RAIN AND SHINE, RAIN OR SHINE, THEY'RE THERE EVERY EV THEY, THEY, THEY, THEY ARE PART OF OUR CORE AUDIENCE. UM, AND THEY BRING THEIR FRIENDS, THEY SUPPORT THE SYMPHONY. UH, AND, AND WE ARE REALLY GRATEFUL FOR THEM. WE ALSO HAVE THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY. UH, IT'S, I'D [00:20:01] LIKE FOR YOU TO KNOW, WHICH YOU, YOU PROBABLY ALREADY KNOW THIS, UH, COUNCIL MEMBERS, BUT, UM, THE SYMPHONY IS AN ECONOMIC GENERATOR. IT'S A, IT, WE, WE GENERATE SOME $3 MILLION ANNUALLY. AND JUST IN JUST WHAT WE DO IN THE, OUT IN THE COMMUNITY, WE, UH, WE GENERATE FIVE, I MEAN, I'M SORRY, 900,000 IN GOVERNMENT REVENUE, UH, THAT WE, THAT IS DOCUMENTED. UM, OUR, OUR CITY CAN'T, CAN'T BE THE ONE, ESPECIALLY IN OUR TRICENTENNIAL YEAR THAT LET THE HALL GO DARK. WE JUST CAN'T DO THAT. AND, AND THAT'S WHY THE BOARD HAS STEPPED UP AND SAID, WE'RE GONNA GO ON. WE'RE GONNA GO FORWARD AND WE'RE GONNA DO WHAT IT TAKES TO MAKE A SUCCESS NOW AND IN THE FUTURE, WE WILL, WE WILL RESTRUCTURE WHAT WE DO FROM A GOVERNANCE STANDPOINT AND ENSURE FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY AND REALITY. UM, EDUCATION IS ONE OF OUR BEST PRODUCTS, OUR MUSICIANS AND OUR, OUR ORCHESTRA, OUR YOUNG PEOPLE'S CONCERTS, UH, AND OUR MUSIC TOUCH ABOUT 50,000 CHILDREN EACH YEAR. AND WE GET THE TITLE ONE SCHOOLS. THEY, THEY HAVE THEIR HIGHEST PRIORITY. UM, OUR MUSICIANS ARE IN THE COMMUNITY. TE THEY HAVE STUDIOS. THEY'RE, THEY'RE IN OUR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS, THEY'RE IN OUR MIDDLE SCHOOLS, THEY'RE IN OUR HIGH SCHOOLS, AND THEY UNDERPIN THE UNIVERSITY LEVEL MUSIC EDUCATION IN THE CITY. THEY'RE INVOLVED, THEY'RE, THEY HAVE CHAMBER GROUPS, THEY ALL HAVE STUDIOS. THEY ALL HAVE TWO OR THREE OR FOUR JOBS BECAUSE THEY CAN'T, THEY CAN'T MAKE IT ON WHAT WE PAY THEM. SO THEY ARE, THESE PEOPLE ARE HIGHLY, HIGHLY ENERGETIC, INSPIRED, AND SUPERCHARGED. AND YOU HAVE A, AN AMAZING GROUP OF GENIUSES THAT WE SUPPORT AND WANT TO SUPPORT BETTER. UM, WE, THE OTHER, LET'S SEE, THE THE OTHER, THE OTHER THING THAT YOU NEED TO KNOW IS THAT AS THE RESULT OF THE ANNOUNCEMENT BY MAYOR NUREMBERG AND JUDGE WOLF OF A PROSPECTIVE NEW LEVEL OF SUPPORT, OR NEW, OR CONTINUATION OF SUPPORT, I SHOULD SAY, UM, WE HAVE RAISED, UM, ABOUT, OR WE HAVE, WE HAVEN'T RAISED IT, BUT WE HAVE RAISED A LOT. WE'VE HAD A LOT OF GRANTS, A LOT OF GIFTS COME IN, BUT WE HAVE IDENTIFIED, UH, ABOUT $1.9 MILLION IN, UH, IN MONEY FOR THE SYMPHONY, JUST IN JUST NOW . IT'S, IT'S JUST A, IT'S WHAT THAT HAS OPENED THE FLOODGATES. AND WE BELIEVE THAT THIS WILL CONTINUE BECAUSE IT'S, I GUESS PEOPLE DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY, THEY HAVE UNTIL THEY, THEY HAVE THE THREAT OF LOSING IT. AND THIS HAS BEEN AN, AN INTERESTING, AN INTERESTING TIME IN THIS, IN THE SYMPHONY'S HISTORY AS THE RESULT OF THE, UM, LEADERSHIP OF THE GROUP THAT WAS GOING TO COME IN. UH, I, I WILL TELL YOU THAT, UH, THE WAY THEY STRUCTURED IT, WE ARE NOW DEBT FREE. WE HAVE NO LIABILITIES. WE HAVE MONEY IN THE BANK. UH, WE DON'T HAVE TO PAY. WE DON'T HAVE TO CATCH UP. WE JUST HAVE TO GO FORWARD. SO, UM, ANNETTE PAULIN, WHO IS THE VICE PRESIDENT OF DEVELOPMENT AT THE SAN ANTONIO SYMPHONY, HAS SOME MATERIALS TO PASS OUT. WOULD YOU LIKE TO HAVE THAT? WOULD THAT BE HELPFUL TO YOU TO HAVE SOME FACTS AND FIGURES? I'M, I'M A LITTLE BIT, UM, THANK YOU, MS. VALL. IS THAT GOOD? THA THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK, THANK YOU, MS. VALL AND THE, THE SYMPHONY IS, IS IS LUCKY TO HAVE YOU AS, AS CHAIR, I WANT TO THANK YOU THIS, ESPECIALLY THIS TRICENTENNIAL YEAR IN THIS TRICENTENNIAL EFFORT. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN TRAVINO, COUNCILWOMAN GONZALEZ. UH, THANK YOU MAYOR. AND I ALSO JUST WANTED TO COMMEND, UH, KATHLEEN VAIL, UH, FOR TAKING ON THIS CHALLENGE. UH, I, I BELIEVE THAT, UH, UNDER YOUR LEADERSHIP, WE WILL SEE SOME TRANSFORMATIVE CHANGES. UH, I KNOW WE HAD A CONVERSATION SOME TIME AGO ABOUT [00:25:01] THE SYMPHONY, AND I FELT LIKE WITH YOU, UH, IN CHARGE, OR YOU, UH, AT THE TIME AS IN A DIFFERENT CAPACITY. UH, I HAD GREAT CONFIDENCE. SO I'M GLAD TO SEE YOU STEPPING UP AND, UM, I, I, WHILE I KNOW THAT THE JUDGE AND THE MAYOR, UH, HAVE A GREAT IMPACT IN THE FUNDRAISING AND, AND STABILITY OF THE SYMPHONY, I ALSO BELIEVE THAT YOUR LEADERSHIP, UH, CONTRIBUTES TO THAT AS WELL. SO WE LOOK FORWARD TO A WONDERFUL TRICENTENNIAL YEAR. UH, WE LOOK FORWARD TO, UM, A WONDERFUL SYMPHONY AND SUPPORTING OUR MUSICIANS. AND, UH, I'M SURE WE'LL, WE'LL BE, UH, HEARING MORE FROM YOU, UH, AS A YEAR PROGRESSES. SO THANK YOU, MAYOR, AND THANK YOU, KATHLEEN. THANK YOU COUNCIL SO MUCH. THANK YOU, COUNCILMAN GONZALEZ. AND, AND THERE IS NO DOUBT IN THE WORLD I BELIEVE THAT SAN ANTONIO IS A WONDERFUL CITY. UH, AND IT IS MADE WONDERFUL, NOT BECAUSE OF THE GREAT INFRASTRUCTURE OR STREETS OR SIDEWALKS OR PARKS EVEN, BUT BECAUSE OF THE ARTS AND CULTURE AND HERITAGE AND THE PEOPLE THAT ARE IN THIS COMMUNITY. SO WE WANT TO THANK THOSE WHO CONTRIBUTE. SO, UM, SO MUCH TO IT. SO THANK YOU, KATHY. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT. UM, THERE IS NOW A PERSONAL POINT, POINT OF PERSONAL PRIVILEGE FOR COUNCILMAN CLAYTON PERRY. THANK YOU, SIR. UM, I, I GOTTA TELL YOU A LITTLE STORY HERE. UM, I DIDN'T KNOW IF I WAS GONNA GET TO DO THIS OR NOT. UM, THE MAYOR DOESN'T LIKE SURPRISES, BUT, UM, I, I WAS SAYING YES, I, THIS WAS A LAST MINUTE, UH, INJECTION INTO THE, UH, PROCEEDINGS TODAY. AND, AND I WANTED IT TO BE A SURPRISE. UM, SO I DIDN'T TELL HIM, SO HE MIGHT NOT HAVE EVEN RECOGNIZED ME TO DO THIS. HE SAID, OKAY, UH, I'M GONNA GO AHEAD AND TRUST YOU THIS TIME TO SEE WHAT IT IS. SO ANYWAY, I, I JUST WANTED TO SAY A FEW THINGS. I, I HAD THE PLEASURE OF ATTENDING SEVERAL DIFFERENT EVENTS, UH, HERE THE OTHER WEEK WITH THE, UH, ALL AMERICAN, UH, ARMY ALL AMERICAN BOWL. AND, UH, IT WAS A FANTASTIC EVENT. THE, THE, UH, THINGS THAT THEY DID PRIOR TO THE BOWL GAME. AND THE BOWL GAME ITSELF WAS EXCELLENT. I DON'T KNOW IF YOU HAD A CHANCE TO GO SEE IT OR WATCH IT ON TV, BUT IT WAS A FANTASTIC DISPLAY OF OUR, OUR YOUTH AND, AND THE DIRECTION THAT THEY'RE GOING IN AND, UH, THEIR FUTURES THAT THEY'RE GONNA BE MOVING INTO, WHETHER IT'S FOOTBALL OR ANY OTHER, ANY OTHER SPORT OR GOING INTO THE MILITARY. UH, AT THAT, UH, AT THAT CEREMONY, THE NIGHT BEFORE THE, THE, UH, BOWL GAME, I HAD THE PLEASURE OF ACCEPTING, UH, SOMETHING ON BEHALF OF THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO AND THE MAYOR. AND, AND, UH, THIS SOMETHING THAT I ACCEPTED WAS REALLY HEAVY. AND IT'S ACTUALLY UNDERNEATH THERE, AND I'LL PRESENT IT TO THE MAYOR HERE A LITTLE BIT AND, AND SHOW YOU, SHOW YOU WHAT IT IS. BUT, UH, HE'S BEEN BUGGING ME ABOUT THIS THING EVER SINCE THE BOWL GAME. HE ACTUALLY HAD HIS CHIEF OF STAFF BE FOLLOWING ME AROUND TO FIND WHERE THIS WAS BECAUSE, UH, HE, HE, HE LOVES THESE KINDS OF THINGS AND, UH, HE'S WANTING TO GET IT IN HIS OFFICE. SO, WITH THAT, MAYOR, WOULD YOU JOIN ME? I THINK I KNOW WHAT IT'S, AND IF YOU DIDN'T KNOW, SAN ANTONIO HOSTED THIS EVENT FOR 18, 18 YEARS. NOW, THERE'S SOME RUMORS GOING AROUND THAT IT MAY NOT RETURN THE ARMY, UH, SPONSORSHIP OF THIS, BUT WE'RE STILL WORKING THAT THE MAYOR AND I AND THE GENERAL, UH, WE'RE WORKING WITH, UH, TO SEE IF WE CAN KEEP THIS MILITARY CONNECTION WITH SPONSORING THIS PARTICULAR BOWL GAME. SO, WITH THAT, UH, SIR, THIS IS, UH, THIS IS, UH, WE'LL PULL UP THE CURTAIN AND, UH, THIS IS YOURS. THANKS, BRANDON. OKAY. THAT WAY. SO NOW, DO YOU TRUST ME? YEAH. ALL RIGHT. GREAT. THANK YOU, SIR. THANK YOU. APPRECIATE IT. WELL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH COUNCILMAN FOR YOUR [00:30:01] LEADERSHIP ON THE MILITARY TRANSFORMATION COMMITTEE, AS WELL AS, UM, WORKING WITH OUR MILITARY AS A VETERAN. UM, I WAS HOPING ACTUALLY FOR 11 OF THOSE, THOUGH, CONSIDERING THE KIND OF COMBAT WE HAVE HERE UP ON THE DAAS, BUT ONE WILL DO JUST FINE FOR ME. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. ALRIGHT, WE'RE GONNA GO NOW INTO OUR REGULAR AGENDA. UM, AND WE ARE GONNA START WITH, UH, I'LL ASK MY CO MY COLLEAGUES IF THEY HAVE ANY ITEMS TO PULL OFF OF THE CONSENT AGENDA ITEM. UM, ITEM NUMBER FOUR IS SCHEDULED FOR INDIVIDUAL BRIEFING. ARE THERE ANY OTHER ITEMS COUNCIL MEMBERS WISH TO PULL FROM CONSENT? OKAY, HEARING NONE, UH, THE ORDER [Consent Agenda] OF THE AGENDA TODAY, WE WILL TAKE UP, UH, OUR CONSENT AGENDA, AND THEN WE'LL MOVE TO ITEM NUMBER FOUR. SO I'LL TAKE UP A MOTION FOR THE BALANCE OF THE CONSENT AGENDA, AND THAT IS ITEMS FIVE THROUGH 20. ALL RIGHT. THERE'S A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR THE BALANCE OF THE CONSENT AGENDA. WE DO HAVE A CITIZEN SIGNED UP TO SPEAK ON CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS. WE'LL START WITH JACK M FINGER. WELL, MAYOR NURNBERG AND OTHER MEMBERS OF OUR ILLUSTRIOUS SAN ANTONIO CITY COUNCIL FOR THE RECORD, MY NAME IS JACK M FINGER, HOPE YOUR NEW YEAR'S CELEBRATION WAS A, A, A NICE ONE. I, I, I ENJOYED IT BECAUSE I WAS SLEEPING IN A NICE WARM BED INSTEAD OF STANDING OUT IN THE 30 DEGREE TEMPERATURES THERE. THE, UH, ONE ITEM WISH TO BRING TO YOUR ATTENTION. ITEM NUMBER 13 ON THE AGENDA. WHAT IS IT TODAY? WELL, AN ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING ACCEPTANCE AND APPROPRIATIONS OF $200,000 FROM THE SAN ANTONIO HOUSING TRUST FINANCE CORPORATION TO SUPPORT ACTIVITIES WITH A MARRIAGE HOUSING POLICY TASK FORCE. NOW, JUST, WHAT IS $200,000 GOING TO? WELL, I LOOKED AT THE BACKUP DOCUMENTS, AND I SEE WHEN YOU SEE THE WORDS, UH, EQUITY, THINK WELFARE, WELFARE, HOUSING, AND LIKE I SAY, LET'S SEE, SO WE HAVE HERE, LET'S TAKE, TAKE A LOOK AT MR. AUDIO IS YOUR MAN, PUT THAT ON AND SEE WHAT'S UNDERLINED THERE ON THE, UH, WHAT DOES IT SAY? BLOW IT UP A LITTLE BIT THERE. YES. UH, WAS A, THERE WAS A PRESENT PRESENTATION MADE ABOUT HOUSING AND NEIGHBORHOODS THROUGH THE EQUITY LENS. YEAH, THIS IS IN PREPARATION FOR THIS THING. UH, LOWER THE BID, SCROLL ON DOWN THERE AND SEE WHAT ELSE DO WE HAVE? EQUITABLE NEIGHBORHOOD DEVELOPMENT. YEAH, THAT'S ALL PART OF OUR AFFORDABLE HOUSING THAT'S COMING UP. ANYTHING ELSE ON THERE, MR. AUDIOVISUAL? MAN? UH, OKAY, WELL PUT THIS ONE ON IF YOU WOULD. YEAH. WHAT DOES IT SAY? UH, ANOTHER, LET'S SEE. CREATING A TRANSPARENT COORDINATED HOUSING SYSTEM. COORDINATED HOUSING SYSTEM. THAT MEANS, UH, FITTING THE, ALL, ALL, ALL THE, THE, THE HAVE-NOTS WITH THE HAVES THERE. YEAH. I'M, I'M THOSE OF YOU LIVING IN THE, IN THE, IN THE DOMINION, YOU, YOU'LL BE HAPPY TO KNOW YOU, YOU MIGHT JUST HA HA GET, GET UP A FEW OF THE, OF THE OID LIVING NEXT TO YOU SOON. FUNDING AND FINANCING FOR HOUSING. NOW, WHERE IS THAT FUNDING AND FINANCING GOING TO COME FROM? YOU SILLY BOYS. IT'S GONNA COME FROM YOU. THE TAXPAYERS ALSO, UH, REMOVING BARRIERS TO HOUSING AND SUPPLY. WHY NOT JUST LET THE PRIVATE SECTOR WITH ITS SUPPLY AND DEMAND, WORK THIS OVER INSTEAD OF HAVING OUR TEXTILES CONVOLUTE THINGS THERE ALSO. BUT FINALLY, HERE YOU GO. PUT THIS ON AUDIO, MR. AUTO ION MAIL. WHERE IS THIS MONEY COMING FROM? WELL, IT'S COMING FROM THE, UM, YEAH, AND BLOW THAT UP A LITTLE BIT THERE. UH, UNDERLINED AREA, THE BOARD OF THE SS H A T C CONSISTS OF SANITATION CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS FROM DISTRICTS ONE THROUGH FIVE. THAT MEANS THERE'S ONLY FIVE COUNCILMEN SAYING THIS. I CAN JUST IMAGINE, OH, SAY MR. COUNCILMAN SALANA SAYING TO HIMSELF, SAY, MR. MR. COUNCILMAN, I HEREBY AS A MEMBER OF THE TASK FORCE GIVE YOU $200,000. WOULD YOU ACCEPT MR. COUNCILMAN? AND, AND MR. STANYA SAYS TO HIMSELF, WELL, YES, I THINK I WILL. MR. SALANA, MEMBER OF THE HOUSING TASK FORCE, I THINK I WILL. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, SIR. YES, I, I THANK YOU, MR. FINGER. ONE HAND SHAKING THE OTHER. ALL RIGHT, THERE IS A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR THE BALANCE OF THE CONSENT AGENDA. UM, AND THAT IS ALL THE CITIZENS SIGNED UP TO SPEAK ON THE BALANCE OF THE CONSENT, SO PLEASE VOTE. MOTION CARRIES ITEM NUMBER FOUR. [4. An Ordinance amending Chapter 36 of the City Code, entitled “Smoking” to increase the age for the sale of tobacco products to 21 years of age. [Erik Walsh, Deputy City Manager; Colleen M. Bridger, MPH, PhD, Director, Health]] ITEM NUMBER FOUR IS AN ORDINANCE AMENDING CHAPTER 36 [00:35:01] OF THE CITY CODE ENTITLED SMOKING TO INCREASE THE AGE FOR THE SALE OF TOBACCO PRODUCTS TO 21 YEARS OF AGE. WE HAVE A PRESENTATION FROM DR. BRIDGER. GOOD MORNING, MR. MAYOR, CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS, I APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE HERE TO GIVE THIS PRESENTATION. I KNOW YOU'VE HEARD THIS A COUPLE OF TIMES, SO I'VE TRIED TO MAKE IT A LITTLE BIT MORE BRIEF THAN WHAT YOU'VE HEARD PREVIOUSLY, SO I WILL GO THROUGH IT PRETTY QUICKLY. SO WE KNOW THAT TOBACCO IS THE LEADING CAUSE OF PREVENTABLE DISEASE, DISABILITY, AND DEATH IN THE UNITED STATES, AND THAT EVERY DAY OVER 2000 YOUNG PEOPLE UNDER THE AGE OF 21 BECOME DAILY CIGARETTE SMOKERS. YOU'VE HEARD ME TALK ABOUT THE ADDICTIVE EFFECTS OF NICOTINE ON A DEVELOPING BRAIN AND THE FACT THAT AN ADOLESCENT BRAIN IS MORE SUSCEPTIBLE THAN A FULLY DEVELOPED BRAIN, WHICH IS THE MAJOR IMPETUS BEHIND THIS PUBLIC HEALTH INITIATIVE. SO THE PROPOSAL IS TO RAISE THE LEGAL AGE TO PURCHASE TOBACCO TO 21. AND THE REASON WE'RE DOING THIS IS BECAUSE 95% OF SMOKERS START SMOKING BEFORE THE AGE OF 21, THAT ALLOWS THEIR BRAIN TO MORE READILY BECOME ADDICTED TO NICOTINE. 2% OF CIGARETTES SOLD ARE PURCHASED BY 18, 19 AND 20 YEAR OLDS, BUT THEY IN TURN SUPPLY 90% OF TOBACCO PRODUCTS TO OUR KIDS IN HIGH SCHOOL AND MIDDLE SCHOOL. THE BENEFITS OF RAISING THE LEGAL SALE AGE OF TOBACCO TO 21 ARE MANY, SOME OF WHICH ARE, IT WOULD DELAY THE AGE OF FIRST TOBACCO USE AND REDUCE THE RISK OF BECOMING A REGULAR SMOKER. IT WOULD KEEP TOBACCO OUT OF SCHOOLS BECAUSE THE 18 AND 19 YEAR OLDS ARE THE PIPELINE FOR TOBACCO PRODUCTS TO OUR MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOLS. AND RAISING THE AGE TO 21 WILL MAKE IT EASIER FOR PEOPLE TO BE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND WHETHER SOMEBODY IS OF LEGAL AGE OR NOT. TOBACCO 21 IS ALREADY LAW OF THE LAND IN OVER 280 CITIES AND FIVE STATES IN THE UNITED STATES. IT COVERS OVER 25% OF THE US POPULATION. I WANNA BRIEFLY COVER THE TIMELINE. WE INTRODUCED THIS CONCEPT IN AUGUST, UM, DURING A BUDGET PRESENTATION INTO THE COMMUNITY HEALTH AND EQUITY COMMITTEE, WE DID THE COMMUNITY SURVEY, WHICH I'M GONNA TALK ABOUT IN JUST A SECOND. UM, WE HAD, UH, SEVERAL DIFFERENT EVENTS FOR PEOPLE, BOTH PROPONENTS AND OPPONENTS OF THE TOBACCO 21 ORDINANCE TO COME LEARN MORE ABOUT IT, EXPRESS THEIR OPINIONS, UH, AND THEN THE CITY COUNCIL B SESSION WAS ON DECEMBER 6TH. I DO HAVE A, UH, LAST MINUTE CHANGE ABOUT THE PROPOSED IMPLEMENTATION TIMELINE. UH, I WAS ABLE TO MEET WITH MEMBERS FROM THE SOUTH TEXAS MERCHANTS ASSOCIATION AND THE ASSOCIATION OF CONVENIENCE STORE RETAILERS. SO MS. ZERA MISTRI, MR. ANWAR TAHIR, AND MR. MOHAMMED RANNA AND I SAT DOWN AND TALKED ABOUT THEIR CONCERNS ABOUT THE FACT THAT THERE WILL BE A SWISS CHEESE APPROACH, UM, TO THIS, AND WHAT CAN WE DO WORKING TOGETHER TO ADDRESS THE CONCERNS THAT CONVENIENCE STORE OWNERS HAVE, THAT A PERSON COULD GO TO ANOTHER MUNICIPALITY AND PURCHASE TOBACCO PRODUCTS. AND SO THIS AFFECTS THE TIMELINE BECAUSE WE AGREED TO POSTPONE IMPLEMENTATION FROM AUGUST 1ST TO OCTOBER 1ST, WHICH WILL ALLOW US TO WORK TOGETHER TO APPROACH THE OTHER MUNICIPALITIES THROUGHOUT BEXAR COUNTY AND ENCOURAGE THEM TO ALSO PASS THEIR OWN TOBACCO 21 ORDINANCE. SO WHEN WE GET TO THAT POINT IN THE AGENDA, I DO RECOMMEND, UH, THAT WE CHANGE THE IMPLEMENTATION DATE FROM AUGUST 1ST TO OCTOBER 1ST, REMINDER OF THE RESULTS OF THE SURVEY. WE HAD OVER 5,000 INDIVIDUALS RESPOND [00:40:01] TO OUR SURVEY THAT WAS SENT OUT BOTH ONLINE AND, UM, DURING COMMUNITY EVENTS. MANY OF YOUR OFFICES SENT THE SURVEY OUT, UM, TO YOUR DISTRICT THROUGH YOUR DISTRICT NEWSLETTER. UH, AND WHAT WE GOT BACK WAS THAT 77.5% AGREED THAT RAISING THE LEGAL AGE TO 21, UM, WAS A GOOD THING FOR THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO TO DO SOME OF THE QUESTIONS THAT WE'VE HAD DURING THIS PROCESS. UM, YOU KNOW, WILL THIS PROGRAM REALLY SAVE LIVES? AND SOME ANALYSES THAT WE'VE DONE, UH, HERE LOCALLY FOR SAN ANTONIO HAVE ESTIMATED THAT JUST UNDER 518 19 AND 20 YEAR OLD LIVES WILL BE SAVED EACH YEAR BY, UM, IMPLEMENTING TOBACCO 21. UH, WE ALSO LOOKED AT SOME COST EFFECTIVENESS DATA. AND IF YOU JUST LOOK AT DATA SPECIFIC TO PREGNANT WOMEN AND PRETERM BIRTHS AND LOW BIRTH WEIGHT BABIES, UM, THE STATE HAS ESTIMATED A SAVINGS OF $406 MILLION, UM, JUST FOR THAT POPULATION OF PREGNANT WOMEN. WE KNOW THAT, UM, WE, WE AS A SOCIETY SPEND BILLIONS OF DOLLARS EVERY YEAR ON THE COST OF TOBACCO, UH, THROUGH DIRECT MEDICAL EXPENSES AS WELL AS ABSENTEEISM, LOSS OF PRODUCTIVITY, ET CETERA. UM, AND IS THIS PROGRAM BAD FOR BUSINESS? AND SO THIS IS A NEW INITIATIVE. THE, THE VAST MAJORITY OF THOSE 280, UM, CITIES IN THE FIVE STATES WHO DID THIS, THEIR, UH, INITIATIVE IS LESS THAN TWO YEARS OLD. HOWEVER, WE DID HAVE A TREND CENTER IN, UM, HAM, MASSACHUSETTS, AND I'M GONNA TALK MORE ABOUT THEM IN A MINUTE. UM, BUT WHAT WE HAVE SEEN THAT SINCE THEY IMPLEMENTED IN 2005, THERE HAVE BEEN NO CONVENIENCE STORES, UM, WHO HAVE GONE OUT OF BUSINESS. AND WHEN YOU LOOK AT THIS FROM A BROADER BUSINESS PERSPECTIVE, AND THE FACT THAT IT COSTS BUSINESSES AN ADDITIONAL $6,000 PER SMOKING EMPLOYEE PER YEAR, THIS DOES MAKE GOOD BUSINESS SENSE FOR SMALL, MEDIUM, LARGE, AND GOVERNMENT, UM, IN DECREASING THE HEALTHCARE AND OTHER COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH TOBACCO. SO LET'S TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT NEEDHAM. SO NEEDHAM, MASSACHUSETTS, UM, IS ACTUALLY SURROUNDED BY CITIES AND WEST METRO BOSTON, WHERE SIMILAR TO HERE, YOU CAN LITERALLY WALK ACROSS THE STREET AND BE IN A DIFFERENT MUNICIPALITY, UH, WHERE PEOPLE CAN PURCHASE TOBACCO. THEY, UH, IMPLEMENTED THEIR TOBACCO 21 INITIATIVE, UM, IN 2006 AND BETWEEN 2006 AND 2010, AS YOU CAN SEE FROM THIS SLIDE, THEY HAD A 48% REDUCTION IN HIGH SCHOOL SMOKING RATES. UM, COMPARE THAT TO THE 17% REDUCTION IN THE WEST METRO AREAS WHERE THEY STILL ALLOWED THE PURCHASE OF TOBACCO PRODUCTS AT AGE 18. UM, WE, SINCE PUTTING THIS SLIDE TOGETHER, GOT SOME, UM, HOT OFF THE PRESS INFORMATION, WHICH IS THAT THEY HAVE NOW PUBLISHED THEIR 2012 DATA, AND THEY HAVE SEEN A 57% DECREASE IN THEIR HIGH SCHOOL SMOKING RATES SINCE THEY IMPLEMENTED TOBACCO 21. AND WHAT THAT MEANS IS THEY HAVE GONE FROM 13% OF HIGH SCHOOLERS, UM, BEING SMOKERS, WHICH AGAIN, REMEMBER OUR MALE SMOKERS IN BEXAR COUNTY SCHOOLS IS A LITTLE OVER 12%. SO IT'S VERY SIMILAR TO US TODAY, ARE NOW AT 5.5% OF THEIR HIGH SCHOOLERS ARE SMOKERS. THAT'S INCREDIBLE PROGRESS. THAT'S A VERY SIMILAR SITUATION TO WHAT WE WOULD BE DEALING WITH HERE, AND WE STILL SAW INCREDIBLE PUBLIC HEALTH RESULTS. I WANT TO ADDRESS THE CONCERNS THAT WERE RAISED AT B SESSION AND THE CHANGES THAT WE MADE AS A RESULT. UM, THERE WERE A LOT OF COMMENTS ABOUT, UM, WHAT IS THE APPROPRIATE METHOD FOR SELECTING STORES FOR DECOY VISITS? AND AGAIN, DECOY VISITS ARE WHEN A PERSON, UM, WHO IS UNDERAGED GOES IN TO TRY TO PURCHASE TOBACCO PRODUCTS, AND IF THEY ARE SUCCESSFUL IN PURCHASING TOBACCO PRODUCTS, AN ENFORCEMENT ENTITY WITNESSES THAT AND ISSUES A CITATION. UM, THERE WERE ABOUT 300 OF THOSE DONE LAST YEAR, UM, FOR THE STATE LAW, AND WE ORIGINALLY PROPOSED DOING, UM, SOME PREDICTIVE ANALYTICS TO TARGET THE HIGHEST RISK STORES. BUT BASED ON YOUR FEEDBACK, WE HAVE MOVED THAT [00:45:01] TO RANDOM SAMPLING. SO ANY TOBACCO RETAILER WILL BE PLACED INTO THE POT, AND WE WILL RANDOMLY HAVE THE COMPUTER GENERATE 10 TOBACCO RETAILERS PER DISTRICT PER YEAR. SO WE WILL BE DOING A HUNDRED, UM, COMPLIANCE, UM, VISITS AS A RESULT OF THAT. SO THAT IS THE, THE FIRST CHANGE THAT WE MADE TO THE ORDINANCE. UM, THE SECOND AREA OF CONCERN WAS ABOUT CRIMINALIZING THE YOUTH. AND SO WE, UH, HAVE REMOVED ENFORCEMENT FOR 18, 19, AND 20 YEAR OLDS, UM, AND HAVE RETAINED THE ENFORCEMENT ON THE SALE OF TOBACCO. THOSE ARE THE ONLY CHANGES TO THE ORDINANCE OTHER THAN THIS LAST MINUTE ITEM, UM, TO CHANGE THE IMPLEMENTATION TIMEFRAME. SO I DO WANNA MAKE IT VERY CLEAR THAT THE, UM, THE ORDINANCE IF APPROVED, WOULD HAVE NO EFFECT ON EXISTING STATE LAW, WHICH ALREADY COVERS, UM, SMOKING FOR UNDER 18. SO THERE WILL STILL BE, UM, VIOLATIONS FOR YOUTH IF THEY ARE UNDER 18 AND THEY ARE CAUGHT IN POSSESSION USE OR PURCHASING TOBACCO PRODUCTS. UH, THE ORDINANCE THAT WE WILL PASS WILL BE EXACTLY THE SAME FOR RETAILERS. SO THE, UM, PENALTIES WILL BE EXACTLY THE SAME AS WHAT THE STATE IMPOSES, BUT THERE WILL BE NO ENFORCEMENT ON YOUTH FOR POSSESSION USE AND PURCHASE. SO I DID WANNA CLARIFY THAT FOR FOLKS. SO AGAIN, THE IMPLEMENTATION PLAN ORIGINALLY PROPOSED A SIX MONTH IMPLEMENTATION PERIOD WHERE WE WOULD DO EDUCATION. MY RECOMMENDATION IS NOW A NINE MONTH PERIOD, SO IT WOULD BE EFFECTIVE OCTOBER 1ST, UM, WHERE WE WOULD WORK WITH OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS TO PROVIDE EDUCATION TO YOUTH AND FAMILIES TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY UNDERSTAND THE LAW, UM, AND TO WORK WITH TOBACCO RETAILERS TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY UNDERSTAND THE LAW AND THEY, THEY HAVE ALL OF THE RESOURCES THAT THEY NEED IN ORDER TO ADHERE TO IT. UH, METRO HEALTH SANITARIANS WILL LEAD THE ENFORCEMENT, AND AGAIN, AS I MENTIONED, UM, RATHER THAN PREDICTIVE ANALYTICS, WE WILL BE USING RANDOM SAMPLING TO DETERMINE THE UNANNOUNCED COMPLIANCE CHECKS, FISCAL IMPACT, UH, MINIMAL FISCAL IMPACT. AGAIN, THE FINE IS UP TO $500 IF A RETAILER IS FOUND TO BE SELLING TOBACCO PRODUCTS TO SOMEBODY UNDER 21. UM, IF WE FIND THAT, WHICH IS HIGHLY UNLIKELY, RETAILERS ARE INCREDIBLY COMPLIANT WITH THE STATE LAW, WE EXPECT THAT WILL BE THE SAME CASE HERE. UM, BUT IF THERE ARE ANY CITATIONS ISSUED, THOSE FINES WILL BE PLACED INTO THE GENERAL FUND. THE RECOMMENDATION FROM STAFF IS, UM, TO APPROVE THE, THE PROPOSED ORDINANCE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION, DR. BRIDGER. WE HAVE SEVERAL CITIZENS SIGNED UP TO SPEAK AND THEN WE'LL GET INTO, UH, COUNCIL QUESTION AND ANSWER. ALRIGHT. WE'LL START WITH WILL MCLEOD AND I'LL CALL THE NEXT PERSON, UH, TO SPEAK IN ORDER SO YOU CAN PREPARE, UH, TO COME UP THE NEXT PERSON TO SPEAK AFTER MR. MCLEOD IS RIHANNA FERNANDEZ. JUST THAT ONE. ALL RIGHTY. UH, GOOD MORNING, MAYOR. GOOD MORNING COUNCIL. MY NAME IS WILL MCLEOD. I WANT TO BE ABLE TO CLEAR UP SOME MISCONCEPTIONS THAT THE PROPONENTS OF TOBACCO 21 ARE CLAIMING, AND ONCE AGAIN, PROVIDE YOU WITH CLEAR AND PRECISE REASONS AND EXACTLY WHY THIS ORDINANCE SHOULD NOT BE PASSED. FIRST OF ALL, YOU SEE THOSE OP EMPTY BEER CANS RIGHT THERE. IT'S BEEN ILLEGAL TO CONSUME ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES IN THE STREET, AND YET PEOPLE HAVE BEEN DOING THAT FOR YEARS. S A P D IS NOT ENFORCING THE LAW ON THAT MATTER, ON OTHER CITY ORDINANCES. UM, ALSO I WANNA REMIND YOU ABOUT THE RECENT DISCUSSION REGARDING THE TAXATION OF SUGARY DRINKS. YOU CAN GO AHEAD AND TAKE THAT OUT, UH, WHICH IN WHICH COUNCILMAN BROCK HOUSE YOU ARE QUOTED AS STATING, AT WHAT POINT DOES THE SAN SAN ANTONIO COUNCIL STOP TELLING PEOPLE HOW TO LIVE THEIR LIVES? I HOPE YOU REMAIN CONSISTENT WITH THAT SENTIMENT. AFTER ALL, THAT IS WHY WE ELECTED YOU TO SERVE ON THE, ON THE DAS. DR. BRIDGER IS ON THE RECORD AND STATING IN REGARDS TO BE ABLE TO TAX SUGARY DRINKS, THE CITY WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO PASS ATTACKS EVEN IF THEY WANTED TO BECAUSE OF STATE LAW. YOU ALSO ARGUED DR. BRIDGER, THAT THERE NEEDS TO BE ATTACKS, BE TOLD FOLO MEDIA THAT, UH, METRO HEALTH HAD SEVERAL OTHER HEALTH PRIORITIES TO TACKLE BEFORE SHE WOULD CONSIDER PUSHING FOR A TAX. IT WOULD REQUIRE A CHANGE IN [00:50:01] TEXAS LAW FOLKS, AS I POINTED OUT BEFORE RAGING, THE AGE TO PURCHASE TOBACCO WOULD REQUIRE A CHANGE IN TEXAS LAW, JUST LIKE THE SODA TAX PROPOSAL FLOODED BY, UH, METRO HEALTH. NOW LET'S, FOR SOME TALKING POINTS, THE PROPONENTS OF TOBACCO 21 KEEP PARTICULARLY SPEAKING OUT OF EMOTION WITH TOTAL RECKLESS DISREGARD OF STATE LAW, NUMBER ONE, FOUR YEARS, ADOLESCENT SMOKING RATES HAVE BEEN COMING DOWN. ALTHOUGH NEARLY ONE IN FIVE HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS STILL USES TOBACCO NOW. HOWEVER, ADOLESCENTS USE OF E-CIGARETTES, NICOTINE VAPING DEVICES, HOOKS, SMALL CIGARS HAVE GONE UP DRAMATICALLY THREATENING COMPLETE, UH, RATES, A DECADE OF PROCESS. A MYTH LAWS PROHIBITING MINERS FROM PURCHASING ELECTRONIC CIGARETTES ARE RELATIVELY NEW IN MANY STATES. TEXAS DID NOT PASS A LAW BANNING THE SALE OR CONSUMPTION OF ELECTRONIC CIGARETTES TO MINORS UNDER THE AGE OF 18 UNTIL RECENTLY, OCTOBER 1ST, 2015. THIS STUDY FAILS TO BREAK DOWN THE USE OF TOBACCO, WHETHER IT BE SMALL CIGARS OR HOOKAH. USUALLY SMALL CIGARS HAVE THE TOBACCO TAKEN OUT AND REPLACED WITH MARIJUANA CALLED BLUNTS, UNDERAGE TOBACCO USE AND NICOTINE USE IS UP BY 12%. THAT'S A MYTH BECAUSE THE STUDY IS FROM 2015 AND CONDUCTED BEFORE THETE TEXAS LEGISLATION WAS PASSED PROHIBITING MINORS FROM USING PURCHASING OR POSSESSING ELECTRONIC CIGARETTES. ALSO, I WANNA NOTE THAT GENESSEE COUNTY AND STATE OF MICHIGAN, UM, THERE HAS BEEN A LAWSUIT FILED AGAINST THEIR TOBACCO 21 PROPOSAL, AND IT WAS STRUCK DOWN BY, FOR, BY A JUDGE BECAUSE IT WAS VIOLATING THE AGE OF MAJORITY STATE LAW. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MR. MCLEOD. RIHANNA FERNANDEZ, FOLLOWED BY ELISE FERNANDEZ. HELLO, MY NAME IS RIHANNA FERNANDEZ, AND AS A TEEN AMBASSADOR FOR THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO, I AM IN FULL SUPPORT OF TOBACCO 21. THE REASON FOR MY DECISION IS MOSTLY BASED OFF OF A PERSONAL EXPERIENCE, WHICH I WOULD LIKE TO SHARE. MY GRANDMOTHER HAS BEEN NEGATIVELY IMPACTED BY TOBACCO USE. SHE'S A LUNG CANCER SURVIVOR, AND SHE SERVES A CONSTANT REMINDER TO OUR FAMILY OF HOW SMOKING IS IT NEGATIVELY IMPACT YOUR LIFE. MY SISTER AND I LEARNED THE DANGERS OF SMOKING WHEN WE WERE IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. SO AS YOUNG KIDS, WE WOULD DO WHATEVER WE COULD TO CONVINCE HER TO QUIT SMOKING. WE WOULD LEAVE HER NOTES AND DRAW PICTURES OF UNHEALTHY LUNGS IN ORDER FOR HER TO UNDERSTAND THAT IT WAS A BAD HABIT. MY GRANDMOTHER SMOKED FOR ABOUT 30 YEARS AND THEN SHE QUIT. BUT BY THAT TIME, SHE WAS DIAGNOSED WITH LUNG CANCER IN 2014, AND SHE UNDERWENT SURGERY TO REMOVE THE LOWER LEFT LOBE OF HER LUNG WHERE THE TUMOR WAS GROWING. UM, SHE, IT, ALTHOUGH SHE WAS ABLE TO GET RID OF THE CANCER, SHE'S NOW CANCER FREE FOR THREE YEARS NOW. SHE HAS DIFFICULT BREATHING, SHE HAS A DIFFICULT TIME BREATHING. BUT THIS EXPERIENCE OF WATCHING MY GRANDMOTHER FIGHT CANCER DEFINITELY MADE ME REALIZE THAT I DO NOT WANT TO BE INVOLVED WITH ANY TYPE OF TOBACCO, TOBACCO, TOBACCO PRODUCTS. I'M SORRY. 'CAUSE IT, IT DOESN'T ONLY AFFECT THE PERSON, BUT IT CAN AFFECT THE FAMILY AS WELL. AND I UNDERSTAND THAT MOST TEENS, SOME TEENS DO NOT HAVE THIS FIRSTHAND EXPERIENCE. SO THAT'S WHY I BELIEVE TOBACCO 21 WOULD BE BENEFICIAL. SO NOT ONLY ARE TEENS BEING INFLUENCED BY PEERS TO SMOKE, BUT ALSO BY THE ADVERTISEMENTS, HOOKAH IS VERY POPULAR IN A WAY THAT THEY'VE TARGETED THE YOUTH IS BY THE DIFFERENT HOOKAH FLAVORS. I SAY THIS BECAUSE MOST ADULTS WHO SMOKE AREN'T LOOKING FOR FLAVORED NICOTINE. A CLOSE FRIEND OF MINE WHO LIVES IN CALIFORNIA MENTIONED THAT THEY DO HAVE THE TOBACCO 21 LAW. AND HAD THEY SAID THAT, UM, IT HAS WORKED, IT'S EFFICIENT AND IT'S DEFINITELY MADE A CHANGE. I BELIEVE THAT THREE YEARS CAN MAKE A HUGE DIFFERENCE ON WHETHER OR NOT, WHETHER OR NOT A TEEN WILL DEVELOP A HABIT OF SMOKING FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIFE. WITH THAT BEING SAID, THE CAUSES THAT COME FROM SMOKING CAN BE COMPLETELY PREVENTABLE. I DID SOME RESEARCH OF MY OWN AND I REALIZED THAT THE MINIMAL AMOUNT OF DAYS IT TAKES TO DEVELOP A HABIT IS 21, WHICH IS KIND OF IRONIC BECAUSE OF TOBACCO 21. BUT ONCE TEENS SWITCH TO THE TO TOBACCO, IT'S, IT'S THE REAL DEAL. YOU KNOW, THEY'RE SMOKING CIGARETTES, SO IT'S TIME TO PREVENT THIS BAD HABIT, AND IT'S TIME TO FORM A HABIT OF NOT RISKING YOUR LIFE, YOUR HEALTH BASED OFF OF ONE DECISION. SMOKING. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU MS. FERNANDEZ. ELISE FERNANDEZ. AND IF I COULD ASK EVERYONE'S COURTESY TO PLEASE KEEP APPLAUSE TO A MINIMUM SO THAT PEOPLE CAN HEAR, UH, THEIR NAMES BEING CALLED MS. FERNANDEZ, FOLLOWED BY TRACY VEDA. HELLO EVERYONE, AND GOOD MORNING. MY NAME IS ELISE FERNANDEZ. I AM A SOPHOMORE IN HIGH SCHOOL AND I SERVE AS A TEAM AMBASSADOR FOR THE CITY OF SA. [00:55:01] I'M HERE TO SUPPORT, TO SPEAK AS A SUPPORTER FOR TOBACCO 21 ORDINANCE. THERE ARE A LOT OF STUDENTS AT MY HIGH SCHOOL WHO USE TOBACCO PRODUCTS, AND A LOT OF THEM ARE UNDER THE AGE OF 18 YEARS OLD. THAT'S BECAUSE STUDENTS WHO ARE ALREADY 18 BY TOBACCO PRODUCTS AND THEN SELL IT TO THE YOUNGER KIDS FOR A PROFIT, THEN WE CALL 'EM DEALERS. WHEN PEOPLE AT SCHOOL START SMOKING, IT'S NOT BECAUSE THEY WANT TO BE A LIFELONG SMOKER, IT'S BECAUSE THEY WANT TO LOOK COOL. SO KIDS THAT START SMOKING USING, UM, TOBACCO PRODUCTS, THEY ARE PRESSURED BY THEIR FRIENDS OR JUST WANT TO LOOK COOL. AS I SAID, OTHER TEENS HAVE A HUGE INFLUENCE ON THE YOUNGER TEENS AT HIGH SCHOOL. WHEN THE FRESHMEN SEE SENIORS SMOKING, IT MAKES THEM WANT TO TRY IT AS WELL. THEY DON'T REALIZE HOW EASY IT IS TO BECOME A HABIT. SO RAISING THE AGE TO PURCHASE TOBACCO PRODUCTS TO TAKE THEM OUT OF THE SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT, IT'S A LOT LIKE LESLIE, THAT A 21 YEAR OLD WOULD BE HANGING OUT WITH HIS, WITH KIDS IN HIGH SCHOOL. AND PERSONALLY, I WOULDN'T BE HANGING OUT WITH A 21 YEAR OLD AS THEY WOULD HAVE ALREADY GRADUATED OR LEFT. THAT WILL MAKE IT A LOT HARDER FOR HIGH SCHOOL KIDS, ESPECIALLY YOUNGER TEENS, TO ACCESS TOBACCO PRODUCTS AND WILL LOWER THE TEMPTATIONS TO TRY THEM. TOBACCO 21 WILL GO A LONG WAY IN PREVENTING KIDS FROM PICKING UP A HABIT THAT WILL NEGATIVELY AFFECT THEIR HEALTH FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVES. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MS. FERNANDEZ. TRACY VERA, FOLLOWED BY DAKARI LAMBERT. AS A YOUNG ADULT AND SUPPORTER OF TOBACCO 21, I FIND MYSELF EASILY SWAYED TOWARDS MAKING MY COMMUNITY HEALTHIER, EQUITABLE, AND PRODUCTIVE. IT'S THE CITY WE DESERVE. IT WASN'T HARD FOR ME TO ACQUIRE A PACK OF CIGARETTES WHEN I WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL, AND I'M SURE IT'S STILL AN EASY FEAT FOR YOUTH. I WAS FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO NOT GET HOOKED ON CIGARETTES, BUT NOT MANY OF MY FRIENDS HAD THE SAME OUTCOMES. I WISH WE HAD A COALITION LIKE TOBACCO 21 PEOPLE COMING TOGETHER TO ADVOCATE FOR THOSE WHO MAY NOT REALIZE THE CONSEQUENCES OF THEIR ACTIONS. YET WHEN I WAS CELEBRATING MY BIRTHDAY THIS PAST YEAR, I NOTICED HOW MANY OF MY FRIENDS WERE DISCUSSING THAT THEY WANTED TO QUIT SMOKING CIGARETTES BUT HAD OFTEN FAILED OR HAD A DIFFICULT TIME. I HAVE SO MANY PEOPLE AROUND ME IN MY AGE RANGE THAT COULD POSSIBLY TELL YOU THAT THEY STARTED USING BEFORE THEIR 18TH BIRTHDAY BECAUSE IT WAS EASY TO ACQUIRE THROUGH PEERS, FRIENDS, SIBLINGS, AND COUSINS. IF ANYONE WOULD HAVE BROUGHT AN ORDINANCE LIKE TOBACCO 21 BEFORE I WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL OR MIDDLE SCHOOL FOR THAT MATTER, MAYBE MANY OF MY FRIENDS WOULDN'T BE TRYING TO PLAY CATCH UP WITH THEIR HEALTH. THE LAST TIME I STOOD BEFORE YOU, I ADVOCATED FOR, I ADVOCATED FOR RAISING THE AGE TO 21 BECAUSE TOBACCO COMPANIES DO DISCRIMINATE. TOBACCO USE TO PRO DISPROPORTIONATELY AFFECTS MANY MARGINALIZED POPULATIONS, INCLUDING PEOPLE IN LOW INCOME COMMUNITIES, RACIAL ETHNIC MINORITIES, L G B T INDIVIDUALS, AND THOSE WITH MENTAL ILLNESS WHO HAVE A LONG AND DOCUMENTED HISTORY OF BEING TARGETED BY THE TOBACCO INDUSTRY. A 2016 REPORT ON THE ECONOMICS OF TOBACCO FROM THE US NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE AND WORLD HEALTH. WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION STATED THAT TOBACCO USE ACCOUNTS FOR A SIGNIFICANT SHARE OF THE HEALTH DISPARITIES BETWEEN THE RICH AND THE POOR. WORLDWIDE TOBACCO MAY BE USED BY MANY TYPES OF PEOPLE, BUT THE LONG-TERM HEALTH EFFECTS AFFECT SOME COMMUNITIES IN DIFFERENT WAYS THAT THAN IT MAY AFFECT OTHERS. AS SAN ANTONIO MOVES TOWARDS A MORE E EQUITABLE SOLUTIONS, TOBACCO 21 IS ONE OF THEM TOO. AS I PREPARE TO BECOME THE FUTURE WORKFORCE AND CONTRIBUTE TO BUILDING THE CITY WE DESERVE, I'D LIKE TO BEGIN REALLOCATING VALUABLE RESOURCES TO OUR INFRASTRUCTURE, EDUCATION, AND COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS. TOBACCO USE COSTS TEXAS 8.8 BILLION ANNUALLY. SMOKING COST PRODUCTIVITY LOSSES IN TEXAS EX EXCEED 8.2 BILLION A YEAR. AND EACH TEXAS HOUSEHOLD AND FEDERAL TAX BURDEN OF $738 EACH YEAR FROM SMOKING COST, GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURES. WE ALL PAID THE PRICE. AS I'VE GONE OVER WHY PERSONALLY SUPPORT TOBACCO 21? I ALSO WANT TO DRIVE IT HOME THAT THOSE CLOSEST TO ME HAVE BEEN AFFECTED IN MINOR HEALTH FORMS AS WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO BREAK AWAY FROM BEING DISPROPORTIONATELY TARGETED TOWARDS TOBACCO USE. NOT EVERYONE IS THAT LUCKY. TOBACCO USE IS STILL THE LEADING CAUSE OF PREVENTABLE DEATH IN THE UNITED STATES. I'M STANDING HERE TO ASK FOR YOU TO VOTE FOR SAVING LIVES. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MS. TELE. THANK YOU, MS. VERA DARI LAMBERT, FOLLOWED BY DR. JOHN MENCHACA. GOOD MORNING. MY NAME IS DAIQUIRI LAMBERT AND I'M A CONSTITUENT OF DISTRICT ONE. I WOULD LIKE TO SAY THANK YOU TO COUNCILMAN TREVINO FOR BACKING THIS ORDINANCE AND SUPPORTING TOBACCO TO BE RAISED TO THE AGE OF 21. TOBACCO REMAINS THE LEADING CAUSE OF PREVENTABLE DEATH IN THE UNITED STATES. OVER 2000 KIDS UNDER THE AGE OF 18 BECOME REGULAR DAILY SMOKERS, AND ALMOST ONE THIRD OF THOSE KIDS WILL EVENTUALLY DIE FROM SMOKING. IF THE TREND CONTINUES AT THIS RATE, 5.6 MILLION OF TODAY'S YOUTH WILL DIE PREMATURELY FROM A SMOKING RELATED ILLNESS. THAT NUMBER [01:00:01] IS BOTH STAGGERING AND PREVENTABLE. TOBACCO USE DISPROPORTIONATELY AFFECTS MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO COMMUNITIES WITH LOWER INCOME, RACIAL AND ETHNIC MINORITIES, THE L G B T Q COMMUNITY AND THOSE WITH MENTAL HEALTH ILLNESS AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE DISORDERS. TOBACCO COMPANIES HAVE A LONG DOCUMENTED HISTORY OF THEIR PREDATORY BEHAVIOR TOWARDS MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES. I WOULD LIKE TO UTILIZE THIS PLATFORM TO SHED LIGHT ON A COMMUNITY THAT IS OFTEN OVERLOOKED WHEN WE'RE DISCUSSING MINORITIES. AS THE L G B T Q COMMUNITIES STARTED TO GAIN MORE ACCEPTANCE IN SOCIAL AND POLITICAL SPHERES. THE TOBACCO INDUSTRIES TOOK NOTE AND MADE MOVES TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF AN EMERGING MARKET. THEY STARTED MARKETING STRATEGIES AIMED AT L G B T Q. YOUTH. L G B T Q YOUTH ARE NEARLY TWO TIMES AS MORE LIKELY TO USE TOBACCO AS THEIR STRAIGHT PEERS, AND THEY'RE MORE LIKELY TO USE MULTIPLE TOBACCO PRODUCTS. THIS TRANSFERS INTO A RATE OF 20.6 L G B T Q ADULTS TO THEIR 14.9% OF STRAIGHT PEERS. 40% OF L G B T Q HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS ACTIVELY USED AT LEAST ONE TYPE OF TOBACCO PRODUCT. MY QUESTION IS, WHY ARE WE PRIORITIZING DOLLARS OVER PUBLIC HEALTH? I HAVE ASKED MYSELF THIS QUESTION MANY TIMES AND I HAVE NOT ARRIVED AT A CONCLUSION THAT FEELS RIGHT. EVENTUALLY, WE ALL PAY FOR THE DAMAGE THAT TOBACCO HAS ON OUR COMMUNITY AND OUR LOVED ONES, WHETHER IT'S FINANCIALLY, PHYSICALLY, OR EMOTIONALLY. NATIONAL DATA SHOWS THAT OVER 90% OF ADULT SMOKERS HAVE BEGUN AT THE AGE OF 20, BEFORE THE AGE OF 21. BY ENFORCING POLICIES THAT ENCOURAGE HEALTHY BEHAVIORS, WE CAN LESSEN THAT BURDEN. I HEAR MANY COMMUNITY MEMBERS ECHOING SENTIMENTS SUCH AS PEOPLE DO IT BEFORE THE LEGAL AGE ANYWAYS. KIDS WILL STILL FIND A WAY TO GET TOBACCO. YOU DO OTHER THINGS AT 18, SO WHY CHANGE THIS? AND THIS ORDINANCE IS A WASTE OF TIME. I WOULD LIKE TO COUNTER THOSE ARGUMENTS WITH THIS. AT LEAST FIVE STATES AND 280 LOCALITIES HAVE ALREADY RAISED THE AGE TO 21 BECAUSE IT IS A PROMISING STRATEGY TO REDUCE SMOKING AND OTHER TOBACCO USE AMONG YOUTH. APATHY DOES NOT CONTRIBUTE TO THE ADVANCEMENT OF OUR COMMUNITY, AND IT ALLOWS OPPRESSION TO HAVE A SEAT AT THE TABLE. IF RAISING THE AGE FOR TOBACCO FROM 18 TO 21 PREVENTS EVEN ONE PERSON FROM BECOMING A HABITUAL USER OR DYING PREMATURELY, WE WIN. RAISING THE AGE FROM 18 TO 21 COMPLIMENTS OTHER STRATEGIES THAT ARE CURRENTLY IN PLACE. THIS IS A SOCIAL JUSTICE ISSUE, A PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUE, AND FOR SOME, AN ISSUE, A PROFIT, BUT THE FIRST TWO MUST BE PRIORITIZED. THANK YOU, COUNSEL. THANK YOU MS. LAMBERT. DR. JOHN MENCHACA, FOLLOWED BY RICHARD PETTUS. THANK YOU COUNSEL. AND, UH, I AM A RETIRED PEDIATRICIAN. UH, I WENT TO PRE-MED AT ST. MARY'S UNIVERSITY, AND I STILL REMEMBER IN JANUARY, 1964 AS A REMINDER, THE SURGEON GENERAL'S REPORT ON THE DIRE EFFECTS OF SMOKING. HAVING SAID THAT AND HAVING HEARD DR. BRIDGER'S, UH, COMMENTS, UM, SOME OF THE THINGS THAT I WILL BE STATING HERE WILL ACTUALLY BE REPEATING SOME OF THOSE. UH, BASICALLY THE ADOLESCENT BRAIN, WHICH IS 18, 19 YEAR OLD, IS STILL MATURING. THE PREFRONTAL LOBES ARE STILL NOT MATURE. AND CONSEQUENTLY, THROUGH NO FAULT OF THEIR OWN, OTHER THAN JUST AGE THEIR THINKING PROCESS AND MAKING EXECUTIVE DECISIONS TO LOOK AT ALL RAMIFICATIONS OF SMOKING OR NOT SMOKING OR STILL FLAWED. THIS DOES NOT GET BETTER UNTIL THE EARLY TWENTIES. THE OTHER ASPECTS, HAVING SAID THAT ABOUT THE THINGS, IT IS OBVIOUS THAT A 18 YEAR OLD WOULD MAKE IN ALL LIKELIHOOD, FLAWED DECISIONS TO START SMOKING. THE OTHER MEDICAL EFFECTS OF SMOKING ARE IN THE MOTHER AND THE BABY ARE STRAIGHTFORWARD, AND DR. BRIDGER HAS ALREADY MENTIONED THEM. NAMELY, UH, FOR THE MOTHER'S SIDE OR THE, UH, PERSON SIDE, I GUESS. UH, CANCER, CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE, CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE, ASTHMA ARE ALL IMPACTED. AND IT'S IMPORTANT THAT THAT INCIDENCE OF SMOKING CAN BE REDUCED ON. AS A PEDIATRICIAN, MANY YEARS AFTER 50 YEARS OF PEDIATRICS, I SAW A LOT OF CHILDREN THAT WERE WHAT WE CALL SMO, SMALL FOR GESTATIONAL AGE, THAT HAVE A ABSOLUTE DIRECT LINKAGE TO THE MOTHER SMOKING DURING THE PREGNANCY. AND IF A MOTHER BEGAN SMOKING AT AGE 1518 AND BECOMES ADDICTED TO SMOKING, LET'S CALL IT ADDICTION, NOT A JUST A HABIT, BUT CALL IT WHAT IT IS, UM, THEIR BABIES [01:05:01] WILL BE SEVERELY IMPAIRED AND THAT BECOMES A PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUE. AND ECONOMICALLY AND HEALTH WISE, IN CLOSING, AS SOME OF THE OTHER SPEAKERS I'VE ALREADY MENTIONED, UH, IT BASICALLY, AS I SEE IT AS A RETIRED PEDIATRICIAN AND AS A TAXPAYER, BOTH STATE, CITY, AND FEDERAL, I SEE THIS ISSUE AS A, A PURE ECO AND ALSO ECONOMIC ISSUE. I DO NOT WANT TO PAY TAXES TO HAVE TO HELP THOSE THAT CHOSE NOT TO, UH, UH, TAKE CARE OF THEMSELVES BY NOT SMOKING. THANK YOU, DR. AKA. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. RICHARD PEREZ, FOLLOWED BY RAD WEAVER. GOOD MORNING, HONORABLE MAYOR, MEMBERS OF SAN ANTONIO CITY COUNCIL. MY NAME IS RICHARD PEREZ. I'M PRESIDENT OF THE SAN ANTONIO CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, AND WE ARE HERE TODAY TO SPEAK IN FAVOR OF THE TOBACCO 21 ORDINANCE. I'M JOINED THIS MORNING BY THE IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIRMAN OF OUR BOARD, UH, RAD WEAVER, WHO'D LIKE TO GIVE OUR OUR THOUGHTS ON THE ISSUE. MORNING. THINK LAST TIME I WAS HERE, WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THE ALAMO. IT WAS A LITTLE MORE, UH, STRAIGHTFORWARD. SO LOOK, THIS ISSUE IS, IS A DEEPLY PERSONAL, UH, ISSUE FOR ME. SO, SO MUCH SO THAT, THAT, UH, WHEN IT CAME UP, I WENT TO THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE AND SAID, LOOK, YOU ALL NEED TO, TO, UH, TO TAKE THIS BACK TO OUR COMMITTEES AND, AND SEE WHAT, WHAT OUR MEMBERS ARE SAYING HERE. BECAUSE, BECAUSE, 'CAUSE I'M, I'M WAY ONE SIDED ON THIS. AND, AND, YOU KNOW, IT, IT, IT CAME BACK WITH AN AFFIRMATIVE LOOK. THERE ARE, UH, I'M AN ENTREPRENEUR AND ENTREPRENEURS, UM, UH, DO NOT LIKE REGULATIONS IN, IN, IN GENERAL. UH, THERE IS NO, IN MY OPINION, PERFECT ORDINANCE OR, OR REGULATION. IT'S, IT'S A VERY HARD THING. YOU ALL HAVE A, A VERY TOUGH JOB, UH, THAT, THAT OUR COMMUNITY HAS ENTRUSTED YOU WITH TO GET THESE THINGS RIGHT. BUT, BUT THIS IS A, A CLEAR POINT FOR US WHERE THE COLLECTIVE GOOD OF THE COMMUNITY OUTWEIGHS AN AN INDIVIDUAL, UH, PROFIT. YOU KNOW, WE, WE'VE HEARD SOME STATS, BUT I'LL, I'LL REPEAT A FEW OF THEM. BRAIN DEVELOPMENT, UH, 18 TO TO 20 IS, IS, UH, REALLY SUSCEPTIBLE TO ADDICTION AT THIS TIME. SEVEN TIMES THOSE ARE ADDICTED TO NICOTINE, ARE SEVEN TIMES MORE LIKELY TO BE, UH, HAVE OTHER, UH, SUBSTANCE ADDICTION DOWN THE ROAD. INSTITUTE OF MEDICINE SAYS RAISING, UH, AGE WILL REDUCE SMOKING, UM, BY AS MUCH AS 12%. THERE'S 300 PLUS BILLION DOLLARS OF DRAIN ON, ON THE US ECONOMY DUE TO SMOKING. UM, LOOK, UH, STATS MATTER, BUT I'VE NEVER SEEN A, UH, A MEDICAL STUDY THAT DIDN'T HAVE ANOTHER STUDY THAT WOULD DISPUTE WHAT, WHAT THAT ONE SAID. SO TO ME, IT'S COMMON SENSE. I, I KNOW I MADE BETTER DECISIONS AT 21 THAN I DID AT 18. I SUSPECT, UM, MOST OF US IN THE ROOM DID AS WELL. BUT, BUT AGAIN, THIS ONE, UH, IS PERSONAL. MY, MY DAD STARTED SMOKING AND WHEN HE WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL, 17, 18 YEARS OLD, UH, BY 19, HE WAS A TWO PACK A DAY SMOKER. AT AGE 15, I WALKED IN THE DOOR TO FIND HIM SLUMPED OVER, UM, AND LOOKED UP AND SAID, PLEASE GRIT YOUR MOM. THOSE WERE THE LAST WORDS I HEARD FROM MY DAD. UM, HE NEVER ONCE MET HIS GRANDKIDS. I WALKED MY SISTER DOWN THE AISLE. HE NEVER SAW ME PLAY UT, WHICH HIS, WHICH WAS AS MUCH HIS DREAM AS, AS MINE. UM, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY FOR OUR COMMUNITY. HE WAS AN EDUCATOR AND HE STOPPED MAKING IMPACT ON, ON POSITIVE IMPACT ON KIDS' LIVES AS HE WAS, AS HE WAS TAKING IT FOR US. SO LOOK FOR ME, AGAIN, THIS ORDINANCE, I DON'T KNOW THAT IT'S PERFECT. I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU COME UP WITH A PERFECT ORDINANCE, UH, FRANKLY, BUT, UH, I'VE CHOSEN TO STOP THE CYCLE FOR MY FAMILY. MY DAD'S DIE. DAD WAS A SMOKER, AND HE DIED AT AN EARLY AGE AS WELL. UM, BUT IF THIS ORDINANCE SIMPLY STOPS THE CYCLE FOR ONE OTHER FAMILY IN THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO, IT'S WORTH IT FOR ME. SO, THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MR. WEAVER. DR. ESTEBAN LOPEZ, FOLLOWED BY DR. ALICE GONG. GOOD MORNING, MAYOR NUREMBERG, MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL AND CITY MANAGER SCULLY. MY NAME'S ESTEBAN LOPEZ. UH, I'M A PHYSICIAN TRAINED IN BOTH INTERNAL MEDICINE AND PEDIATRICS, AND SERVE AS THE MARKET PRESIDENT FOR BLUE CROSS AND BLUE SHIELD OF TEXAS FOR SOUTHWEST TEXAS. I'M ALSO THE BLUE CROSS STATEWIDE CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER. I'M HERE WITH YOU TODAY TO LEND MY PERSONAL SUPPORT AS A PHYSICIAN, AS WELL AS THE SUPPORT OF OUR COMPANY. UH, TO IN FAVOR OF THE ORDINANCE IN FRONT OF YOU. AS A MEMBER OF THIS COMMUNITY, I, I KNOW ALL TOO WELL, UH, THE DANGERS OF CIGARETTE SMOKING AND HOW IT AFFECTS THE HEALTH OF NOT ONLY THE INDIVIDUALS, BUT CHILDREN AS WELL. UM, IT'S NO SECRET THAT TOBACCO IS THE NUMBER ONE CAUSE OF PREVENTABLE DEATH IN THE UNITED STATES, AND THAT TOBACCO COMPANIES TARGET KIDS AND YOUNG ADULTS. THEY KNOW THAT'S WHEN MOST USERS BECOME ADDICTED TO TOBACCO. THIS IS ESPECIALLY PERVERSE BECAUSE DURING THIS PERIOD, THE ADDICTION TO TOBACCO IS HEIGHTENED. UH, THE REASON BEING THAT ADOLESCENTS AND YOUNG ADULTHOOD ARE, UH, CRITICAL PERIODS OF GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT DURING WHICH YOUNG PEOPLE ARE MORE SENSITIVE AND SUSCEPTIBLE TO [01:10:01] NICOTINE'S ADDICTIVENESS AND CAN BECOME ADDICTED FAR MORE QUICKLY THAN ADULTS. TOBACCO COMPANIES KNOW THAT INDIVIDUALS WHO START SMOKING AT YOUNGER AGES ARE MORE LIKELY TO SMOKE AS ADULTS AND ARE AMONG THE HEAVIEST USERS. BY NOW, YOU KNOW THAT ABOUT 95% OF ALL ADULT SMOKERS START BEFORE THE AGE OF 21. BUT DID YOU KNOW THAT FROM AGE 18 TO 21, MANY SMOKERS TRANSITION FROM EXPERIMENTATION TO REGULAR USE? WHILE THESE DATA ARE COMPELLING AND CONCERNING, WE ALSO HAVE DATA AT BLUE CROSS AND BLUE SHIELD OF TEXAS THAT SHOWS THAT EMPLOYERS SEEING IMMEDIATE SAVINGS WHEN EMPLOYEES OR THEIR DEPENDENTS QUIT SMOKING. RESEARCH ALSO SHOWS THAT CHILDREN EXPOSED TO SMOKING EITHER THEIR OWN OR FROM THEIR FAMILY, HAVE COST THREE TIMES, ACTUALLY MORE THAN THREE TIMES AS MUCH AS CHILDREN NOT EXPOSED TO SMOKING OR WHO DO NOT SMOKE. HERE'S SOME OTHER ALARMING FACTS. 10%, 10.6% OF HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN TEXAS SMOKE CIGARETTES. ALMOST 14,000, UH, TEXAS CHILDREN UNDER 18 WHO BECOME, WILL BECOME NEWLY NEW DAILY SMOKERS. ONE OF THE MOST ALARMING ONES IS THAT NEARLY HALF A MILLION OF TEXAS KIDS ALIVE NOW WILL ULTIMATELY DIE PREMATURELY FROM SMOKING. I APPLAUD THE CITY IN TAKING AN APPROACH TO EQUITY. WHEN LOOKING AT THE CITY BUDGET. THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO, TO LOOK AT PUBLIC POLICY THROUGH AN EQUITY EQUITY LENS AS WELL. SMOKING IS A HEALTH EQUITY ISSUE. WE KNOW THAT THE POOR, THE VULNERABLE POPULATIONS AND PEOPLE OF COLOR ARE DISPROPORTIONATELY AFFECTED BY SMOKING AND ITS NEGATIVE HEALTH EFFECTS. LET'S GIVE ALL CHILDREN IN SAN ANTONIO THE OPPORTUNITY TO REACH THEIR HIGHEST LEVEL OF HEALTH. LET'S RAISE THE TOBACCO AGE TO 21. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, DR. LOPEZ. DR. ALICE GONG. GOOD MORNING, MR. MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL. I'M ALICE GONG. I'M A PROUD CITIZEN OF THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO, AND I'VE BEEN ON THOSE BARGES. I'M A NEONATOLOGIST AND I TAKE CARE OF THE SICKEST AND THE MOST FRAGILE OF THE PATIENTS HERE IN SAN ANTONIO. I'M ALSO A, A BELL COUNTY MEDICAL SOCIETY MEMBER AND A MEMBER OF THE TEXAS PEDIATRIC SOCIETY, AS WELL AS A VOLUNTEER FOR THE MARCH OF DIMES, AND I SERVE AS THEIR CO-CHAIR FOR STATE ADVOCACY AND GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS. I'M TESTIFYING ON BEHALF OF THE MARCH OF DIMES IN TEXAS PEDIATRIC SOCIETY IN SUPPORT OF THE ORDINANCE TO RAISE THE MINIMUM AGE TO PURCHASE TOBACCO IN SAN ANTONIO AT THE AGE OF 21, NATIONALLY, ONE IN 10 PREGNANT WOMEN SMOKE. THIS ACCOUNTS FOR ABOUT HALF A MILLION BIRTHS A YEAR FOR EXPECTING MOTHERS TOBACCO USE DURING PREGNANCY INCREASES THE RISK OF PREMATURE DELIVERIES. SO YOU CAN KIND OF SAY, I AM KIND OF SPEAKING AGAINST WHAT I DO, BUT I DON'T LIKE BABIES TO BE SICK AND HAVE TO STRUGGLE TO BREATHE AND HAVE TO GROW, UH, MATURE IN PLASTIC BOXES SO WE COULD ACTUALLY IMPACT THE HEALTH OF THE BABIES BORN IN THIS COMMUNITY IF WE DO THIS. PREMATURITY IS THE LEADING CAUSE OF NEONATAL DEATH IN THE FIRST MONTH OF LIFE AND BIRTH DEFECTS AND SUDDEN INFANT DEATH SYNDROMES ARE ALSO LINKED TO SMOKING. SO ACCORDING TO THE SURGEON GENERAL, IN 2014, AT LEAST 50 IN THE LAST 50 YEARS, 10,000 BABIES HAVE DIED FROM SUDDEN INFANT, UH, DEATH SYNDROME, COMPLICATIONS, PREMATURITY, LOW BIRTH WEIGHT, AND OTHER CONDITIONS AS A RESULT OF PARENTAL SMOKING. SO THAT SAVES US A LOT OF MONEY. IF WE COULD STOP THAT PART. IN ADDITION, THAT PRENATAL AND THAT POSTNATAL ENVIRONMENT, SMOKE HAS DEVASTATING, UH, EFFECTS ON THE DEVELOPING FETUS AS WELL AS YOUNG CHILDREN. WE'VE HEARD ABOUT THE BRAIN DEVELOPMENT, BUT ALSO THEIR LUNGS. THEY'RE MORE LIKELY TO HAVE ASTHMA, SO THEY SUFFER FROM BREATHING PROBLEMS. THEY HAVE MORE EAR INFECTIONS, THEY HAVE MORE BEHAVIORAL DISORDERS. SO PRENATAL EXPOSURE FOR INFANTS AND CHILDREN GIVES THEM A LOT OF MORE HEALTH PROBLEMS. SO FAILURE TO DECREASE THIS, UH, THE ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE WILL GIVE US MUCH WORSE HEALTH OUTCOMES FOR OUR MOTHERS AND OUR INFANTS AND CHILDREN BECAUSE THE VAST MAJORITY OF SMOKERS START USING IT IN THEIR TEEN YEARS. THIS ORDINANCE THAT TARGETS THOSE UNDER 21 WILL HAVE A GOAL OF DECREASING THE PREVALENCE OF TOBACCO USE AMONGST ADOLESCENTS. SO THE MARCH DSS SUPPORTS ALL INITIATIVES TO REDUCE SMOKING EXPOSURE AMONG PREGNANT WOMEN AND INFANTS. SO WE ASK THAT YOU SUPPORT SAN ANTONIO TOBACCO 20 AND OR ORDINANCE AND LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU AS WE CONTINUE TO [01:15:01] ENSURE THAT OUR BABIES HAVE THE BEST CHANCE FOR HEALTHY START. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU, MS. GONG. CINDY RALE, FOLLOWED BY BRIAN HAYDEN. GOOD MORNING MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL. UM, LAST EVENING, SEVERAL NURSES FROM THE DISTRICT EIGHT TEXAS NURSES ASSOCIATION SPOKE. AND I'M HERE TO AGAIN, ASK FOR YOUR SUPPORT OF TOBACCO 21 ORDINANCE FOR SAN ANTONIO. DISTRICT EIGHT INCLUDES SAN ANTONIO. THE TEXAS NURSES ASSOCIATION REPRESENTS OVER 300,000 REGISTERED NURSES IN TEXAS, AND YOU HAVE HEARD THE PRACTICAL AND THE ECONOMICAL REASONS TO SUPPORT THIS ORDINANCE. SO WE STRONGLY URGE YOU TO SUPPORT TOBACCO 21. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MRS. LUCKY BRIAN HAYDEN, FOLLOWED BY ERICA GONZALEZ, US THANK YOU MAYOR COUNCIL. MY NAME IS BRIAN HAYDEN. I'M A RETIRED AIR FORCE MASTER SERGEANT. I'M A HEART ATTACK SURVIVOR. I'M A HEART TRANSPLANT SURVIVOR. I'M A CANCER LUNG CANCER SURVIVOR, AND I'M A SPOKESPERSON, UH, PARTICIPANT IN THE CDCS TIPS FROM TIPS FOR NON-SMOKERS CAMPAIGN. I'M ALSO AN ARDENT ADVOCATE FOR THE COALITION FOR SMOKE-FREE KIDS, AND IT'S, MY STORY IS WHY I'M ACTIVELY HERE TO FIGHT TO RAISE THE TOBACCO AGE FROM 18 TO 21. I'VE SMOKED FOR MOST OF MY LIFE, AND I HAD NO IDEA WHEN I WAS A YOUNG AIRMAN AT THE AGE OF 18, THAT BY THE TIME I WAS 35 AND STATIONED IN EUROPE, I WOULD HAVE A MASSIVE HEART ATTACK AND DIE. IF IT WASN'T FOR THE FACT THAT I WORKED AT A MILITARY MEDICAL FACILITY AND THE FLIGHT SURGEON WAS RIGHT NEXT DOOR. I MOST CERTAINLY WOULD NOT BE HERE TODAY TO TALK TO YOU. I WAS IN AND OUTTA HOSPITALS FOR THE NEXT 15 YEARS, AND MY HEART FAILURE WORSENED. BY THE TIME 2005 ROLLED AROUND, I COULD NO LONGER WORK AT ALL. I WAS UP FOR A HEART TRANSPLANT, AND THEY DID THE WORKUP, BUT TOBACCO HAD A HOLD ON ME, AND THEY, I WAS SNEAKING CIGARETTES, AND THEY FOUND CIGARETTES IN ONE OF THE ROUTINE TESTS, AND THEY TOOK AWAY MY OPPORTUNITY FOR A HEART TRANSPLANT. SHORTLY AFTER THAT, IN 2007, I FOUND MYSELF IN HOSPICE WAITING TO DIE. AFTER THREE WEEKS IN HOSPICE, MY WIFE TOOK ME OUT OF THE SAID, DON'T DIE. YOU'RE NOT GONNA DIE. BUT I WAS STILL VERY SICK. A YEAR HAD WENT BY AND I WAS STILL ALIVE, AND IT WAS AT THAT POINT I DECIDED, WELL, IF I'M GONNA LIVE, I BETTER GIVE MYSELF A CHANCE TO SURVIVE. AND I QUIT SMOKING FOR GOOD. FINALLY, IN 2012, I RECEIVED MY TRANSPLANT, BUT THEY HAD CAUGHT THE FIVE YEARS LATER, THEY HAD CAUGHT SOME, UH, SPOTS ON MY LUNG AND DETERMINED THAT I HAD LUNG CANCER. SO EVEN AFTER ALL THAT TIME STOPPING SMOKING CIGARETTES STILL CAME BACK AND ATTACKED ME. THERE'S A, YOU GOTTA QUIT SMOKING IF YOU'RE SMOKING, BUT THE BEST CHANCE AT A HEALTHY LIFE IS TO NOT SMOKE AT ALL. AND THAT'S WHERE TOBACCO 21 COMES IN. IMPORTANT TO KEEP PEOPLE FROM STARTING TO BEGIN WITH. THE THING IS, I STARTED SMOKING WHEN I WAS VERY YOUNG. I SUPPORT TOBACCO 21 BECAUSE THE LATER IN LIFE A PERSON STARTS THAT THE LESS LIKELY THEY ARE TO BECOME LIFETIME USERS. FOR FIRST TIME IN DECADES, TOBACCO USE HAS INCREASED AMONG HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS. THIS DANGEROUS TREND ONLY MEANS THAT THERE WILL BE MORE STORIES LIKE MINE. TODAY, RIGHT NOW, YOU HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO PLAY IN A LEADERSHIP ROLE IN TEXAS TO SHOW OTHER BIG CITIES HERE IN TEXAS THAT WE, THE PEOPLE WANT TO KEEP CIGARETTES OUT OF THE HANDS OF OUR YOUNG TEENAGERS TO SHOW AUSTIN AND THE REST OF TEXAS WHILE PROTECTING THE HEALTH OF OUR CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN, THAT SAN ANTONIO TOBACCO 21 IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO. I'M URGING ALL OF YOU TO PASS THIS ORDINANCE AND PROTECT OUR YOUNG FOLKS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MR. HAYDEN. DR. ERICA GONZALEZ. GOOD MORNING MAYOR, CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS AND CITY OFFICIALS. UM, THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TODAY TO COME SPEAK TO YOU AS TO WHY I'M IN SUPPORT OF RAISING THE LEGAL AGE FROM 18 TO 21 OF BUYING, UH, TOBACCO PRODUCTS. MY NAME IS DR. ERICA GONZALEZ. I'M AN ALLERGY, ASTHMA AND IMMUNOLOGY SPECIALIST, AND I'M ALSO BOARD CERTIFIED IN PEDIATRICS. AND I'M HERE TO TALK TO YOU TODAY, NOT ONLY FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF AN ASTHMA SPECIALIST, BUT ALSO AS A CLINICAL RESEARCH PERSON WHO DOES ASTHMA RESEARCH LOOKING FOR ADVANCED TREATMENT IN LUNG DISEASE AS A MOTHER OF TWO YOUNG BOYS THAT THIS ORDINANCE WILL AFFECT. AND LASTLY, AS A MILITARY VETERAN, I SEE PATIENTS ON A DAILY BASIS THAT ARE NEGATIVELY AFFECTED BY THE CONSEQUENCES OF TOBACCO AND HOW IT IMPACTS THEIR QUALITY OF LIFE. WE KNOW THAT 25 MILLION AMERICANS HAVE ASTHMA, AND THIS IS THE SECOND LEADING CHRONIC CONDITION IN PEDIATRICS SECOND ONLY TO ALLERGIES, [01:20:01] WHICH IS ALSO VERY BIG HERE IN SAN ANTONIO. AND IT IS A VERY COMMON THING THAT WE KNOW THAT TOBACCO IS ONE OF THE TOP TRIGGERS OF UNCONTROLLED ASTHMA LEADING TO HIGHER RATES OF DISEASE AND DEATH. AND ALTHOUGH WE HAVE GREAT ASTHMA TREATMENTS AVAILABLE TO US, WE STILL HAVE 10 DEATHS FROM ASTHMA IN THE UNITED STATES EVERY DAY. JUST LAST YEAR IN SAN ANTONIO, IT IS SAD FOR ME TO REPORT THAT WE HAD FOUR PEDIATRIC DEATHS IN OUR COMMUNITY CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL, FROM PATIENTS WHO SUFFERED FROM ASTHMA COMPLICATIONS. THE ONE THING THAT ALL THESE CASES HAD IN COMMON WAS TOBACCO EXPOSURE. NOW, WHEN THINGS LIKE THIS HAPPEN, THIS NEWS SPREADS LIKE WILDFIRE IN THE PEDIATRIC MEDICAL COMMUNITY BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT THESE DEATHS ARE PREVENTABLE, AND THIS SHOULD NOT BE HAPPENING IN OUR COMMUNITY. SO OUT OF THE 14,000 YOUNG ADULT TEXANS WHO WILL BECOME SMOKERS EVERY YEAR, WE KNOW THAT 30% OF THEM WILL DIE PREMATURELY IF THEY HAVE ASTHMA, WHICH 10% OF THEM WILL. THIS INCREASES THE RATE TO 40%. IT ONLY CONTINUES TO INCREASE IF YOU'RE AN ADOLESCENT MALE, IF YOU'RE LATINO OR AN AFRICAN AMERICAN. SO IN THE WORST CASE SCENARIO, IF YOU ARE AN ADOLESCENT MALE WHO HAPPENS TO BE AFRICAN AMERICAN OR LATINO, HAVE ASTHMA, AND YOU HAPPEN TO SMOKE, YOU HAVE JUST INCREASED YOUR RISK OF PREMATURE DEATH BY 50%. WE MUST DO BETTER FOR OUR ADOLESCENTS. AND IF YOU LOOK AT SAN ANTONIO AND THE DISTRICTS THAT IT'S GOING TO AFFECT THE MOST, THIS IS GONNA BE DISTRICT 1, 2, 3, 4, AND FIVE. AND THIS IS BECAUSE THESE DISTRICTS HAVE LACK OF ACCESS TO MEDICAL CARE. WE HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO THESE DISTRICTS AS WELL. NOW, I'VE SEEN A SPIKE OF TOBACCO EXPOSURE THROUGH E-CIGARETTES, MOSTLY BECAUSE PEOPLE THINK THAT THEY'RE NOT AS, UM, HARMFUL AS A TRADITIONAL CIGARETTE. UM, UNFORTUNATELY THAT'S NOT TRUE. NOW, FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO DON'T HAVE, UM, PRIORITY IN DECREASING DEATHS IN OUR ADOLESCENTS, I'M GOING TO TRY TO TELL YOU WHAT IT MEANS IN OUR MILITARY FORCES, UM, AS I, SORRY, RAN OUTTA TIME. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU. DR. GONZALEZ, DON SCHMIDT, FOLLOWED BY JACK M FINGER. GOOD MORNING MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS DON SCHMIDT. I'M WITH NORTHSIDE INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT. I SERVE AS ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT FOR STUDENT FAMILY AND COMMUNITY SERVICES. WE'RE PASSING OUT SOME LETTERS OF SUPPORT FOR THIS, OUR ORDINANCE FROM OUR SUPERINTENDENT, DR. BRIAN WOODS. AS YOU KNOW, OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT HAS OVER 106,000 STUDENTS IN IT, 120 SCHOOLS. UM, I'M A LIFELONG RESIDENT OF SAN ANTONIO, AND EVERY TIME I WALK INTO THIS BUILDING, YOU MIGHT THINK OF IT AS A CITY HALL. I DO NOT. I REMEMBER IT AS A CHILD COMING HERE TO WATCH FIESTA PARADES RIGHT UP IN THOSE WINDOWS, LOOKING DOWN WITH THE FROST FAMILY. I GOT TO DO THAT UNTIL I WAS 11 YEARS OLD, 12 YEARS OLD, ON APRIL THE FIRST, MY AUNT, AUNT LUIE SET UP RIGHT UP THERE BY THAT LAMP. SHE WAS THE SWITCHBOARD OPERATOR FOR THE FROST BANK, AND SHE CAME DOWN WITH CANCER ON APRIL THE FIRST, 1968. THINK BACK, 1968 HEMISPHERE IS OPENING. SIX DAYS LATER, OUR FAMILY IS DEALING WITH MY AUNT. AUNT LUIE BOUGHT US PASSES FOR HEMISPHERE AND EVERYTHING ELSE. SHE NEVER GOT TO GO NOVEMBER THE FIRST SHE DIED. BUT THOSE SIX MONTHS THAT SHE STRUGGLED, IT WAS UNREAL. AND AS A KID, I REMEMBER THAT. THUS, I NEVER SMOKED. IT WAS BECAUSE BACK IN THOSE DAYS, WOMEN DID NOT SMOKE IN PUBLIC. I NEVER KNEW THAT AUNT LUIE SMOKED UNTIL SHE WAS DEAD, BECAUSE SHE NEVER SMOKED IN FRONT OF US. BUT THE PAIN AND SUFFERING THAT SHE WENT THROUGH WAS UNREAL. BUT AS A RESULT, I KNEW I WAS NEVER GONNA SMOKE. AND JUST AS MANY PEOPLE HAVE SAID, WEAVER SAID IT A FEW MINUTES AGO ABOUT HIS DAD, WHO WAS ALSO AN EMPLOYEE OF NORTHSIDE INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT. THE THINGS THAT WE DO IN THAT TIME PERIOD FROM 18 TO 21 ARE VERY, VERY IMPORTANT. WE DON'T ALWAYS KNOW WHAT THAT EFFECT'S GONNA BE. SO I ASK FOR YOUR SUPPORT OF THIS ORDINANCE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MR. SCHMIDT. JACK FINGER, FOLLOWED BY CHARLIE GAGAN. WELL, MARBERG AND OTHER MEMBERS OF OUR ILLUSTRIOUS SAN ANTONIO CITY COUNCIL. FOR THE RECORD, MY NAME IS JACK M. FINGER. YES, YOU'RE, YOU'VE HEARD OF A LIE DETECTOR. WELL, I AM YOUR SAN ANTONIO TRUTH DETECTOR HERE. WE'RE TRYING TO SEE IF THERE'S ANY TRUTH AMONG ALL THIS. OKAY, SO WE [01:25:01] KNOW CIGARETTE SMOKING TOBACCO PRODUCTS, THEY CAUSE CANCER. WE KNOW THAT. THEN WHY AREN'T YOU BANNING CIGARETTE SMOKING AND TOBACCO SALES ALL ACROSS THE BOARD? HUH? I MEAN, EVERYWHERE HERE IN SAN ANTONIO, NO TOBACCO SALES, NO CIGARETTE SALES, NO CIGARS, NOTHING. WHY AREN'T YOU ENFORCING PUTTING THAT IN THIS ORDINANCE? THAT IS HOW WISHY-WASHY SPINELESS FEEL GOOD. THIS THING IS, YES. AND, AND, AND THIS SURVEY RESULTS, 77% SAID YES, THEY WANT THE MINIMUM AND TOBACCO SALES TO BE RAISED. IS THAT A SCIENTIFIC ? THERE WERE NO DOORS KNOCKED ON OR ANY SCIENTIFIC SAMPLING OF THE POPULATION. NO. THAT THERE'S ONLY AN ONLINE INTERNET SURVEY OR, OR AT PUBLIC EVENTS WHERE YOU, WHERE YOU GET TO STAY AT HOMES THERE. WHAT I LIKE IS THAT YOU THINK WE CAN PROTECT THE HEALTH OF THE 18 TO 21 YEAR OLDS HERE. THAT WE CAN DO THAT. THEY WILL NOT STOP. THEY WILL NOT SMOKE WELL, UH, FROM THAT RISKY BEHAVIOR. WHY AREN'T YOU TRYING TO BAN THEM FROM OTHER RISKY BEHAVIORS LIKE PREMARITAL SEX? YOU KNOW, WHERE YOU CAN GET PREGNANT OR GET A SEX DISEASE? SO, OH, NO. THEY ARE ANIMALS. WE CANNOT STOP THEM FROM HAVING SEX OUTSIDE OF MARRIAGE. THAT'S WHY WE, AS Y'ALL DID A FEW MONTHS AGO, CONTRACTED TO HAVE OUR CITY HEALTH DEPARTMENT DISTRIBUTE CONDOMS AND BIRTH CONTROL DEVICES TO OUR TEENAGERS, EVEN WITHOUT THEIR PARENTAL CONSENTS. YES, WE, UH, OH, NO, THEY ARE ANIMALS. WE CANNOT STOP THEM. WELL, SO CONSEQUENTLY, IMAGINE IF YOU ARE, YOU'RE, YOU'RE MARRIED AARON NURENBERG, AND YOU'RE WALKING HOME LATE AT NIGHT ONE NIGHT, AND YOU'RE ALONG THE STREET, THE DARK STREET. YOU SEE A VERY STRANGE SITE. YOU SEE A CAR PARKED ALONGSIDE MOVING UP AND DOWN UPON CLOSER INSPECTION. YOU, YOU, YOU, YOU HEAR HEAVY BREATHING GOING ON UPON YOU WALK EVEN CLOSER. A MOMENT LATER, YOU SEE CIGARETTE SMOKE COMING FROM IT. . YES. AND THEN MY GUY, IF YOU'RE THE MAYOR, YOU REACH IN, GRAB THOSE CIGARETTES, OR FROM THOSE 20 YEAR OLD SMOKING AND SAY, AHA, YOU SHALL NOT BREAK THIS ORDINANCE. THE ONE THAT SAYS 20 YEAR OLDS CANNOT SMOKE AFTER ORGASMS. NO, YOU CANNOT. BUT DON'T WORRY. THE, UH, MR. AUDIOVISUAL MAN, PUT THAT UP THERE. WILL THERE BE ANY ENFORCEMENT OF THIS? WHETHER IT'S A, DOES IT SAY THE CIRCUMSTANCES ENFORCEMENT HAS BEEN DROPPED, HAVE DROPPED ENFORCEMENT ON 18, 20 YEAR OLDS JUST IN RETAINING ENFORCEMENT ON RETAILERS? ? YES. YOU DON'T HAVE TO WORRY. THANK YOU, MR. FINGER. CHARLIE GAGAN. YES. THE KIND OF CITY COUNCIL YOU GOT HERE, FOLLOWED BY JOSEPH VALDEZ. GOOD MORNING COUNSEL. MY NAME IS CHARLIE GAGAN, AND I'M HERE ON BEHALF OF THOUSANDS OF VOLUNTEERS WITH THE AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY CANCER ACTION NETWORK. IT'S A PRIVILEGE TO SPEAK WITH YOU TODAY IN SUPPORT OF THE TOBACCO 21 ORDINANCE AND THE POSITIVE EFFECTS THIS ORDINANCE PROMISES TO HAVE IN THIS COMMUNITY. IN 2017, THERE WERE 15,000 NEW LUNG CANCER CASES DIAGNOSED, AND 9,300 TEXANS LOST THEIR LIGHT, LOST THEIR FIGHT TO LUNG CANCER. IF WE LOOK AT ALL TOBACCO RELATED DEATHS, NOT JUST LUNG CANCER, WE SEE THAT IN 2015, THERE WERE 28,000 DEATHS IN TEXAS RELATED TO TOBACCO USE. THAT'S COMPARED TO 2000 FOR ALCOHOL. THAT'S A 10 TO ONE RATIO OF TOBACCO DEATHS TO ALCOHOL DEATHS. AND YET, TOBACCO PRODUCTS ARE MADE AVAILABLE THREE YEARS BEFORE ALCOHOL IS AVAILABLE. WHAT KIND OF MESSAGE DOES THAT SEND TO OUR YOUTH? TO ME, IT IMPLIES THAT TOBACCO IS SAFER THAN ALCOHOL, AND THIS IS DEMONSTRABLY FALSE. AT THE AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY CANCER ACTION NETWORK, WE ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT FIGHTING CANCER, AND THAT MEANS FIGHTING THE TOLL OF TOBACCO. THAT'S WHY WE ARE ALARMED THAT FOR THE FIRST TIME IN DECADES, THE USE OF TOBACCO AMONG YOUTH HAS INCREASED THANKS TO NEW PRODUCTS LIKE FLAVORED VAPE PENS. STUDIES SHOW THAT 95% OF CURRENT ADULT SMOKERS STARTED BEFORE THEY WERE 21, AND THAT MOST YOUTH GET THEIR TOBACCO FROM PEERS. THIS LAW WILL HELP STOP THAT AND END THE CYCLE OF ADDICTION. WILL THIS ORDINANCE COMPLETELY ELIMINATE THE IMPACT OF TOBACCO? NO, BUT TO MY KNOWLEDGE, NO LAW IS PERFECT. THIS WILL, HOWEVER, PUT US ON A COURSE TO REDUCING SMOKING RATES AND ULTIMATELY SAVING LIVES AT THE AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY CANCER ACTION NETWORK. OUR FOCUS IS ON FIGHTING CANCER AND SAVING LIVES, AND WE ENCOURAGE THE CITY COUNCIL TO DO THE SAME. WE ARE ALSO HAPPY TO WORK WITH ANY LOCALITY THAT IS INTERESTED IN CURBING THE IMPACT OF CANCER BY SUPPORTING AND PASSING THE ORDINANCES. YOU CAN SEND A MESSAGE TO THE YOUTH OF SAN ANTONIO AND ACROSS THE STATE OF TEXAS THAT TOBACCO [01:30:01] IS DANGEROUS, AND THAT THE HEALTH OF YOUR CITIZENS IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE BOTTOM LINE FOR TOBACCO COMPANIES. THAT IS WHY WE ARE HERE ASKING YOU TO SUPPORT RAISING THE AGE OF SALE FOR TOBACCO TO 21. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MR. GAGAN. DIEGO. KIRA. OH, I'M SORRY. MR. VALDEZ, YOU'LL, YOU'LL COME RIGHT AFTER DIEGO, OR MAYBE NOT MR. VALDEZ AND DIEGO, YOU'RE NEXT. SORRY, I CAN'T SEE NAME TAGS FROM UP HERE. I'M SORRY GUYS. OKAY. SPEAK YOUR NAME AND THEN THE NEXT PERSON WILL BE RIGHT AFTER YOU. . ALRIGHT. UH, GOOD MORNING EVERYONE. MY NAME IS JOSEPH MONTE AND I'M HERE TO SPEAK TO YOU THIS MORNING ABOUT SUPPORTING THE NEED TO RAISE THE AGE OF BUYING TOBACCO TO 21. UH, THESE PAST FEW YEARS, TOBACCO COMPANIES HAVE BEEN TRYING TO MAKE A SAFER VERSION OF SMOKING BY MAKING E-CIGARETTES. BUT LITTLE DO YOU KNOW, E-CIGARETTES BASICALLY HAVE THE SAME CHEMICALS AS REGULAR CIGARETTES. ALSO, E-CIGARETTE COMPANIES ARE NOW TARGETING MY GENERATION 'CAUSE, UH, BY MAKING KID FRIENDLY FLAVORS OR VAPE FLAVORS SUCH AS SKITTLES, COTTON CANDY, GUMMY BEAR, GUMMY BEARS, AND WATERMELON FLAVORS. AT MY AGE, BEING 13 YEARS OLD, THIS WILL MAKE MY PEERS AND I WONDER, HEY, I WONDER WHAT THAT TASTES LIKE. IN MY OPINION, E-CIGARETTES ARE NOT A SAFE ALTERNATIVE FOR ANY AGE. ALRIGHT, NOW LET'S TALK ABOUT TOBACCO IN GENERAL. THERE HAS BEEN AN INCREASE IN TOBACCO SALES OVER THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS. UH, USING TOBACCO IS A GAMBLE YOU TAKE WHEN USING IT. CHANCES ARE THAT YOU CAN BECOME ADDICTED AND YOU COULD POSSIBLY DEVELOP CANCER AND DIE OR LIVE THE SUFFER OR LIVE AND SUFFER THE SIDE EFFECTS AND AILMENTS CAUSED BY ITS USE A FACT SHOW THAT 95% OF SMOKERS START BEFORE THE AGE OF 21. OUR BRAINS ARE STILL DEVELOPING UNTIL THE AGE OF 25 AND ARE NOT EVEN FULLY DEVELOPED YET. I'VE READ, I'VE READ RECENTLY THAT AN 18 YEAR OLD IS MORE LIKELY TO BUY AND SELL TOBACCO PRODUCTS TO YOUNGER KIDS. AND IF YOU THINK, AND IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT, AN 18 YEAR OLD WILL BE LESS SUSPICIOUS THAN A 21 YEAR OLD WALKING INTO A SCHOOL AND OFFERING THEM TO OTHER TEENS AT AGE 21. OUR MAIN FOCUS SHOULD BE EDUCATION. IN ORDER TO HAVE A BRIGHT FUTURE AND A AND A SUCCESSFUL CAREER, WE CAN DO THIS BY STAYING ACTIVE AND ENJOYING LIFE WITH A HEALTHY BODY AND MIND. USING AN ADDICTIVE PRODUCT LIKE TOBACCO WOULD TAKE AWAY FROM BEING FROM ME BEING ABLE TO DO THESE THINGS IN LIFE. UH, PLEASE VOTE TO RAISE THE AGE TO PURCHASE TOBACCO TO 21. AT THE AGE OF 21. I'M SURE WE, WE WILL BE MORE RESPONSIBLE AND AWARE OF THE CONSEQUENCES THAT SMOKING WILL BRING TO OUR DAILY LIVES. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MR. VALDEZ. DIEGO, KIRA, GREAT TO SEE YOU AGAIN. DIEGO , FOLLOWED BY ELENA TANEZ. GOOD MORNING COUNCIL MEMBERS. GOOD MORNING, MAYOR NURENBERG. UH, MY NAME IS DIEGO KURA. I'M A SENIOR AT THE INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF THE AMERICAS, AND I'M A FIRM BELIEVER THAT, UH, TOBACCO 21 IS THE FIRST STEP WE CAN TAKE TO TOBACCO, UH, TO TACKLING THE TOBACCO, UH, EPIDEMIC WE HAVE HERE. AND I THINK IT'S IN THE BEST INTEREST OF ALL TEENS AROUND THE CITY. SO WE ALL KNOW TOBACCO IS NOTORIOUS FOR ITS HEALTH HAZARDS, AND WE KNOW SOME OF THE NEGATIVE EFFECTS. SO MY GOAL ISN'T REALLY TO SELL TO YOU GUYS. THAT TOBACCO'S BAD FOR YOU. MY GOAL IS JUST TO HELP FELLOW TEENS, YOUNGER TEENS, UM, KEEP, UH, MAINTAIN A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE IN THE CITY. UM, EVER SINCE I WAS A FRESHMAN IN HIGH SCHOOL, I HAVE WITNESSED FRIENDS, TEAMMATES, AND COLLEAGUES USE TOBACCO PRODUCTS. AND I'VE SEEN THEM GROW TO BE DEPENDENT ON THESE TOBACCO PRODUCTS. UM, AND WHEN I WAS A FRESHMAN IN HIGH SCHOOL, I SPECIFICALLY REMEMBER ONE INCIDENT WHERE, UM, ONE OF MY BASEBALL TEAMMATES WAS USING CHEWING TOBACCO. AND I WAS JUST, IT BLEW MY MIND. I DIDN'T KNOW HOW A 14 YEAR OLD KID WOULD BE ABLE TO GET HIS HANDS ON SOME CHEWING TOBACCO OR A TOBACCO PRODUCT. SO I WENT UP TO HIM AND I ASKED HIM OUT OF CONCERN, HOW ARE YOU GETTING THIS? WHO ARE YOU GETTING IT FROM, AND ARE YOU SURE YOU WANT TO DO THIS? AND HE EXPLAINED TO ME THAT SENIORS AT MY SCHOOL WERE BUYING TOBACCO PRODUCTS FROM, UM, CONVENIENCE STORES ALL AROUND THE CITY AND THEN RESELLING THEM FOR USUALLY RIDICULOUSLY HIGHER PRICES TO FRESHMEN, SOPHOMORES, AND JUNIORS. UM, PRETTY MUCH TAKING ADVANTAGE, TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THESE YOUNG STUDENTS. UM, AND I TRULY BELIEVE THAT CHANGING THE AGE OF 21 WILL END THESE TRANSACTIONS THAT GO ON IN OUR HIGH SCHOOLS EVERY DAY, UM, WHICH WILL BETTER HELP YOUNGER, YOUNGER TEENAGERS TO MAINTAIN A HEALTHIER LIFESTYLE. UM, I ALSO WANNA [01:35:01] POINT OUT THAT I'M 17 YEARS OLD, SO THIS PIECE OF POLICY WILL PRETTY MUCH DIRECTLY AFFECT ME AND MY GENERATION. AND I JUST WANNA SAY THAT I KNOW THAT TOBACCO COMPANIES AND TOBACCO, THE TOBACCO INDUSTRY IN GENERAL, UM, SPECIFICALLY TARGETS MY GENERATION. UM, I MEAN, IT'S PRETTY OBVIOUS THAT TOBACCO, THE TOBACCO SELLERS WOULDN'T WANT IT TO SELL TO AN OLDER CITIZEN, A 60 YEAR OLD CITIZEN FOR A SHORT TERM AMOUNT OF TIME. THEY'RE GONNA WANT TO AIM TOWARDS MY GENERATION BECAUSE THEY KNOW IF THEY GET US AT A YOUNG AGE, UM, THEY'LL HAVE US FOR LIFE. AND, UM, WE'VE SEEN SOME OF THESE STATISTICS THAT BACK THAT UP, THAT 95% OF TOBACCO USERS STARTED BEFORE THEY WERE 18. UM, AND I WOULD JUST LIKE TO POINT OUT AGAIN THAT, UM, THIS IS TRULY THE FIRST STEP TO IMPROVING THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF TOBACCO IN OUR CITY. AND I'M TIRED OF SEEING OTHER TEENS AND MY FRIENDS USE TOBACCO, AND I HIGHLY ENCOURAGE YOU TO PASS THIS LEGISLATION. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU, MR. KURA. ELENA TENS, FOLLOWED BY BETSY JONES. GOOD MORNING, EVERYONE. MY NAME IS ALANA TAMEZ. I AM A SENIOR AT ANTONIAN COLLEGE PREPARATORY HIGH SCHOOL. UM, I'M ALSO A METRO HEALTH DREAM, A TEAM AMBASSADOR. AND I'M HERE, UM, SPEAKING FOR TOBACCO 21. UM, I'D LIKE TO START OFF WITH, UM, ACCORDING TO THE CENTER OF DISEASE CONTROL, AS WE ALL KNOW, UM, CIGARETTE SMOKING IS THE NUMBER ONE RISK FACTOR FOR LUNG CANCER. ALSO, TOBACCO SMOKE IS A TOXIC MIX OF MORE THAN 7,000 CHEMICALS. SO THIS BEGS A QUESTION OF WHY WE WOULD EVEN EVER KNOWINGLY EXPOSE MY TEENAGERS, MY PEERS, TO CARCINOGENS LIKE THESE. IT IS AN INCONSISTENT MESSAGE TO FIGHT FOR REDUCED GREENHOUSE GASES TO MINIMIZE CLIMATE CHANGE, YET ALLOW TEENAGERS TO PURCHASE CIGARETTES. IN ADDITION, AS WE ALL HAVE SEEN FROM STUDIES ABOUT TEENAGERS ADDICTION, TEENAGERS, TEENAGERS, ADDICTION TO CELL PHONES AND SOCIAL MEDIA, I MAY BE EXHIBIT A, BUT IT'S NO SECRET THAT TEENAGERS ENGAGE IN ADDICTIVE BE BEHAVIOR, ESPECIALLY WITH FRIENDS. UM, IF ONE BUYS A PACK AND SMOKES IT, SO WILL HIS FRIENDS. SO WILL HER FRIEND. AND THE CHAIN CONTINUES THE EASY ACCESS THAT TEENS HAVE TO CIGARETTES AND E-CIGARETTES IS A REAL ISSUE. IF AN 18 YEAR OLD DEVELOPS THE HABIT OF SMOKING CIGARETTES OR E-CIGARETTES, THEY ARE MORE LIKELY TO PA PASS DOWN THOSE HABITS TO SIX YEAR OLDS, 15 YEAR OLDS, SOPHOMORES AND FRESHMEN IN HIGH SCHOOL. TOBACCO 21 WOULD SAVE MY GENERATION FROM DEVELOPING SMOKING HABITS THAT WILL STAY WITH THEM FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVES. UM, I WOULD LIKE TO SHARE A STORY. UM, MY FAMILY HAS, UH, LOST A DEAR, UM, FRIEND TO NON-SMALL CELL LUNG CARCINOMA. UM, I BELIEVE HER STORY IS REALLY RELEVANT TODAY SINCE SHE HAD ONLY SMOKED, UM, FOR A SHORT TIME IN HIGH SCHOOL AND IN COLLEGE. AT THE AGE OF 42, DURING A ROUTINE PHYSICAL, HER DOCTOR FOUND A TUMOR IN THE BACK OF HER THIGH, AND IT WAS PRETTY WILD TO KNOW IT WAS LUNG CANCER. UM, AFTER MONTHS OF GROOMING KE GRUELING CHEMOTHERAPY, THIS AGGRESSIVE CANCER SPREAD TO HER BRAIN. AND WITHIN TWO YEARS OF DIAGNOSIS, SHE HAD PASSED AWAY. UM, HER SMOKING HABITS IN THE EARLY STAGES OF HER LIFE CAUSED HER DEATH AT THE AGE OF 44. AND THIS IS WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO PREVENT HERE WITH TOBACCO 21 TODAY. SO I ENCOURAGE Y'ALL TO VOTE FOR TOBACCO 21. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU, MS. DEEZ. BETSY JONES, FOLLOWED BY CLAUDIA RHODES. GOOD MORNING. MY NAME IS BETSY JONES, AND I'M A LAW STUDENT AT ST. MARY'S. I LIVE IN THE MEDICAL CENTER. PUBLIC HEALTH IS PROFITABLE. HEALTHY PEOPLE BUY MORE GAS. HEALTHY PEOPLE BUY MORE GROCERIES. HEALTHY PEOPLE SPEND LESS MONEY ON HEALTHCARE ADDICTION TREATMENT AND LEGAL FEES, BUT THEY SPEND MORE MONEY ON ENTERTAINMENT, TRAVEL AND HOME IMPROVEMENT. HEALTHY PEOPLE OWN HOMES LONGER. THEY BUY MORE CARS AND EAT OUT HEALTHY PEOPLE. GO TO THE SYMPHONY AND SPURS GAMES. HEALTHY PEOPLE VOTE AND PAY TAXES. HEALTHY PEOPLE CONSUME FEWER RESOURCES IN LAW ENFORCEMENT AND EMERGENCY RESPONSE. HEALTHY PEOPLE ARE BETTER NEIGHBORS AND MORE RELIABLE EMPLOYEES. TOBACCO DEALERS MIGHT LOSE SOME PROFITS OVER TIME WHEN FEWER PEOPLE BECOME ADDICTED TO TOBACCO. BUT IF FEWER SICK PEOPLE IS THEIR REASON FOR OPPOSING THIS ORDINANCE, SHAME ON THEM. IF TOBACCO PROFITS ARE THE REASON YOU VOTE AGAINST TOBACCO 21, SHAME ON YOU. YOU'RE NOT RUNNING FOR OFFICE TODAY. YOU'RE MAKING A DECISION FOR THE HEALTH OF YOUR COMMUNITY. YOU REPRESENT US AND WE TRUST YOU TO MAKE DECISIONS INFORMED BY SCIENCE, NOT POLITICS. PUTTING BOTTOM LINE PROFITS BEFORE HEALTHY PEOPLE IS UNCONSCIONABLE. [01:40:02] SAN ANTONIO WILL BE A HEALTHIER CITY WITH THIS ORDINANCE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MS. RHODES, OR THANK YOU MS. JONES. CLAUDIA RHODES, FOLLOWED BY MARNI STALER. GOOD MORNING, UH, MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL MEMBER GLAD AGAIN WITH CAMPAIGN FOR TOBACCO FREE KIDS. I WANNA SAY THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR SITTING HERE PATIENTLY LISTENING TO ALL THE PERSONAL STORIES IN THE ORGANIZATIONS. UM, THIS ISN'T THE FIRST TIME I KNOW I'VE BEEN HERE IN SEVERAL INDIVIDUALS THAT HAVE BEEN, BEEN HERE, UM, THROUGHOUT THIS PROCESS. AND YOU HAVE ALL SAT HERE PATIENTLY LISTENING TO THESE STORIES. ALSO WANNA SAY THANK YOU ON BEHALF OF THE CAMPAIGN FOR TOBACCO FREE KIDS AND OUR SAN ANTONIO, UH, TOBACCO 21 COALITION, UM, FOR TAKING ON THIS ENDEAVOR. UM, IT'S, IT'S A GREAT ISSUE. UM, IT'S SOMETHING THAT, UM, WE ALL, THOSE OF US WHO WORK NATIONALLY AND IN OTHER STATES, UM, HAVE BEEN FOR A WHILE LOOKING AT SAN ANTONIO. YOU GUYS ARE GONNA BE A LEADER, NOT ONLY HERE IN THE STATE OF TEXAS, BUT IN THE, THE, THE SOUTHERN REGION. SO, UM, NATIONAL EYES ARE ON YOU. AND SO WE ARE JUST SO EXCITED TO BE HERE. WHAT WAS PASSED OUT IS SOMETHING THAT I SENT, UM, VIA EMAIL EARLIER IN THIS WEEK, AND I THANK YOU CHAIRWOMAN SANDOVAL FOR REPLYING THAT YOU ARE GONNA BE IN SUPPORT OF THE ISSUE. UM, IT IS A REPORT. UM, OUR ORGANIZATION CAMPAIGNED FOR TOBACCO FREE KIDS DID WITH A COUPLE OTHER ORGANIZATIONS, UM, HIGHLIGHTING THE FACT OF THE TOBACCO INDUSTRY AND THEIR ALLIANCE WITH THE CONVENIENCE STORES. UM, WE'RE NOT HERE TO ATTACK THE CONVENIENCE STORES AT ALL. WE'RE HERE ATTACKING THE TOBACCO INDUSTRY WHO USES THE CONVENIENCE STORES AS A WAY, UM, TO TARGET OUR YOUTH, UM, GETTING THEM TO START USING THIS DEADLY PRODUCT. I THINK SOMEBODY MENTIONED EARLIER, 95% OF PEOPLE WHO START SMOKING START BEFORE THE AGE OF 2190 5%. UM, SO HERE IN SAN ANTONIO, YOU WILL, UM, HAVE THAT OPPORTUNITY TO, UM, MAKE YOUR YOUTH, UM, UM, HOPEFULLY DECLINE THAT NUMBER, PARTICULARLY HERE IN SAN ANTONIO. A COUPLE OTHER STATISTICS I WANNA MENTION, UM, THAT I THINK HAVE NOT BEEN MENTIONED YET. UM, IN TEXAS, 12,000, A LITTLE OVER 12,000 KIDS BECOME DAILY SMOKERS EACH YEAR. UM, THOSE ARE STATEWIDE NUMBERS I DON'T HAVE PARTICULARLY HERE IN TEXAS. BUT NONETHELESS, THOSE ARE HUNDREDS OF KIDS THAT ARE STARTING, UM, IN EACH OF OUR COMMUNITIES. UM, PICKING UP THIS DEADLY AND ADDICTIVE HABIT, ALMOST HALF A MILLION OF THOSE CHILDREN NOW UNDER THE AGE OF 18, IF THIS TREND CONTINUES, PARTICULARLY HERE IN OUR STATE OF TEXAS, WILL BUY, WILL DIE PREMATURELY FROM SMOKING. SO AGAIN, YOU HAVE THIS OPPORTUNITY HERE TODAY, UM, TO DRIVE THAT NUMBER DOWN, UM, TO SAVE LIVES, TO SAVE MONEY, UM, AS WELL, UM, WITH THE BILLIONS OF DOLLARS. UM, ACTUALLY IT'S $8.85 BILLION THAT THE STATE OF TEXAS SPENDS EVERY YEAR, UM, ON HEALTHCARE COSTS RELATED TO THE TOBACCO INDUSTRY. UM, SO, UM, WITH THAT, I WILL SAY THANK YOU. I THINK MY TIME IS UP. AND AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR YOUR COURAGEOUS VOTE TODAY. THANK YOU, MS. RHODES. MARNI STA STALEY. YES. FOLLOWED BY ANIR TEHIR. THANK YOU MR. MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS. I'M HERE ON BEHALF OF HUMANA, WHO IS IN SUPPORT OF THIS TOBACCO 21 INITIATIVE. AND THAT IS BECAUSE WE ARE COMMITTED TO A HEALTHY COMMUNITY AND SMOKING IS NEVER A POSITIVE HEALTH INFLUENCER. AND THIS ORDINANCE WOULD CONTRIBUTE TO PEOPLE LIVING LONGER, PRODUCTIVE LIVES FREE OF ADDICTION THAT ACTUALLY REMOVES HEALTH AS AN OPTION. THIS WILL HELP YOUNG PEOPLE DELAY EXPLORATION WITH AN ADDICTIVE AND DANGEROUS SUBSTANCE AS AN EMPLOYER, HEALTH PROVIDER AND INSURER, WE SERVE ALMOST 500 LIVES HERE DAILY, WHERE THE BEST HEALTH POSSIBLE IS OUR GOAL. KEEPING YOUNG PEOPLE HEALTHY WILL EMPOWER US ALL. AS FOR THE MILITARY, WE ARE VERY CONNECTED WITH THEM AS WELL. THEY ARE MOVING DAILY TO LIMIT TOBACCO PRODUCTS TO YOUNG PEOPLE. IT'S NOT ALLOWED IN BASIC TRAINING. THEY RECOGNIZE HOW A HEALTHY MILITARY MAKES OUR WAR FIGHTERS MORE RESILIENT TO ANYTHING THEY ENCOUNTER. WE, WE OWE IT AS MILITARY CITY U S A TO THESE FAMILIES TO PROTECT THEM FROM HEALTH THREATS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MS. DALEY AND WAR TAHIR, FOLLOWED BY MOHAMMED RANNA. UH, THANK YOU MUIR AND THE COUNCIL, THE BIGGEST PROBLEM WE HAVING FOR THE CONSULT, THEY ARE NOT CONSULTING WITH THE RETAILER. MY NAME IS ANWAR TAHER AND I AM THE PRESIDENT OF ASSOCIATION OF CONVENIENCE STORE RETAILER IN SAN ANTONIO. WE HAVE MOM AND POP STORES, ALMOST A THOUSAND OF THEM EXCEPT MANY PLAYERS. AND COUNCILMAN HAW, NONE OF THEM IS TO GIVE US A TIME TO TALK ABOUT THIS ORDINANCE. THIS ORDINANCE BEEN MADE EARLIER IN THE LAST B SESSION. THEY DECIDED THAT [01:45:01] RACIAL PROFILING, THEY NEED EXACT DATA AND ALSO THEY, THEY NEED TO CONSULT WITH THE RETAILERS. YES, RACIAL PROFILING HAS BEEN REMOVED BECAUSE THE AFRICAN AMERICAN PRESENTATION IN THE, IN THE, IN THE COUNCIL AND ALSO THE LATINOS. WHAT ABOUT THE RETAILERS? EVERYBODY CAME HERE TALK ABOUT, UH, NICOTINE SECRET, UH, SICKNESS, THEN DEATH. BUT RETAILER, WE'RE A RETAILER. NONE OF, WE DON'T SELL THEM TO UNDERAGE AGENT. SO WHAT ARE WE SAYING? PLEASE POSTPONE THIS ORDINANCE. CONSULT WITH US. THEY MADE A EMERGENCY CALL YESTERDAY, 3:00 PM THAT WE HAVE A MEETING AT FIVE O'CLOCK. WHAT? I AGREE. I SAID, OKAY, NO PROBLEM. AT LEAST I GOT A CHANCE TO SPEAK WITH SOMEBODY. WHEN WE, THEN WE CAME AT FIVE O'CLOCK ONLY S C S R AND S T M A SHOWED UP, BUT THE OTHER ASSOCIATION WAS LEFT BECAUSE WE HAVE A MEDIA CONFERENCE YESTERDAY. THAT'S THE ONLY PLATFORM WE HAD TO DISCUSS. AND WE NEED YOUR REQUEST TO PLEASE POSTPONE. WE NEED TO HAVE SIT DOWN AND TALK TO US, AND THEN WE HAVE SOME CONCERN. I'LL TAKE THE DR. BRIDGET DATA, 2% ON CIGARETTE. I'LL ADD 2% MORE FOR MY OTHER ITEMS IN THE STORE. THAT MEAN 4%. IF I DO A MILLION DOLLAR SALE IN A YEAR, THAT MEAN YOU GUYS ARE TAKING MY $40,000 A YEAR. I'LL ASK YOU GUYS WHEN YOU GO HOME, ASK YOUR FAMILY, WE'LL NOT PROVIDE YOU DINNER TOMORROW BECAUSE YOU GUYS ARE TAKING MY MONEY. I'M SUPPORTING MY FAMILY THAT OH, YOU'RE TAKING MY MORTGAGE, MY DINNER. WHERE WE GONNA STAND? LOOKS LIKE YOU ARE YOU ALREADY DONE WITH RACIAL PROFILING WITH LATINOS AND AFRICAN AMERICAN, BUT YOU ARE TARGETING A MINORITY BUSINESS IN SAN ANTONIO. I'M THE ONLY ONE STORE. IF I LOSE THAT MONEY, I DO $600,000. THAT MEAN YOU'RE TAKING AWAY MY $24,000 WHERE I STAND. I NEED TO TALK TO SOMEBODY. UH, MAYOR, I ASK YOU A COUPLE OF TIMES. I NEED A TIME. I NEED TO SIT DOWN. YOU, YOU SAID I HAVE A JAM PACK, UH, UH, SCHEDULE. TALK TO THE, UH, OFFICE. I CALLED THREE, FOUR TIMES. NOBODY TALKING TO ME. WHO I'M GONNA GO TO, THIS PROCESS IS TOO, TOO PUSHY, TOO FAST. WE NEED A TIME TO DISCUSS AND WE NEED TO HAVE MORE CONCERNS. THAT PLEASE LISTEN TO US. WE ARE YOUR CAMPAIGN FUNDER, UH, RETAILERS. WE ARE THE, UH, VOTERS. YOU ARE THE LEADER WHO'S GONNA MAKE A DECISION FOR US. NOT THE DR. COLLEEN. SHE IS NOT THE, UH, ELECTED OFFICIALS. YOU GUYS NEED TO LISTEN TO US. I DON'T KNOW WHEN WE'RE GONNA HAVE A TIME TO LISTEN TO RUSSIA. YESTERDAY MEETING WAS A JOKE. I DON'T KNOW. I CANNOT MAKE A DECISION. OTHER ASSOCIATIONS ARE NOT THERE. I WISH WE HAVE A MEETING. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU MR. TAHIR. MOHAMMED RANNA. GOOD MORNING LADIES AND GENTLEMEN. UH, THANK YOU FOR GIVING US OPPORTUNITY. MY NAME IS MOHAMMED RANNA. I DO REPRESENT, I'M THE FOUNDER OF THE A C S R, THE ORGANIZATION. ANWAR WAS TALKING, UH, I JUST HAVE A BRIEFLY POINT, YOU KNOW, THAT'S, THAT ORDINANCE WAS PROPOSED BY DR. COLLEEN, THAT BASED ON A HEALTH CONCERN, I WANT YOU TO KEEP IN MIND HEALTH CONCERN. IF YOU CANNOT ACHIEVE THAT GOAL, WHICH I'M GOING TO EXPLAIN YOU, YOU ARE CREATING AN ISLAND IN SAN ANTONIO. THEY HAVE A 26, 27 OTHER CITY PEOPLE CAN WALK A DRIVE ONE MILE TO GET THE CIGARETTE ANYWAY, IF THEY CAN GET THE CIGARETTES. WHAT HAPPENED TO THE HEALTH CONCERN? SO YOU ARE TRYING TO ACHIEVE THE GOAL. YOU ARE NOT GOING TO ACHIEVE IT ANY WAY. BE BE HONEST, YOU KNOW, THIS IS YOUR VERY CONSCIOUS DECISION TO INVOLVING. NUMBER TWO IS BY DOING THAT, BY APPROVING THAT WHAT YOU WILL, CREATING ANOTHER DESTRUCTION FOR OUR CONVENIENCE STORE BUSINESS. THAT BUSINESS IS GOING AWAY TO THE OTHER CITIES, UH, SMALL CITIES. SO THAT'S, WE FELT IT. THIS IS NOT FAIR FOR THE, IT'S NOT, UH, PARALLEL GROUND FOR THE OTHER CONVENIENCE STORE IN THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO. SMALL BUSINESS. WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT. ALL WE ARE ASKING TO MAKE SURE THOSE SO SMALL CITIES GET TOGETHER AT THE SAME TIME. WE HAVE NO PROBLEM WITH THAT. TO INVOLVE THOSE CITY AT THE SAME TIME, IMPLEMENT THAT LAW. AT LEAST WE HAVE A PLAYING FIELD TO PLAY. WE HAVE NO WORRIED ABOUT OUR CUSTOMER. GO SOMEWHERE ELSE AND BUY THE GROCERIES AND BUY THE CIGARETTES. BUY THE SODA SOMEWHERE ELSE. IF YOU CANNOT ACHIEVE THE GOALS, PLEASE, I REQUEST YOU, PLEASE THINK ABOUT THE CONVENIENCE STORE, BUSINESS ASSOCIATION, SMALL BUSINESS. WE DO HAVE A FAMILY TO SUPPORT. ARE WE ASKING TO DELAY? GIVE US A SENSE. WE NEVER GOT A CHANCE TO HAVE A MEETING PROPERLY MEETINGS WITH YOU GUYS AND GIVE US OUR DATA. IF THEY NEED A DATA, SPORTING DATA, DATA, DATA, THEY, FOR EXAMPLE, THE DATA SHOWS RIGHT NOW, ALL THE TEENAGER HAVING A TELEPHONE, SAMSUNG TELEPHONE IN THEIR HANDS, PARENTS PROVIDE THEM $800, $1,000. ARE WE GONNA BLAME SAMSUNG BECAUSE THEY'RE SO ADDICTIVE TO [01:50:01] THAT, UH, THAT TELEPHONE, WHAT THEY'RE DOING DAY AND NIGHT ON SOCIAL MEDIA? ARE WE GOING TO BLAME SAMSUNG? STOP IT. ARE WE GONNA BRING A LAW UNTIL YOU ARE 20? YOU CANNOT HAVE A PHONE. THERE IS A PARENTING THINGS. WE NEED TO HAVE A COUNSELING. WE, THESE PARENTS NEED TO TELL YOUR CHILDREN NOT TO DO IT, NOT TO BLAME SAMSUNG FOR DOING THAT. SO WE NEED TO REALIZE OUR BUSINESS POINT OF VIEW. PLEASE GIVE US A TIME, GIVE US A TIME TO LISTEN TO US. WE CAN BRING YOU ALL THE DATA YOU NEEDED. ALL WE NEED A TIME. PLEASE POSTPONE THIS THING UNTIL YOU HEAR FROM US. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU MR. RANA. JE MEHA. MR. MEHA. GOOD MORNING MAYOR AND GOOD MORNING COUNCILMAN. UH, I CHANGE ENTIRE MY SPEECH AND WHAT I WAS ABOUT TO SAY, BUT I HEARD FROM ALL THESE PEOPLE AND I LEARNED LOT OF THINGS FROM HERE. THAT THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT IS USING YOUNG KIDS TO COME AND SAY THAT THIS IS WHAT HAPPENING. THAT IS HAPPENING. THAT IS HAPPENING. NO ONE CARES IF 21 AND OVER CAN DIE OR GET A CANCER OR GET A LUNG CANCER. LET THEM DIE AFTER 21. NO PROBLEM. UNITED STATES HAVE HAVE RIGHTS THAT AFTER 21, ANYONE CAN DIE, BUT UNDER 21 CANNOT DIE. SECOND THING OF SELLING IS CIGARETTES OR DRUGS OR ANYTHING IN THE COLLEGE OR SCHOOL OR WHATEVER FOR OR CAUSED BY SENIORS. WHAT DO YOU THINK THAT PEOPLE ARE NOT SELLING A DRUGS AND CIGARETTE IN SINGLES OUTSIDE THE SCHOOLS? I HAVE SEEN MYSELF, I HAVE PICTURES I CAN SHOW YOU. I HAVE PEOPLE THAT'S SELLING ON THE STREET LIGHTS THAT I'M A HOMELESS, HOLDING A SIGN, BUT THEY ARE SELLING AT DRUGS AND KIDS STOP THERE AND PAY THE MONEY. THEY'RE NOT PAYING THE MONEY TO BUY THE FOOD. THEY'RE PAYING MONEY TO BUY THE DRUGS. SO WE DON'T CARE ABOUT, THEY CAN BUY A DRUGS AND GET MORE WORSE DANGER THAN A CANCER. AND OTHER THAN THAT, WE HAD TO DO THAT. WE HAD TO FOLLOW THE NEW YORK RULE. NEW YORK IS SELLING 10, $12 A PACK, A CIGARETTE. IF YOU WANT TO CUT DOWN THIS POLICY, HIRE YOUR PRICE A HUNDRED TIMES AND CUT DOWN AND CUT DOWN THE PEOPLE TO BUY THE CIGARETTE, I THINK THAT WILL MAKE A SENSE. BESIDE THAT, NO MATTER HEALTH DEPARTMENT COUNCIL, MAYOR OR MR. TRUMP CAN DO ANYTHING, THIS IS NOT GOING TO STOP. PEOPLE WILL BUY CIGARETTE TOBACCO DRUGS OR WHATEVER THEY WANT ANYWHERE ANYHOW. AND I THINK IT'S, IS WHOEVER SAID IS A SHAME FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE TALKING AGAINST FOR THEM IS A SHAME FOR ENTIRE COUNTRY THAT WE CANNOT STOP THIS NO MATTER WHAT, WHAT WE DO. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR GIVING ME OPPORTUNITY. THANK YOU MR. ALI EARPHONE, BUT, BUT FOLLOWED BY RYAN MCLARE AND GOOD MORNING MAYOR AND ALL COUNCIL MEMBERS. UH, MY NAME IS HAN, BUT, AND I'M THE VICE PRESIDENT OF A C S R. UH, I'M OVER HERE FOR, UH, FOR A COUPLE OF REASONS TO AGAINST, UH, THIS LAW. UH, LEMME TELL YOU SOME OF THEM. UH, I WAS OVER HERE THE LAST MEETING AND I WAS LISTING ALL THE STORIES ABOUT HOW TO START THE SMOKING. LET ME TELL YOU, YOU KNOW WHAT? NONE OF THEM, THEY SAID THEY START SMOKING AT AGE OF 18 TO 21. THEY SAID THE START OF AGE OF 13, 14, 15. AND ALL THOSE DISTINCT HOW THEY STARTED, THEY START FROM THE FAMILIES. THEIR, UH, THE FATHER WAS SMOKING, THEIR ELDER BROTHER WAS SMOKING, UNCLE WAS WAS SMOKING. SO YOU KNOW WHAT, THIS IS THE AGE LIMIT FROM, UH, YOU KNOW, 18 TO 21 IS NOT, IS, UH, RIGHT, UH, UH, SOLUTION TO CHANGE THE, UH, UH, UH, CHANGE THE, THE AGE AND MY OTHER. THE, THE, IT WAS A CHANGE. THE OF THE, YOU KNOW, THE AGE ALSO IS CHANGE, ALSO CHANGE THE ADULTHOOD THINGS. YOU KNOW WHAT, EVERYBODY KNOW THAT THE, THE KIDS, WHENEVER THEY TURN 18, THEY ADULT, THEY CAN'T ENJOY A LOT OF THINGS. BUT IF YOU ARE CHANGING THIS LAW, SO THEY'RE STILL UNDER UNDERAGE, AND, UH, YOU KNOW WHAT THE, MY POINT OF VIEW IS AS ONE KID WHEN HE CAN SACRIFICE HIS LIFE FOR THIS, UH, THE COUNTRY, [01:55:01] AND HE ALSO BY, UH, HE ALSO ELECT THE PRESIDENT AND ALL YOU GUYS, BUT HE CANNOT VOTE. HE CANNOT BUY THAT PACK OF CIGARETTE. I CANNOT UNDERSTAND THAT, UH, THAT POINT OF THINGS. AND THE OTHER THING IS, UH, YOU KNOW WHAT I I, I'LL SUGGEST YOU, I I THINK WE SHOULD NEED TO FIX OUR FAMILY SYSTEM WHERE WE HAVE THAT. THE PROBLEM IS, IS START. SO I WILL SUGGEST ALL THE, YOU KNOW, THE, THE, ALL THE, THE CITY COUNCIL. WE HAVE TO RESTORE OUR FAMILY SYSTEM AND WE SHOULD INVEST IN IT. UH, THE, OF COURSE, THE LAST THING IS, UH, YOU KNOW, WE WILL LOSE OUR BUSINESS. IT'LL HURT OUR BUSINESS BECAUSE OF THE, OF OUR PRESIDENT SIDE. IT WILL BE AFFECT AT LEAST A 4% OF OUR PROFIT. AND WHICH IS ALMOST A LOT, WHICH IS WE HAVE TO PAY OUR BILL, OUR BILLS AND A LOT OF OTHER STUFF. UH, MY OTHER COLLEAGUES, THEY SAID THEY HAVE A, UH, THEY HAVE A CANCER DUE TO THAT TOBACCO, YOU KNOW, MY DAD DID PASSED AWAY THE LAST YEAR. HE HAVE A THROAT CANCER, BUT HE NEVER, EVER SMOKE IN HIS LIFE. SO, YOU KNOW WHAT, THIS IS ONLY FOR THAT THE TOBACCO IS, IS A CAUSE FOR ALL THE CANCER. IT IS NOT TRUE. SO WE HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THIS THING. I'M NOT SAYING, YOU KNOW, THIS IS A GOOD THING, BUT I'M SAYING WE HAVE TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THE AGE LIMIT IS. 18 IS A GOOD, MATURE, UH, AGE TO BUY OR DO A LOT OF THINGS. SO I THINK SO, AND I WILL SUGGEST ALL YOU, UH, THE COUNCIL MEMBERS, PLEASE YOU REFUSE THIS, UH, UH, UH, THIS ORDINANCE. THANK YOU, SIR. THANK YOU MR. BUT RYAN CLEED FOLLOWED BY J. HELLO EVERYONE. THANKS FOR PRONOUNCING MY NAME CORRECTLY. YOU DO A GOOD JOB WITH THAT. UM, FIRST OFF, I'M A RESIDENT IN COUNCILMAN COURAGES, UH, DISTRICT. UH, I REPRESENT A LARGE, VERY LARGE RETAILER, UH, HERE IN SAN ANTONIO, UH, BASED OUTTA SAN ANTONIO. WE HAVE, UH, A LOT OF STORES ACROSS THE STATE AND A LOT HERE IN, IN, IN THE CITY. UM, A COUPLE QUICK POINTS I WANTED TO MAKE FIRST. UM, WE WERE LED TO BELIEVE AT THE LAST MEETING THAT UH, WE AS RETAILERS WOULD HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO MEET SEPARATELY WITH CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS AND STAFF TO DISCUSS THIS PROPOSAL AHEAD OF A VOTE AS PROBABLY THE BIGGEST RETAILER OF TOBACCO PRODUCTS IN THIS CITY. I WAS HOPING TO GET THAT CHANCE. UM, BUT THAT NEVER HAPPENED. I THINK WE NEED TO HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY ON AN ASIDE BEFORE THIS VOTE HAPPENS. UM, SECONDLY, I'M NOT A SMOKER. UH, I PERSONALLY ACTUALLY DON'T EVEN LIKE SMOKING. UM, BANNING SMOKING FROM BARS AND RESTAURANTS YEARS AGO I THOUGHT WAS A, A PRETTY GOOD DECISION. BUT AT THE HEART OF THIS PARTICULAR MATTER IS THE FREEDOM OF CHOICE. YOU'RE LOOKING TO TAKE AWAY THE RIGHTS OF A GROUP OF PEOPLE THAT ARE RECOGNIZED AS ADULTS ACROSS THE COUNTRY. I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU TO LET PEOPLE CONTINUE TO MAKE THEIR OWN CHOICES AND NOT PENALIZE RETAILERS THAT FOLLOW THE LAWS ALREADY SET FORTH. IF WE GO DOWN THIS PATH, THEN DOWN THE PATH OF A SODA TAX AND SO ON AND SO FORTH, THEN WHERE DOES IT STOP? IF YOU'RE DOING THIS FOR PUBLIC, FOR THE PUBLIC HEALTH ASPECT, ARE WE GOING TO TAX WHATABURGER PATRONS FOR THE 800 CALORIE BURGER THEY'RE ABOUT TO CONSUME? WILL H E B HAD TO HAVE TO ADD ATTACKS TO TWINKIES? IT'S NOT POSSIBLE TO REGULATE EVERYTHING. LET PEOPLE MAKE THEIR OWN CHOICES AND LIVE WITH THE RESULTS OF THOSE CHOICES. I THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU, MR. MCCLAREN. JOE SHAIK, FOLLOWED BY DR. KEELEY PETTY. IS MR. SHAIK THERE? OKAY, DR. KEE, DR. KEELEY PETTY, FOLLOWED BY JERRY S. GOOD MORNING MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL AND STAFF. UH, I WANTED TO STAND BEFORE YOU TODAY REPRESENTING THE BETHEL PREVENTION COALITION, WHERE WE RECEIVE FEDERAL FUNDING FROM THE OFFICE OF NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL POLICY TO REDUCE SUBSTANCE ABUSE AMONG 12, UH, TO 17 YEAR OLDS, WE HAVE A FOCUS ON TOBACCO, MARIJUANA, PRESCRIPTION DRUGS, AND EMERGING DRUGS. I STAND BEFORE YOU TODAY BECAUSE I HAVE A DREAM. I HAVE A DREAM THAT WE WILL CARE ENOUGH ABOUT THE YOUTH IN OUR COMMUNITY TO STAND WITH THEM AND HELP THEM MAKE DECISIONS THAT THEY CANNOT MAKE FOR THEMSELVES. I STAND HERE TODAY TO REPRESENT CHILDREN OF COLOR, OUR CAUCASIAN YOUTH, OUR ASIAN YOUTH, OUR AFRICAN AMERICAN YOUTH WHO DO NOT HAVE A VOICE, WHO DO NOT HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO LIVE A HEALTHY LIFE BECAUSE NOBODY'S DREAMING ON THEIR BEHALF. I BELIEVE THIS INITIATIVE [02:00:01] WILL HELP THE YOUTH LIVE HEALTHY, PRODUCTIVE, SAFE LIVES, WHICH IN TURN WILL CREATE A SAFE, HEALTHY, DRUG FREE COMMUNITY FOR ALL. I WANNA SAY A QUOTE THAT I HEARD ROOSEVELT, I DIDN'T HEAR HIM, BUT I FOUND THIS QUOTE THAT ROSA, UH, FRANKLIN ROOSEVELT SAID. HE SAID, WE CANNOT ALWAYS BUILD THE FUTURE FOR OUR YOUTH, BUT WE CAN BUILD OUR YOUTH FOR THE FUTURE. AND THE DREAM THAT I HAVE IS THAT TODAY YOU ALL WILL PUT A YES AND AN AMEN ON THIS ORDINANCE, SO THAT THE, THE FUTURE THAT OUR YOUTH CANNOT BUILD, WE CAN HELP THEM BUILD THEIR FUTURE SAFE, HEALTHY, AND DRUG FREE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, DR. PETTY. JERRY VERA, FOLLOWED BY SHIREL KEMP, MAYOR NUREMBERG, MEMBERS OF THE SAN ANTONIO CITY COUNCIL. MY NAME IS JERRY VERA. I'M WITH THE AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION HERE IN SAN ANTONIO, UH, HERE TO ASK FOR YOU TO SUPPORT THE TOBACCO 21 ORDINANCE. I'M ALSO HERE AS A FATHER OF A SIX YEAR OLD SON, WILLIAM, AND EIGHT YEAR OLD DAUGHTER EDEN, WHO WAS AT THE HEART WALK WITH ME THIS YEAR, UH, HOLDING UP A POLICE SUPPORT TOBACCO. 21, SIGNED TO THE MAYOR AND WAS, UH, HOPEFULLY ABLE TO HAVE A NICE, UH, HANDSHAKE WITH THE MAYOR. AND THIS IS SOMETHING THAT'S REALLY FOR THE KIDS OF OUR, OF OUR COMMUNITY. JUST WANTED TO MAKE A COUPLE QUICK POINTS. UM, THE FIRST THING IS THAT NO ONE FROM THE TOBACCO 21 COALITION IS CLAIMING OR SAYING THAT RETAILERS OR CONVENIENCE STORE FOLKS ARE SELLING IT TO FOLKS UNDER AGE. I THINK THE WHOLE POINT, AND THE FACT THAT THEY DON'T DO THAT IS THE REASON WHY RAISING THE AGE IS GONNA BE EFFECTIVE AT NOT HAVING THOSE HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS GO BUY IT AND THEN SELL IT OVER. SO AGAIN, THIS IS ABOUT PREVENTION. THIS IS ABOUT MAKING SURE THAT THE PEOPLE THAT ARE IN THE HIGH SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT AND THAT AGE RANGE ARE NOT, AS YOU'VE HEARD FROM THE STORIES, LEGALLY BUYING IT AT 18 AND 19 AND THEN GOING OFF AND DISTRIBUTING IT AND GIVING IT TO THE UNDERAGE FOLKS. UM, THE OTHER THING IS, I JUST WANTED TO KIND OF MAKE AN OBSERVATION OF, YOU KNOW, I LIVE IN DISTRICT 10. I, I DRIVE BY MADISON HIGH SCHOOL ALL THE TIME. AND WHAT I SEE IS THAT THERE ARE JUST TONS OF STUDENTS WHO FOR LUNCH OR IN THE MORNINGS BEFORE SCHOOL OR AFTER SCHOOL, THEY JUST, THEY DON'T HAVE CARS. THEY WALK OVER ACROSS THE STREET TO THE, THE CORNER STORE THAT'S RIGHT THERE TO GET THEIR AFTER SCHOOL SNACKS. AND SO, UM, WHILE SOME MAY GO OVER AND, UH, YOU KNOW, GET IN CARS AND DRIVE OFF TO GET IT IN OTHER PLACES, I JUST WANTED TO POINT OUT THAT THERE ARE TONS OF STUDENTS WHO THEY WALK TO THE NEAREST CORNER STORE AND SO IT'S GONNA HAVE A HUGE IMPACT ON THEM. AND SO I JUST WANTED TO GIVE THE REST OF MY TIME TO DR. ERICA REYES TO FINISH HER COMMENTS AS WELL. I'VE BEEN TOLD I TALK A LOT AND I DON'T THINK I PROVED MY CASE TODAY, BUT, UM, I JUST WANTED TO TRY TO, UH, APPEAL TO YOUR SENSE OF PATRIOTISM. DURING MY 10 YEARS IN THE AIR FORCE, ONE OF MY MAIN THINGS THAT I HAD TO DO WAS ASSESS THE, UH, RESPIRATORY AND ASTHMAS STATUS OF OUR BASIC TRA TRAINEES. THE DETRIMENTAL EFFECTS THAT TOBACCO HAD ON THEIR HEALTH AND FITNESS, UM, WAS VERY CLEAR, WHICH IS WHY WE PROHIBIT SMOKING DURING BASIC TRAINING. THE MILITARY IS ACTIVELY WORKING TO DECREASE TOBACCO EXPOSURE AMONG OUR ACTIVE DUTY PEOPLE IN ORDER TO MAXIMIZE TROOP READINESS AND PHYSICAL FITNESS. BUT REALLY THE MAJOR REASON IS BECAUSE WE HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO THESE SERVICE MEMBERS TO ENSURE THAT WE'RE NOT DEPLOYING THEM INTO SITUATIONS WHERE WE KNOW THAT THEY'RE AT RISK AT CHEMICAL WARFARE AND WE REDUCE THE CHANCE OF THEM COMING HOME BACK SAFELY TO THEIR FAMILIES. UM, SO I LEAVE YOU WITH THAT AS THE CLOSING THOUGHT AND I URGE YOU TO SUPPORT TOBACCO 21 SO THAT WE CAN, UH, HELP SAN ANTONIANS LIVE A LONGER AND HEALTHIER LIFE. I DID IT. SO . THANK YOU, MR. VERA AND DR. REYES. SHERELL KEMP, FOLLOWED BY PAUL HARDIN. HELLO. GOOD MORNING EVERYONE, MAYOR AND COUNCIL CHAIR AND EVERYONE THAT'S HERE BRINGING THEIR DESIRE IN FRONT OF YOU. WE THANK, THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO ALL THAT YOU HAVE BEEN LISTENING TO. I'D LIKE TO READ SOMETHING THAT WAS SENT TO ME. MY NAME IS ELLE KEMP. I'M WITH REACH COMMUNITY OUTREACH IN DISTRICT TWO, UNDER MY BUDDY OVER THERE, WILLIAM SHAW. AND, UH, THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT TO ME AS, UH, DR. PETTY SAID, FOR THOSE THAT DO NOT HAVE A VOICE, TRULY WE ARE NOT GOING AFTER THE COMMUN COMMUNITY, CONSUMER OR THE COMPANIES, BUT WE ARE AFTER OUR YOUTH AND THEIR FUTURE. AND WE ALSO LOOKING FORWARD TO WHICH HAVEN'T BEEN SAID, I'M A MOTHER OF, UH, TEENAGERS AND THEY DON'T SMOKE. BUT IT'S A HARD TIME NOW TO ENSURE YOUR CHILD. WE HAVE BEEN RAISING FUN TO BURY CHILDREN, UH, FROM PARENTS THAT CANNOT HAVE, DO NOT HAVE MONEY BECAUSE THEIR CHILDREN DO [02:05:01] SMOKE AND THE COST OF INSURANCE IS HIGH ON THAT FACTOR, SO THEY'RE NOT INSURED. SO I'M COMING ON THE BEHALF TO RAISE UP THE, UH, AGE TO 21 ON THE ACCOUNT OF THAT. BUT WHAT TOUCHED ME WAS WHAT I READ FROM SOMEONE I READ IN THE PAPER. IT SAID IT CURRENTLY STANDS THE PROPOSED TALK. TOBACCO 21 ORDINANCE PROHIBITS RETAILERS FROM SELLING TOBACCO PRODUCTS TO ANYONE UNDER THE AGE 21. THIS ORDINANCE DOES NOT INCLUDE AN ENFORCEMENT METHODS AGAINST ADULTS AGE 18 TO 20 WHO CONSUME TOBACCO PRODUCTS. THIS ENFORCEMENT OF THIS ORDINANCE IS CARRIED OUT BY METRO HEALTH OFFICIAL, AND ONLY RETAILERS CAN BE IN VIOLATION OF THIS ORDINANCE. I DO BELIEVE THAT ATTACKING THE CONSUM CONSUMPTION OF TOBACCO PRODUCTS BY OUR YOUTH IS IMPORTANT. I BELIEVE THAT AS AN ADULT, WE NEED TO SET THE EXAMPLE OF WHAT A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE IS AND FOLLOW UP. I BELIEVE THAT PARENTS, GUARDIANS, TEACHERS HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK DAILY WITH THE YOUTH TO GUIDE THEM IN MAKING THE RIGHT CHOICE, CONSUMING HARMFUL PRODUCTS. AS A PARENT. THIS I READ, I HAVE PLENTY CONVERSATION WITH MY TEENAGE GRANDCHILDREN. THIS IS A GRAND PERSON ABOUT MAKING THE RIGHT CALL. I DO NOT BELIEVE THIS LOST ME. THIS RESPONSIBILITY LIES WITH THE CITY COUNCIL ONLY. I AGREE IT SHOULD GO FURTHER, FURTHER, BUT THE COUNCIL CAN SET AN EXAMPLE. IT WOULD BE IT IF WE ARE SERIOUS ABOUT MODIFYING THE AGE FOR TOBACCO CONSUMPTION. CHANGE NEEDS TO START AT THE LEVEL WE ARE AND STATE LEVEL, UH, NOT ONLY LIES ON THE CITY COUNCIL, AND WE FEEL THIS HOUR, THIS IS MY ADDITION. I FEEL THAT THIS HOUR, WE SHOULD MAKE THIS KNOWN FROM HERE, THAT WE SHOULD MAKE A STAND TO OTHER CITIES. IF FURTHER GOES, OH, MY TIME IS UP. OH MY, SORRY, BUT YOU CAN FINISH YOUR STATEMENT. I STAND IN AGREEANCE WITH TOBACCO 21, AND THIS IS WHAT I READ. I, I STAND NOT AGAINST THE, UH, THE NO, BUT TO THE YES. THANK YOU, MS. KEMP. PAUL HARDIN. GOOD MORNING, MR. MAYOR. COUNCIL MEMBERS, MY NAME IS PAUL HARDIN. I'M PRESIDENT OF TEXAS FOOD AND FUEL ASSOCIATION. WE'RE THE LARGEST TRADE ORGANIZATION IN THE STATE FOR CONVENIENCE STORES, FUEL MARKETERS, AND A LOT OF OUR MEMBERS ARE IN SAN ANTONIO AS WELL. THERE WERE OVER A THOUSAND THERE. CONGRATS AGAIN ON 300 YEARS. UH, THAT 300 YEAR ANNIVERSARY, THAT'S PRETTY AMAZING. UM, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU TURN 18, YOU INHERENTLY GET A FEW RIGHTS. UH, ONE OF THOSE OBVIOUSLY. YEAH. YOU GET THE RIGHT TO VOTE. THE THE GOVERNMENT SAYS, UH, WE TRUST YOU ENOUGH NOW THAT YOU CAN MAKE A DECISION TO POTENTIALLY CHANGE THE OUTCOME OF WHETHER IT'S AN ELECTION HERE OR TO OUR HIGHEST ELECTED OFFICIAL IN THE COUNTRY. YOU GET THE RIGHT TO, UH, JOIN THE MILITARY, DIE FOR YOUR COUNTRY. YOU CAN BUY A HOME AT THAT POINT, ENTER INTO A CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATION. THAT'S THE ONE OF THE LARGEST YOU'LL EVER DO. YOU CAN ADOPT A CHILD AT AGE 18. I MEAN, THE GOVERNMENT IS SAYING BASICALLY, WE, YOU'RE AN ADULT NOW. YOU'RE A BIG KID. YOU, WE ENTRUST ANOTHER PERSON'S LIFE TO YOU AT THE AGE OF 18. YET WE'RE ABOUT TO SAY THAT YOU CAN'T PURCHASE TOBACCO PRODUCTS AT AGE 18 AND MAKE A DECISION FOR YOURSELF. UM, PARDON ME. YOU'VE HEARD A LOT OF STATISTICS. THE HEART ASSOCIATION, THE LUNG ASSOCIATION, THE MEDICAL ASSOCIATION. I CAN ASSURE YOU THAT ALL OF THOSE STATISTICS AND EVERY STAT WAS GIVEN, IN FACT, WAS GIVEN TO THE TEXAS LEGISLATURE THIS PAST SESSION AS THIS ISSUE CAME BEFORE THEM. UH, ULTIMATELY THEY CHOSE NOT TO PASS THIS AND GET INTO THE, UH, THE BUSINESS OF GOVERNING ADULTHOOD. AND THAT BILL WAS, WAS, AGAIN, NOT PASSED. THE REAL FACT OF THE MATTER. AND THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER IS THIS, YES, ALSO IS AN ECONOMIC ISSUE AS WELL. IF YOU PASS THIS BILL TODAY, TOMORROW, YES, A CONSUMER CAN THEN CHOOSE TO GO ACROSS THE STREET FROM ONE OF THESE GUYS YOU JUST HEARD FROM EARLIER. AND IT'S NOT JUST THE TOBACCO SALES, IT'S THE FUEL. AND, AND THEY'RE FRANKLY RELYING ON ALL THE OTHER ANCILLARY PRODUCTS THAT ARE THERE, WHETHER IT'S CHIPS, A FOUNTAIN DRINK, AND SO FORTH. YOU'RE TALKING FOUR TO 5% OF THEIR BOTTOM LINE. AND THAT DOES HAVE AN IMPACT. UH, OR, OR YOU, YOU SAW THE STAT ON SOME TINY TOWN IN RHODE ISLAND THAT NO STORE SHUT DOWN AFTER THIS PASSED. WELL, UH, I CAN'T GUARANTEE THAT STORES WON'T, WILL OR WILL NOT SHUT DOWN, UH, IF THIS PASSES, BUT I CAN GUARANTEE YOU IT'LL HAVE A BOTTOM, BOTTOM LINE IMPACT ON THEIR BUSINESS. UH, THEY MAY NOT BE ABLE TO PAY A CERTAIN BILL OR DO THIS, THAT AND THE OTHER. THEY MAY NOT. UM, THEY MIGHT HAVE TO LAY OFF AN EMPLOYEE. AND WITH ABOUT A THOUSAND STORES OVERNIGHT WITH THIS DECISION, YOU COULD HAVE A THOUSAND PEOPLE UNEMPLOYED. AND I JUST ASK THAT YOU KEEP THAT IN CONSIDERATION. WE WOULD LOVE TO BE PART OF THE STAKEHOLDER GROUP IF YOU DO EXTEND THIS, UH, TO, TO HAVE DISCUSSIONS. AND THEN, UM, LASTLY, I HOPE THAT ALL OF YOU [02:10:01] THAT ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT THIS, TAKE THIS TO THE STATE LEVEL, MAKE IT AN EQUAL PLAYING FIELD FOR ALL BUSINESSES IN TEXAS, AND NOT JUST HARMING YOUR SAN ANTONIO LOCAL SMALL BUSINESSES THAT SUPPORT THE COMMUNITY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MR. HARDIN. COUNCILWOMAN SANDOVAL COUNCILWOMAN, IF I CAN JUST MAKE ONE ANNOUNCEMENT. UH, WE'VE RECEIVED FIVE WRITTEN TESTIMONIES IN FAVOR OF THE ORDINANCE, AND THOSE WILL BE PLACED INTO THE RECORD BY THE CLERK. COUNCILMAN SANDOVAL. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MAYOR. I WANNA THANK EVERYONE WHO HAS COME OUT TODAY AND WHO WAS HERE LAST NIGHT, AND WHO WAS AT THE B SESSION, AND WHO WAS AT THE COMMUNITY HEALTH AND EQUITY, UH, COMMITTEE MEETING, UH, FOR YOUR COMMENTS, WHETHER THEY WERE FOR OR AGAINST. UH, WE ALWAYS APPRECIATE THE PUBLIC PARTICIPATING IN THE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS. THANK YOU FOR TAKING OF YOUR PERSONAL TIME TO, TO BE THERE. UM, AND FOR THOSE WHO, WHO HAVE CONCERNS ABOUT THE PROCESS, UM, I, IF WE DID NOT SIT DOWN AS OFTEN AS YOU WOULD HAVE LIKED, THAT, THAT IS ON US. AND THAT IS A LEARNING EXPERIENCE FOR US. AND, UH, I APPRECIATE YOU BRINGING THAT TO OUR ATTENTION. UM, THERE IS STILL, UH, AN OPPORTUNITY TO ENGAGE AS WE GO IF, IF TODAY WE APPROVE THIS AND AS WE GO INTO THE IMPLEMENTATION PROCESS. SO, DR. BRIDGER, I'D JUST LIKE TO, TO REQUEST THAT YOU CONSIDER, UM, DEVELOPING AN IMPLEMENTATION, UH, STAKEHOLDER GROUP AS WE MOVE TOWARD, UH, ENFORCEMENT. WOULD THAT BE, WOULD THAT BE POSSIBLE? OKAY. THANK YOU. SO THAT THE CONCERNS CAN BE ADDRESSED AS WE, AS WE MOVE FORWARD. UM, THANK YOU. UH, SO I JUST HAVE A, A FEW WORDS TO, TO SAY ABOUT THIS. FIRST, I WANNA THANK THE, THE MAYOR FOR HAVING THE VISION AND THE COMPASSION, UH, TO CREATE A HEALTH AND EQUITY COMMITTEE, UH, AND TO DR. BRIDGER FOR, FOR BEING ONE OF OUR PILLARS IN THAT COMMITTEE. I THINK BY DOING THAT, MAYOR, YOU'VE RECOGNIZED THAT AS ELECTED OFFICIALS, WE DO HAVE A ROLE IN DETERMINING THE HEALTH OF OUR COMMUNITY. WE MAY NOT BE DOCTORS OURSELVES. WE MAY NOT RUN CLINICS AS A CITY, BUT WE DO HAVE A ROLE TO PLAY IN THE HEALTH OF OUR COMMUNITY. AND HAVING HEALTHY, A HEALTHY SAN ANTONIO ECONOMY REQUIRES HEALTHY SAN ANTONIANS. SO IT IS INCUMBENT UPON US TO TAKE THAT RESPONSIBILITY SERIOUSLY. UM, WE'VE LEARNED THAT, UH, THERE ARE MANY THINGS THAT INFLUENCE HEALTH OUTCOMES, AND THAT THE DOCTOR YOU SEE AND THE HEALTHCARE YOU RECEIVE IS JUST A SMALL PART OF THAT. LESS THAN 20%, THE VAST AMOUNT OF YOUR HEALTH OUTCOME, YOUR LIFE EXPECTANCY IS DETERMINED BY YOUR SOCIAL CONDITIONS AND WHERE YOU LIVE. WE HAD A SOBERING REPORT COME OUT LAST YEAR, UH, THE COMMUNITY HEALTH ASSESSMENT THAT IDENTIFIED A 20 YEAR DIFFERENCE IN LIFE EXPECTANCY HERE IN OUR OWN CITY, BETWEEN THE POOREST NEIGHBORHOODS AND THE RICHEST NEIGHBORHOODS. UH, MEASURE LIKE TODAY IS AN EQUALIZER FOR US, BECAUSE IT WILL AFFECT THE WEALTHIEST NEIGHBORHOODS. IT WILL AFFECT THE POOREST NEIGHBORHOODS. EVERYONE BETWEEN THE AGES OF 18 TO 20, NO MATTER WHERE YOU LIVE, WILL BE UNABLE TO PURCHASE TOBACCO AND BEGIN A LIFELONG, UH, WILL BE UNABLE, WON'T BEGIN THAT LIFELONG DETRIMENTAL HABIT. UM, YESTERDAY I HAD A REPORTER ASK ME, WILL YOU BE SUPPORTING THIS MEASURE? AND DON'T YOU THINK THAT MAKES SAN ANTONIO ONE OF THE MOST PROGRESSIVE CITIES IN, IN TEXAS? AND I SAID, HAVE YOU LOOKED AT OUR HEALTH OUTCOMES IN BEXAR COUNTY? WE HAVE SOME OF THE WORST HEALTH OUTCOMES HERE. WE HAVE EXTREMELY HIGH, UM, LOW BIRTH WEIGHTS, PRETERM BIRTHS, MATERNAL MORTALITY, OBESITY, DIABETES. JUST YESTERDAY, WE HEARD A PRESENTATION ON THE HIGH RATES OF ASTHMA HOSPITALIZATION AMONG CHILDREN HERE IN OUR CITY, IN OUR COUNTY, THE HIGHEST IN THE STATE. UM, SO NO, I I DON'T THINK IT'S ABOUT BEING PROGRESSIVE. I THINK IT'S ABOUT DOING WHAT'S WITHIN OUR AUTHORITY AND DOING WHAT'S WITHIN OUR BUDGET TO TAKE CARE OF OUR COMMUNITY. UM, JUST A A LAST, A LAST COMMENT. UM, I THINK TODAY'S A A HISTORIC DAY, UH, FOR THIS VOTE. ALMOST OFTEN WHEN WE COME TO CITY COUNCIL, WE VOTE ON THINGS THAT KEEP THE CITY MOVING. UH, WE VOTE ON THINGS THAT KEEP THE STATUS QUO GOING. UH, SOMETIMES WE GET TO VOTE ON ITEMS THAT MOVE THE NEEDLE FORWARD. AND WE'RE VERY, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE GREAT, UM, DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS THAT HAPPEN, [02:15:01] OTHER, OTHER PROJECTS HERE IN THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO. AND, AND THOSE ARE GREAT, AND WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT THOSE. AND WE HAVE PRESS CONFERENCES ABOUT THOSE. UH, BUT TODAY IS A VERY RARE DAY BECAUSE WE ACTUALLY VOTE ON SOMETHING THAT DOESN'T JUST MOVE THE NEEDLE, BUT THAT TRANSFORMS THE LANDSCAPE FOR THE HEALTH OF OUR COMMUNITY. UM, SO IT'S, IT'S A MULTIPLIER. IT'S NOT JUST SOMETHING THAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN TODAY, BUT THAT'S GOING TO SAVE LIVES FOR GENERATIONS TO COME. UH, SO WITH THOSE WORDS, I WOULD LIKE TO, TO, UH, ENCOURAGE AND, AND ASK EVERY SINGLE ONE OF MY COLLEAGUES, ALL OF YOU, EVERY SINGLE DISTRICT, MY NEIGHBOR, DISTRICT SIX, COUNCILMAN BROCK HOUSE, TO THE FAR REACHES OF DISTRICT 10, UH, WITH COUNCILMAN PERRY AND ALL OF YOU, UH, DISTRICTS ONE THROUGH FIVE THAT ARE GONNA BE IMPACTED. JUST LIKE WE HEARD. I'D ASK YOU TO SUPPORT THIS MEASURE AND JOIN ME IN SAVING LIVES OF SAN ANTONIANS AND IMPROVING THE HEALTH OF OUR COMMUNITY. SO, UH, WITH THAT, MAYOR, I MOVE TO APPROVE ITEM FOUR, AS PRESENTED THIS MORNING WITH AN EFFECTIVE DATE FOR ENFORCEMENT OF OCTOBER 1ST, 2018. THANK YOU. SECOND. THANK YOU, COUNCILWOMAN SANDOVAL. THERE WAS A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR APPROVAL OF ITEM NUMBER FOUR. WE'LL PROCEED WITH COUNCIL COMMENT. UH, COUNCILMAN SALANA. THANK YOU, MAYOR. AND, AND THANK YOU TO COUNCILWOMAN SANDOVAL. I THINK IF THERE'S BEEN ANYBODY ON THE COUNCIL WHO CAN BE CONSIDERED OUR, OUR RESIDENT PUBLIC HEALTH EXPERT, UH, YOU'RE THE CLOSEST TO IT. AND, AND YOU'VE BEEN SHUTTLING THIS INITIATIVE FROM BEGINNING IN YOUR COMMITTEE TO REALLY BRINGING ON A LOT OF THE STAKEHOLDERS WHO'VE BEEN EDUCATING US, UH, FROM THE PUBLIC HEALTH COMMUNITY. BUT AT THE SAME TIME, YOU DON'T WANT JUST TO HEAR ONE SIDE. I THINK WE'VE HAD SEVERAL LEVELS AT WHICH TO HEAR FROM FOLKS ABOUT, UH, THE CONSEQUENCES OF WHAT RAISING THE AGE TO 21 WOULD BE. IN FACT, UH, WE HEARD SOME OF THE FEEDBACK. WE HEARD SOME OF THE STUDIES FROM OTHER CITIES WHO HAVE IMPLEMENTED THESE KIND OF STRATEGIES, UH, WHICH IS WHY WE'VE HAD TO MAKE SOME COMPROMISES ALONG THE WAY. ONE OF WHICH WAS THAT I WAS CONCERNED WITH WAS, UH, THE, I THE IDEA OF PASSING A ORDINANCE THAT DIDN'T, UH, PENALIZE OR PROVIDE CONSEQUENCES FOR THOSE WHO WERE CAUGHT AT 18 OR 19 SMOKING WITH THE IDEA THAT IF IT'S, IF IT'S NOT, IF IT'S NOT A, IF THERE'S NO CONSEQUENCE TO IT, IT WOULD JUST BE A SUGGESTION. AND I THINK WHAT WE DID IS, IS COMPROMISE TO THE BEST OF OUR ABILITY, UH, TO TARGET JUST THE SELLING OF, OF TOBACCO PRODUCTS TO THOSE UNDER THE AGE OF 21. SO I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR, UH, UH, THE, AND THE REST OF THE COUNCIL FOR PROVIDING THAT FEEDBACK AND BEING OPEN-MINDED AS WE'VE TAKEN THIS UNDER REALLY, UH, STUDIOUS STEP-BY-STEP PACES. BUT, UH, LET ME, LEMME MAKE SURE THAT THE CREDIT IS, IS, IS GIVEN WHERE CREDIT IS DUE. I WANT TO THANK SOME OF THE FOLKS WHO ARE HERE FROM THE SAN ANTONIO COALITION AGAINST DRUG AND ALCOHOL ABUSE, THE CIRCLES OF SAN ANTONIO, THE AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION, THE PEDIATRICIANS AND THE PHYSICIANS THAT WE HEARD FROM, UH, THE CAMPAIGN FOR TOBACCO FREE KIDS. UH, I THINK WHAT WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND IS THAT THERE'S CERTAINLY A MAJORITY OPINION, UM, FROM THOSE WHO CAME TO SPEAK. AND, AND THE CONCEPT SOMETIMES THAT I'M REMINDED OF IS THAT, UH, THE MOST COMMON WAY WE GIVE AWAY OUR POWER IS NOT REALIZING THAT WE HAVE IT. AND, AND THERE'S CERTAINLY A LOT OF POWER WITHIN THOSE FOLKS, YOUNG AND OLD. WE'VE HEARD SOME STUDENTS COME THROUGH AND SPEAK TO, UH, WHAT THEIR TRUTH IS ON THIS ISSUE AND ADVOCATE. AND TRULY, IT WOULDN'T JUST BE BECAUSE DR. BRIDGER PRESENTED THIS TO US, ALTHOUGH PRETTY PERSUASIVELY. BUT WITH THE BACKING OF YOUR ORGANIZATIONS AND YOUR VOICES HERE, IT MAKES IT MUCH EASIER TO DO WHAT I'LL DO TODAY, WHICH IS TO SUPPORT, UH, THE INITIATIVE TO, TO RAISE THE AGE. AND LET ME JUST SAY JUST A FEW THINGS. 'CAUSE I, I, IT IS, IT IS ALWAYS DIFFICULT AS A, AS AN ELECTED OFFICIAL TO HEAR FROM FOLKS, UM, ABOUT THE CONSEQUENCES THAT THIS MIGHT HAVE ON SOMETHING AS PERSONAL AS YOUR BUSINESS, ESPECIALLY WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT SMALL BUSINESSES, OF WHICH WE HAVE A THOU, THOUSANDS OF, OF RETAILER CORNER STORES THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY. IT'S DIFFICULT TO HEAR THAT, THAT FOLKS WILL NOT MAKE AS MUCH MONEY AS THEY DID A PREVIOUS YEAR. UH, BUT THE QUESTION IS, WHAT WOULD WE EXCHANGE FOR THAT 2% DECREASE OR THAT 4% DECREASE? AND I THINK WHAT WE'RE EXCHANGING IS THE FACT THAT LESS KIDS ARE GONNA GET A HOLD OF TOBACCO PRODUCTS. AND IN MY MIND, THAT IS A WORTHY EXCHANGE FOR A POLICY MAKER WHO IS TRYING TO ATTACK A PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUE. AND WE'RE NOT GOING AFTER FOLKS WHO ARE ABOVE 21. WE'RE GOING AFTER THE, THE SPECIFIC AUDIENCE THAT IS MOST SUSCEPTIBLE TO NICOTINE AND NICOTINE'S, PERVASIVE AND PERNICIOUS, ADDICTIVE NATURE. UH, THAT IF YOU WERE TO COMPARE A 16 TO 15, 18 YEAR OLD AND COMPARE THAT PERSON TO A 21, 22 YEAR OLD, THE SCIENCE IS VERY CLEAR. I DON'T KNOW WHY WE'VE, I DON'T WANNA THINK ANYBODY IS DEBATING THAT, THAT YOU ARE MORE SUSCEPTIBLE TO BEING ADDICTED FOR A LIFETIME. AND AS WE HEARD FROM ONE OF THE YOUNG STUDENTS WHO CAME UP, I THINK THIS WAS COMPELLING AND IMPACTFUL, IS THAT IN MANY CASES, WHEN YOU'RE 16 OR 17, WHAT [02:20:01] YOU'RE DOING IS YOU'RE NOT GOING INTO THE HABIT OF SMOKING BECAUSE YOU WANT TO CONTINUE DOING IT FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE. YOU'RE DOING IT BECAUSE OF PERHAPS PEER PRESSURE OR SOMEBODY PROVIDED TO YOU. BUT IT'S AT THAT POINT THAT YOU'RE MORE, MOST SUSCEPTIBLE, UH, TO BEING ADDICTED THROUGHOUT YOUR LIFETIME. SO I THINK THAT IS VERY COMPELLING FOR A POLICYMAKER. UH, IT'S VERY COMPELLING FOR US AS FOLKS WHO WANT TO TRY TO MAKE A DENT ON THIS PROBLEM. AND TO THE RE RETAILERS WHO ARE WORRIED ABOUT LOSING SOME MONEY ON THIS, I WOULD JUST SAY THAT YOU HAVE A VERY IMPORTANT ALLY THAT YOU'VE HAD FOR GENERATIONS, WHICH IS A BILLION DOLLAR BIG TOBACCO INDUSTRY THAT IS GONNA PROBABLY TRY TO MAKE THAT UP. WHETHER IT WAS NOT GETTING ENOUGH IN THE HANDS OF CHILDREN, NOT GETTING ENOUGH IN THE HANDS OF WOMEN. IT'S FUNNY, OVER THE WEEKEND, I HEARD THIS GREAT RADIO INTERVIEW THAT WAS REFERRING TO THE HISTORY OF TOBACCO. AND AT ONE POINT, THEY WERE STRUGGLING TO GET WOMEN TO SMOKE PUBLICLY, UH, THAT PERHAPS IT WASN'T SEEN AS, AS SOMETHING THAT WAS VERY SOPHISTICATED. SO THEY DECIDED TO REBRAND IT AS TORCHES OF FREEDOM. AT THE SAME TIME, THE WOMEN WERE DEALING WITH THE, THE, THE, THE MOVEMENT OF LIBERTY AND FREEDOM, UH, WOMEN'S SUFFRAGE. UH, SO THROUGHOUT, THEY HAD THIS GREAT BRANDING CAMPAIGN CALLED TORCHES OF FREEDOM TO EXPRESS YOUR INDIVIDUALITY AND YOUR LIBERTY, MAKE A CHOICE FOR YOURSELF, AND SAW HUGE SPIKES IN THE AMOUNT OF WOMEN WHO ARE THEN PURCHASING CIGARETTES, NICOTINE. SO I DO NOT WORRY THAT A BILLION DOLLAR MARKETING CAMPAIGN, UH, IS GOING TO BE SOMEHOW DETRIMENTAL TO THE ENTIRE INDUSTRY. BUT I DO THINK THAT THIS SMALL IMPACT THAT WE CAN HAVE BY TRYING TO GET IT OUTTA THE HANDS OF KIDS IS GONNA HAVE A HUGE IMPACT ON, ON SAN ANTONIO'S HEALTH OUTCOMES. AND, AND I THANK THE COUNCIL WHO'S CONSIDERED THIS PRETTY THOUGHTFULLY, I THINK COUNCILWOMAN SANDOVAL, WHO'S BROUGHT IT, UH, TO THE FOREFRONT. AND I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO SUPPORTING. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN SALDANA. COUNCILMAN TINO. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UH, FIRST I WANNA THANK COUNCILMAN SANDOVAL FOR LEADERSHIP ON THIS. UH, I WANNA SECOND ALL HER COMMENTS THAT SHE MADE. I THINK THIS IS REALLY A, A GREAT, GREAT MOMENT IN OUR CITY. UH, YOU KNOW, I THINK WE HEARD A LOT OF GREAT STORIES. AND, AND FOR THE MOST PART, I THINK A LOT OF US HAVE OUR OWN CONNECTION IN SOME WAY. AND, AND THAT'S WHY, YOU KNOW, I WOULD SAY THAT WE ALL HAVE TO LIVE WITH THE CHOICES. THAT IT'S NOT JUST THE CHOICES THAT WE MAKE, BUT IT'S THE CHOICES THAT OTHER PEOPLE MAKE. AND WE'VE KNOWN THAT THERE'S IMPACT IN, ON OUR LIVES, WHETHER IT'S CIGARETTE SMOKING OR ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION. SO, I'LL TAKE YOU BACK. I'M GONNA DATE MYSELF. I WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL, AND I REMEMBER THIS SAME ARGUMENT HAPPENING ABOUT THE DRINKING AGE. AND, YOU KNOW, LOOKING BACK AT THAT, EVERYTHING, ALMOST EVERYTHING WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HERE TODAY IS A REPLAY OF THAT CONVERSATION. AND WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED? WELL, WE'VE LEARNED THAT WE'VE ACTUALLY SAVED LIVES. WE'VE SAVED A LOT OF LIVES. WE HAVE HELPED TO REALLY PUT PEOPLE ON, ON, ON THE PROPER TRAJECTORY IN THEIR LIVES. WE'VE, WE'VE REDUCED DUIS. WE'VE U RE REDUCED DEATHS BECAUSE OF ALCOHOL RELATED, UH, INCIDENTS. ALCOHOL AND, AND, AND TOBACCO USE ARE TIED TOGETHER. THEY JUST ARE. AND I THINK WE ALL HAVE STORIES, UH, OF HOW THEY'VE TOUCHED OUR LIVES IN SOME WAY OR ANOTHER. I HAPPEN TO HAVE A FUNNY STORY IN THAT MY BROTHER, AND HE'S GONNA HATE THIS, UM, GROWING UP, I CAN REMEMBER THE, THEY, THEY, THEY INTRODUCED BIG LEAGUE CHEW, AGAIN, MARKETING, COMING IN TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF SOMETHING THAT WAS POPULAR AMONGST BASEBALL PLAYERS. I THINK COUNCILMAN SALIAN WOULD, WOULD RECOGNIZE THIS. UH, BIG LEAGUE CHEW WAS VERY, POP, UH, WAS VERY POPULAR BECAUSE IT, IT REFLECTED THE, THE CHEWING TOBACCO THAT WAS USED BACK IN THE DAY. IT'S, I GUESS IT'S STILL USED, I DON'T KNOW. UM, AND, AND SO WE'D PLAY AROUND AND, AND WE'D JOKE ABOUT IT, BUT ONE DAY MY BROTHER DECIDED TO ACTUALLY TRY THE REAL STUFF, AND IT MADE HIM SICK AS A DOG. IN FACT, IT SCARED A LOT OF OUR FRIENDS. AND THEY CAME RUNNING ASKING FOR MY HELP BECAUSE I MEAN, I DIDN'T KNOW HE HAD DONE THIS. AND THEY SAY, YOUR BROTHER'S IN A LOT OF TROUBLE. GO, GO. YOU NEED TO GO SEE HIM. IT WAS A, IT WAS A GOOD MOMENT FOR HIM. IT WAS A GOOD MOMENT FOR ME TO SEE HOW WE WERE PLAYING WITH FIRE. AND, UM, YOU KNOW, NOT EVERYBODY GETS TO HAVE THESE MOMENTS. NOT EVERYBODY GETS TO HAVE THAT KIND OF INSIGHT. BUT TODAY WE HAVE DOCTORS, WE HAVE EXPERTS, WE HAVE DR. BRIDGER TELLING US [02:25:01] ALL ABOUT THE ISSUES AND THE PUBLIC HEALTH CONCERNS REGARDING THIS TYPE OF ORDINANCE. ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THAT, I, I CERTAINLY RESPECT THE CONVENIENCE STORE ASSOCIATION AND, AND THEIR CONCERN ABOUT SALES. UM, YOU KNOW, THAT HAS NOT FALLEN ON DEAF EARS. AND I WANNA THANK COUNCILMAN SANDOVAL FOR BRINGING UP THE FACT THAT WE SHOULD FORM A STAKEHOLDER GROUP. UH, WE NEED TO SEE THIS THROUGH, AND WE CERTAINLY, UH, CAN UNDERSTAND THAT, YOU KNOW, WE, WE DON'T, WE DON'T WANT TO NEGATIVELY IMPACT YOUR SMALL BUSINESS, AND WE'RE NOT BLIND TO THAT. SO I WILL, I WILL SUPPORT THAT AS WELL. BUT TODAY I'M SUPPORTING MOVING FORWARD WITH, WITH RAISING THE, THE, THE LEGAL AGE FROM 18 TO 21 FOR TOBACCO, FOR ALL THOSE SAME REASONS. AND I, AGAIN, I I WOULD JUST SIMPLY SAY, UM, YOU KNOW, THIS, THIS, THESE ARE THE KIND OF THINGS WHERE, UM, MAKES ME REALLY PROUD TO BE UP HERE ON THIS DAIS, UH, WHEN WE'RE TOLD THAT NOBODY ELSE HAS DONE THIS. WELL, THIS IS REALLY GREAT FOR ALL OF US BECAUSE THIS, THIS WILL BE THE FIRST, AND I THINK WE NEED TO SET AN EXAMPLE. WE NEED TO WORK WITH ALL OUR SURROUNDING MUNICIPALITIES TO HELP GUIDE THEM THROUGH, UH, THESE STEPS. AND LET'S SEE IF WE CAN'T GET THE REST OF TEXAS TO FOLLOW. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN TREVINO, COUNCILWOMAN GONZALEZ. UH, THANK YOU MAYOR, AND THANKS TO ALL THAT HAVE COME TODAY TO EDUCATE ME ON THIS ISSUE. UM, I, LIKE MANY OF MY COLLEAGUES HAVE STORIES, UH, OF PEOPLE, DEAR TO US, WHO, WHO DIED FROM SMOKING RELATED CANCERS. MY FATHER-IN-LAW PASSED A MISERABLE DEATH FROM SMOKING. UH, AND HE HAD, LIKE MANY OTHER PEOPLE HAD QUIT SMOKING MANY, MANY YEARS BEFORE THE CANCER ACTUALLY PRESENTED ITSELF. UH, AND THEN PROBABLY 20 YEARS FROM THE TIME HE HAD STOPPED SMOKING TILL THE TIME THAT HE PASSED AWAY, UH, TRANSPIRED. UM, HOWEVER, IT WAS ALWAYS CONNECTED TO SMOKING FROM A VERY YOUNG AGE. UH, AND I CAN REMEMBER, ALTHOUGH I COULD BE DATING MYSELF AS WELL, RUNNING AROUND WITH MY COUSINS OVER AT CLARK AND STEVE'S IN DISTRICT THREE OVER BY HIGHLANDS HIGH SCHOOL. AND MY AUNT WOULD GIVE, UH, THE OLDEST COUSIN WHO WAS PROBABLY 12 AT THE TIME, MONEY TO GO BUY THE CIGARETTES, THEY WOULD SAY, AND WE COULD KEEP THE CHANGE, AND WE WOULD BUY CANDY AND OTHER GOODS WITH WHATEVER CHANGE WAS LEFT OVER AFTER THE CIGARETTES. SO WE'VE COME A LONG WAY SINCE THEN. UM, BUT WHAT HASN'T CHANGED IS THE NEED FOR OUR SMALL CONSUMERS AND OUR SMALL, UH, CONVENIENCE STORES. AND WHEN THIS CAME ABOUT, THERE'S NO QUESTION ABOUT THE DATA. THERE'S NO QUESTION ABOUT THE NEED TO ELIMINATE SMOKING IN OUR COMMUNITIES, UH, FOR CHILDREN AND FOR ADULTS, FOR ALL, UH, FOR EVERYONE. UH, BUT THE CONCERN, THE TWO CONCERNS THAT WE RAISED IN COUNCIL, MYSELF AND MANY OF MY COLLEAGUES, WAS THE ENFORCEMENT ON OUR YOUTH WHO ARE OFTEN TARGETED ANYWAY, YOUTH OF COLOR, PRIMARILY IN POOR DISTRICTS LIKE MINE, UH, BUT ALSO THE SUPPORT FOR THE CONVENIENCE STORE OWNERS. AND SO WE LOOKED FOR SUPPORT FOR THE YOUTH, AND IT LOOKS LIKE WE'VE ELIMINATED THAT AND WE'VE, UH, UH, ELIMINATED ENFORCEMENT ON, UH, POSSESSION FOR YOUTH IN THAT AGE. BUT WE DID NOTHING FOR THE RETAILERS. AND I'M EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED IN THAT. THAT WAS THE CHARGE, UH, DURING THE B SESSION, WAS THAT WE DO SOMETHING TO ADDRESS THE CONCERN OF OUR CONVENIENCE STORE OWNERS AND OUR SMALL TOWN RE RETAILERS. AND THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN. AND I, I AM VERY DISAPPOINTED IN THE CITY STAFF FOR NOT TAKING ACTION ON THAT. UM, WE HEARD FROM OUR RETAILERS MONTHS BEFORE, UH, AND WE'VE BEEN HEARING FROM THEM ALL THIS TIME SAYING, WE NEVER GOT A MEETING AS PROMISED. WE NEVER GOT A MEETING FROM, UH, THE CITY STAFF. UH, AS PROMISED A COUPLE OF US I KNOW AS INDEPENDENT COUNCIL MEMBERS HAVE BEEN MEETING WITH THEM, US AND OUR STAFFS, TO TRY TO ADDRESS SOME OF THEIR CONCERNS. UH, AND THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN. AND SO I, I AS A, UM, UH, AS A MEMBER WHO PROVIDES DIRECTION, UH, TO THE STAFF, UH, I, IT SEEMS LIKE THAT NEVER HAPPENED. AND I DON'T KNOW IF COLLEEN, IF YOU WANTED TO MAKE A COMMENT, BUT IT SEEMS LIKE I KNOW THAT THERE WAS AN EMERGENCY MEETING LAST NIGHT AT FIVE O'CLOCK THAT WAS, UM, BUT THAT WAS NOT, THERE WAS MORE THAN AMPLE TIME, UH, TO MEET WITH THE CONSUMERS, OR RATHER THE RETAILERS. SO I, I DO WANNA POINT OUT SOME OF THE CHANGES THAT WERE MADE AS A RESULT OF, UM, DIRECTION GIVEN AT THE B SESSION. SO FIRST WAS WE DID CHANGE FROM THE PREDICTIVE ANALYTICS MODEL TO RANDOM SAMPLING, SO THAT THERE WOULD BE NO CONCERN ABOUT TARGETING CERTAIN CO CONVENIENCE STORES. UM, WE ADDED AN ADDITIONAL WARNING TO THE, UM, ENFORCEMENT COMPONENT [02:30:01] SO THAT IT DOESN'T JUST GO DIRECTLY FROM, UM, YOU ARE OUT OF COMPLIANCE, HERE'S YOUR CITATION. WE ADDED AN ADDITIONAL WARNING TO THAT, UM, AND WE DECREASED THE NUMBER OF DECOY VISITS THAT WOULD BE DONE. AND THEN, UM, I, I MET WITH, UM, TWO OF THE ASSOCIATIONS LAST NIGHT. UM, AND WHILE THEIR COMMENTS DIDN'T NECESSARILY REFLECT, UH, THAT UNDERSTANDING, MY UNDERSTANDING WAS THAT WE HAD A PRETTY GOOD CONVERSATION AND THAT THE COMPROMISE WAS THAT WE WOULD HAVE LONGER, WE WOULD MOVE THE IMPLEMENTATION TO OCTOBER RATHER THAN AUGUST. AND THAT WE WOULD ALL WORK TOGETHER TO MAKE SURE THAT OTHER MUNICIPALITIES WOULD, UM, JOIN SAN ANTONIO IN IMPLEMENTING TOBACCO 21. WHEN WERE THEY INFORMED OF THE CHANGES, WHEN WERE THE CONVENIENCE STORE OWNERS NOTIFIED OF THE CHANGES THAT YOU PRESENTED, UM, THAT YOU'RE PRESENTING TODAY? SO THE, UM, THE CHANGES WERE REFLECTED IN THE WRITTEN DOCUMENTATION THAT WAS POSTED JANUARY 5TH. UM, AND THE, THE MEETING WAS YESTERDAY WHEN I TALKED TO THEM ABOUT THIS, THE CONCERN THAT I HAVE IS THAT EVEN JANUARY 5TH WAS JUST A FEW DAYS AGO. WHAT ARE WE, THE 10TH TODAY? NINTH, 11TH. SO ABOUT A WEEK AGO, EVEN THOUGH THE B SESSION WAS QUITE SOME TIME AGO, THERE'S CHANGES HAPPENING, BUT THEY DON'T HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO, FIRST OF ALL, TO HEAR ABOUT THEM AND THEN TO GIVE FEEDBACK, UH, TO, YOU KNOW, WHETHER OR NOT, UM, HOW, HOW WE CAN HELP THEM. SO RATHER THAN WE CAME FORWARD WITH SOME RECOMMENDATIONS, BUT THEY NEVER HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO SAY, LOOK, THIS IS WHAT WOULD COULD BE DONE TO HELP US, UH, WITH, UM, THIS ORDINANCE THAT'S GONNA IMPACT OUR BOTTOM LINE. I MEAN, I HAVE A SMALL BUSINESS TOO. EVERY WEEK IS CRITICAL. EVERY DAY WE CHECK OUR BANK ACCOUNTS EVERY DAY. WE CHECK OUR PAYROLL TO MAKE SURE THAT, THAT WE CAN COVER, UH, EVERY DAY. WE ARE CONCERNED THAT OUR EMPLOYEES ARE GONNA SHOW UP TO WORK OR NOT. AND WE KNOW THAT THESE INDUSTRIES ARE TARGETED, UM, NOT JUST BY, UH, LARGE ENTITIES AND LARGE ORGANIZATIONS. THEY FALL UNDER MANY, MANY COMPLIANCE, UH, REGULATIONS. BUT THEN TO HAVE THE CITY COME IN AND GIVE THEM FURTHER REGULATION THAT IS NOT REQUIRED BY THE STATE IS A, A TERRIBLE BURDEN. AND SO I AM, UH, OF COURSE, I'M WILLING TO SUPPORT THE, THE INCREASE IN THE AGE. I, I THINK THAT'S NOT, UH, HAS NOT BEEN SUCH A CONCERN. UH, WE KNOW THAT THE DISPARITIES THAT HAVE BEEN PRESENTED ARE REAL. AND IN MY DISTRICT ALONE, I LIVE IN THE OH SEVEN ZIP CODE, THE DIFFERENCE IS SOMETHING LIKE 20 YEARS FOR PEOPLE WHO SMOKE, UH, COMPARED TO SOMEBODY WHO LIVES IN THE 7 8, 2 5, 1 ZIP CODE. IT, IT'S INCREDIBLE. UH, BUT I, I JUST FEEL LIKE THERE WAS NOT, UM, THAT COMMUNICATION THAT NEEDED TO HAPPEN WITH THEM. I MEAN, IT'S ONE THING TO COMMUNICATE IT TO US, UH, BUT WHEN DO YOU COMMUNICATE IT TO THE PEOPLE WHO ARE ACTUALLY GONNA BE IMPACTED, UH, OVER A THOUSAND RETAILERS, AS WAS MENTIONED. UM, AND SO I'M VERY DISAPPOINTED, UH, IN THAT, UM, TIMEFRAME, UH, THAT THEY HAD. AND, AND THEY STILL HAVE NEVER REALLY HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO GIVE FEEDBACK, UH, BECAUSE YOU JUST PRESENTED IT LAST NIGHT. SO, WELL, THE, THE, SO THE, THE PRIMARY COMPONENT OF THE ORDINANCE THAT DID NOT CHANGE, THEY DID HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO GO TO THE TOWN HALL, AND WE MADE SURE TO INVITE EVERY SINGLE TOBACCO RETAILER TO THAT TOWN HALL. AND, UM, THEY WERE ABLE TO ASK QUESTIONS AND GIVE FEEDBACK. THAT WAS BACK IN, AND THAT WAS EARLIER, YES, MA'AM. UH, AND I, YOU SHOWED THE TIMELINE EARLY IN THE PRESENTATION. UM, IT'S STILL NOT QUITE ENOUGH TIME TO ORGANIZE YOURSELVES AND SAY, THIS IS WHAT, UH, THIS IS WHAT WE NEED TO, TO HELP US WHEN WE KNOW THAT WE'RE GONNA HAVE AN IMPACT IN OUR BOTTOM LINE. SO I AM, I, I JUST, I I, I FEEL COMPELLED TO POINT THAT OUT, THAT, THAT, YOU KNOW, WE ARE, UM, IN AN ATTEMPT TO, UM, I I JUST BELIEVE THAT WE, WE DIDN'T COVER ALL OUR BASES. I MEAN, I, I INTEND TO SUPPORT THE MOTION TODAY, UH, BUT I, I FEEL LIKE WE COULD DO BETTER IN REGARD TO, UM, HOW WE COMMUNICATE WITH THE PE ALL THE PEOPLE THAT ARE IMPACTED. UH, WE KNOW THAT YOU CAN SIT DOWN. OKAY, COLLY. SO I, I'LL JUST, UH, I'LL JUST WRAP UP MY COMMENTS. UM, THAT, UH, WE KNOW THAT IN TO HAVE A CULTURAL SHIFT, WHETHER IT'S SMOKING, WHETHER IT'S VISION ZERO, WHETHER IT'S, UM, MANY OF THE SOCIAL ISSUES THAT WE HAVE IN OUR COMMUNITY, UM, CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION, ONE THING THAT I'VE BEEN WORKING ON, UM, IT, IT'S PEER PRESSURE. UH, AND ONE OF THE REASONS WHY I FEEL SO COMPELLED TO, UM, SUPPORT THIS TODAY IS BECAUSE I DID HEAR FROM SOME, SOME FRIENDS OF MINE WHO HAVE HIGH SCHOOL AGE CHILDREN, AND THEY SAID THAT THEY'RE SMOKING AGAIN. AND [02:35:01] I WAS REALLY SHOCKED TO HEAR THIS BECAUSE IN MY GENERATION, UM, I'M 45 YEARS OLD, MOST PEOPLE ARE NOT SMOKING ANYMORE. IF THEY SMOKED A LITTLE BIT WHEN THEY WERE YOUNG, THEY'RE NOT SMOKING. NOW. I FELT LIKE SMOKING WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS ALMOST OUT OF THE PICTURE ALTOGETHER. I DON'T KNOW ANYONE WHO SMOKES. I HAVEN'T HARDLY SEEN PEOPLE SMOKING IN MANY YEARS, BUT MY PEERS WERE COMING TO ME AND SAYING, OUR CHILDREN ARE SMOKING AGAIN. UH, AND SO THEY COME AT IT DIFFERENT WAYS, RIGHT? THE, THE, UM, THE LOBBY, THE TOBACCO LOBBY IS, IS QUITE CREATIVE. UH, AND SO WHEN THEY ELIMINATE IT IN ONE SIDE, UM, YOU KNOW, THEY COME AT IT AT A DIFFERENT ANGLE. AND WE KNOW THAT OUR YOUTH ARE, ARE TARGETED, UH, FOR ALL, UM, TOBACCO RELATED PRODUCTS FOR SMOKING RELATED PRODUCTS. THEY CALL IT SOMETHING ELSE, LIKE VAPING OR MARKET MARKETED SOMEHOW THAT, THAT SOMETIMES WE DON'T EVEN RECOGNIZE IT FOR WHAT IT IS ANYMORE. UH, SO I'LL, UM, I'LL SUPPORT THE MOTION TODAY, BUT I WOULD EXPECT THAT IN THE FUTURE WE COULD DO BETTER TO, UH, REALLY COMMUNICATE VERY WELL WITH THE INDEPENDENT BUSINESS OWNERS WHO ARE TARGETED OR WHO ARE, WHO ARE IMPACTED. UH, WHEN WE MAKE, UM, SWEEPING CHANGES. I THINK IT'S SUFFICIENT TIME, UH, FROM SOME AMOUNT OF TIME FROM, UH, FROM NOW UNTIL AUGUST, UH, AN ADDITIONAL TWO MONTHS IS HELPFUL, UM, TO GET EVERYBODY, UH, PREPARED, UH, FOR WHAT WE KNOW IS GONNA BE AN IMPACT TO THEIR, UH, TO THEIR PAYROLL. SO, UM, WE'LL LOOK FORWARD TO SUPPORTING THIS MOTION TODAY. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCILWOMAN GONZALEZ. COUNCILWOMAN GRO. THANK YOU MAYOR. UH, I WANT TO THANK EVERYBODY WHO HAS VOICED THEIR OPINIONS WITH PHONE CALLS, WITH LETTERS, WITH EMAILS, UH, SOCIAL MEDIA COMMENTS, AND YOUR PRESENCE HERE TODAY AND AT THE TOWN HALLS AND OTHER, UM, LOCATIONS. I DO WANT TO ALSO THANK MY, UH, COLLEAGUE, COUNCILWOMAN SON DEVAL FOR HER LEADERSHIP ON THIS INITIATIVE AND ON MANY OTHER PUBLIC HEALTH INITIATIVES HERE. AND, UM, I DO THINK A COUPLE OF THINGS. NUMBER ONE, I DO HAVE SOME QUESTIONS, DR. BRIDGER, BUT ONE MOMENT. I DO WANT TO ALSO SAY THAT, UM, I'M VERY, I WANTED TO MENTION THAT I'M ALSO VERY GRATEFUL FOR, UH, THE YOUNG PEOPLE AND THE YOUNG ADULTS WHO ARE HERE BECAUSE WHAT IS ENCOURAGING TO SEE HERE IS THAT YOU ALL, UM, GOT EDUCATED ON THE ISSUE, YOU GOT ORGANIZED AND YOU SHOWED UP. AND I JUST ENCOURAGE YOU THAT NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS HERE TODAY, THAT IT CONTINUES TO MOVE FORWARD ON THIS ISSUE AND BECOME THOSE MESSENGERS, UM, OF THE DETRIMENT OF TOBACCO USE IN OUR SOCIETY IN GENERAL. UM, I ALSO WANT TO THANK MY DISTRICT THREE LEGACY LEADERSHIP INITIATIVE STUDENTS BECAUSE THEY WERE, UM, THE, MY HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS AND SOME YOUNG COLLEGE AGE STUDENTS WHO I WENT TO, TO GET THEIR OPINION ON THIS ISSUE AS WELL. AND IT WAS A MIXED BAG OF OPINIONS ON THIS, UM, ON THIS TOPIC. BUT IT WAS IMPORTANT TO HEAR THEIR PERSPECTIVE, OUR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS, TO SEE WHAT IS THEIR LIVED REALITY AND WHAT IS IT THAT THEY WOULD LIKE TO SEE MOVING FORWARD AS WELL. UM, I WILL SAY THIS, I DO HAVE TO, UM, AGREE WITH COUNCILWOMAN GONZALEZ, DR. BRIDGER AND, AND CHERYL BECAUSE I THINK AT THE B SESSION, WE REALLY DID GIVE CLEAR DIRECTION ON MEETING WITH THE RETAILERS TO WORK OUT SOMETHING BECAUSE IT DID COME UP AS A, AN ISSUE FOR OUR COUNCIL COLLEAGUES AND TO HAVE A, A MEETING THE DAY BEFORE A VOTE. UM, THAT'S VERY, THAT'S VERY DISCONCERTING, AND I DON'T THINK THAT'S THE PRACTICE THAT WE SHOULD BE DOING HERE IN THIS, IN WHEN WE'RE CREATING AND CRAFTING POLICY AND GETTING FEEDBACK FROM THE COMMUNITY. SO I KNOW THAT IT WILL BE SOMETHING THAT YOU ARE ALREADY GOING TO SET UP WITH THE, UM, COUNCILWOMAN SANDOVAL'S RECOMMENDATION FOR A IMPLEMENTATION TASK FORCE, BUT ALSO THAT EVEN BEFORE THE END OF THE DAY, YOU ALL START HAVING YOUR CONVERSATIONS WITH THE RETAILERS TO FIND OUT WHAT ARE THE NEXT STEPS MOVING FORWARD, UM, OR A TIMELINE TO GET TOGETHER WITH THEM. ALSO, I WANNA THANK DR. GONZALEZ AND DR. LOPEZ AND OTHERS WHO WERE UP HERE GIVING A LOT OF DATA AND A LOT OF DETAILS ON, UM, THEIR, THE SERVICES THAT THEY PROVIDE, BUT ALSO WHAT THEY, WHAT THEY HAVE SEEN IN OUR COMMUNITY AND THE PREVENTATIVE STEPS THAT WE'RE TRYING TO TAKE HERE IN THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO. AND ALSO FOR MS. BETSY JONES WHO SPOKE AND MADE VERY CLEAR, SUCCINCT, SIMPLE POINTS IN HER REMARKS. I WILL TELL YOU THAT I DID, UM, I HAVE BEEN THINKING ABOUT THIS A LOT AND I HAVEN'T, I HADN'T MADE MY DECISION ONE WAY OR ANOTHER BECAUSE I WANTED TO HEAR FROM [02:40:01] MY COLLEAGUES FROM, UM, MANY DIFFERENT SOURCES. AND I THINK, SO YOU ALL KNOW IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT WHEN YOU DO COME AND SPEAK BECAUSE WHAT YOU MAY NOT, YOU MAY NOT BELIEVE THIS, BUT WE ARE SITTING AND LISTENING TO WHAT YOU ARE SAYING AND TAKING IT ALL IN. AND IT IS HAVING AN IMPACT ON OUR DECISIONS AS WE MOVE HERE TODAY. UM, TWO QUESTIONS. A COUPLE OF THINGS, DR. BRIDGER. FIRST ONE IS, YOU TALKED ABOUT THE FISCAL IMPACT IN YOUR PRESENTATION, UM, AND ABOUT THE $500 FINE, I WANT TO KNOW, AND I'M VERY THANKFUL THAT MANY OF OUR RETAILERS AREN'T DOING, ARE NOT SELLING TO THOSE UNDER 18, BUT IF WE DO IN THE FUTURE, HAVE A VIOLATOR, UH, A RECURRING VIOLATOR, AND THEY GET A $500 FINE AND THAT ANOTHER FINE HUNDRED DOLLARS FINE, HAVE YOU ALREADY, UM, CREATED THAT THRESHOLD OR THAT POINT WHERE IF YOU HAVE PERPETUAL VIOLATORS OF, OF THIS, WILL IT BE GOING TO OUR, OUR STANDARD LAW THAT WE DO RIGHT NOW, IF WE DO CATCH PEOPLE SELLING UNDER 18 FOR MULTIPLE TIMES, DO WE HAVE THAT? SO RIGHT NOW THE ORDINANCE DOES NOT SPECIFICALLY ADDRESS REPEAT VIOLATORS. CORRECT? IS THAT SOMETHING THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO TALK ABOUT IN THE IMPLEMENTATION STAGES OR THE PROCESS YES. MOVING FORWARD? YES. OKAY. SO THAT IS THE DIRECTION HERE IS THAT THAT WOULD BE SOMETHING THAT WE ADDRESS IN THE IMPLEMENTATION, UH, PROCESS MOVING FORWARD. IF WE HAVE THOSE REPEAT VIOLATORS OR IF THERE'S ALREADY STATE LAW THAT HAS SOMETHING ON THE BOOKS, ARE WE GOING TO PUT THAT IN OUR IMPLEMENTATION PROCESS TOO? THAT'S, UM, ONE THING. AND, UM, ALSO FOR THE DATA, UM, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE DEFINITELY MORE DATA ON THIS, BUT SPECIFICALLY TO, TO BEAR COUNTY, UH, DR. BRIDGER, BECAUSE WE, AS I MENTIONED BEFORE, WE ARE THE METRO HEALTH DISTRICT. YOU HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO GATHER DATA AND IF YOU NEED PEOPLE TO REPORT TO YOU, LET'S SEE WHAT WE NEED TO DO IN ORDER TO GATHER THAT DATA TO LOOK AT THE TWO SECTIONS OF THE 12 TO EIGHTEENS AND THE 18 TO 20 ONES. BECAUSE IF WE CAN BUILD THAT DATA, IF WE CAN GET THAT EMPIRICAL DATA, THAT DATA THAT WE NEED TO BUILD OUR CASE EVEN STRONGER TO MAKE, TO SHARE THAT INFORMATION WITH OUR COUNTY, UM, OUR COUNTY RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET, AND ALSO WHEN WE GO FORWARD TO THE STATE, UM, LEVEL TO BUILD THIS CASE FOR, UM, THAT WE NEED THAT DATA TO HAVE. SO I WANT TO ALSO, AS WE MOVE FORWARD WITH THIS IMPLEMENTATION TASK FORCE, THAT WE HAVE A STRATEGIC PLAN THAT YOU CAN COME UP WITH A STRATEGIC PLAN AND HOW WE CAN GET TO GATHER THIS DATA FOR OUR, UM, AREA IN PARTICULAR, AND REALLY LOOK AT A START AND ENDING POINT OF WHAT WE CAN DO TO SEE, TO TRACK THOSE CHANGES AND WHAT KIND OF, MAYBE WE CAN HAVE PARTNERSHIPS WITH THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN ORDER TO GET THIS TOGETHER. UM, BECAUSE I THINK IT'S EXTREMELY IMPORTANT THAT WE CAN TRACK, TRACK THESE METRICS MOVING FORWARD TO BUILD THAT CASE. THAT'S WHAT I WOULD ALSO, UM, LIKE TO, TO SEE MOVING FORWARD IN THIS REVIEW. AND, UM, AS I, AS I DID, YOU KNOW, WE HAD THIS CONVERSATION AND, AND THOSE ARE ALL THE, THE DIRECTIONS AND COMMENTS I HAVE. AGAIN, I WANNA THANK COUNCILWOMAN SAND VAL. UM, WITH THIS, AND AS WAS MENTIONED MANY TIMES, UM, OUR DATA AND EQUITY MAPS THAT WE DO, ESPECIALLY IN DISTRICT THREE AND IN OTHER PARTS OF JUST SOUTH OF HILDEBRAND, THERE IS A 20 YEAR LIFE EXPECTANCY GAP THAT IS LESS THAN THOSE WHO LIVE NORTH OF DOWNTOWN, SPECIFICALLY NORTH OF, OF HILDEBRAND AVENUE. AND SO IS THAT, IS THAT IS MY LIVED REALITY, AND THAT IS OUR LIVED REALITY AS WE MOVE FORWARD AND WHAT WE CAN DO TOGETHER AS A COMMUNITY, UM, IT WILL TAKE SOME TIME AND IT IS A PARADIGM SHIFT AND IT IS A, A DIFFERENT, A WAY OF LIFE. IT IS JUST A LIFESTYLE CHANGE AND A CHANGE THAT WILL HAVE TO TAKE PLACE IN THE CITY. AND I REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR REMARKS, COUNCILWOMAN, ABOUT THE TAG, THE LABEL THAT'S BEING THROWN ON US AS BEING PROGRESSIVE OR NOT PROGRESSIVE. I THINK YOUR A ANSWER WAS ABSOLUTELY ON POINT BECAUSE THIS IS JUST ONE STEP THAT WE CAN DO TO WORK TOGETHER IN PARTNERSHIP. AND I WANT TO TO COMBAT ALL OF THOSE DISEASES THAT CAN COME FORWARD. UM, BUT I WANNA, I WANNA THANK YOU COUNCILWOMAN FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP AND FOR YOUR WORK, AND THANK YOU TO ALL OF US. 'CAUSE THIS IS GOING TO TAKE ALL OF US TO HAVE THAT SHIFT BECAUSE OUR VISION FOR SAN ANTONIO IS A HEALTHY ONE, AND THIS IS ONE STEP IN MOVING IT FORWARD. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN GRO, COUNCILMAN BROCK HOUSE. UH, THANK YOU, MAYOR. UH, FORGIVE ME MY A LITTLE BIT. THE ALLERGIES HAS BEEN KILLING ME FOR A WEEK, SO IT'S GONNA BE A LITTLE BIT DIFFICULT FOR ME TO GET, UH, SOME OF THESE POINTS OUT WITHOUT TAKING A DRINK OR [02:45:01] COUGHING HERE. BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, I'M NOT, UM, I'M NOT A SMOKER. I DON'T EVER HAVE BEEN. I MEAN, I, I TRIED IT ONCE AND IT WAS REPULSIVE, SO I GOT SICK AND STOPPED. I EVEN TRIED TO CHEW, LIKE, UH, COUNCILMAN TRAVINO WAS TALKING ABOUT IT, AND I THINK I WAS THE BROTHER THAT WAS LOOKING LIKE HE WAS DYING AT JOHN J HIGH SCHOOL. SO I, I DIDN'T DO IT THEN EITHER. MY PARENTS WERE SMOKERS, UM, AND, UH, THROUGH THEIR, YOU KNOW, I DON'T KNOW HOW THEY DID IT, BUT THEY STOPPED THEMSELVES AND IT JUST DIDN'T CONTINUE ON, ON MY FAMILY AND NOBODY ELSE SMOKES, RIGHT? NONE OF MY CHILDREN SMOKE. I HAVE SOME CHILDREN OLD ENOUGH TOO, AND THEY DON'T, RIGHT? SO IN, UH, MY FAMILY, I THINK WE BROKEN THAT CYCLE PRETTY WELL. BUT I UNDERSTAND THE STRUGGLES, UH, THAT ARE GOING ON IN SCHOOLS AND NEIGHBORHOODS, UM, ALL ACROSS THE CITY. AND I CAN APPRECIATE, UH, WANTING TO, UH, FIND WAYS, UH, TO STRENGTHEN PUBLIC HEALTH. I MEAN, I, I GET THAT IT IS A CORE SERVICE OF GOVERNMENT, UH, BUT WE HAVE TO BE VERY CAREFUL TO ME, RIGHT ABOUT HOW WE PROGRESS THROUGH THESE THINGS AND THE LAWS WE PASS. AND I, I, I WILL, AT EVERY CHANCE I GET, TRY TO REMIND THE CITY COUNCIL THAT THE LAWS WE PASS TODAY ARE SOMEONE ELSE'S BILL. TOMORROW, SOMEONE HAS TO PAY THE PRICE, WHETHER IT IS IN INCREASED FEES OR TAXES, OR IN A LOSS OF REVENUE OR OPPORTUNITY IF YOU'RE A BUSINESS OWNER. UH, AND I, I THINK IT'S REALLY GOOD TO HEAR, UM, THAT SEVERAL MEMBERS UP HERE ARE SAYING THAT IT WAS WHOLLY UNFAIR THAT DR. BRIDGER DID NOT MEET WITH NOR NOTIFY THESE FOLKS UNTIL 5:00 PM LAST NIGHT. AND I'M GONNA ASK EVERY ONE OF YOU, AND I WANT YOU TO DIG DEEP AND REALLY THINK ABOUT THIS. IF THAT WAS U SS A A OR H E B STANDING THERE TELLING YOU YOU DIDN'T MEET WITH ME, IF IT WAS GRAHAM WESTON, IF IT WAS FROST BANK AND THEY SAID, YOU'RE GONNA AFFECT MY BOTTOM LINE AT 3%, YOU NEVER MET WITH ME, WHAT WOULD YOUR DECISION BE THEN? WOULD YOU SAY, OOPS, I'LL TAKE CARE OF YOU IN THE STAKEHOLDER MEETING? NO, YOU WOULDN'T. CHANCES ARE YOU'D GO BACK AND SAY, MEET WITH THESE PEOPLE. AND AT THE VERY LEAST, EVEN IN THE RIGHTNESS OF YOUR ARGUMENT, BE FAIR THAT EVERYBODY DESERVES A VOICE. EQUITY SWINGS ALL WAYS. WE HAVE TO ADHERE TO THAT IN A SENSE OF CONSISTENCY. AND JUST BECAUSE IT'S A SMALL MINORITY PAKISTANI OWNERS STANDING THERE WITH THE FAMILY, HE'S GOT THE FEED AND THERE'S THOUSANDS OF THEM OUT THERE JUST BECAUSE THEIR NAME ISN'T ON THE GIANT FANCY NEW TOWER OF ONE OF THE BIGGEST BENEFACTORS AND FUNDERS OF POLITICAL CAMPAIGNS AND OTHER THINGS IN THIS CITY, YOU'RE NOT EQUITABLY OR NOT SHARING OR OFFERING THE SAME OPPORTUNITY IF WE DON'T TABLE THIS TODAY AND INSTRUCT DR. BRIDGER TO FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS WE TOLD HER AT THE B SESSION. 'CAUSE FRANKLY, IF WE DON'T, THEN WE HAVE EXPOSED OURSELVES FOR EXACTLY WHAT WE ARE, WHICH IS WE'RE OKAY WITH A BROKEN PROCESS THAT TREATED SOMEONE UNFAIRLY AND WE'RE MARGINALIZING THAT GROUP WHEN WE WOULDN'T DO THE SAME TO CHARLES BUTT OR GRAHAM WESTON. SO I'M GONNA MOTION FOR THAT IN A SECOND. UH, AT THIS POINT THOUGH, I GOTTA SAY, UM, I'M OBVIOUSLY NOT GOING TO SUPPORT THE MOTION AS THE AS IS PERIOD. I'M HAPPY THAT DR. BRIDGER TOOK AWAY THE ENFORCEMENT ASPECT OF IT. I THOUGHT THAT WAS EGREGIOUS, AND I WOULD NOT WANT TO CRIMINALIZE, UH, ANY SAN ANTONIO FROM 18 TO 20 YEARS OLD. ONCE YOU PUT A MARK OF THAT CRIMINALIZATION, EVEN IF IT'S A CITATION OR SOMETHING THAT GOES IN THEIR RECORD, IT STARTS A TREND THAT'S UNACCEPTABLE. SO THANK YOU FOR RECOGNIZING THE MISTAKE IN THAT ORDINANCE, PUSH AND REMOVING THAT. UH, AND WHEN WE COME TO THE PORTIONS THAT HAVE TO DEAL WITH, UM, THE RETAILERS, I GOTTA TELL YOU, I THINK YOU WHOLEHEARTEDLY MISS THE POINT OF WHO WE ARE AS A CITY. UH, YOU DIDN'T INCLUDE, AND I WOULD HOPE THAT YOU THINK ABOUT THAT IN THE FUTURE. SO PROBLEM ONE WITH THAT PIECE, DR. BRIDGER, IS YOU ARE, I THINK, I BELIEVE YOU ARE TRYING TO DO WHAT YOU BELIEVE IS RIGHT AND BEST FOR THE COMMUNITY. I'M NOT TAKING THAT AWAY FROM YOU AT ALL, AND YOU HAVE FORGOTTEN MORE ABOUT THESE THINGS THAN I WILL EVER LEARN. THAT'S JUST THE BOTTOM LINE. UH, BUT I DO KNOW ONE THING AND I SUPPORT, AND I STAND FOR THE RESIDENTS OF THIS COMMUNITY THAT WE HAVE SOME SENSE OF INCLUSION. WE ALL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO DEBATE AND DO THE THINGS THAT MATTER AND TALK ABOUT HOW ORDINANCES AND POLICIES CAN BE BETTER AND FRANKLY, HOW THEY AFFECT, WHICH I THINK IS A BIG MISS FOR THE CITY COUNCIL. WE PASS IDEAS, WE HAD A LOT OF IDEAS, BUT WE'VE GOTTA ALWAYS BE COGNIZANT OF WHAT THAT IMPACT IS ON THE PERSON ON THE OTHER END OF THAT LAW. UM, AND THAT SOMEBODY ELSE CAME UP AND TALKED ABOUT SUGARY SODAS. I, I GOTTA, YOU KNOW, WARN YOU THAT DR. BRIDGER, THAT THE POLICY WORKS THROUGH THIS BODY. YOU WROTE AN OP-ED ON SUGARY SODAS REP RECOMMENDING POTENTIAL TAXES IN THE FUTURE. AND I DON'T, IT NEEDS TO COME FROM US. AND THEN WHEN [02:50:01] WE OFFER YOU THE FEEDBACK ABOUT WHAT WE WOULD LIKE, I HONESTLY BELIEVE IT SHOULD BE FOLLOWED. UM, LINES LIKE THIS IS ALREADY THE LAW OF THE LAND. I THINK YOU SAID IT'S NOT FIVE STATES DOES NOT MAKE THIS THE LAW OF THE LAND. IT NOT EVEN A, IT'S NOT EVEN A MAJORITY. UH, IT'S 25%. SO I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW THAT'S THE LAW OF THE LAND. SO I DO WANNA BE VERY CLEAR IN YOUR DESCRIPTIONS OF HOW FAR REACHING THIS ACTUALLY IS. UM, YOU SAID NO ONE IS GOING OUTTA BUSINESS AS A MARKER OF SUCCESS. THE FACT YOU'RE NOT GOING OUT OF BUSINESS AS A SMALL BUSINESS OR RETAILER, THE FACT YOU DIDN'T SHUT YOUR DOORS DOWN IS NOT A MARKER OF SUCCESS. UM, YOU'VE REMOVED ALL ACCOUNTABILITY FROM THE PERSON THEMSELVES. SO YOU'RE PUTTING ACCOUNTABILITY FOR APPROPRIATE ACTIONS ON A BUSINESS OR RETAILER. UM, I THINK THAT MISSES THE MARK AS WELL. I DON'T WANT TO CRIMINALIZE YOUNG PEOPLE MAKING DECISIONS. WHAT I'M CONCERNED ABOUT IS, IS YOU'RE PLACING THAT RESPONSIBILITY ON SOMEBODY ELSE. AND IN REALITY, THAT IS A FAMILY DRIVEN, THAT IS A 18 TO 20 YEAR OLD DRIVEN DECISION. AND I KNOW PEOPLE, A LOT OF THE TOBACCO 21 SUPPORTERS COME UP HERE, AND I, AND I APPRECIATE THE ARGUMENT THAT THEY SOMEWHAT MOCK THE MILITARY LINES. THEY, THEY, OH, YOU CAN PEOPLE, OH, THAT'S AN EASY COMEBACK. OH, YOU VOTE, YOU DO THIS. I THINK THOSE ARE LEGITIMATE RESPONSES. AND SOMEBODY WHO COMES UP HERE AND SAYS, YOU CAN JOIN THE MILITARY AND DIE FOR YOUR COUNTRY, ISN'T SOMETHING THAT YOU CAN SAY IS A LAME COMEBACK. IT IT'S NOT, IT'S A LEGITIMATE RESPONSE TO WHEN WE DECIDE A PERSON IS AN ADULT AND THE DECISIONS THEY CAN MAKE. SO I THINK WE ALSO NEED TO BE THINKING ABOUT THE FACT THAT, UH, WE HAVE TO LEARN THE ROLE OF THE CITY COUNCIL. I KNOW YOU GET, LOOK, THE BEAUTY OF THIS IS, AND MY COMMITMENTS ARE ALWAYS SIMPLE. WE'LL ARGUE THE POINTS. WE'LL PUT THE VOTE DOWN IF AND IF I GO DOWN ON THE VOTE, I WILL GET ON BOARD TOMORROW AND I'LL DO THE BEST I CAN TO SUPPORT IT. AND AS THE BODY DECIDES, I WILL, I WILL MOVE THAT, THAT'S PART OF BEING ON THIS COUNCIL. IT'S PART OF LIVING IN THE SOCIETY. WE HAVE, EVERYBODY GETS A VOICE AND WE, WE DISAGREE, WE DISAGREE, WE MAKE THE VOTE AND THE NUMBER THERE IT GOES, RIGHT? THERE'S THE DECISION. SO MY COMMITMENT IS ALWAYS TO THE BODY THAT IF AND MY PEERS THAT I'LL GET ON BOARD WITH IT. THAT'S NOT A PROBLEM. UM, BUT IT IS KIND OF COMICAL THAT ON BANDERA ROAD, ON ONE CORNER YOU CAN BUY IT. AND IN LEON VALLEY AND ON THE OTHER CORNER, YOU CAN'T. I MEAN, THERE'S A, AND A SERIES, AND I'LL LEAVE SOME OF THAT COMMENTS TO COUNCILMAN PERRY WITH REGARDS TO PROXIMITY AND ACCESS. SO YOU CAN LITERALLY ON BANDERA ROAD NEAR LEON VALLEY, BUY THE CIGARETTES AND TAKE THEM RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET AND GIVE 'EM TO EVERYBODY AT WARREN HIGH SCHOOL. 'CAUSE THERE IS NO AT THAT, WELL, THE UNDER 18 YEAR OLD, ABOVE THE 18 YEAR OLD, THEY CAN WALK AROUND, THEY CAN SMOKE OUT IN FRONT OF THE HIGH SCHOOL, THEY CAN DO WHATEVER THEY WANNA DO. UM, YOU'VE MADE IT SLIGHTLY MORE DIFFICULT, UH, TO OBTAIN IT. BUT WITH THE WAY SAN ANTONIO IS IN BEXAR COUNTY, THE NUMBER OF MUNICIPALITIES INHERENT HERE IN, IN THE, THE COUNTY REGIONS, THEY'RE GONNA BE ACCESSIBLE EVERYWHERE. UH, AND YOU KNOW, THAT'S A LARGER CONVERSATION. YOU HAVE SAID YOU'RE GONNA ATTEMPT TO TRY TO PUSH THIS TO ALL THE SMALLER MUNICIPALITIES. AND I'LL BE LOOKING FOR THAT, UH, TO KIND OF SEE HOW YOU DO THAT. SOME OTHER FOLKS CAME UP. AND, AND ONE OTHER POINT, I THINK THAT'S IM IMPORTANT TO MAKE, UM, PEOPLE SAY, WELL, I DON'T WANT TO PAY TAXES FOR THESE PEOPLE WHO ARE SMOKING, RIGHT? WE PAY TAXES BECAUSE OF THEIR HEALTH ISSUES. I REALLY BELIEVE THAT'S NOT AN ARGUMENT YOU WANNA START DOWN BECAUSE THIS COUNCIL, THIS CITY GOVERNMENT PAYS FOR SO MANY BAD CHOICES THAT YOU CAN'T JUST SAY, WELL, THE SMOKING ONE IS, UH, THAT ONE, BUT OVER HERE, THIS BAD CHOICE. AND THAT GENTLEMAN MADE A JOKE ABOUT A WHATABURGER. BUT AT WHAT POINT DO WE DRAW THE LINE OF GOVERNMENT INTERVENTION IN PEOPLE'S LIVES? AND I THINK THAT WILL MATURE OVER TIME AND THAT DISCUSSION WILL GROW AS THE ISSUE COMES UP. BUT GOVERNMENT SPENDS MILLIONS AND BILLIONS OF DOLLARS ON PEOPLE'S BAD CHOICES TO WRITE THOSE HEALTH DECISIONS FROM DIABETES TO EVERYTHING ELSE. I CAN SIT HERE AND LIST, UH, THAT WE DON'T SEEM TO WANT TO TARGET BECAUSE I FIT, IT FITS OUR PARTICULAR POLITICAL, UM, MINDSET. SO, UM, WITH THAT IN MIND, OBVIOUSLY I'M, I MEAN, I WANNA AT THIS POINT TRY TO DO THE BEST I CAN TO AT LEAST OFFER SOME LEVEL OF FAIRNESS TO THE RETAILERS, THE THOUSANDS OF RETAILERS. AND H E B AIN'T GONNA NOTICE IT'S A BLIP IN THEIR RADAR. UH, THREE TO $5,000 A MONTH IN REVENUE TO A RETAILER, SMALL BUSINESS RETAILER'S, HUGE. UM, I'VE GOT PROBLEMS WITH THE OCTOBER 21ST DEADLINE. SO I WAS TALKING TO COUNCILWOMAN SANDOVAL FOR A FEW MINUTES ABOUT MAYBE PUSHING THAT AT LEAST TO JANUARY 1ST OR SOMETHING. I MEAN, GIVE IT, YOU KNOW, IMPLEMENTING THIS DURING THE HOLIDAY IS GONNA BE A DIFFICULT TIME PERIOD. THE MINUTE THEY HAVE TO TURN OFF THAT SPIGOT AND THEY LOSE FIVE GRAND A MONTH, SOMEONE'S JOB IS GONE. I'M JUST SAYING IT, IT, IT DOES MATTER. SO, UM, AT THIS MOMENT, I'M GONNA GO AHEAD AND, AND MOTION TO TABLE THIS ITEM, UH, BECAUSE I'M GONNA CALL ON FAIRNESS AND EQUALITY [02:55:01] THAT WE HAVE TO TREAT ALL BUSINESSES THE SAME IN SAN ANTONIO. UM, AND AND THAT MEANS WHETHER YOU MAKE YOUR BUSINESS CREATES $250,000 A MONTH SMALL CONVENIENCE STORE ON THE WEST SIDE, OR IT'S RACKSPACE, YOU ARE, YOU HAVE THE SAME EQUAL OPPORTUNITY AND VOICE. AND IT'S A SHAME THAT THE GENTLEMAN STOOD UP HERE AND SAID, MANY MEMBERS DIDN'T EVEN MEET WITH HIM WHEN HE ASKED. I MEAN, I, I THINK, YOU KNOW, YOU EACH RUN YOUR OWN OFFICE. I RUN MY OWN OFFICE AND I, I GET THAT, BUT THESE ARE LONG REACHING ORDINANCES THAT COST PEOPLE OPPORTUNITY. SO I'D LIKE TO GO AHEAD AND I SAID, MOTION THIS ITEM TO TABLE IT. UNTIL AN EXTENSIVE AND ORGANIZED MEETING WITH THE RETAILERS CAN BE HELD TO INCLUDE ALL RETAIL ASSOCIATION GROUPS. WE MUST HEAR THEIR CONCERNS. AND LISTEN, A 5:00 PM WEDNESDAY NIGHT MEETING IS UNACCEPTABLE THE NIGHT BEFORE A VOTE. UM, THANK YOU THOUGH I WOULD SAY TO THE RETAILERS WHO DID SHOW UP AND YOU GIVE A CONVERSATION, TALK ABOUT, AND TO THE PEOPLE THAT ARE IN FAVOR OF TOBACCO 21, IT'S JUST THAT THESE ARE DECISIONS ABOUT THE ROLE OF GOVERNMENT IN PEOPLE'S LIVES. AND WE CAN MAKE THOSE DECISIONS. WE CAN ARGUE 'EM AND, AND VERY, UH, I, I, YOU KNOW, VERY STRONG ARGUMENTS IN FAVOR OF IT AS WELL. AND MY COMMITMENT TO YOU IS, ALTHOUGH I DON'T VOTE WITH YOU, IF IT PASSES AND I'LL SUPPORT IT, WE GOT, WE GOTTA GO TO TOWN AND DO WHAT'S BEST, WHAT'S, AS THE COMMUNITY DECIDES AS A WHOLE. AND I, I'LL ACCEPT THE VOTE, WHATEVER IT IS, AND WORK MY BEST. BUT AT THIS POINT, MY MOTION WILL STAND ON THE FLOOR AND, UH, I'LL YIELD AT THIS TIME. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK, THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN BROCK HOUSE. UM, THERE IS A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR, UM, ANDY, YOU WANTED TO, YEAH. YES. I WAS GONNA SUGGEST A COUNCILMAN BROCK HOUSE, IF YOU COULD, IN YOUR MOTION, COUNCILMAN PUT A EITHER A DATE CERTAIN OR A TENTATIVE DATE WHERE IT WOULD BE RECONSIDERED SO THAT, YOU KNOW, WE, WE HAVE THE MOTION AS, UM, SO THAT IT, IT WE HAVE AT LEAST A DATE AS TO WHEN THE COUNCIL WOULD CONSIDER IT. UH, I'LL, I'LL, I'LL GO AHEAD AND I'LL, I'D LIKE TO MOTION FOR A STAKEHOLDER MEETING TO BE HELD AT THE APPROPRIATE TIME WITHIN 60 DAYS. I DON'T THINK WE NEED TO CONTINUE KICKING THIS DOWN THE ROAD. I MEAN, WE NEED TO FINALIZE THIS. THIS HAS BEEN A VERY QUICK PROCESS EITHER WAY, BUT I, I DON'T WANNA CONTINUE KICKING IT DOWN THE ROAD, BUT I THINK WE SHOULD HAVE A STAKEHOLDER MEETING WITHIN 60 DAYS. UH, AND, AND PERHAPS ONE MORE COMMUNITY MEETING, SOMEWHAT SOMETHING ELSE. THE TOWN HALL YOU DID HAVE WAS NOTHING BUT A PANEL OF SUPPORTERS FROM WHAT I HEARD. SO, UH, I THINK WE SHOULD, WE SHOULD PROBABLY TRY TO HOLD STAKEHOLDER MEETINGS. AND ONE MORE, UH, TOWN HALL THAT INCLUDES A PANEL OF TOBACCO, 21 SUPPORTERS AND OPPONENTS, UH, WITHIN 60 DAYS. AND THEN LET THE VOTE FALL WHERE IT MAY AFTER THAT. THANK YOU. OKAY. UM, ANDY, DOES THAT SATISFY YOUR CONCERN? YES, MAYOR. IT DOES. THANK YOU. OKAY. THERE IS A MOTION AND A SECOND, UM, ON A SECONDARY MOTION, UH, WHICH WE WILL TAKE UP FIRST. UM, WE'LL MOVE NOW TO COUNCILMAN S THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE LISTENING TO EVERY SINGLE WORD THAT WE SAY WONDERING, YOU KNOW, HOW ARE THEY GONNA VOTE? HOW ARE THEY NOT GONNA VOTE? AND SO LET ME, LET ME PREFACE MY COMMENTS BY TELLING YOU THAT I AGREE WITH THE SCIENCE A HUNDRED PERCENT. OKAY? UM, TOBACCO IS DEADLY. IT KILLS SAN ANTONIANS, IT KILLS CHILDREN. CIGARETTES ARE INTENTIONALLY DESIGNED AND MANUFACTURED TO ADDICT CHILDREN, AND SO ARE ELECTRONIC VAPING PRODUCTS. I THINK TOBACCO IS HORRIBLE. AND I BELIEVE THAT THE TOBACCO INDUSTRY REALLY IS NO BETTER THAN THE PAYDAY LENDING INDUSTRY THAN THE SEXUAL TRAFFICKING INDUSTRY, WHICH TAKES ADVANTAGE AND PRAISE ON YOUNG PEOPLE. IT MAKES BILLIONS OF DOLLARS FROM COMING UP WITH INNOVATIVE NEW WAYS TO GET KIDS TO START SMOKING AND TO KEEP THEM SMOKING. NOBODY, ASIDE FROM SOMEBODY WHO WORKS IN THE TOBACCO INDUSTRY DISPUTES THIS. WE ALSO DON'T DISPUTE THAT TREATING LUNG CANCER HAS AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT EFFECT ON ALL OF US. IT COSTS US MORE IN INSURANCE. IT COSTS EMPLOYERS MORE. IT COSTS MORE IN PHARMACEUTICAL GOODS. IT IMPACTS EVERYBODY. WHETHER YOU SMOKE OR NOT. YOU, ME, ALL OF US WILL LOSE MONEY IF MORE PEOPLE HAVE LUNG CANCER. THAT'S AN A UNDISPUTABLE FACT. OKAY? SO THAT ASIDE, I'LL TELL YOU, I STRUGGLED WITH TOBACCO 21 AND I STILL STRUGGLE WITH IT TODAY. AND THAT'S BECAUSE I'M THINKING ABOUT THE UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES OF WELL-INTENTIONED POLICY. AND THIS [03:00:01] ORDINANCE HAS UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES. OUR ORDINANCE IS GOING TO NEGATIVELY IMPACT A GROUP OF PEOPLE THAT ARE NEAR AND DEAR TO ME. BUT THAT EVERY SINGLE PERSON IN THIS ROOM, PATRONIZES, AND BY PATRONIZES, I MEAN PATRONIZES IN A GOOD WAY, YOU BUY THEIR PRODUCTS. EVERY SINGLE PERSON IN THIS ROOM GOES TO CONVENIENCE STORES. AND THESE CONVENIENCE STORES DON'T EXIST IN A VACUUM. THEY ARE OPERATED BY HUSBANDS AND WIVES AND THEIR OWN CHILDREN WORK AT THE CASHIER AND THEY WORK EVERY DAY AND THEY WORK EVERY SINGLE NIGHT. AND THEY ARE MORE LIKELY THAN ANYBODY IN THIS ROOM, EXCEPT FOR MAYBE THE FEW POLICE OFFICERS HERE TO DIE AT THE HAND OF A GUNSHOT GUNSHOT BECAUSE THEY JUST HAPPENED TO BE OUT THERE, RIGHT? AND SO, I WANNA TELL YOU A STORY ABOUT TWO GUYS. UM, ONE OF THEM IS NAMED RONA, THE OTHER ONE IS NAMED ANWAR. ARE YOU GUYS STILL HERE? CAN YOU STAND UP? STAND UP, STAND UP. SO THE GENTLEMAN ON THIS SIDE IN THE LIGHT JACKET, THAT'S RANA ALI, THE GENTLEMAN WITH A LONG BEARD IS, IS ANIR TAHIR RANA AND HIS WIFE CAME TO THIS COUNTRY FROM PAKISTAN. UM, HE CAME AS, AS A YOUNG MAN AND THE MAN ONLY HAD $40 IN HIS POCKET. AND HE CAME HERE WITH A DREAM THAT ALL OF US HAVE HEARED A LONG, LONG TIME. AND SOMETIMES WE TAKE TWO GRANTED, RIGHT? THAT WE TAKE GRANTED, WHICH IS A DREAM TO START A FAMILY, HAVE THAT FAMILY THRIVE, EDUCATE THEM AND DO WELL FOR HIMSELF. AND HE'S ACCOMPLISHED THAT. ANIR CAME HERE DECADES AGO. ALSO, HIS STORY IS IDENTICAL. THEY BOTH CAME FROM PAKISTAN, FROM THE OTHER SIDE OF THE PLANET TO BE ABLE TO BE PART OF THE SAN ANTONIO ECONOMY. ANWAR STOOD IN FRONT OF YOU AND JUST SHED TEARS. I'VE BEEN WITH HIM TWO NIGHTS AGO WHERE HE SHED TEARS AGAIN. AND BECAUSE HE TELLS THIS STORY OF HOW DIFFICULT IT IS TO BE A PAKISTANI BUSINESS OWNER IN SAN ANTONIO IN 2018, WITH ALL THE SILLINESS AND ALL THE, YOU KNOW, CULTURE WARS THAT ARE HAPPENING AROUND THEM. IF YOU WANNA TALK ABOUT MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES IN 2018 IN SAN ANTONIO, ONE OF THE MOST MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES IS A PAKISTANI BUSINESS OWNER. THANKS GUYS. YOU CAN SIT DOWN. RANA AND ANIR ARE THE TWO LEADERS OF ONE OF THREE OF THE LARGEST CONVENIENCE STORE RETAIL INDUSTRY GROUPS HERE IN TOWN. THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF RANA'S AND ANWAR HERE IN SAN ANTONIO ALONE WHOSE WIVES AND CHILDREN ARE MANNING THE SHOPS TODAY BECAUSE THEY'RE HERE TALKING TO US AND THEY BUY C P S ENERGY, ELECTRICITY, THEY BUY C P SS, THEY BUY SAWS WATER, THEY EXPECT THEIR ROADS TO BE CLEAN AND FREE OF POTHOLES BECAUSE THEY PAY TAXES LIKE THE REST OF EVERYBODY HERE IN THIS ROOM. THEY VOTE AND THEY RAISE CHILDREN THAT GO TO SCHOOL WITH MY KIDS. THEY BUY HOMES IN MY NEIGHBORHOODS ALONG IN WITH YOUR NEIGHBORHOODS. AND THIS INDUSTRY CONTRIBUTES MILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO THIS ECONOMY, WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT. THEY'RE HERE. AND WE ARE ABOUT TO TAKE AN OPPORTUNITY TO REGULATE YOU GUYS A LITTLE BIT MORE THAN YOU'RE ALREADY REGULATED, RIGHT? AND WHEN YOU GUYS SCREAM AND YELL, HEY, WAIT A SECOND, THIS IS GONNA NEGATIVELY IMPACT OUR INDUSTRY. PEOPLE ON MY DAIS DON'T MEET WITH YOU. AND CITY STAFF DOESN'T CALL YOU AHEAD OF TIME AND SAY, HEY, WE'RE CONSIDERING DOING THIS ORDINANCE. LET'S COLLABORATE TOGETHER AND SIT DOWN AND YOU GUYS GIVE US IDEAS ON HOW WE CAN MAKE THIS BETTER, MAKE THIS WORSE, RIGHT? AND I DON'T KNOW, MAYBE IT'S 'CAUSE YOU CAN'T AFFORD LOBBYISTS. AND DR. BRIDGER, THANK YOU FOR MEETING WITH HIM. THAT WAS VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU DID IT, AND I APPRECIATE IT. 'CAUSE I ASKED YOU TO DO IT, AND YOU DID IT IN THE DROP OF A HAT AND YOU AND ERIC WALSH WENT OUTTA YOUR WAY TO MAKE TIME FOR THEM. AND I SPOKE TO THEM LAST NIGHT, LATE INTO THE EVENING, I WAS TALKING TO THESE GROUPS AND IT MEANT THE WORLD TO THEM. THEY WERE VERY HAPPY WITH THE FACT THAT THEY WERE FINALLY HEARD ONE-ON-ONE, BUT IT'S TOO LATE. YOU KNOW? I MEAN, THEY WISHED THAT THEY'D BEEN INCLUDED IN THIS PROCESS WAY BEFOREHAND. CAN YOU IMAGINE IF WE WERE GONNA BE UPDATING THE U D C AND NOBODY TOOK THE TIME TO MEET WITH THE BUILDING TRADES OR WITH, YOU KNOW, HOME BUILDERS OR WITH THE DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY, OR CAN YOU IMAGINE ALL THOSE DOCTORS [03:05:01] WHO SHOWED UP TODAY TO TALK TO US ABOUT THE SCIENCE? IF WE WERE ABOUT TO PASS AN ORDINANCE THAT WAS GONNA NEGATIVELY IMPACT THEIR BOTTOM LINE, IF NOBODY BOTHERED TO MEET WITH THE BEAR COUNTY MEDICAL SOCIETY OR YOU KNOW, ANY OF THE HOSPITALS OR, YOU KNOW, I AND I, AND I'D LOOK AT TODAY'S NEWSPAPER. EVERYBODY UP HERE ON THIS DIET AND ON CITY STAFF IS FALLING OVER THEMSELVES TO TRY TO MAKE TIME TO MEET WITH THE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA. WE'D RATHER MEET WITH BASSOONISTS AND FRENCH TROMBONE PLAYERS THAN WITH PEOPLE WHO EMPLOY THOUSANDS OF EMPLOYERS IN SAN ANTONIO. AND WE DON'T EVEN TAKE THEIR CALLS. SO I I, WE OWE YOU AN APOLOGY, GUYS, YOU KNOW, BUT APOLOGIES ARE CHEAP. WE OWE YOU AN EXPLANATION AND WE OWE YOU A BETTER PROCESS, RIGHT? AND SO I'VE BEEN SPENDING A LOT OF TIME THIS YEAR LOOKING AT HOW WE DEAL WITH YOU GUYS. AND WHAT I FOUND OUT IS THAT WE'RE NOT VERY QUICK TO PICK UP THE PHONE WHEN YOU GUYS CALL AND SAY, HEY, WE'VE GOT A PROBLEM. WE'RE REALLY QUICK TO TAX YOU. FINE, YOU FEE, YOU INSPECT, YOU POLICE YOU. UP UNTIL VERY RECENTLY, I DON'T KNOW IF Y'ALL KNEW THIS, BUT WE HAD SAP'S VICE UNIT GOING INTO THEIR STORES AT TWO IN THE MORNING AND CHECKING WHETHER OR NOT THEIR EXTINGUISHERS WERE UP TO DATE AND WHETHER OR NOT THE TEMPERATURE AND THE FAUCETS THAT WERE COMING, THE WATER FAUCETS IN THEIR BATHROOM WERE WARM ENOUGH AND MEASURING THE TEMPERATURE OF HOT DOGS UNDER HEATING LAMPS. THANKFULLY I CRIED FOUL, ERIC WALSH. YOU WERE VERY HELPFUL. THAT'S NOT GONNA HAPPEN ANYMORE BECAUSE I THINK EVERYBODY WHO WAS REASONABLE LOOKED AT IT AND SAID, YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT SS A P DEVICE UNIT THAT SHOULD PROBABLY BE CHASING SEX CARTELS AND TRAFFICKING RINGS AS OPPOSED TO POLICING ANIR AND RONA. SO LEADERSHIP IS NOT SOMETHING THAT YOU DO TO PEOPLE. THAT'S CALLED ASSAULT, RIGHT? LEADERSHIP MEANS COLLABORATION AND CONSENSUS BUILDING. AND I'M NOT SURE WE'VE DONE THAT HERE. AND SO I, I'M GONNA SUPPORT T 21 . I'M GONNA VOTE YES BECAUSE THE SCIENCE IS TRUE, BECAUSE I HAVE A COMMITMENT FROM DR. BRIDGER THAT WE'RE POSTPONING ENFORCEMENT DOWN THE ROAD, AND I'VE GOT WORD FROM THE INDUSTRY LEADERS THAT, WELL, THAT'S BETTER THAN NOTHING. I'M GONNA SUPPORT T 21. DR. BRIDGER, IF YOU CAN COMMIT TO ME THAT WITHIN SIX MONTHS, AND THEN SIX MONTHS AFTER THAT, YOU'RE GONNA COME BACK BEFORE THIS BODY AND SHOW US THAT THIS DATA PROVED OUT THAT WE DID SOMETHING GOOD HERE AS OPPOSED TO JUST FINDING ONE MORE REASON TO JACK WITH A GROUP OF PEOPLE WHO ARE TAXED, FEED FINED AND POLICED TO DEATH. AND I'M PUTTING MY COUNSEL ON NOTICE, AND I'M PUTTING STAFF ON NOTICE THAT I AM GOING TO BE THE MOST OBNOXIOUS, BURN YOUR SIDE IN YOUR SADDLE ABOUT THIS ONE INDUSTRY. AND THAT WE ARE GOING TO STRIP DOWN EVERY SINGLE THING THAT WE DO TO THEM AND FIGURE OUT WAYS TO PROVE TO THEM THAT WHEN WE USE THE WORDS EQUITY AND DIGNITY AND RESPECT, THAT WE'RE ALSO TALKING ABOUT DOING THAT TO PEOPLE WITH FUNNY NAMES LIKE ANIR TAHIR, AND PEOPLE WITH FUNNY BEARDS WHO COME FROM COUNTRIES LIKE PAKISTAN. BECAUSE IT SMACKS OF BIGOTRY THAT WHEN YOU ARE ABOUT TO PASS AN ORDINANCE THAT WILL IMPACT AN INDUSTRY THAT IS DOMINATED IN BY ONE ETHNIC GROUP, AND YOU DON'T EVEN BOTHER MEETING WITH THEM OR TAKING THEIR CALLS. IT, IT OFFENDS EVERYTHING WE SAY ABOUT EQUITY. SO GUYS, I APOLOGIZE AND I WILL MEET WITH YOU EVERY SINGLE TIME YOU WANNA MEET, AND WE'RE GONNA WORK TOGETHER TO MAKE SAN ANTONIO A LITTLE BIT MORE EQUITABLE FOR YOU GOING FORWARD. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN PALAI. COUNCILMAN COURAGE. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UH, I, I RESPECT WHAT ALL MY FELLOW COUNCIL MEMBERS HAVE HAD TO SAY THIS MORNING ON THIS ISSUE, EXCEPT THE COMMENT FROM COUNCILMAN BROCK HOUSE ABOUT THIS COUNCIL'S BAD CHOICES. YOU'RE MAKING AN IMPLICATION THAT I THINK IS BASED ON YOUR OPINION, BUT I WOULD VENTURE TO GUESS THAT MOST OF THE REST OF US HAVE A MUCH DIFFERENT OPINION ABOUT THOSE SO-CALLED BAD CHOICES. I WOULD JUST ASK THAT YOU KEEP YOUR POLITICAL CAMPAIGNING FOR MAYOR OUTSIDE OF CITY HALL IN FRONT OF THE MEDIA, AND NOT IN FRONT OF YOUR FELLOW COUNCIL PEOPLE. BUT TO GET TO THE MAJOR POINT OF WHY WE'RE HERE, DR. BRIDGER, I WANNA COMMEND YOU. I THINK YOU'VE HAD AND SHOWN A LOT OF COURAGE TO STAND UP AND PRESENT THIS ISSUE AND TO WORK VIGOROUSLY TO PROMOTE IT. AND I WANT TO THANK, UH, COUNCILWOMAN SANDOVAL FOR THE GREAT JOB YOU HAVE ALSO DONE IN MOVING THIS ISSUE FORWARD. NOW, I HAVE A, A QUESTION FOR YOU, DR. BRIDGER. [03:10:05] WILL, WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF THIS ORDINANCE, WILL YOUR SAMPLING AND, UH, UNANNOUNCED COMPLIANCE CHECK INCLUDE H E B OR WALMART OR WALGREENS OR EXXON MOBIL, ANYONE WHO SELLS TOBACCO PRODUCTS, NOT JUST CONVENIENCE STORES? THAT IS CORRECT. ANYBODY WHO HAS A LICENSE TO SELL TOBACCO HAS AN EQUAL CHANCE OF BEING SELECTED. SO THIS ISN'T AIMED AT A PARTICULAR GROUP? NO, SIR. OKAY. THANK YOU FOR CLEARING THAT UP. YOU KNOW, THESE BUSINESSES, ALL OF THEM, WHETHER IT'S H E B OR THE CONVENIENCE STORE, YOU KNOW, THESE BUSINESSES SELL HUNDREDS OF PRODUCTS. AND, UH, I'VE, I'VE USED ALL OF THESE AND I UNDERSTAND THEY DO. AND I UNDERSTAND THEY'RE IN THE BUSINESS TO MAKE A PROFIT, TO MAKE A LIVING, TO SUPPORT THEMSELVES AND THEIR FAMILIES AND AS A LARGER ORGANIZATION TO SUPPORT OUR COMMUNITY. BUT, AND I'VE ALSO BEEN INFORMED THAT THE CIGARETTE SALES FOR 18 TO 20 YEAR OLDS ONLY REPRESENTS A, A SMALL PERCENTAGE OF TOTAL CIGARETTE SALES IN ALL OF THESE BUSINESSES. AND THAT RE REPRESENTS A SMALL PERCENTAGE OF A TOTAL BUSINESS THAT IS RUN SELLING HUNDREDS OF PRODUCTS EVERY DAY, DAY IN AND DAY OUT. ALSO, UM, I'M GLAD THEY MET WITH COUNCILMAN PAL, BUT I WANT TO TELL YOU, MY DOORS HAVE BEEN OPEN ALL OF THIS TIME, BUT NO ONE FROM ANY OF THESE REAL RETAIL ORGANIZATIONS HAS COME KNOCKING ON MY DOOR AND ASKED TO DISCUSS THIS ISSUE WITH ME. I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY OF YOU HAD THEM COME AND KNOCK ON YOUR DOOR. HOPEFULLY IT WENT TO THE OTHER 10 AND THEY JUST MISSED ME. YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT WE NEED TO REALIZE WHAT THIS IS ABOUT. YOU KNOW, BASED ON ALL THE EVIDENCE WE'VE HEARD, AND ON MY OWN LIFE EXPERIENCE, USE OF TOBACCO PRODUCTS IS A PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUE, AND THEREFORE, IT IS APPROPRIATE FOR THE CITY COUNCIL TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE. YOU KNOW, WE REALLY AREN'T TALKING SO MUCH ABOUT THE ACT OF SMOKING. WHAT WE ARE TALKING ABOUT IS THE DELIVERY AND DISTRIBUTION OF AN ADDICTIVE DRUG. NICOTINE CIGARETTES ARE SIMPLY A DELIVERY SYSTEM FOR AN ADDICTIVE DRUG. NICOTINE, YOU KNOW, IT'S A DELIVERY SYSTEM TO THE BODY. IT'S JUST LIKE PRESCRIPTION DRUGS THAT ARE DELIVERY SYSTEM FOR OPIOIDS OR NEEDLES THAT DELIVER HEROIN OR WATER PIPES OR BONGS THAT DELIVER T H C FROM MARIJUANA OR JUST LIKE BEER, WINE AND DISTILLED SPIRITS ARE DELIVERY SYSTEMS FOR ALCOHOL, EVERYTHING. AND JUST LIKE WE HAVE A PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY OBLIGATION TO REGULATE ALCOHOL, I BELIEVE WE HAVE THE SAME RESPONSIBILITY TO REGULATE NICOTINE. THAT'S WHY I'LL VOTE AGAINST TABLING THIS AND FOR FULLY IMPLEMENTING TOBACCO 21. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, COUNCILMAN COURAGE. COUNCILMAN SHAW. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, I WANNA THANK EVERYBODY THAT'S HERE IN ATTENDANCE THIS, THIS AFTERNOON REGARDING THIS, UH, VERY INTERESTING ORDINANCE SET FORTH BY BY THE CITY. UM, A FEW THINGS. NUMBER ONE, I'M NOT HERE TO SPEAK ON BEHALF OF ANY OTHER OF MY COLLEAGUES, BUT I KNOW MYSELF AND MY STAFF SAT DOWN WITH THE CONVENIENCE STORE OWNERS IN A LONG CONVERSATION BECAUSE THE WAY I SEE OUR ROLE, IT'S NOT ABOUT AN EMOTIONAL DECISION. IT'S ABOUT SETTING POLICY AND PROPERLY ANALYZING THAT POLICY, HOW IT AFFECTS WHO IT'S INTENDED TO AFFECT AND THE UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES. SO AS I SIT DOWN AND RUN THIS THROUGH MY MENTAL ANALYSIS, I, I, I CATEGORIZE THIS ORDINANCE IN THREE WAYS. NUMBER ONE, THE HEALTH EFFECTS. I THINK MANY OF US BELIEVE AND UNDERSTAND THE NEGATIVE HEALTH EFFECTS OF TOBACCO AND NICOTINE, NOT ONLY FOR OUR YOUTH, BUT THROUGHOUT SOCIETY. WE UNDERSTAND HOW BAD CIGARETTE AND OTHER NICOTINE PRODUCTS ARE. THAT'S A NO BRAINER. NUMBER TWO WAS THE ENFORCEMENT, WHICH WE HAD SEVERAL QUESTIONS REGARDING ENFORCEMENT IN B SESSION. THE LAST THING WE WANT TO DO IS CRIMINALIZE AN ADDICTIVE BEHAVIOR, UM, ESPECIALLY WITH OUR CHILDREN, EVEN THOUGH WE DO, WE DO CRIMINALIZE ADDICTIVE BEHAVIOR ON THE ADULT LEVEL WITH ALCOHOL AND OTHER DRUGS. BUT THAT'S NOT WHERE WE WERE ARTICULATING THIS THIS AFTERNOON. THE THIRD IS THE UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES. AND I UNDERSTAND BEING A SMALL BUSINESS OWNER, HOW THAT AFFECTS THOSE SMALL BUSINESSES. IT'S EASY TO SAY ABOUT THE OVERHEAD, IT'S EASY TO SAY ABOUT IT'S 2%, IT'S 1%. BUT WHEN THAT PAYROLL TIME COMES AS A SMALL BUSINESS OWNER AND YOU CAN'T PAY YOUR EMPLOYEES, THERE'S NO OTHER WORST FEELING WHEN THERE'S A TIME YOU HAVE TO CLOSE [03:15:01] YOUR DOORS BECAUSE YOUR BUSINESS MODEL THAT YOU'VE DONE TO YOURSELF, IT'S, IT'S DISHEARTENING. AND SO I STRUGGLE WITH THIS CONVERSATION TALKING TO THE BUSINESS OWNERS, MY COLLEAGUES AS WELL AS DR. BRIDGER. ME AND DR. BRIDGER HAVE HAD AN ONGOING CONVERSATION BECAUSE I HAVE VOICED MY CONCERNS WITH HER, AND WE'VE HAD JUST DEBATE AND, WHICH IS FINE, I UNDERSTAND THAT. AND I THINK ABOUT THIS LONG TERM. WHAT CAN WE DO TO MAKE SURE THAT IF WE PASS THIS ORDINANCE, WE'D LIMIT THE COLLATERAL DAMAGE? THAT'S THE IDEA. AND THAT SHOULD BE THE GAME PLAN OF THIS COUNCIL, BECAUSE WE SHOULD NOT BE LOOKING TO ORDINANCES THAT IN EMOTION DATA SCIENCE. YES, IT MAY SUPPORT, BUT WHAT ABOUT THOSE IN OUR COMMUNITIES THAT'S REALLY GOING TO HURT. WE HAVE TO KEEP THAT IN MIND. OKAY? AND I UNDERSTAND PEOPLE'S CONCERNS HERE ABOUT THEIR, THEIR STORIES, THEIR PAST HISTORY. I GET IT. BUT AS A COUNCIL, WE SHOULD BE THINKING ABOUT THIS HOLISTICALLY, NOT EMOTIONALLY. I STRUGGLE WITH THIS BECAUSE I AM A SMALL BUSINESS OWNER. I UNDERSTAND THE, THE NEGATIVE IMPACT IT'S GONNA HAVE ON OUR SMALL BUSINESSES. BUT THE PROBLEM THAT I HAVE NOW, I ALSO BELIEVE I HAVE A MORAL OF RESPONSIBILITY TO OUR, OUR COMMUNITY. AND THAT'S WHY I FALL IN THIS CONVERSATION. AND IT'S TOUGH FOR ME BECAUSE I DO NOT WANT TO NEGATIVELY IMPACT ANY SMALL BUSINESS THROUGHOUT THIS CITY. I WANNA MAKE THAT VERY CLEAR. WE'VE HAD AN OPEN DOOR POLICY, WE'VE HAD DISCUSSIONS, DEBATES, DR. BRIDGER WAS BROUGHT IN. SO WE'VE LOOKED AT EVERY AVENUE WITH THIS. UM, DR. BRIDGER, I DO HAVE A COUPLE QUESTIONS WITH FOR YOU, IF YOU DON'T MIND. I, I UNDERSTAND THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO WILL BE THE FIRST MUNICIPALITY TO PASS AN ORDINANCE SUCH AS THIS. IS THAT CORRECT? THAT IS CORRECT. AND OUR ANTICIPATION IS THAT OTHER, OTHER CITIES IN OUR SURROUNDING AREA, UH, HOPEFULLY WILL JOIN IN AND PASSING ORDINANCES VERY SIMILAR TO THIS ONE, CORRECT? THAT IS CORRECT. IN FACT, THE CONVERSATION I HAD LAST NIGHT, UM, WITH THE TWO CONVENIENCE STORE ASSOCIATIONS WAS THAT THEY WERE GOING TO JOIN ME IN APPROACHING THE OTHER MUNICIPALITIES. AND WE HAVE, UH, THE TOP SIX PRIORITIZED LIST OF WHERE WE'RE GOING TO GO. LEON VALLEY'S ON THAT LIST, UM, TO ENCOURAGE THEM TO PASS THEIR OWN TOBACCO 21 ORDINANCE. OKAY. MY QUESTION IS, BECAUSE LIKE I SAID BEFORE, IT HURTS ME TO CREATE AN UNLEVEL PLAYING FIELD AMONGST COMPETITORS. IF OTHER MUNICIPALITIES OR THE STATE DOES NOT PROMOTE THIS ORDINANCE WHERE IT DOESN'T PASS ON A STATE LEVEL OR AN ORDINANCE LEVEL AMONGST OTHER MUNICIPALITIES, ARE WE GONNA CONTINUE TO HAVE OUR ORDINANCE HERE IN SAN ANTONIO? YES, WE WILL. AND, UM, YOU KNOW, THE REASON WHY I PRESENTED THE NEED MASSACHUSETTS DATA WAS TO SHOW THAT EVEN WHEN YOU PASS THIS ORDINANCE IN A LOCATION THAT'S SURROUNDED BY OTHER MUNICIPALITIES WHERE THE ORDINANCE IS NOT IN PLACE, YOU STILL HAVE SIGNIFICANT DECLINES IN YOUTH SMOKING. OKAY. ALRIGHT. THANK YOU, MA'AM. THANK YOU. SO, LIKE I SAID BEFORE, RIGHT NOW, I, I THINK IT'S A, IT'S A MORAL ISSUE. UM, I'VE, I AM IN SUPPORT OF T 21. I WILL HOLD ACCOUNTABLE TO THE CITY, UH, ALL STAKEHOLDERS TO ENGAGE IN CONVERSATION. MY MY STANCE ON THIS HAS BEEN PUBLIC, AND I'VE TALKED TO THE SMALL BUSINESS ASSOCIATION AND THEY KNOW WHERE I STAND ON THIS. BUT I WILL SUPPORT THIS. I WILL MAKE SURE THAT WE MAKE PEOPLE WHOLE WHO ARE BEING NEGATIVELY IMPACTED BY THIS ORDINANCE. SO, THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN SHAW. COUNCILMAN PERRY. THANK YOU, SIR. I HOPE, UH, MOST EVERYBODY IS, UH, TAKING AN OPPORTUNITY TO SEE MY PRESS RELEASE I SENT OUT ON MY STANCE ON, ON THIS ISSUE. UH, I DON'T AGREE WITH THIS ORDINANCE, AND HERE'S SOME OF THE REASONS WHY. UM, I, I'M, I'M FAILING TO SEE HOW MAKING SAN ANTONIO AN ISLAND HERE IN TEXAS, AND NOT ONLY AN ISLAND, BUT WITH HOLES WITHIN THAT ISLAND, IS GOING TO BE, UH, EFFECTIVE RAISING THE AGE TO 21 ON JUST THE DISTRIBUTION OR THE SALES WITHIN TEXAS, I MEAN, WITHIN SAN ANTONIO IS NOT GONNA STOP THE SALE TO 18 TO 21 YEAR OLDS AROUND SAN ANTONIO, WITHIN SAN ANTONIO. IT'S NOT GONNA STOP THOSE, THOSE PEOPLE TO GO IN AND REDISTRIBUTE IT TO YOUNGER CHILDREN. YOU KNOW, I I, I RAISED THREE CHILDREN. I WAS A SINGLE PARENT, AND I WORKED WITH THOSE KIDS VERY CLOSELY TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY DIDN'T GET INTO ANY OUT, UH, TOBACCO [03:20:01] USE. I GOTTA ADMIT, WHEN I WAS YOUNG, UH, I WAS TOLD, NO, YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO DO THAT. WELL, GUESS WHAT I DID. MOST TEENAGERS NOWADAYS WILL DO SOMETHING THAT THEY'RE TOLD NOT TO DO, WHETHER IT'S DRINKING, DRINKING AND DRIVING, USING OUT, UH, TOBACCO PRODUCTS. SO I'M LOOKING AT THIS AS A WHOLE SAYING, WELL, WHAT ARE WE REALLY TRYING TO DO HERE IN SAN ANTONIO? I DON'T DISPUTE THE FACTS, THE EVIDENCE AND COUNCILWOMAN SOUND OF ALL, I, I TOTALLY UNDERSTAND WHERE YOU'RE COMING FROM WITH TRYING TO MAKE SAN ANTONIO A HEALTHY CITY. BUT WE CAN'T DO IT IN A VACUUM. WE CAN'T DO IT WITHIN A STATE THAT DOES NOT SUPPORT THAT WE HAVE A LEGAL AGE OF 18. AND OH, BY THE WAY, TEXAS IS JUST ONE OF THE STATES THAT ACTUALLY PROSECUTES BELOW 18, 17 YEAR OLDS. SO WHAT DOES THAT REALLY TELL YOU? WE ARE CLASSIFYING THEM AS ADULTS FOR JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING ELSE, BUT, UH, WE'RE GONNA TAKE THIS PARTICULAR CHOICE AWAY. AND, AND ONE OF THE INDIVIDUALS TALKED ABOUT THAT, ABOUT, UH, PARENTS, GUARDIANS AND TEACHERS HAVING THAT OPPORTUNITY AND MAKING SURE THAT THAT EDUCATION IS OUT THERE FOR OUR YOUNGER GENERATION FOR THEM TO MAKE THAT CORRECT DECISION NOT TO USE THESE PRODUCTS, WHICH ALL THE SCIENCE SHOWS THAT YES, IT'S A, IT'S A DANGEROUS PRODUCT. YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT LAWS IN THIS COUNTRY AND IN TEXAS, OUTLAWING WITH CRIMINAL CONSEQUENCES FOR MUCH DANGEROUS DRUGS, HEROIN, COCAINE, MARIJUANA. HOW MANY BILLIONS OF DOLLARS HAS THIS COUNTRY SPENT TRYING TO COMBAT THAT? HOW MANY, HOW MANY DENTS IN THAT, THAT PROGRAM? HAVE WE SPENT MONEY ON TRYING TO REDUCE THOSE BAD THINGS FOR OUR CITIZENS? WELL, I, I'M, I'M NOT SURE THAT MAYBE WE'RE KIND OF KEEPING KEEPING IT AT A LEVEL, BUT I DON'T THINK WE'RE REDUCING IT MUCH. IF ANYTHING, IT'S PROBABLY GROWING. WE'RE DOING THE BEST WE CAN. SO WHAT, AGAIN, WHAT ARE WE TRYING TO DO HERE IN SAN ANTONIO? I UNDERSTAND WE'RE TRYING TO MAKE THIS A HEALTHY CITY, BUT AGAIN, I, I'M STRUGGLING WITH THIS SAYING, CAN WE DO THIS ON AN ISLAND WITHOUT GOING TO THE TEXAS LEGISLATURE AND GETTING THEM TO BACK THIS AND MAKE THIS A STATEWIDE, STATEWIDE LAW, ENFORCING IT ONLY ON THE SALE AND NOT ON THE PEOPLE THAT WILL BE USING IT. I, I JUST DON'T SEE THAT THAT'S GONNA MAKE A BIG DENT AND THEN SPENDING MONEY TO TRY TO ENFORCE IT ONLY ON THE, THE SELLERS OUT THERE, THE CONVENIENCE STORES. NOW, I WAS TOTALLY AGAINST CRIMINALIZING IT FOR THE YOUTH, AND I STILL AM BECAUSE I DIDN'T WANT TO HAVE SOMETHING, A BLACK MARK OR, OR BAD REPORTS ON KIDS THAT WANNA GET INTO COLLEGE THAT MIGHT PUT SCHOLARSHIPS IN JEOPARDY, SO ON AND SO FORTH. SO I WAS REALLY AGAINST THAT. BUT HAVING SAID THAT, IF THERE AREN'T CONSEQUENCES FOR THAT TO BE HAPPENING, IT'S NOT GONNA BE, IT'S NOT GONNA BE PAID ANY ATTENTION TO IN THAT AGE GROUP. THEY'RE STILL GONNA GO OUT AND PURCHASE THAT RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET. THEY'RE GONNA STILL GO OUT AND USE THOSE TOBACCO PRODUCTS. THEY'RE STILL GONNA DISTRIBUTE IT TO THE YOUNGER, YOUNGER KIDS OUT THERE. I I JUST THINK THAT IF WE WANT TO MAKE A REAL DIFFERENCE, LET'S WORK THIS AT THE STATE LEVEL TO MAKE IT A STATEWIDE ISSUE, NOT JUST HERE IN SAN ANTONIO. I MEAN, I'M, I'M STRUGGLING WITH THIS. I'M JUST SAYING, WOW, THIS JUST, TO ME, I'M HAVING A HARD TIME UNDERSTANDING HOW THIS IS REALLY GONNA MAKE A DIFFERENCE HERE IN SAN ANTONIO. I MEAN, THINK ABOUT ABOUT IT. WE'VE GOT THE STATISTICS, WE GOT EVERYTHING IN THE WORLD TO BACK UP HOW DANGEROUS TOBACCO PRODUCTS ARE FOR NOT ONLY SAN ANTONIO, BUT TEXAS AND THE REST OF THE UNITED STATES, THE WORLD FOR THAT FACT. WE SHOULD REALLY GO OUT THERE AND [03:25:01] CLOSE THAT INDUSTRY DOWN, SHUT 'EM DOWN. THAT WAY WE DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THAT. ISN'T THAT WHERE WE SHOULD REALLY BE FOCUSING ON AND NOT TRYING TO ENFORCE SOMETHING HERE WITHIN THIS TINY LITTLE POCKET HERE IN TEXAS? I, I'M SORRY, I, I, I, UM, I UNDERSTAND THE MATH, THE, THE STATISTICS, ALL THE DANGERS OF THIS, BUT I'M JUST FAILING TO SEE THAT BIG PICTURE THAT PEOPLE ARE TALKING ABOUT TO CAUSE A DIFFERENCE HERE IN SAN ANTONIO FOR THIS. UM, IF THIS PASSES, I'LL BE VERY INTERESTED TO SEE, UH, THE DATA IN THE FUTURE IF THIS REALLY DID MAKE A DIFFERENCE, NOT ONLY ON THE YOUTH, BUT ON OUR SMALL BUSINESSES, WHAT, AND THE, THE STATISTICS WILL COME OUT. BUT WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO DO, SIR, IF I MAY, I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE MY, A AMENDMENT ON THIS AND MAKE A MOTION TO AN AMENDMENT TO TABLE THIS UNTIL ALL OF BAYER COUNTY AND THE MUNICIPALITIES, ALL THE MUNICIPALITIES WITHIN BAYER COUNTY TO AGREE TO THIS BEFORE WE ENACT IT WITHIN SAN ANTONIO. COUNCILMAN, THERE ARE TWO ACTIVE MOTIONS ON THE FLOOR. UH, WHAT I WOULD RECOMMEND IS THAT YOU, UH, PHRASE YOUR, UH, MOTION INTO, UH, FRIENDLY AMENDMENT FOR COUNCILMAN BROCK HOUSE, WHO HAS ALSO OFFERED TO TABLE THE AMENDMENT. UM, HE COULD PUT THAT CONDITION ON HIS MOTION IF HE ACCEPTS. OKAY. DO YOU ACCEPT THAT COUNCILMAN BROCK HOUSE? WELL, I THINK THEY'RE, THEY'RE SOMEWHAT FUNDAMENTALLY DIFFERENT. MINE IS A 60 DAY POSTPONEMENT FOR A STAKEHOLDER MEETING. OKAY, WE'LL, COUNCIL, WE'LL GET CLARIFICATION FROM ANDY ON THAT. YEAH. YES. IF COUNCILMAN BREAU ARE AMENABLE TO THAT, UH, WHAT, WHAT'S BEING RECOMMENDED BY COUNCILMAN PERRY TO BE ADDED TO YOURS? AND THAT WOULD BE OKAY. UH, OH, MY QUESTION IS, I THINK THERE'S A FUNDAMENTAL DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO. 'CAUSE I'M ASKING FOR A TABLING MM-HMM. TO CONDUCT MEETINGS WITH THE STAKEHOLDERS, RIGHT? HE'S ASKING FOR, YOU'RE SAYING, SO ONE VOTE PASSES BOTH. THE, THE ALTERNATIVE IS TO HAVE, THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE ACTIVE, UH, MOTION. SO WE CAN VOTE WITH, WITH ANOTHER ALTERNATIVE. MAYOR WOULD BE TO VOTE ON COUNCILMAN BROCK HOUSE FIRST AND THEN TAKE UP COUNCILMAN PERRY. I WOULD, I WOULD PREFER A VOTE ON MY AMENDMENT TO STAND ALONE. AND THEN, UM, COUNCILMAN PERRY, IF IT'S PO IF YOU WOULD BE AMENABLE, SIR, TO IMMEDIATELY STEPPING BACK IN TO SPEAK AND TA AND PUT ANOTHER MOTION ON THE TABLE. I'LL, I'LL SECOND YOU. OKAY. OKAY. OKAY, ANDY, WE CAN HAVE BOTH OF THOSE MOTIONS ON THE FLOOR AT THE SAME TIME. THAT'S THE, THERE, THAT'S THE RUB. MAYOR, YOU CAN ONLY HAVE ONE MO ONE ACTIVE MOTION. SO, UH, AGAIN, MY RECOMMENDATION WOULD BE TO THEN VOTE ON COUNCILMAN BROCK HOUSE'S MOTION, AND THEN THAT WOULD OPEN UP THE FLOOR TO HAVE COUNCILMAN PERRY OFFER HIS MOTION. OKAY. UM, WE'VE DONE BEFORE, RIGHT THERE, THERE ARE TWO, THERE'S A PRIMARY MOTION ON THE FLOOR, WHICH IS THE ITEM. UH, AND THEN THERE IS A, UH, SECONDARY MOTION FOR TABLING OFFERED BY COUNCILMAN BROCK HOUSE. WE WILL TAKE THAT UP. I WILL RECOGNIZE YOU, UH, FROM THE FLOOR IF IT FAILS. UH, AND THEN, UH, YOU CAN MAKE YOUR MOTION AT THAT TIME. ALRIGHT, SO THAT'S, THAT'S ALL I HAVE, SIR. IF YOU YIELD THE FLOOR, THEN WE'LL GO AHEAD AND I'LL RECOGNIZE COUNCILMAN B BROCO, WHO WAS ALSO ASKED TO SPEAK. YES. OKAY. COUNCILMAN BROCKO? UH, THANK YOU, SIR. I JUST WANT TO, UH, RESPOND TO THE GENTLEMAN FROM DISTRICT NINE. UH, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE YOURSELF A LONG YEAR IF YOUR MAYORAL PARANOIA IS GONNA POP UP ON ANY TIME SOMEBODY SPEAKS WHAT THEY BELIEVE. UH, SO THIS IS WHAT I BELIEVE, SIR. AND I, I, THE QUESTION, MY INTEGRITY'S FINE, BUT MY RESPONSE IS SIMPLE. THIS IS WHAT I BELIEVE IS RIGHT AND GOOD. THAT'S WHAT I STAND FOR. IT'S THE PEOPLE I REPRESENT. IT'S WHAT I THINK IS WHAT'S RIGHT FOR THE COMMUNITY. UH, YOU'RE IN POLITICS, AND IF YOU COULD THROW THAT AT ME EVERY TIME YOU WANT TO, I'LL GO RIGHT AHEAD. BUT I'M JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE I CLEARED THE RECORD THAT I WILL SUPPORT IT WHICHEVER DIRECTION IT GOES. IF IT PASSES, I'LL BE THERE AND I'LL DO THE BEST I CAN FOR THE CITY AND SUPPORT THE COMMUNITY ONCE THE VOTE IS MADE. THAT'S MY COMMITMENT. I THOUGHT THAT WAS CLEAR. THE FACT THAT I DIFFER FROM YOU IS NOT POLITICS. IT'S LIFE. THANK YOU, SIR. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN BRONK HOUSE. OKAY, THERE IS A MOTION AND A SECOND ON THE FLOOR REGARDING A TABLING, UH, ALONG WITH 60 DAYS OF ADDITIONAL PUBLIC HEARINGS OFFERED BY COUNCILMAN BRONK HOUSE AND SECONDED BY COUNCILMAN PERRY. PLEASE VOTE. THIS IS TO TABLE THE, UH, TABLE THE ITEM, UH, FOR ADDITIONAL 60 DAYS. MOTION FAILS. [03:30:01] NOW I'LL RECOGNIZE COUNCILMAN PERRY. THANK YOU AGAIN, SIR. YES. I WOULD LIKE TO MOTION THAT, UH, WE TABLE THIS UNTIL ALL OF BAYER COUNTY AND THE, UH, MUNICIPALITIES WITHIN BAYER COUNTY AGREE TO THIS, UM, SOLUTION BEFORE THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO PASSES IT. OKAY, SECOND. OKAY. THERE IS A MOTION AS SPOKEN, UH, AND A SECOND BY COUNCILMAN BROCK HOUSE FOR TABLING. UNTIL ALL MUNICIPALITIES IN THE BEXAR COUNTY AREA ADOPT THE AMENDMENT, ADOPT THE ORDINANCE, PLEASE VOTE. MOTION FAILS. OKAY, I WILL CALL THE MAIN MOTION, BUT FIRST I'D JUST LIKE TO MAKE A COUPLE COMMENTS MYSELF. UM, FIRST, THANK YOU, DR. BRIDGER, FOR YOUR WORK, UH, AND ALL OF THE METRO HEALTH TEAM. ALONG WITH COUNCILWOMAN SANDOVAL. WE HAVE CHARGED THE METRO HEALTH DEPARTMENT WITH GIVING US DATA-DRIVEN APPROACHES, UH, IN SUPPORT OF BETTER COMMUNITY HEALTH. FROM THE INITIAL DAYS OF THE COMMUNITY VISIONING DURING SA 2020, ALL THE WAY UP THROUGH SA TOMORROW, AND EVEN TODAY, OUR COMMUNITY NEIGHBORS ALL OVER THE CITY OF ALL ETHNICITIES AND SOCIOECONOMIC GROUPS HAVE DIRECTED US TO IMPROVE THE COMMUNITY'S HEALTH BECAUSE THAT'S EQUITY, COMMUNITY HEALTH IS BETTER EQUITY IN THIS CITY. AND THAT'S WHY, UH, UNDER COUNCILMAN SANDOVAL'S GUIDANCE AND EXPERTISE, WE FORMED THE COMMUNITY HEALTH AND EQUITY COMMITTEE KNOWING THAT HEALTH AND EQUITY MUST BE SEEN TOGETHER. WHAT I'D LIKE TO SAY, THOUGH, IS THAT PROGRESS CAN BE MEASURED IN STEPS OR IN LEAPS. AND CERTAINLY WHEN IT COMES TO THE FIGHT AGAINST TOBACCO ADDICTION AMONG YOUTH, WE HAVE TO TAKE STEPS OR LEAPS. AND SOME MAY VIEW THIS AS EITHER OR, BUT CERTAINLY IT IS A SIGNIFICANT STEP. THERE WAS A YOUNG WOMAN, UH, DEARY. I THINK SHE CAME UP TODAY AND MADE SOME COMMENTS, AND SHE ASKED US AS A COUNCIL TO EXERCISE OUR MORAL CONSCIENCE TO NOT PRIORITIZE DOLLARS OVER PEOPLE'S HEALTH. AND I WILL TELL YOU, NRI, THAT WE ARE NOT GOING TO DO THAT TODAY. AND SO LONG AS I HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH IT. AND NO ONE SHOULD EVER CONFUSE THE PURSUIT OF BETTER HEALTH OUTCOMES WITH THE TARGETING OF A PARTICULAR ETHNICITY. WHEN WE IMPROVE THE HEALTH OF SAN ANTONIO, WE IMPROVE THE HEALTH OF ALL GROUPS, ALL NEIGHBORS. AND THAT'S THE POINT. THIS IS GOING TO HAVE SOME WORK TO DO. AND I APPRECIATE THE FACT THAT YOU, DR. BRIDGER AND YOUR TEAM AND OTHER MEMBERS OF COUNCIL AND THE STAFF HAVE MET WITH ALL PARTIES. WE CAN ALWAYS IMPROVE PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT. AND CERTAINLY THIS IS INDICATIVE THAT OF, THAT WE WILL ALWAYS WORK TO IMPROVE PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT. BUT THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER IS, WE HAD MEETINGS AND WE ARE FINDING A COMPROMISE THAT HELPS EVERYONE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO WORK TOGETHER, TO MAKE SURE THAT NOT JUST IN BEAR COUNTY, NOT JUST IN THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO, NOT JUST IN THE CITY OF LEON VALLEY, BUT THROUGHOUT BEXAR COUNTY, AND PERHAPS EVEN IN THE STATE OF TEXAS, WE CAN WORK TOGETHER TO IMPROVE THE HEALTH OF ALL OF OUR COMMUNITY. AND I THINK THAT'S WHY THIS IS A COMPELLING MOMENT FOR CITY COUNCIL, BUT IT'S ALSO AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO DO THE RIGHT THING. AND SO I SUPPORT THE ITEM AS PRESENTED AND APPRECIATE THE WORK THAT'S GONE INTO IT. SO THERE IS A MOTION AND A SECOND ON ITEM NUMBER FOUR. PLEASE VOTE. MOTION CARRIES. ALRIGHT, AT THIS TIME, THE COUNCIL, UM, I'M GONNA ANNOUNCE THAT THE COUNCIL WILL BE RECONVENING IN AN EXECUTIVE SESSION, BUT PRIOR TO THAT, WE'LL BE RECESSED UNTIL ONE 15. UH, AND WE WILL RECONVENE INTO THE B ROOM, UH, FOR THE NEXT SESSION OF CITY COUNCIL. THE TIME IS NOW [Executive Session] NINE, OR EXCUSE ME, THE TIME IS NOW 12:45 PM ON THURSDAY, JANUARY 11TH, THE CITY COUNCIL, THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO, WILL NOW MEET IN EXECUTIVE SESSION TO CONSULT THE CITY'S ATTORNEY CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE PURSUANT TO TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 5 5 1 0.071 CONSULTATION WITH ATTORNEY. HE WAS A DREAMER. HE WAS. [03:35:01] GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYONE. GOOD AFTERNOON. CITY COUNCIL IS RECONVENED FROM ITS EXECUTIVE SESSION AND NO ACTION WAS TAKEN. UH, WELCOME TO OUR VERY [21. A Briefing by the President and CEO of CPS Energy on the status of the utility. [Paula Gold-Williams, CPSE President & CEO]] FIRST, UH, UTILITY BRIEFING OF CITY COUNCIL. TIME NOW IS 2:47 PM 1:47 PM THIS THURSDAY, JANUARY 11TH. UH, CHERYL, IF YOU WANNA KICK US OFF. SURE. MAYOR AND COUNCIL, WE HAD A BUSY MORNING AND WE'RE ABOUT TO HAVE AN INTERESTING CONVERSATION THIS AFTERNOON AS WE RECEIVE A STATUS, UH, FROM C P S ENERGY. AND THIS IS PART OF THE ONGOING PROCESS OF KEEPING THE COUNCIL INFORMED ABOUT THE ACTIVITIES AT OUR UTILITIES. SO EVERY OTHER MONTH, C P S WILL BE HERE AND IN THE OFFSETTING MONTH, UH, SAWS, OUR SAN ANTONIO WATER SYSTEM WILL BE MEETING WITH US ONCE A MONTH SO THAT WE CAN GET AN UPDATE ON THE ACTIVITIES AND SPECIFICALLY THE POLICY ISSUES, UH, RELATED TO BOTH OF THOSE UTILITIES THAT ARE OWNED BY THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO. SO, PAULA GOLD WILLIAMS PRESIDENT, AND C E O OF C P S ENERGY IS HERE TODAY TO MAKE THE PRESENTATION. AND OF COURSE, SHE'S BROUGHT STAFF WITH HER, AND BEN GOEL WILL BE HERE THIS AFTERNOON AS WELL. TODAY SHE IS GOING TO TALK ABOUT THE ELECTRICITY MARKET OPERATIONS, PEAK DEMANDS, AND POWER RESERVE MARGINS. SHE'LL ALSO TALK ABOUT GAS UTILITY GROWTH STRATEGIES, UH, THE ELECTRIC SYSTEM RESILIENCY AND, UH, FINANCIAL INTEGRITY AND CREDIT RATINGS. UM, SO A HEAVY WORKLOAD FOR THE CONVERSATION THIS AFTERNOON. SO WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, PAULA GOLD WILLIAMS, THE PRESIDENT, AND C E O OF C P SS ENERGY. HI, THANK YOU SO MUCH. I THINK I TRIED TO GET BY AND SAY HELLO TO EVERYONE IN THE ROOM, BUT, UM, HAPPY NEW YEAR. GLAD TO START, UH, 2018. I THINK IT'S GONNA BE A VERY BUSY YEAR FOR EVERYONE. I AM VERY EXCITED TO, TO BE ABLE TO COME IN PERIODICALLY. I ALWAYS WANNA SAY THOUGH, THAT IN BETWEEN THE MEETINGS, UM, MYSELF AND OUR TEAM MEMBERS ARE AVAILABLE TO ANY OF YOU TO COME BY AND VISIT AND, AND WORK THROUGH TOPICS AND DISCUSSION IN MORE DEPTH. UM, I ACTUALLY HAD THE BENEFIT OF TALKING TO YOU IN DECEMBER, AND I HAD A SCARY STACK OF SLIDES, UH, PROBABLY CLOSE TO 80. UM, I AM ABOUT HALFWAY THERE THIS TIME. UH, SO THERE'S QUITE A BIT OF CONTEXT, UH, CONTEXT AND SLIDES HERE. BUT I'M GONNA DO THE SAME THING, TRY TO COVER AS MUCH, UM, REALLY MY, UM, BRING THE SLIDES OUT, BUT REALLY MAKE IT CONVERSATIONAL. I PLAN TO GO THROUGH THEM. UM, I'M DEFINITELY GONNA TAKE A BREAK ABOUT THE 20 MINUTE MARK. I GOT A TEAM MEMBER OVER THERE THAT'S GONNA BASICALLY TELL ME STOP. AND, UM, AND, AND I WANNA PULSE YOU TO SEE IF YOU'D LIKE TO START HAVING QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS. AND WE CAN, WE CAN GO ANY DIRECTION, UM, YOU WOULD LIKE FROM THAT PERSPECTIVE. SO I'LL, I'LL, THAT SEEMED TO WORK OUT FAIRLY WELL LAST TIME. I WANNA DEFINITELY TRY TO FOLLOW THAT AGAIN. UM, I DO HAVE WEAVED IN HERE SOME TOPICS THAT CAME FROM THE DECEMBER MEETING, AND I, YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT DONE. THERE WERE A LOT OF GOOD QUESTIONS THAT CAME OUT AND COMMENTARY, AND I THINK THEY TAKE TIME FOR US TO WORK THROUGH SOME OF THE, SOME OF THE, UM, DIMENSIONS THAT WE WERE ASKED TO DISCUSS. BUT I DO, I'M GONNA START PRESENTING SOME OF THAT CONTEXT, UM, IN THESE MEETINGS AND REALLY KIND OF BRING THEM MORE IN FRONT OF ALL OF YOU. SO I, YOU CAN SEE KIND OF WHERE OUR THINKING IS AND, AND WHAT WHAT WE'RE CONSIDERING. AND WE WILL ULTIMATELY CLOSE ALL QUESTION ITEMS OUT OVER TIME. SO, UH, NOT TO BELABOR, WE WILL GO AHEAD AND, UH, GET STARTED. UM, I ALWAYS LIKE TO START WITH OUR FOCUS, UM, ON, UH, THE OPERATIONS AND OUR PEOPLE FIRST PHILOSOPHY, UH, IT, WE, WE JUST RECEIVED OUR ENGAGEMENT SCORES. UM, WE DO AN ANNUAL ENGAGEMENT SURVEY. WE HAD, WE HAD ABOUT 80, A LITTLE OVER 80% PEOPLE, UM, PARTICIPATE IN OUR ENGAGEMENT SURVEY. UM, AND, AND THE IDEA OF US FOCUSING ON PEOPLE FIRST AND REALLY MAKING IT PART OF OUR D N A IS ONE OF OUR BIG OBJECTIVES BECAUSE WE ALWAYS HAVE TO MAKE THAT OUR, MAKE SURE THAT OUR TRINITY, IN TERMS OF WHAT WE FOCUS ON, IS REALLY SHARPENED AND FRESH ALL THE TIME. AGAIN, WE HAVE THE OBJECTIVE OF MAKING SURE THAT OUR CUSTOMERS ARE BEACON, WHERE WE FOCUS, WE MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE LOOK THINKING BROADLY ABOUT WHAT'S GOOD FOR THE COMMUNITY ACROSS THE BOARD. AND WE ARE CONSTANTLY WORKING ON DEVELOPING OUR EMPLOYEES TO MAKE SURE THEY ARE READY AND UP FOR THOSE CHALLENGES. SO, UM, I'M GONNA GO, I'M GONNA GO PAST THIS SLIDE BECAUSE CHERYL KIND OF GAVE A, A GENERAL OVERVIEW, UM, OF IT. AND WHAT I HAVE IS, I HAVE THEMES OF TOPICS THAT I WANT TO TALK ABOUT TODAY, AND YOU'LL SEE THEM KIND OF PEPPERED IN HERE AND THERE IN PARTICULAR, ONE OF THE MAIN ONES THAT YOU'LL SEE PEPPERED IN AND OUT IS ABOUT THE RATING AGENCIES. AND, UM, IT, IT'S BECAUSE WE LOOK AT THEM [03:40:01] AS A GROUP, AS OUR PRIMARY LITMUS OF HOW WE'RE DOING. THEY ASK ABOUT EVERYTHING. THEY ARE FOCUSED ON ALL ASPECTS OF OUR COMPANY, UM, OUR GENERATION, OUR DIVERSIFICATION, THE ERCOT MARKET, THE COMPLEXITIES OF TECHNOLOGY, WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN WITH PRODUCTS AND SERVICES, HOW ARE YOU HANDLING CUSTOMER DEMAND ON AND ON AND ON FROM THAT PERSPECTIVE. SO THEY'RE A GREAT WAY FOR US TO USE THEM AS A MIRROR AND KIND OF SHOW YOU HOW WHEN WE ARE GETTING THEIR FEEDBACK, THEY'RE ACTUALLY KIND OF A REFLECTION OF HOW WELL WE'RE DOING AND WHERE WE'RE FOCUSED. THIS SLIDE IN PARTICULAR, TALKS ABOUT, UM, THE, THEY DO AN EXTENSIVE CREDIT VIEW THAT IS ANALYTICAL, BUT THEY ALSO DO A STRATEGIC VIEW OF THE COMPANY. AND SO THEY ARE CONSTANTLY HAVING, UM, QUESTIONS BACK TO US, AND WE GO UP AND DO ANNUAL VISITS. SO I WENT UP WITH A SMALL TEAM OF PEOPLE AND WE MET WITH ALL THREE OF THE HOUSES. AND WHAT THEY'RE REALLY LOOKING FOR, THERE IS A DISCUSSION ABOUT OUR MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES AND WHAT WE'RE THINKING AND, AND WHERE, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S THE, WHAT'S THE PERSPECTIVE? AND, YOU KNOW, THE ONE TAKEAWAY I WILL TELL YOU IS THEIR COMMENTARY WAS FOCUSED ON OUR ABILITY AS A COMMUNITY AND A UTILITY SERVING A GROWING COMMUNITY ABOUT WHAT THE FUTURE NEEDS TO BE AND HOW WE NEED TO MODIFY OUR MODEL FOR THAT PERSPECTIVE. THEY WERE LOOKING FOR UTILITIES, UM, IN THEIR REVIEW, AND THEY, THEY CONCENTRATE, THEY HAVE DIFFERENT DISCIPLINES. SO OUR SECTOR, THE UTILITY SECTOR, THEY'RE LOOKING FOR WHICH MANAGEMENT TEAMS ARE REALLY PAYING ATTENTION TO HOW THINGS ARE SHIFTING IN FRONT OF THEM AND WHAT, WHAT COULD THE FUTURE HOLD IN TERMS OF NEW OPPORTUNITIES. SO WE WERE ABLE TO TALK TO THEM ABOUT, IT'S, IT'S MUCH OF THE SAME INFORMATION THAT WE KEEP TALKING TO YOU ABOUT, AND WE'RE WORKING WITH THE CITY MANAGER AND, AND ALL, ALL OF YOU THINKING ABOUT THE FUTURE AND THE MAYOR ABOUT WHAT SMART CITY LOOKS LIKE AND WHAT TECHNOLOGY LOOKS LIKE, WHAT RESILIENT, HOW DO YOU MAKE YOUR, YOUR SYSTEMS RESILIENT. BUT, BUT NOT EVERY UTILITY COMES IN AND IS IN THAT PLACE. SO THAT IS THAT SLIDE. UM, THIS IS, UH, WHEN YOU SEE THAT LITTLE ODD KIND OF SPIKY CLOUD, UM, ON THE SCREEN, WHAT THAT IS, IT'S, IT'S MY TRIGGER TO REMEMBER THAT IN SOME WAY. THIS SLIDE WAS INSPIRED BY A QUESTION THAT CAME UP FROM, FROM, UM, THE LAST MEETING. AND, UM, WHAT THE QUESTION WAS, AND I DON'T THINK WE GOT A CHANCE TO EXPLORE ALL THE DEPTHS OF IT, BUT THE QUESTION WAS, UM, WHAT ABOUT CORE DO YOU THINK ABOUT IN TERMS OF THE CORE ASPECTS OF YOUR BUSINESS AND NON-CORE? AND I THINK AT THE TIME, UM, WHEN I WAS ASKED, UM, I WILL FIRST AND FOREMOST SAY AGAIN, WE STAY FOCUSED ON ENERGY TYPE SOLUTIONS AND THINGS THAT WE BELIEVE WILL SUPPORT THE INDUSTRY, SUPPORT THE COMPANY AND ITS MISSION TO MAKE SURE THAT WE, UH, SUPPLY RELIABLE, AFFORDABLE POWER TO THIS COMMUNITY AND EVERY MEMBER IN IT. SO THAT IS OUR CORE. UM, AND LIKE I SAID BEFORE, PEOPLE OFTENTIMES MIGHT ASK US, DO, DO WE WANNA DO SOMETHING ELSE? AND THE ONE OF THE MOST SIMPLE ONES IS, UM, YOU KNOW, IF WE, WE ARE A BUILDER CONSTRUCTOR, SO WE ACTUALLY OVERSEE THE CONSTRUCTION OF OUR PLANTS AND OTHER THINGS. SO EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE PEOPLE WILL ASK US, WOULD YOU LIKE TO DO A BILL CONSTRUCT FOR THEIR, OR FOR THEIR ORGANIZATION? BUT WE DO NOT. WE ACTUALLY FOCUS ON WHAT IS NEEDED FOR OUR P POWER PLANT AND OUR ACTIVITIES. AND SO THAT'S AN EXAMPLE. BUT WHAT YOU HAVE HERE, UM, ON THIS SLIDE IS, I, I KIND OF SAID, THE STUFF THAT YOU NORMALLY HEAR FROM US IS OUR CORE. WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT THE, THE BROADWAY THAT WE PROVIDE POWER, EVERY ASPECT OF THAT IS WHAT WE FOCUS ON. AND THEN ON THE BOTTOM, YOU'LL SEE THAT WE'RE ADDING SMART CITY BECAUSE THAT IS A NEW OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL OF US. BUT I'LL GIVE YOU A COUPLE OF EXAMPLES OF THINGS THAT WE FELT WEREN'T CORE. IT DIDN'T MATTER WHETHER WE OWNED THE ASSET OR LEASE THE ASSET. UM, AND SO WE MADE SOME CHANGES. SO BACK IN 2007, UM, WE HAD A LIGNITE MINE. AND UM, WAY BEFORE THAT WE HAD ACTUALLY THOUGHT ABOUT DOING SOME OF OUR GENERATION THROUGH, UM, LIGNITE FOSSIL FUEL. AND FOR MANY REASONS WE FELT LIKE WE DIDN'T NEED ANOTHER TYPE OF, UM, HIGH CARBON BASED, UH, SOURCE OF GENERATION. AND SO IN, UH, 2007, WE SOLD IT. AND EVEN WITH THAT, WE STILL HAVE SOME OF THE BEST DIVERSIFICATION IN OUR PORTFOLIO IN THE INDUSTRY BECAUSE WE HAVE SUCH A DIVERSE MIX OF EXISTING TYPES OF GENERATION. WE WERE COVERED AND WE DID NOT NEED THIS. UM, THE SECOND ONE IS RADIO TOWERS. WE USE RADIO TOWERS FOR SOME OF OUR COMMUNICATION, BUT PRIMARILY THOSE TOWERS WERE BEING LEASED TO OTHERS. AND WE DIDN'T NEED THEM FOR THE CORE, THE, THE BACKBONE OF THE COMMUNICATION SYSTEM. WE COULD USE THE RADIO TOWERS, BUT THEY WILL BE NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN TECHNOLOGY AS FAR AS COMMUNICATION IS CONCERNED. SO WE, WE TOOK THOSE ASSETS AND SOLD THEM. IT'S JUST AS GOOD FOR US TO LEASE A PORTION EXACTLY WHAT WE NEED INSTEAD OF HAVING ALL OF THE ASSET. AND WE LET ANOTHER ENTITY THAT IS IN THE RADIO TOWER MANAGEMENT BUSINESS RUN THAT. SO THOSE ARE THE TYPES OF THINGS YOU CAN SEE. THEY'RE KIND OF FAR BETWEEN AND THEY'RE, THEY'RE, THEY'RE MEATY, BUT THEY'RE NOT, WHEN YOU'RE [03:45:01] TALKING ABOUT $11 BILLION BUSINESS, THEY'RE NOT THE BIGGEST THINGS IN THE WORLD. SO WE WON'T NECESSARILY HOLD ON TO ANY TYPE OF BUSINESS, EVEN IF HISTORICALLY WE'VE HAD IT, WE ALWAYS THINK ABOUT IS IT, IS IT IMPORTANT OR ARE WE GONNA NEED TO PUT OUR RESOURCES IN SOME OTHER ASSET MANAGEMENT? UM, SO I WANNA TALK A LITTLE BIT, UM, ABOUT OUR BUSINESS. AND THIS IS KIND OF THE PRECURSOR BY LOOKING AT, UM, OUR CONFIGURATION AND THEN OUR CONNECTION TO THE ERCOT GRID. SO THIS IS A PRETTY SIMPLISTIC, UM, GRAPHIC, BUT ON ONE SIDE OF IT, YOU SEE GENERATION TYPES, EVERYTHING FROM POWER PLANT, TRADITIONAL POWER PLANTS TO SOLAR, UM, ENERGY STORAGE, WHICH WE ARE ON TRACK TO DO OUR ENERGY STORAGE, UH, PROJECT WITH SOUTHWEST RESEARCH INSTITUTE. THAT'S ON ONE SIDE. AND ON THE OTHER SIDE, OF COURSE IS THE DELIVERY OF THAT POWER TO OUR CUSTOMERS AND THE USE OF TECHNOLOGY ON THE OTHER SIDE. SO YOU TRADITIONALLY HAVE METERS. WE, WE ARE 90% CONVERTED ON OUR METER PROJECT, SO 90% OF OUR METERS ARE NOW DIGITAL. AND THIS YEAR WE WILL COMPLETE THE PROJECT AND BE FULLY DIGITAL IN TERMS OF, OF METERS. NOW SOME, A SMALL, SMALL PORTION OF CUSTOMERS HAVE OPTED OUT OF THOSE METERS, AND WE, WE HAVE A MECHANISM FOR THAT TO HAPPEN, BUT THE MAJORITY OF OUR CUSTOMERS OBVIOUSLY WILL BE IN THESE NEW TECHNOLOGIES. BUT IT ALSO IS THE MECHANISM WHERE WE GET DISTRIBUTED GENERATION, PEOPLE PUT SOLAR SYSTEMS ON THEIR HOUSE OR THEY PARTICIPATE IN OUR SOLAR PROGRAMS ON THE OTHER END, IN THE MIDDLE, YOU SEE, UM, IT'S KIND OF THE TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION GRID, AND THAT IS THE BACKBONE FOR OUR SYSTEMS, AND WE MAINTAIN THE DISTRIBUTION AND TRANSMISSION SYSTEMS HERE. AND IT IS THE CONNECTION TO EVERY OTHER ASPECT OF ERCOT ACROSS THIS. ITS COMP COMPOSITION FOR THE STATE. SO THAT'S THE CORE. IF WE GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, UM, SO ERCOT IS ACTUALLY, IT'S AN INDEPENDENT SYSTEM OPERATIONS SYSTEM, AND THAT WE ACTUALLY HAVE THEM ACROSS THE NATION. BUT ERCOT IS THE, THE SYSTEM THAT SUPPLIES, UH, SAN ANTONIO AND, AND THE BIG TEXAS CITIES, ABOUT 90% OF TEXAS, NOT ALL OF IT, BUT 90% OF TEXAS IS ACTUALLY MANAGED THROUGH THE ERCOT SYSTEM. AND WHAT'S MAIN FOCUS, I MEAN IT'S A, IT'S BASED IN AUSTIN, BUT IT'S MAIN FOCUS IS TO MAKE SURE THAT THE ENTIRE SYSTEM IS RELIABLE. THEY'RE LOOKING AT THE INPUTS AND OUTPUTS OF THE SYSTEM CONSTANTLY. IT'S A 24 HOUR BUSINESS AS WELL. UM, THEY'RE MAKING SURE THAT, UM, A CITY LIKE SAN ANTONIO, WHAT WHAT WE DO, AND I'LL TALK ABOUT IT SOME MORE. WHAT WE DO IS WE PRODUCE POWER AND WE TECHNICALLY PUT IT THROUGH A SYSTEM WHERE ALL THE POWER IS AVAILABLE AND THEN WE PULL POWER BACK AND BUY IT BACK FOR THE CUSTOMER NEEDS FOR THE ACTUAL DEMAND. THAT SYSTEM OF MAKING THAT HAPPEN IS MANAGED THROUGH ERCOT, AND THAT'S PRIMARILY DEDICATED. MOST OF ALL OF OUR EFFORTS ARE DEDICATED FOR SUPPLYING POWER HERE, BUT EXCESS POWER, WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO PRODUCE MORE. AND I'LL TELL YOU WHY THAT'S A GOOD THING IN A SECOND HERE, BUT THAT EXCESS POWER ACTUALLY CAN BE BY BOUGHT BY OTHERS IN THE STATE. AND SO WE PUT THAT AND MAKE THAT AVAILABLE, BROKER THAT OUT. IT'S A COMPETITIVE BID PROCESS. UM, WHAT, THIS IS ONE WAY THAT WE KNOW THAT WE ARE PAYING ATTENTION AND WATCHING MARKET PRICES ALL THE TIME BECAUSE WE LOOK AT IT IN TERMS OF KEEPING OUR COSTS LOW AND COM AND MAKING SURE THAT THOSE PRICES ARE VERY COMPARABLE, IF NOT THE EXACT PRICING THAT YOU'LL SEE IN THE ERCOT MARKET. AND THEN WE ALSO GET PEOPLE BUYING OUR POWER. SO WE KNOW THAT WE'RE SELLING THAT AT AFFORDABLE AND COMPETITIVE MARKET PRICES. SO ULTIMATELY THE, THE ERCOT GRID MAKES SURE THAT THAT IS HAPPENING ALL THE TIME. AND WE ARE A BIG PRODUCER, BUT SAN ANTONIO'S THE SEVENTH LARGEST CITY IN THE, IN THE, IN THE NATION. SO OUR ACTIVITIES AND THE WAY THAT WE GO BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN NATIVE LOAD, WHAT WE CALL OUR RETAIL CUSTOMERS AND OUR WHOLESALE CUSTOMERS, IS VERY FLUID. WE HAVE A TRADING, UM, A TRANSACTIONAL FLOOR JUST LIKE ANY OTHER BIG GENERATING UNIT THAT'S SELLING ITS POWER. AND WE ARE WATCHING THAT MARKET CONSTANTLY AND MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE ABLE TO PRODUCE, UM, POWER AND REACT AS NEEDED. IF YOU PRODUCE IT AND YOU SAY YOU'RE GONNA DELIVER IT, YOU HAVE TO DELIVER IT. AND THAT'S THE ESSENCE OF MAKING SURE THE WHOLE SYSTEM STAYS RELIABLE OVER TIME. OKAY. LET'S SEE IF THERE'S SOMETHING ELSE. SO THIS GRAPH MAY BE A LITTLE HARD TO READ, BUT THE, THERE'S A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT ARE INTERESTING ABOUT THE ERCOT MARKET. UM, IT IS BASICALLY CONSIDERED AN ISLAND, AND IT'S BECAUSE IT IS NOT ACTUALLY TRANSACTING POWER BUSINESS ACROSS INTERSTATE LINES. THAT'S, THAT'S IT, IT IS REALLY SELF-CONTAINED AND THE POWER GENERATED HERE PRIMARILY IS HAPPENING HERE. THERE ARE SPECIAL EXCEPTIONS AND VEHICLES, BUT IT'S NOT A NORMAL DAILY TRANSACTIONAL EFFORT TO DO ANYTHING ACROSS STATE LINES. BUT EVERY OTHER ONE OF THOSE SYSTEMS THAT YOU SEE OUT THERE, THEY CAN EXCHANGE POWER ALL THE WAY THROUGH. AND THOSE ARE SEPARATE. I ISOS NOW WE, IT, IT IS, IT IS ALSO RELEVANT BECAUSE [03:50:02] SINCE WE ARE NOT COSTING STRAIGHT LINES, WE ARE NOT SUBJECT TO ALL OF THE REGULATIONS FROM FERC. AND WE, WE MONITOR THEM, WE LOOK AT THEM, WE LOOK AT THE, THE BEST ESSENCE OF WHAT THEY'RE TRYING TO ACHIEVE, BUT WE ARE NOT ACTUALLY HAVING TO COMPLY WITH THOSE REGULATIONS. AND I'LL GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE OF WHERE THAT KIND OF POPPED UP RECENTLY, WHETHER OR NOT IT WAS GONNA HAVE TO APPLY TO US. UM, SO FROM THIS PERSPECTIVE, WE ARE ABSOLUTELY FOCUSED ON THE TEXAS MARKET AND THE RELIABILITY. I THINK ONE OF THE QUESTIONS THAT CAME UP LAST TIME WAS, DOESN'T, I THINK THAT WAS FROM YOU, UM, UH, MANNY, UH, FROM US ABOUT, UH, WHETHER OR NOT THAT ALSO MAKES US VULNERABLE TO SOME DEGREE. UM, IT DOES MAKE US VULNERABLE TO SOME DEGREE. UH, BUT, BUT I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT, UM, I EXPLAIN IT'S VULNERABLE. 'CAUSE IF, FOR EXAMPLE, I'LL GO BACK TO THE, THE SNOWSTORM AND THIS, UH, I WILL HIGHLIGHT THAT A COUPLE OF TIMES IN THE PRESENTATION HERE. THE SNOWSTORM, WE WERE ACTUALLY DOING SOME MAINTENANCE ON THE TRANSMISSION SYSTEM FOR HERE IN SAN ANTONIO THAT NIGHT. AND IF EVERYBODY RECALLS THE SNOW WAS NOT SUPPOSED TO COME AND OUR SERVICE, TERRI WAS SUPPOSED TO BYPASS US, BUT OF COURSE IT, IT HIT US. AND SO WE'D ACTUALLY TAKEN DOWN SOME OF THE CAPACITY IN THE MARKET AND ULTIMATELY WE WERE GETTING A LARGE DEMAND BECAUSE THE TEMPERATURES WERE GOING DOWN AND PEOPLE WERE RAISING THEIR NEED FOR POWER. SO WE, BUT WE WERE IN CONTACT WITH ERCOT THAT WHOLE TIME. WE WERE HAVING CONSTANT CONVERSATIONS, WE WERE HAVING INTERNAL CON CONVERSATIONS, WE WERE LOOKING AT OUR SYSTEM FROM OUR, UM, EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT CENTER AND REALLY WORKING ON THE RELIABILITY OF THE GRID ACROSS THE ENTIRE STATE. THAT IS ACTUALLY THE STRENGTH, AND IT IS A WEAKNESS, BUT IT'S ALSO A STRENGTH BECAUSE WHEN WE'RE ABLE TO LOOK AT THE ENTIRE SYSTEM, UM, FLOW AND BALANCE IT ACROSS THE SYSTEM, AND WHEN THEY SAW THAT WE HAD A PROBLEM WITH CAPACITY HERE IN SAN ANTONIO, EVERYONE WAS ON HIGH ALERT AND EVERYONE WAS PROBLEM SOLVING, WE DID NOT HAVE AN ISSUE. THERE WERE NO, NO REPERCUSSIONS FROM THAT. BUT THAT'S HOW INTEGRAL THESE SYSTEMS ARE, AND THEY ARE VERY, VERY IMPORTANT. GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE. OKAY, SO, UM, JUST TO REITERATE, SO HOW DOES IT, YOU KNOW, HOW DOES IT WORK AGAIN, ALL GENERATORS BASICALLY PRODUCE THEIR POWER AND PUT 'EM IN THE MARKET. AND THAT IS SUPPLY, THAT IS WHAT IS AVAILABLE FOR PEOPLE TO CONSUME. AND THEN WE ARE MA WE ARE MEASURING ALL THE TIME THE ACTUAL USAGE THAT HAPPENS HERE, THAT HAPPENS AT HOMES AND OTHER BUSINESSES AND LOCATIONS. AND THAT IS THE NEED OR THE DEMAND ON THE SYSTEM. THE ERCOT SYSTEM IS SO SOPHISTICATED, UM, MINUTES AT A TIME, FIVE MINUTES AT A TIME, 15 MINUTES AT A TIME, DEPENDING ON WHAT THE TRANSACTION IS. THE ERCOT MARKET IS MOVING POWER AND TRANSACTION ALL THE TIME ACROSS ALL, UM, SOURCES OF SUPPLY AND ALL NEEDS OF DEMAND. AND THAT'S, THAT'S WHY THEY CALL IT ULTIMATELY A MARKET. AND IT DOES TRIGGER OFF OF THINGS LIKE COMMODITIES, LIKE THE PRICE OF GAS. UM, PRICE OF GAS BASICALLY STILL SETS MARKET PRICES. THE GREAT THING ABOUT THE THE SUPPLY OF GAS RIGHT NOW IS THERE'S A LOT OF IT AND IT IS HELPING KEEPING PRICES VERY AFFORDABLE IN, IN THE MARKET. SO THAT IS, THAT IS THE BASIS OF IT, AND IT CONTINUES TO FUNCTION VERY, VERY WELL. UM, I DON'T, SO I THINK I HAVE HIT, I THINK I'VE ACTUALLY HIT EVERY POINT OF THAT. LET'S GO TO THE NEXT ONE. SO NOW I THINK THE LAST TIME I WAS HERE, I KIND OF HIGHLIGHTED FOR YOU THAT, UH, SEVERAL YEARS AGO WE DECIDED TO BUY THE RIO PLANT. WE'RE GONNA CLOSE THE DELEY UNITS THIS YEAR. WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT IT A LONG TIME, BUT THE DELEY UNITS ARE GONNA GET DEACTIVATED THIS YEAR. AND THAT WAS A DECISION THAT WE THOUGHT ABOUT AND WE, WE REALLY THOUGHT WE WERE OVER LEVERAGED IN COAL. WE HAD TOO MUCH COAL AND WE NEEDED TO HAVE A BETTER DIVERSIFICATION MIX. AND I BELIEVE I SHOWED THAT TO YOU LAST TIME. AND THEN ALSO I MENTIONED THERE WERE THREE OTHER UNITS THAT, OR COAL UNITS THAT ARE GOING TO BE, UM, SHUT DOWN. AND THE NOTICE HAS BEEN RECEIVED BY ERCOT. UM, THE INTERESTING THING IS THAT IT, IT IS STARTING TO ERODE FOR THIS YEAR SOME OF THE OVERALL CAPACITY. SO IF THOSE PLANTS AREN'T ABLE TO GENERATE POWER, THE CAPACITY LEVELS WILL COME DOWN. AND SO, UM, ERCOT RECENTLY NOTIFIED ALL MARKET PARTICIPANTS. THIS IS PROBABLY THE FIRST TIME IN A LONG TIME THAT WHAT WE CALL OUR EXCESS MEASUREMENT, OUR RESERVE MARGIN IS GONNA GO BELOW 10%. UM, IS THAT DIRE? I DON'T THINK IT'S DIRE. I BELIEVE THE ERCOT MARKET HAS, UM, GREAT ABILITY TO MANAGE IT. THEY'RE THINKING ABOUT IT PROACTIVELY. AND, BUT WHAT IT IS, IS WE'VE NOTIFIED EVERYBODY AND WE'RE ALL THINKING ABOUT MAKE DOING, YOU KNOW, MORE FOCUS, MORE COMMUNICATION, MAKING SURE THAT ALL THE MAINTENANCE IS UP ON THE PLANTS THAT WE CAN, BECAUSE WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT THE PLANTS ARE AVAILABLE TO OPERATE [03:55:01] BROADLY ACROSS THE MARKET. BUT I NEEDED TO MAKE SURE THAT, AND I TELL AS MANY PEOPLE AS I CAN, THIS IS A BIG DEAL FOR THEM TO NOTIFY THAT IT'S GONNA GO BELOW. NOW THERE ARE A COUPLE OF UNITS COMING ON, AND SO IT'LL START TO COME BACK UP AGAIN, BUT THIS YEAR, 2018 WILL BE A YEAR WHERE WE'LL HAVE ONE OF THE, THE TIGHTEST RESERVE MARGINS IN, IN A LONG TIME. UM, ANOTHER THING THAT'S INTERESTING THAT HAP THAT'S HAPPENING IN THE ERCOT MARKET, IF YOU LOOK AT THE 90% OF THE STATE, UM, SO KIND OF ON THE OUTSKIRTS NORTH AREA MOSTLY, UM, THERE ARE PARTS OF IT THAT YOU CAN SEE THAT WE ARE NOT, ERCOT IS NOT SERVING. UM, ON THE EDGE, UH, IS, UH, LUBBOCK, LUBBOCK IS ONE OF THOSE CITIES CURRENTLY THAT IS NOT IN OUR MARKET. THEY'RE IN THE CALIFORNIA I S O KIND OF REGION OUT THERE. AND, UM, AND THEY'VE ACTUALLY REQUESTED OF ERCOT TO COME IN AND BE A MEMBER OF THE ERCOT MARKET. UM, I, YOU KNOW, THE, SOME OF THE HEADLINES READ BECAUSE THE PRICING'S GOOD IN ERCOT BECAUSE OF, AGAIN, GAS IS SO LOW WHEN THE ABUNDANCE HERE, OUR MARKET PRICES ARE, ARE VERY ADVANTAGEOUS. SO IT, I DON'T KNOW, UH, THE INTRICACIES OF THAT, BUT BASICALLY EXPECT THEM TO BE ABLE TO GET IN. THE OTHER THING THAT THEY ANNOUNCED IS AN INTENT WHEN THEY DO COME BACK IN IS THAT THEY, YOU KNOW, THEY CURRENTLY LOCALLY SUPPLIED WITH THEIR ENERGY, BUT THEY ARE GOING TO CONSIDER OPENING UP THEIR MARKET FROM THE COMPETITIVE MARKET, MAKING IT LIKE A HOUSTON OR A DALLAS OR A CORPUS CHRISTI. UM, AND, AND I, YOU KNOW, I'M MORE THAN WILLING TO COME BY AND TALK TO YOU SOME MORE AND SHOW YOU SOME OF THE ARTICLES ON THAT. IT'S KIND OF INTERESTING. UM, SAN ANTONIO OBVIOUSLY ELECTS NOT TO BE IN THE COMPETITIVE MARKET. AND THE KEY POINT I HAVE IN THE GOLD BOX IS WHEN YOU OWN GENERATION, THIS COMMUNITY IN FACT OWNS ALL THE GENERATION. SO IT IS IN FACT ITS ASSET AND, BUT LUBBOCK DOES NOT. SO FOR IT, IT IS A, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S NOT A STRATEGIC PERSPECTIVE FROM, FROM WHAT THEY'RE DOING. AND SINCE THEY DON'T HAVE A GENERATION, THEY CAN JUST GO IN THE COMPETITIVE MARKET AND DO THAT FOR US, WE GIVE OUR CUSTOMERS ALL THE BENEFITS OF THE COMPETITIVE MARKET, BUT ALSO WE CONTROL ALL OF THAT CAPACITY. IT ALSO PROTECTS US BECAUSE IF THERE ARE SPIKES IN THE MARKET WHEN, WHEN THERE ARE SPIKES IN THE MARKET, BUT WE'RE ABLE TO PRODUCE POWER, WE PROTECT OUR CUSTOMERS FROM SPIKES. UM, IF YOU DON'T HAVE YOUR GENERATION AND YOU DON'T CONTROL IT, YOU ARE NOT PROTECTED. AND SO WHEN SPIKES DO OCCUR, LIKE WHEN THE RESERVE MARGINS GET LOW AND SOME GLITCH HAPPENS ON THE SYSTEM, THE CITY, THE COMMUNITY IS EXPOSED TO THOSE SPIKES IN PRICES. SO WE STILL BELIEVE AND, AND APPRECIATE THE FACT THAT THE COMMUNITY OWNS THESE ASSETS. WE MANAGE 'EM FOR THAT PURPOSE. IT PROTECTS FROM PRICE SPIKINESS, AND IT HELPS US KEEP THE PRICES AFFORDABLE FOR THE SYSTEM. OKAY, LET'S SEE, WHAT'S THE NEXT ONE? IS IT 20 MINUTES? OKAY, THEN SEE THAT SHE DID, SHE WENT LIKE THAT . SO I'M GONNA STOP AND, UH, WOULD ANYBODY LIKE ME TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS RIGHT NOW? YES SIR. COUNCILMAN, COURAGE. UM, CAN YOU TELL US ON AVERAGE, WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE PRICE WE GET FOR WHAT WE PURCHASE AND THEN, UH, OR WHAT WE PRODUCE COMPARED WITH THE COST WHEN WE BUY IT TO DELIVER IT TO OUR CLIENTS? IS IT EVEN, IT'S, IT'S PRETTY MUCH EVEN WE, WE BID IN OUR PRICE OF PRODUCTION INTO THE MARKET. SO FOR US, IT'S, IT'S THE SAME, BUT IT, WHAT ABOUT THE EXCESS THAT WE HAVE? UM, SO IF YOU LOOK AT IT, IT KIND, IT KIND OF DEPENDS ON A LOT OF THINGS, BUT THERE'LL BE A RANGE OF PRICING. SO I KIND OF TALKED ABOUT THE SPIKY END, RIGHT? WHEN THERE'S CAPACITY ISSUES, UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S NOT UNCOMMON FOR US TO SEE PRICES OF A MEGAWATT HOUR, LIKE A HUNDRED BUCKS, 70 BUCKS, A HUNDRED BUCKS. IN REALITY, THE MARKET IS SET UP TO ACCEPT PRICES IN THE 9,000 PER MEGAWATT HOUR, UM, ISSUE. AND THAT'S, THAT IS SUPPOSED TO AGAIN, UM, PROVIDE RISK AND REWARD FOR, UH, ENTITIES THAT CAN ACTUALLY RELIABLY PRODUCE POWER AND MAKE SURE THAT THERE'S INCENTIVE TO KEEP INVESTING IN THE ASSETS. SO YOU CAN SEE THAT WE HAVE NOT SEEN THAT, I DUNNO IF YOU'VE EVER SEEN 9,000, MAYBE ONCE, MAYBE 4,500. SO IT IS NOT, IT'S NOT TYPICAL THAT TO AT ALL GET, UM, WAY ABOVE THE HUNDREDS. UM, THE INTERESTING THING IS AT NIGHT AND, AND OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS, WE'VE SEEN PRICES START TO GO DOWN. AND SO, UM, WE CAN, WE CAN GET TO A FAIRLY LOW LEVEL NOW, I WILL TELL YOU THIS, WE CAN TO A FAIRLY LEVEL, AND YOU CAN SEE IT IN THE TEENS, YOU CAN SEE PRICE PER MEGAWATT HOUR IN THE TEENS. IF BY CHANCE IT IS CHEAPER FOR US TO PURCHASE THE POWER THAT SIGNIFICANTLY, THEN WE CAN PRODUCE IT, THEN WE WILL BUY IT SO [04:00:01] THAT, SO WE TREAT IT LIKE A TRUE MARKET OPPORTUNITY. OKAY. THANK YOU COUNCILMAN. COURAGE. COUNCILMAN PERRY. THAT'S VERY INTERESTING. THANK YOU. UM, YES, BUT SO BASICALLY HOW, WHAT PERCENTAGE OF THE, WHAT PERCENTAGE OF THE TIME DO WE PURCHASE POWER FROM ERCOT VERSUS USING OUR OWN POWER? WELL, THE WAY THE SYSTEM WORKS, IT IS ALL, IT ALL GOES IN AND ALL COMES OUT. SO WE ACTUALLY PURCHASE A HUNDRED PERCENT BACK IN ABOUT 15% OF THE POWER IS, IS EXCESS WHOLESALE POWER. BUT EVERY ONE OF OUR MEGAWATTS ACTUALLY GOES IN AND SOLD AND EVERY MEGAWATT COMES BACK OUT AND IS PURCHASED. BUT HOW, LET'S SAY WE JUST PRODUCED OUR OWN POWER AND USED OUR OWN POWER MM-HMM. , WOULD THAT BE COMPETITIVE TO THAT PRICE THAT WE'RE PURCHASING FROM ERCOT? YES, BECAUSE WE'RE STILL BIDDING IN AND IT'S, AND IT'S NEUTRALIZED IN, IN THE SYSTEM. SO, UM, WE ARE STILL MONITORING WHETHER OR NOT OUR PRICE OF PRODUCTION IS WHAT'S ACTUALLY TRADING. AND LIKE I SAID BEFORE, IF IT CAN'T, IF YOU'RE, IF YOU'RE ASKING ME HOW OFTEN IS IT THAT WE BUY OUTSIDE OF OUR MARKET, I, I WOULD SAY NOT MAYBE IN THE 20% RANGE, BUT I CONFIRM THAT UP AND GET BACK TO YOU. SO WHAT IF WE, UH, JUST WITHDRAW FROM ERCOT, HAVE OUR OWN SYSTEM, PRODUCE OUR OWN POWER FROM A REG, OR USE IT CHEAPER? WELL, FROM A REGULATORY STANDPOINT, I'M NOT SURE WE CAN AND, AND, AND ADDITIONALLY, SO WE DO HAVE THIS INVESTMENT, BUT IT ALSO HELPS US IF, IF FOR EXAMPLE, AGAIN, WE HAD TRANSMISSION DOWN AND SO IF OUR TRANSMISSION IS DOWN AND WE CAN'T SUPPLY THAT, IT IS BETTER FOR US TO BE ABLE TO HAVE A MECHANISM TO ACTUALLY BE ABLE TO BUY THAT OFF THE MARKET TO COVER THE NEED. SO THE WHOLE MARKET IS EXTREMELY HELPFUL LEGALLY. I DON'T KNOW IF WE COULD GET OUT IF WE WANTED TO, BUT I THINK PRACTICALLY IT WOULDN'T BE GREAT IN THE LONG TERM. YOUR ASSETS ALSO START TO AGE OVER TIME. AND SO TO REALLY MAKE SURE THAT YOU HAVE THE MOST ROBUST RELIABILITY, THIS MARKET IS EXTREMELY HELPFUL TO, TO SAN ANTONIANS AS WELL AS, UM, OUR PRODUCTION BEING HELPFUL TO THE REST OF TEXAS. UH, I'D STILL LIKE TO TAKE A LOOK AT THAT. I MEAN, I LOOK AT IT, WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE NOT CONNECTED TO THE NATIONAL GRID. WE ARE NOT AS, SO THAT'S ALREADY ISLANDED SEPARATED. MM-HMM. . SO WHAT IF WE SEPARATED A LITTLE BIT MORE? WE WILL COME BY AND TALK TO YOU ABOUT THAT. GREAT. THANK YOU. OKAY. THAT'S ALL, SIR. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN PERRY. COUNCILWOMAN SANDOVAL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR, FOR THE PRESENTATION. UH, COUNCILMAN PERRY BRINGS UP SOME INTERESTING, UH, QUESTIONS AND SO I, I GUESS I HAVE SOME TOO. OKAY. UM, ALONG THE SAME VEIN, SO IT SEEMS LIKE OUR DIVERSITY IS ACTUALLY EMBEDDED IN ERCOT IN TERMS OF WE DON'T NECESSARILY HAVE TO PROVIDE A DIVERSE POWER SUPPLY IF WE'RE BUYING SOME OF THE ENERGY OUT OF ERCOT, RIGHT? THEY'RE, THEY'RE RECEIVING THE ENERGY FROM OTHER PLACES. YOU LOOK VERY CONFUSED. I'M NOT EXPLAINING MYSELF PROPERLY. YEAH. OKAY. UM, SO HOW MUCH ENERGY GOES THROUGH ERCOT? ALL, ALL THE LOCAL, ALL THE STATE PRODUCERS ARE SENDING IT IN? WE DO ABOUT, UM, WE, WE HAVE A CAPACITY OF ABOUT 7,000. WE'RE PROBABLY REGULARLY PEAKING, UM, UNDER 4,000 OF THE MEGAWATTS, EVEN AT OUR P UNDER 5,000 IS COMING FROM US, AND THE MASS MARKET IS ABOUT 70,000 MEGAWATTS. OKAY. AND, UM, I GUESS IT'S MORE EXPENSIVE IF WE, IF WE DIDN'T HAVE ANY OF OUR OWN PRODUCTION, BASICALLY WE WOULDN'T, WE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO SELL IT. RIGHT. AND THEN BUY IT BACK. WELL, IF, WHAT, WHAT HA LET'S SAY, LET'S SAY WE HAD NO GENERATION, I THINK THAT'S YOUR THAT'S RIGHT. IF, YOU KNOW, IF YOU HAD NO GENERATION AND YOU COULD LOOK AT IT DIFFERENT WAYS. IF WE HAD NO GENERATION, YOU SAID, I JUST, WHY SHOULD WE EVEN HAVE GENERATION GET RID OF IT? AND LET'S GO INTO THE, TO THE ERCOT MARKET AND DO IT? I MEAN, DOES IT HAVE A LOT OF CAPACITY? IT DOES, EXCEPT AGAIN, UM, THEN YOU HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT EVERY OTHER, UH, ENTITY IS GOING TO KEEP ALL THEIR PLANTS ONLINE AND JUST LIKE WE CLOSED OURS, UM, THREE OTHERS, LARGE PRODUCERS ARE CLOSING THEIRS. SO EVENTUALLY, IF THAT RESERVE MARGIN GETS TIGHT AND YOU HAVE ISSUES, YOU, YOU ARE MORE EXPOSED TO MARKET VOLATILITY. IF YOU HAD NONE, YOU DIDN'T HAVE YOUR OWN GENERATION HERE. OUR, OUR GEN OUR GENERATION IN FACT PROTECTS US FROM ANY IRREGULARITIES, EXTREME IRREGULARITIES OUT IN THE MARKET TODAY. UM, VICE VERSA, IF YOU SAID, IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN WHETHER OR NOT IT'S BETTER FOR US NOT TO, NOT TO, YOU KNOW, IF YOU'RE SAYING IS GENERATION DIVERSITY REALLY IMPORTANT WHEN YOU'VE [04:05:01] GOT ALL THESE DIFFERENT MIXES OUT THERE? UM, WE THINK WE ARE BECAUSE WE ARE A LEADER IN WIND AND WE'RE A LEADER IN, IN SOLAR, AND SO IN THIS STATE THAT IS HEAVY GAS AND CARBON BASE, WE HAVEN'T SEEN AS MANY ENTITIES ACTUALLY PROMOTE AS MUCH AS WE HAVE. AND SO FOR, FOR US DIVERSIFICATION AND BEING ABLE TO HAVE ALL OF THOSE GENERATION TYPES MAKES SENSE AND IT MAKES SENSE. ALL THE BENEFIT COMES HERE, BUT, BUT YOU'RE NOT NECESSARILY GONNA GET THAT IN AN OPEN MARKET FOR EVERY, FOR THE WHOLE MARKET TO SAY WE DON'T HAVE AN, UH, A STANDARD AND SO THERE, THERE'S NOT A GOAL FOR PEOPLE TO PUT IN RENEWABLE ACROSS THE, THE STATE OF TEXAS. SO WE CAN DO THOSE THINGS HERE INDEPENDENTLY AND WE HAVE THE CONTROL TO DO THAT. MM-HMM. . OKAY. UH, THAT'S KIND OF WHERE, WHERE I'M GETTING AT IS, UH, I, I, I APPRECIATE THAT WE HAVE SO MUCH WIND AND SOLAR, BUT UM, I'M NOT SURE WE TOTALLY NEED TO HAVE ALL THE OTHER, LIKE THE COAL ONLINE. I, I UNDERSTAND IT'S AN INVESTMENT THAT'S ALREADY BEEN MADE, UM, BUT GIVEN THE LOCAL, YOU KNOW, AIR QUALITY OR HEALTH IMPACTS, IF WE CAN GET THE ADDITIONAL ENERGY FROM THE ERCOT MARKET, THEN, UM, TO ME IT'S JUST, IT'S, IT'S AN IMPORTANT PIECE OF INFORMATION THAT YOU'VE CONVEYED TO US, SO SURE. SO THANK YOU FOR THAT. UM, AND, AND AGAIN, BE GLAD TO COME BY AND TALK TO YOU ABOUT THAT. BUT A COUPLE OF THINGS LIKE WHEN THE RENEWABLE, UM, GENERATION PERSPECTIVES ARE SET UP PRIMARILY IN PPAS, SO PURCHASE POWER AGREEMENTS, AND SO, UM, THEY'RE NOT OUT IN THE COMPETITIVE MARKET LIKE A GAS UNIT OR A COAL UNIT, SO WE DON'T NECESSARILY HAVE THE ABILITY, WE, WE CAN GO CREATE ANOTHER DEAL AND DO SOME MORE PPAS, BUT THEY'RE NOT AVAILABLE FOR US BY DAY TO JUST GO OUT AND, AND DO IT EASILY IN, IN, IN OPEN MARKET. THAT'S ONE THING. I'D SAY THE OTHER THING I WOULD SAY IS, WHILE, WHILE WE ARE MOVING AWAY FROM OVER TIME THESE FOSSIL FUEL GENERATION UNITS AND GOING TO RENEWABLES, THEY ARE THE, THEY ARE THE FOUNDATION TO GET TO RENEWABLES BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, I MEAN WE HAVE THESE CONVERSATIONS, IT'S GONNA TAKE A WHILE FOR ENERGY STORAGE TO MAKE THE RENEWABLES REALLY FIRMED UP. AND SO WE NEED 'EM FOR RELIABILITY. EVEN IF, IF WE HAD A CHOICE TODAY TO GO A HUNDRED PERCENT RENEWABLE, UM, UP, UP THE CORRIDOR, UM, THERE'S A CITY THAT'S GONE A HUNDRED PERCENT RENEWABLE, BUT THAT'S NOT DELIVERED POWER. THAT'S NOT A PHYSICAL TRANSACTION, BUT THAT'S A STRUCTURED DEAL BECAUSE THE TECHNOLOGY DOESN'T DO THAT. SO WE COMMIT TO YOU THAT WE ARE ON A PATH TO GET TO THAT. AND WE ARE, WE ARE CONSTANTLY PROBING. HOW ARE WE GONNA BE ABLE TO FIRM UP OUR RENEWABLES IN A WAY THAT WE DON'T NEED THOSE FOSSIL FUEL UNITS? BUT RIGHT NOW, YOU'D ONLY BE DOING IT IN, UM, PRINCIPLE. YOU WOULDN'T BE DOING IT FOR REAL IN TERMS OF THE ACTUAL GENERATION OF RELIABLE POWER 24 7. I MEAN, YOU COULD DO IT, YOU KNOW, A LOT, BUT YOU COULDN'T DO IT TO DO 24 7. YOU COULDN'T DO, YOU COULDN'T DO IT WHEN THERE'S A SNOWSTORM BACKED BY A, A, YOU KNOW, BIG, YOU KNOW, RAINSTORM. YOU COULDN'T, YOU COULDN'T DO IT TECHNICALLY HERE. SO YOU NEED IT. AND IT'S JUST KIND OF THE BRIDGE. THANK YOU. COUNCILWOMAN SANDOVAL. COUNCILMAN, COURAGE. YEAH. ONE OTHER QUESTION I HAVE, UH, TYPICALLY LET'S SAY FIVE O'CLOCK TODAY MM-HMM. , IF DALLAS WAS BUYING POWER AND WE WERE BUYING POWER, AND WE WERE BUYING APPROXIMATELY THE SAME AMOUNTS OF POWER THAT WE NEEDED AT THAT TIME, WOULD BOTH CITIES BE PAYING THE SAME PRICE FOR THAT FUEL OR THAT ENERGY? NOT NECESSARILY. WHY IS THAT? SOME OF IT IS BECAUSE OF THE, IT, THE STRUCTURE IN TERMS OF IS THERE, LIKE SOMETIMES THE ONE THING ABOUT WIND, UM, IT'S GOOD, BUT AS IT, AS IT HAS FLOWED BACK INTO THE SYSTEM, IT CAUSES, UM, IT ACTUALLY CAUSES CONGESTION IN CERTAIN POCKETS. AND WHEN WE HAVE CONGESTION TRYING TO PUT THE, THAT POWER BACK IN, UM, YOU KNOW, IN, IN THAT PARTICULAR, UH, UM, CONNECTION, THEN THAT MAKES A STRAIN AND IT CONSTRAINS THE ENERGY. AND YOU HAVE TO PAY A PREMIUM ASSOCIATED WITH CONGESTION. SO YOU WON'T BE ALWAYS EXACTLY THE SAME DEPENDING ON WHERE YOU ARE AND, AND WHAT THE ISSUES ARE AROUND IT. AND SO, BUT, BUT YOU KNOW, OVERALL IT'S CLOSE EXCEPT FOR CONCESSION. THANK YOU. MM-HMM. . OKAY. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN COURAGE. UM, PAULA, BACK TO YOU. OKAY, SO I'M GONNA KEEP GOING. I'M SORRY. COUNCILMAN LIA. OH YEAH. OKAY. WHERE ARE WE IN THE SUB SOLAR SUBSTANCE? SO, UM, WE ARE JUST ABOUT TO DO A NEW REFRESH. UM, THE FUNDS THAT WE PUT IN INTO THE PROGRAM, WE PUT IN ABOUT $15 MILLION THIS SPRING OF LAST YEAR. AND SO WE ARE GETTING READY TO REFRESH AND PUT ANOTHER, UM, TRANCHE. BUT WE NEED TO TALK TO, UM, WE NEED TO TALK TO OUR BOARD AND GO THROUGH KIND OF AN UPDATE IN TERMS OF OUR STEP PROGRAM. BUT OUR CURRENT PROPOSAL [04:10:01] BACK TO, TO OUR BOARD WILL BE THAT WE PUT ANOTHER LAYER OF SOLAR FUNDING IN THERE, ANOTHER $15 MILLION TO GET US TO ANOTHER YEAR. UM, I, I KNOW THERE'S A SLIDE COMING UP ABOUT COMMUNITY SOLAR. YES. WHAT, FIVE MEGAWATTS? MM-HMM. IS, IS, THAT'S NOT ONLINE YET? NO, NO, WHEN AND WHERE. OKAY. SO, UM, WE ARE JUST STARTING, OR WE WE'RE IN THE PROCESS OF THE R F P. AND SO, UM, WE PROBABLY EXPECT TO DO, DO THE R F P THROUGH MOST OF THIS MONTH. AND THEN, UM, WE EXPECT TO BE ABLE TO MOVE INTO THE, GET EVERYTHING DONE IN PROCESS SO THAT BY THE END OF MARCH, BEGINNING OF APRIL, UM, WE SHOULD BE VERY WELL INTO THE NEXT TRANCHE OF THE SOLAR PROGRAM AND, UM, LAUNCHING THE NEXT COMMUNITY SOLAR, UH, ASPECT. OUR FIRST, UM, VENTURE WAS JUST A, YOU KNOW, ONE MEGAWATT OF SOLAR, AND THIS TIME WE'RE GONNA DO FIVE. IT WAS VERY POPULAR, AND WE WANNA LOOK FOR SOME STRATEGIC PLACES TO PUT THOSE SOLAR PLANTS TO YOU. YOU'RE NOT AT A PLACE WHERE YOU CAN TELL US RIGHT NOW, MORE OR LESS WHERE YOU WANNA PUT THE FIVE MEGAWATT? NO, NO. WE, WE, BUT WE WILL, WE WILL DEFINITELY SOLICIT YOUR INPUT. UM, DO WE HEDGE, UH, DO WE HEDGE BY COAL AND GAS? YES. OKAY. YES. PRI PRIMARILY GAS PRIMARILY ARE WE, UM, AND THEN FOR THE R AND D BUDGET THAT YOU'VE GOT, DO YOU HAVE ONE? I MEAN, I IMAGINE YOU DO. WE, YEAH. WELL, YOU KNOW, THAT'S PART OF WHAT THAT U T S A, UM, PROGRAM. WE'RE, WE'RE PUTTING PART OF THE CLIMATE ACTION PLAN FUNDING THROUGH THERE. SO THAT'S PART OF OUR RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, THE $50 MILLION COMMITMENT. UM, OVER TIME WE'VE DONE ABOUT 10 MILLION. THE LATEST ONE IS 1.5 MILLION, SO THAT'S ONE OF OURS. WE ALSO HAVE OTHER POCKETS OF RESEARCH, SOME OF IT LIKE WITH THE SOUTHWEST RESEARCH INSTITUTE. SO YES, WE HAVE DIFFERENT PROGRAMS WHERE WE HAVE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT. SO I'D BE CURIOUS TO FIND OUT IF YOU HAVE, UM, IF YOU'RE, OH, THANK YOU. IF YOU'RE, WHERE YOU RANK NATIONALLY AMONG THE PUBLICLY OWNED UTILITIES FOR, FOR THE INVESTED AMOUNT OF RESEARCH OR THE INVESTMENT. RIGHT. AND SO I, I'VE BEEN READING THAT, YOU KNOW, UH, UTILITIES ON AVERAGE THAT DO HAVE SIGNIFICANT BUDGETS ARE USUALLY LIKE 1% OF REVENUE. UM, I'M WONDERING WHAT YOUR PERCENTAGE OF REVENUE IS, UM, AND IF, IF THAT'S SOMETHING YOU CAN SORT OF THINK ABOUT AND COME BACK TO. YEAH, LET ME, I KNOW WE HAVEN'T BENCHMARKED, SO, AND WE HAVE 'EM IN DIFFERENT POCKETS, UM, IN OUR PROGRAM. SO LET US ACCUMULATE THAT AND WE'LL SHARE IT BACK WITH YOU, WITH EVERYONE, AND THEN WE'LL, WE'LL TALK ABOUT IT. OKAY. AND LASTLY, YOU MISSED IT IN OUR, IN OUR A SESSION, I THREW A HISSY FIT AND I WAS WEARING MY GROUCHY PANTS AND ALL THAT ABOUT CONVENIENCE STORES, ET CETERA, ET CETERA. BUT IT, IT, IT'S, I'VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT IT LATELY THAT THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY THERE. 'CAUSE I KNOW THAT OUR CITIZENS, I'M SORRY, I DIDN'T HEAR ABOUT WHAT ABOUT CONVENIENCE STORES, BUT OH, YES. I KNOW THERE'S A, THERE'S, WE, WE ALLOW OUR CITIZENS TO PAY THEIR C P SS BILLS AT SOME SUPERMARKETS. MM-HMM. , I'M WONDERING IF THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY TO BRING THAT TO SMALL BUSINESS RETAILERS, RIGHT. SO THAT WHEN PEOPLE WALK INTO A CONVENIENCE STORE OR A VALERO OR, UM, A SEVEN 11, THEY MIGHT BE ABLE TO DO THE SAME. THERE. I I DON'T SEE ANY REASON. UM, WHY NOT? I MEAN, THE HEBS AND SOME OTHERS, I BELIEVE WE'RE USING A SERVICE. SO, UM, THAT YOU CAN DO KIOSK OR YOU CAN DO, YOU KNOW, THE WALK UP TO THE, THE FRONT DESK. BUT WE CAN DEFINITELY LOOK AT THAT. IT, IT, PART OF IT MIGHT BE WHETHER OR NOT THAT ENTITY CAN, WOULD WANNA PUT IN THAT INFRASTRUCTURE FOR THE PROCESSING THE PAYMENT. SO, AND, AND THE POINT OF THAT IS, THE QUICKER WE CAN GET IT POSTED, THE THE BETTER OFF IT IS FOR THE CUSTOMER TOO. RIGHT. SO THERE'S PREPAY OPTIONS AND ALL THAT TOO, RIGHT? WE, WE HAVE NOT LAUNCHED PREPAY YET, BUT WE ARE LOOKING AT IT. OKAY. YES. SO CAN, CAN WE HAVE A SEPARATE VISIT YES. CHRIS AND PAULA ABOUT ABSOLUTELY. HOW WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO BRING THAT INNOVATION TO SOME MOM AND POP SHOPS AROUND TOWN? ABSOLUTELY. OKAY. THANKS. THAT'S IT, MAYOR. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN. LES. KEEP GOING, PAULA. YEP. OKAY. SO I WANTED TO SHOW YOU THIS SLIDE. I MEAN, IT'S, UM, AT LEAST YOU, YOU REALLY DON'T HAVE TO PAY ATTENTION TO THE NUMBERS. THE, THE POINT OF THE SLIDES IS, UM, THE RED IS OUR, OUR MOST RECENT PROJECTION. SO EVERYTHING THROUGH, UM, FISCAL THIS 2017 IS ACTUALS, BUT WE HAVE HISTORY THAT'S NOT GRAFT. BUT THE POINT IS TO REALLY SEE THE CURVES IN THE LINE. THE RED IS WHAT WE ARE CURRENTLY PROJECTING. THE BLUE IS WHAT WE THOUGHT BACK IN 2015. UM, ONE OF THE MAJOR THINGS I WANTED TO POINT OUT IS WE ARE CONTINUING TO SEE GROWTH IN SAN ANTONIO, JUST LIKE WE TALK ABOUT ALL THE TIME. MORE PEOPLE WANNA MOVE HERE. IT'S, UM, IT'S A GREAT PLACE TO LIVE. [04:15:01] AND SO FROM A CUSTOMER COUNT NUMBER, WE'RE ACTUALLY SEEING SLIGHT ELEVATIONS, UM, IN OUR CUSTOMER COUNTS. AND, AND THAT IS GREAT. WHAT IS INTERESTING, IF YOU LOOK AT, SO I'M LOOKING AT THE, THE TOP, UH, RIGHT HAND CORNER. UM, BUT IF YOU ALSO LOOK AT THE BOTTOM, YOU SEE USAGE PER CUSTOMER. SO WHAT'S INTERESTING ABOUT THAT IS WE ACTUALLY HAVE LOWER USAGE PER CUSTOMER, UM, THAN, THAN WHAT WE ORIGINALLY PROJECTED. AND WE JUST LIKE TO SHARE THAT WITH YOU. AND, AND IF YOU GO TO THIS CHART, THIS IS, THIS IS RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMERS, AND IF WE GO TO THE NEXT ONE, IT'S COMMERCIAL, AND THERE'S A, THE CURVES ARE SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT, BUT AGAIN, WHAT YOU'LL SEE IS THAT WE HAVE A HIGHER LINE OF GROWTH IN THE CUSTOMER COUNT. BUT WHEN YOU SEE THE USAGE PER CUSTOMER, THERE'S A DIP FROM WHERE WE WERE. THE, THE POINT OF THAT IS I WANTED TO TALK TO YOU ALL ABOUT OUR CONSERVATION PROGRAMS ARE WORKING. UM, COUNCIL HAS ALLOWED US TO DO WHAT WE CALL THE SAVE FOR TOMORROW ENERGY PRO PLAN, WHICH IS THE STEP PROGRAM. THE STEP PROGRAM DOES INCLUDE THE, THE SOLAR DIS DISTRIBUTED SOLAR SYSTEM, UM, THE REBATES, UH, COMMUNITY SOLAR, UM, ROOFTOP SOLAR PROGRAMS, BUT THEY ALSO HAVE WEATHER WEATHERIZATION IN THERE. AND ALL TYPES OF INEFFICIENT ENERGY EFFICIENCY. THEY ACTUALLY STARTED, WE, WE STARTED OUT WITH, UH, LIGHT BULB CHANGES. BUT THE, BUT THE POINT IS THAT PROGRAM THAT WE PUT TO, TO LOWER THE CONSUMPTION LEVELS, THEY ARE WORKING. AND SO WE DON'T HAVE AS MUCH USAGE COMING THROUGH PER CUSTOMER, EVEN THOUGH WE HAVE CUSTOMER GROWTH. THE GOOD THING ABOUT THAT IS, IF WE DIDN'T HAVE THIS PROGRAM, I BELIEVE WE'D BE IN FRONT OF YOU RIGHT NOW TALKING ABOUT BUILDING ANOTHER BILLION DOLLAR PLANT. AND, UM, LIKE PROBABLY, UH, AT THIS POINT IN TIME, AGAIN, BECAUSE YOU CAN'T GET ABSOLUTE FULL EFFICIENCY OFF OF A SOLAR SYSTEM, WE'D EITHER BE DOING A MEGA SOLAR SYSTEM WITH, UM, BATTERY STORAGE, BUT IT WOULD NOT BE, IT WOULD NOT BE CHEAPER THAN A GAS UNIT. AND SO WE'D BE ASKING FOR A GAS UNIT. WE DON'T NEED THAT RIGHT NOW. WE DON'T THINK WE NEED TO REALLY THINK ABOUT ANY NEW GENERATING SOURCE UNTIL IN 2020S. AND WE ARE TRYING TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF AS MUCH, UH, TECHNOLOGY AND TIME AS WE CAN TO LOOK AT NEW OPPORTUNITIES IN TERMS OF ENERGY SOLUTIONS. SO THIS IS BUYING US TIME TO REALLY MAKE THE BEST DECISION FOR THE COMMUNITY ABOUT WHAT OUR DIRECTION SHOULD BE. ULTIMATELY, UM, AGAIN, I'M PROBABLY NOT SAYING MUCH HERE. SO, UH, IT CORRELATES THAT WE'RE SEEING, UM, GROWTH IN CUSTOMER NUMBERS, WHICH IS CORRELATING TO HOW WE ACTUALLY THINK ABOUT THE FUTURE. AND THAT WITH SAN ANTONIO CONTINUING TO GROW, THEN OUR CUSTOMER COUNTS WILL GROW. UM, NOW FOR CLARITY, THE ELECTRIC SYSTEM IS, IS THIS CERTIFICATED AREA, IS ALL OF SAN ANTONIO, AND WE COVER IT FROM AN ELECTRICAL STANDPOINT. THERE ARE NO OTHER, UM, GENERATORS, UM, AND RETAIL PROVIDERS INSIDE OF OUR, UM, SYSTEM. BUT THE GAS SYSTEMS ARE COMPETITIVE. AND SO, UH, AND YOU'LL FIND, YOU'LL SEE ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF SAN ANTONIO, YOU'LL SEE OTHER GAS SYSTEMS AND COMPANIES SUPPLYING CUSTOMERS THERE. THE, THE REASON WHY WE THINK THIS IS RELEVANT IS THAT IT PROBABLY RE REPRESENTS, UH, LESS THAN 10% OF OUR BUSINESS. BUT IT'S ALSO AN OPPORTUNITY BECAUSE AS CUSTOMERS ARE COMING INTO SAN ANTONIO, A LOT OF THEM LIKE THE COMBINED FUEL SOLUTION SET, THEY WANT ELECTRICITY AND THEY WANT GAS. UM, GAS IS MORE EFFICIENT. A LOT OF PEOPLE LIKE TO COOK WITH GAS. UM, AND, AND, YOU KNOW, DIFFERENT TYPES OF APPLIANCES WORK BETTER WITH GAS. AND SO WE ARE GOING TO, UH, I THINK THE LAST QUESTION IN, IN THE LAST SEMINAR, UH, YOU KNOW, WHAT KIND OF GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES DO WE HAVE, FIND REVENUES FROM OTHER SOURCES? THIS IS ANOTHER, UM, OPPORTUNITY THAT WE HAVE, IS TO REALLY PROMOTE THE GAS BUSINESS AND THE OPPORTUNITIES. SO IF YOU GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, UM, THAT'S JUST A ANOTHER PERSPECTIVE THAT KIND OF SHOWS THE BUSINESS. AND, AND AGAIN, WE CAN COME BY AND TALK TO YOU ABOUT THAT, BUT IT, WE WILL, WE SEE MOST, MOST OF THE OPPORTUNITY KIND OF IN THE, THE, UH, NORTH, THE WEST AND THE NORTHWEST AND THE NORTH RIGHT NOW. BUT WE, WE WILL ULTIMATELY BE OFFERING MORE GAS SERVICES THROUGHOUT OUR ENTIRE CERTIFICATED AREA. UM, IT, WE WILL SPEND MORE TIME DOING OUTREACH, TALKING ABOUT GAS, UM, TALKING ABOUT THE MERITS OF IT, TALKING ABOUT OUR SUPPORT OF IT, AND THEN TALKING ABOUT THE, THE ABILITY FOR, AGAIN, FOR PEOPLE TO USE DIFFERENT APPLIANCES AND, AND TOWARDS THOSE SOLUTIONS. AND THEN COUPLE THAT WITH OPPORTUNITIES TO PUT NEW PRODUCTS AND SERVICES IN THE SMART TECHNOLOGY ASPECT OF, OF OUR NEW SMART CITY OFFERINGS. OKAY. I'M GONNA, I'M GONNA JUMP SUBJECTS. WE TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT. UM, IT, IT JUST HAD OCCURRED TO ME WHEN I WENT UP THERE IN, IN DECEMBER AND WAS TALKING TO THE RATING AGENCIES. I SAID, IT WAS A HECK OF A YEAR, UM, TORNADOES, UH, THAT SIGNIFICANTLY AFFECTED, UM, OUR CUSTOMERS, UM, AS WELL AS, UH, OUR INFRASTRUCTURE, THOSE THAT WAS PROBABLY THE MOST EXTREME. BUT WHEN WE LOOKED AT IT, WE HAD TORNADOES [04:20:01] RAMIFICATIONS FROM, UM, HURRICANES, WINDS, I, I DON'T NORMALLY TALK ABOUT THAT, BUT WIND ACTUALLY HAS AN ABILITY TO SLOW OUR SYSTEM DOWN. MEANING WHEN WINDS PICK UP ABOVE, UH, 30 MILES AN HOUR, AGAIN, IT IS NOT SAFE TO PUT A BUCKET TRUCK IN, IN, IN THE AIR FOR OUR EMPLOYEES OR THE PUBLIC. AND SO LAST YEAR WAS A VERY WINDY DAY. THIS IS ACTUALLY, TODAY WAS ACTUALLY FORECASTED TO BE A WINDY DAY, SO WE HAVE TO WATCH THAT IN TERMS OF SAFETY. BUT, UM, SO THIS WAS AN ODD YEAR IN TERMS OF THOSE NATURAL WEATHER, UM, DEVELOPMENTS. AND THEN WE HAD RAMIFICATIONS FROM THE FLOODINGS THAT HAPPENED. IT SLOWS DOWN OUR BUSINESS AGAIN, UM, IN TERMS OF DOING AND RESTORING POWER LIVELY. AND I WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT AGAIN, I HAD COME IN RECENTLY AFTER THE SNOW STORM THE LAST TIME. UM, BUT I WANTED TO ALSO MAKE SURE THAT, UM, I SHOWED THIS THE, THE ASPECT OF THE SNOW AND THE, THE FASTLY DROPPING TEMPERATURES THAT HAPPENED WHEN IT SNOWED THAT DAY. AND, AND THE REAL CHALLENGE IS THE, THE, UH, BRANCHES THAT GET INTO THE LINES, THERE'S A CROSSOVER. IF THE WEATHER IS GREAT AND BEAUTIFUL, TYPICALLY LIKE IT IS IN SAN ANTONIO, IT'S WONDERFUL. BUT THE MOMENT THAT THERE IS A SIGNIFICANT SHIFT, IT CAN CAUSE ISSUES. AND WE DID, AGAIN, SEE THAT WHAT HAPPENED IS THE, THE TREE BRANCHES FROZE, THEY BROKE, AND THEN WE HAD LINE BREAKAGE. SO WE JUST HAD ALL KINDS OF RAMIFICATIONS ASSOCIATED WITH WEATHER THIS YEAR THAT SAID, AGAIN, OUR EMPLOYEES RESPONDED TO, UM, THAT NEED. AND THEY GO OUT THERE AND THEY MAKE SURE THAT THEY WORK THROUGH ALL THOSE WEATHER CONDITIONS SAFELY TO MAKE SURE THAT HAPPENS. UM, I DON'T HAVE A SLIDE ON THIS, BUT I DID WANT TO FOLLOW UP. WE, UM, WE RECENTLY, UM, WERE INITIALLY PUT ON NOTICE ABOUT, UM, DOING SOME RESTORATION IN THE, UH, VIRGIN ISLANDS. AND, BUT WE JUST GOT WORD TODAY THAT THEY DO NOT NEED HELP. UM, THAT WE ARE STILL WORKING ON PUERTO RICO GETTING CLOSER AND CLOSER, UM, WORKING OUT THE LAST BIT OF ACTIVITIES ASSOCIATED WITH THAT. WHEN WE DO, UM, HAVE A ABILITY TO DEPLOY SOME, UH, SOME OF OUR TEAM MEMBERS THERE WILL MAKE YOU AWARE OF THAT AND, UM, ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE. AND CHRIS, UM, OUR C O O CONTINUES TO SERVE AS A LIAISON RELATIVE TO TECHNOLOGY FOR, UM, PUERTO RICO. THEY'RE, THEY'RE, IT'S, IT, THINGS ARE STARTING TO MOVE WELL THERE. OKAY. WHAT'S NEXT? OKAY, I THINK, CAN YOU GO BACK ONE? OKAY. SO, UM, YOU'RE RIGHT. I DON'T KNOW IF WE, WE WILL, UH, KEEP YOU UPDATED, BUT, BUT WE'RE EXCITED BY THE ABILITY TO DO SOME ADDITIONAL COMMUNITY SOLAR. UM, IT, IT SOLD OUT FAST, I WANNA SAY WITHIN 30 DAYS, THE FIRST MA THAT FIRST TRANCHE WE HAD. SO WE EXPECT TO HAVE, UM, GOOD INTEREST, BUT WE ALSO WANNA BE STRATEGIC AND WE WANT COMMUNITY SOLAR TO BE INSIDE OF, OF OUR COMMUNITY AND NOT ON THE OUTSKIRTS. SO WE WILL KEEP YOU UPDATED AND WE WILL ASK FOR YOUR OPINIONS ABOUT WHAT GOOD LOCATIONS MIGHT LOOK LIKE. UM, I WANTED TO TALK A LITTLE BIT, I'M SURE YOU HEARD IT, BUT I WANTED TO TALK TO YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE, UH, CLIMATE ACTION PLAN THAT WE ARE SUPPORTING THROUGH SOME OF THE RESEARCH DOLLARS THAT WE HAVE. UM, COUNCILWOMAN SANDOVAL AND, AND, UM, MAYOR BERG, UM, ACTUALLY LETTUCE. AND THAT WE ALSO HAD DR. AMY FROM U T SS A AND, AND, AND, UH, PARTICIPANTS. AND THE GREAT THING ABOUT IT IS WE HAD GREAT COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT. THERE WERE A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO WERE INTERESTED TO, TO SHARE THEIR IDEAS ON THAT. RIGHT. NOW, THE NEXT STEP WE NEED TO, TO GET ON TO COUNCILWOMAN SANDOVAL'S CALENDAR. WE WANT TO TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE WANNA ACCOMPLISH. UM, WE'RE WORKING WITH DOUG MELNICK AS WELL, SO WE WANNA KIND OF FIRM UP OUR PLAN FOR 2018, WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH. UM, JUST SO YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE BIG THINGS THAT WE'RE DOING RIGHT NOW IS, UH, U T S A, THE CITY AND, AND US, WE'RE LOOKING AT TRYING TO BASELINE THE CARBON, UH, CARBON LEVELS ACROSS THE CITY, ALL ACROSS THE CITY. AND SO THERE IS WORK ACTUALLY GOING ON, AND WE WILL FIND GOOD WAYS TO GIVE YOU UPDATES ON HOW WE'RE GONNA MAKE THAT PROGRESS THIS YEAR. UM, THIS IS, UM, THIS IS A, UM, ANOTHER CHART THAT I WANTED TO SHOW KIND OF, KIND OF TIES BACK TO THE SELLING IN AND PRODUCING AND REALLY BEING THERE AND MAKING SURE THAT YOU HAD ENOUGH, UH, POWER FOR THE, FOR THE COMMUNITY. ON, UM, ON THE FAR SIDE, THE TALL STACK THERE SHOWS ACTUALLY OUR PEAK IN DEMAND. AND SO THAT IS OUR SUMMER PEAK AND, AND PEAK HAPPENS WHEN, LIKE YOU SAID, UH, AT FIVE O'CLOCK, UM, THAT'S IN THAT TIMEFRAME AFTER PEOPLE GET OFF WORK, THAT'S THE PEAK OF THE DAY. AND SO THAT WE, WE EXPERIENCE IT THE PEAK IN THE, IN THE SUMMER. AND THEN WE, WE NOW HAVE WINTER PEAKS. WE, WE HAVEN'T, FOR A LONG TIME WE DIDN'T HAVE DEMAND, PROBABLY MAYBE IN THE 3000 MEGAWATT RANGE, BUT NOW WE'RE EXPERIENCING A WINTER PEAK. AND SO RECENTLY WE HAD A WINTER PEAK WHERE WE HAD TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAD ENOUGH CAPACITY. THE INTERESTING THING, THE WINTER PEAK IS A LITTLE HARDER, I SAY BECAUSE WE [04:25:01] ACTUALLY USE THE WINTER TIMES, KIND OF THE, THE TRADITIONALLY LOWER VOLUME TIMES TO DO THE MAINTENANCE ON OUR PLANS, TAKE THEM DOWN, WE DO. AND OUR MAINTENANCE, UM, PERIODS CAN GO FROM A MONTH TO TWO MONTHS TO LONGER DEPENDING ON WHAT WE HAVE TO DO. AND SO IT'S, IT'S MAYBE A LITTLE BIT TIGHTER TO GET THAT DONE. BUT, UM, THERE WERE A LOT OF QUESTIONS BECAUSE THAT WAS A PEAK FOR US. AND THEN THERE WAS A, A, THAT WAS ONE OF OUR COLD SNAP MORNINGS THAT NORMALLY HAPPENS IN THE MORNING. SO THE FIVE O'CLOCK IN THE AFTERNOON. AND THE POINT AGAIN THERE IS THAT WE HAVE ENOUGH POWER TO SUPPLY WHAT WE NEED. WE'RE ABLE TO HANDLE THAT. THAT ALSO, THAT THOSE STACKINGS TELL YOU HOW MUCH YOU'RE GETTING. AND AGAIN, FOR WHERE WE ARE IN OUR HISTORY AND, AND TECHNOLOGY, WE'RE HAVING TO RELY A LOT ON THE FOSSIL FUEL PLANTS TO DO THE, TO DO THE HEAVY LIFTING IN TERMS OF WHEN THE WEATHER'S BAD, REALLY KIND OF PERFORMING AND BRINGING UP THE, THE CAPACITY TO MEET THE DEMAND. THIS IS A, A GENERAL SLIDE. AND, UM, JUST TO, TO HIGHLIGHT THAT, WE'RE, WE CONSIDER OURSELVES A SERVICE, UM, ORIENTED BUSINESS ENABLED BY HUGE INVESTMENTS IN ASSETS. AND SO THE MAJORITY OF OUR ASSETS ARE CAPITAL ASSETS, PLANTS, TRANSMISSIONS, SUBSTATIONS, ALL TYPES OF WIRES AND EQUIPMENT. THAT IS THE MAJORITY OF WHAT WE DO. SO WE HAVE TO BE GOOD AT, IN THE BACKGROUND OF MANAGING THAT. AND THAT IS HOW WE BASE AND PUT OUR SERVICES ON TOP. UM, SO WE, WE ARE DEFINITELY GONNA SET UP A, A MEETING WITH YOU, COUNCILMAN PERRY. 'CAUSE WE KNOW THAT YOU CONTINUE TO HAVE SOME ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS ABOUT, UM, THE WORK AND THE EXPENSIVENESS OF MANAGING, UM, CUSTOMERS THAT ARE CONNECTED IN SUBURBAN CITIES VERSUS HERE. AND SO, UM, WE ARE GONNA COME IN AND SPEND SOME TIME AND KIND OF WALK, YOU WALK THROUGH WITH YOU KIND OF WHAT YOUR INSIGHTS ARE ON THAT AND, AND CONTINUE TO KIND OF LOOK AT SOME OF THE THINGS THAT YOU'VE SUGGESTED US TO TAKE A LOOK AT. BUT I WANTED TO AT LEAST PROVIDE YOU SOME BASIC INFORMATION ABOUT SOME OF THE SLIDES. SO, UM, AGAIN, I HAVE TO ABSOLUTELY AGREE WITH YOU WHEN WE, WHEN WE CONNECT, UM, A CUSTOMER, IF, IF THE FURTHER THE WAY IT IS AND THE FEWER AMOUNT OF CUSTOMERS WE HAVE ON THE LINE, THE MORE EXPENSIVE IT IS TO CONNECT THAT CUSTOMER. SO THAT IS RIGHT. UM, BUT OVER THE LIFE OF THE CUSTOMER, WE, EVERYTHING, WE'RE STARTING TO LOOK AT THE, THE, THE DETAIL OVER THE LIFE OF THE CUSTOMER AND WHERE THE, WHERE THE DOLLARS ARE SPENT IN TERMS OF CONTINUED MAINTENANCE, REPAIRS, CAR HIT POLE, ALL OF THOSE THINGS. WE'RE FINDING THAT WE'RE DOING A LOT OF IT INSIDE OF THE INCORPORATED CITIES. SO WE STILL BELIEVE THAT IT PROBABLY AVERAGES OUT AND THAT WE PROBABLY SPEND EVEN MORE MONEY ON INCORPORATED AREAS. BUT WE ARE DIGGING THROUGH THE DETAIL AND WE'LL COME BACK AND SHOW YOU THIS SLIDE. PLUS, IF YOU GO TO THE NEXT ONE, UM, THAT ALSO KIND OF SHOWS YOU AND WE, AND WE'LL HAVE SOME, UH, LEAVE BEHINDS THAT WE'LL ACTUALLY SHARE WHERE YOU CAN SEE IT IN, IN A MORE BLUNT UP FASHION. BUT AGAIN, IT SHOWS THAT THE CONCENTRATION OF MOST OF OUR WORK IN CIVIC WORK AS WELL AS INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT WORK IS HAPPENING PRIMARILY IN, IN THE CORE. UM, OKAY. WELL, I, I DID, DID ANY, MAYBE I'LL TAKE A BREAK THERE AND SEE IF THERE ARE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT, THAT WAS A LOT. GREAT. THANK YOU, PAULA. UH, COUNCILMAN PERRY? YES. THANK YOU, SIR. YES. UM, WHAT, FOR EVERYBODY'S INFORMATION, WHAT I WAS LOOKING AT WAS IN OUR DISTRIBUTION CENTER INSIDE OUR CITY LIMITS VERSUS OUTSIDE OUR 70 LIMITS. AND, AND THE FURTHER AWAY YOU GET FROM OUR DISTRIBUTION CENTER SYSTEM, THE MORE EXPENSIVE IT GETS. AND WE HAVE A SITUATION WHERE, YOU KNOW, I, I THINK WE NEED TO TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT OUR CITY RATES ARE VERSUS OUTSIDE OF CITY RATES ARE. UH, IT'S SIMILAR TO WHAT SAWS DOES. UH, SAWS DOES HAVE A, A SURCHARGE ON TOP OF WHAT THEY CHARGE THE CITY VERSUS OUTSIDE THE CITY. AND I THINK WE NEED TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE SAME THING HERE WITH C P S BECAUSE IT, IT DOES, UM, COST MORE TO MAINTAIN THOSE SYSTEMS THE FURTHER YOU HAVE TO GO OUT VERSUS, UH, STAYING WITHIN THE CITY. SO THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT I'VE ASKED THEM TO TAKE A LOOK AT AND, UH, UH, COME BACK TO, COME BACK TO ME AND THE REST OF US ON WHAT, WHAT THAT, UH, WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE. SO THANK YOU. OKAY. THANKS. COUNCILMAN PERRY. COUNCILMAN COURAGE. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UH, EARLIER WHEN YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT, UM, RATES OR, OR USAGE AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE, IT CAME TO MY MIND AND LET ME KNOW, AM I CORRECT IN ASSUMING THIS, THAT ALTHOUGH CUSTOMER USAGE IS ON A DECLINE, UH, AND THEREFORE INCOME BASED ON USAGE IS EXPECTED TO DECLINE ACCORDINGLY, UH, THEN I WOULD EXPECT THAT ALSO THE RECENT DECLINING COSTS IN PRODUCING ENERGY AND MAYBE THE SALE OF EXCESS ENERGY THAT WE DO PRODUCE SHOULD KEEP OUR REVENUES OVERALL MOVING IN A, A PRETTY POSITIVE DIRECTION. AND IS [04:30:01] THAT PRETTY MUCH WHAT YOU'RE SEEING? I, I, I WOULD SAY YES, WE ARE SEEING IT. IT IS, UH, IT'S SOMETHING WE ARE PAYING ATTENTION TO THAT THE, THE GOOD THING IS WE PLANNED FOR IT MM-HMM. . AND SO IT WAS GOOD THAT WE TOOK A, A COMMUNITY PERSPECTIVE OF IT, AND WE ASSUMED THAT WE WOULD, OUR GROWTH WOULD COME DOWN. SO INSTEAD OF MAYBE A 3% GROWTH RATE, WE TYPICALLY, UM, PROJECT MAYBE A ONE TO SLIGHTLY UNDER A 2%. SO IT IS, THE, THE GREAT THING ABOUT IT IS IT'S PLANNED MOSTLY SO WE CAN HANDLE IT. AND THEN WE HAVE THE UPSIDE THAT YOU'RE TALKING, AND A LOT OF IT'S BECAUSE OF THE CONSERVATION EFFORTS THAT YOU THAT'S RIGHT. YOU PUT IN PLACE THAT WE PUT IN PLACE. SO WE KNEW PEOPLE WOULD USE LESS, BUT WE'VE ACCOUNTED FOR IT AND THE PROJECTIONS. OKAY. UH, ONE THING YOU MENTIONED ABOUT THE, THE WEATHER BROUGHT TO MY MIND, I, I, I WAS RAISED IN MASSACHUSETTS MM-HMM. , AND, YOU KNOW, IN THE NORTHERN STATES, THERE'S MORE SEVERE WEATHER, UH, THAN WE HAVE IN SAN ANTONIO, BUT THEY MANAGED TO DEAL WITH THOSE WEATHER INTERRUPTIONS, UH, AND TO THEIR SERVICE LINES PRETTY EFFECTIVELY. UH, AND ISN'T THERE, UH, A WAY WE CAN HARDEN OUR LINES MORE SO THAT THEY'RE NOT SO SUSCEPTIBLE TO LIKE SNOW OR ICE ON LIMBS HANGING DOWN ONTO A LINE AND CAUSING A SHORT OR, OR CAUSING SERVICE INTERRUPTIONS? YES. UM, THERE IS, I MEAN, THE, THE BEST WAY IS TO, UM, GO UNDERGROUND. THE, PROBABLY THE BIGGEST, UM, CHALLENGE WE'VE HAD WITH THAT IS THE SYSTEM WASN'T BUILT THAT WAY IN THE FIRST PLACE, AND THEN THE BIGGER YOUR SYSTEM GOES, IT'S JUST MORE EXPENSIVE. IT IS. SO IT'S JUST BEEN A, AN ELEMENT OF COST. I MEAN, FOR DECADES, THE AERIAL CONSTRUCTION THAT WE DO HAVE, WHERE THE LINES ARE OVERHEAD GENERALLY HAVE WORKED BECAUSE SAN ANTONIO HAS PRIMARILY BEEN A FAIRLY DRY, UM, CLIMATE. AND SO WE, BUT WE ARE EXPERIENCING A CHANGE, UM, UM, NOW. AND SO WE'RE, WE'RE RELOOKING AT IT, AND WE'RE TRYING TO STRATEGICALLY TRY TO FIND AREAS OF THE COMMUNITY WHERE WE CAN GET SOME OF THAT WORK DONE EFFICIENTLY AND WORK IT THROUGH OUR SYSTEM. SO WE ARE LOOKING AT WAYS TO HARDEN WHERE WE CAN, WE WOULD, WE ARE UNABLE TO HARDEN THE WHOLE SYSTEM. OKAY. THERE'S ONE OTHER THING I WANTED TO MENTION, AND, UH, I'M, I, AS I MENTIONED TO YOU, I'M, I'M GONNA BE LEAVING A LITTLE EARLIER. I WANTED TO GET THIS IN BEFORE I, I LEAVE BECAUSE I WAS HOPING YOU MIGHT ADDRESS IT LATER. AND THAT IS, CAN C P SS ENERGY INSTALL ELECTRIC CAR CHARGING STATIONS AT THE NEW VIA TERMINAL ON 2 81? UH, YES, WE CAN. I HAVEN'T TALKED TO, UH, JEFF ARNT, BUT I WILL BE GLAD TO TALK TO HIM ABOUT IT. I KNOW MY CONSTITUENTS WOULD REALLY APPRECIATE THAT. OKAY, THANK YOU. WE WILL TALK TO HIM ABOUT, SEE WHAT WE CAN DO. UM, I'LL TALK TO JEFF TOO. , THANK YOU. THEN THAT HELPS, UH, BECAUSE, UM, WE, WE WANNA HEAR WHAT YOUR INPUT IS. IT MAKES A LOT OF SENSE. UM, ULTIMATELY I THINK, UM, ELECTRIC VEHICLES WILL BE A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR THE COMMUNITY, AND WE WILL END UP NEEDING TO DO A CITYWIDE STRATEGY ON THAT. BUT, BUT AGAIN, TARGETING SOME GREAT PLACES WHERE THEY CAN BE OPTIMIZED, THAT, THAT WOULD BE, THAT WOULD BE VERY GOOD FOR US. OKAY. UM, JUST TRYING TO THINK BACK TO YOUR COMMENTS, SEE IF THERE'S ANY OTHER NUANCE ASSOCIATED. SO, SO, UM, WE ARE MANAGING, UH, THE, THE DECLINE IN AN EXPECTED DECLINE IN THE DEMAND FROM THE CUSTOMERS, AND IT REALLY DOES WORK. I WOULD STILL SAY THOUGH, THERE ARE THE UNKNOWNS OUT IN THE FUTURE, RIGHT? WHAT CAN DISRUPT THE ENERGY INDUSTRY? SO, UM, IN A GOOD WAY, I STILL BELIEVE THE, YOU KNOW, THE MIX OF RENEWABLES WITH ENERGY STORAGE, UM, IS, IS A GOOD DISRUPTION, BUT IT WILL DISRUPT. AND WE'VE GOTTA FIGURE OUT HOW TO GET AHEAD OF THAT. SO WE ARE THINKING ABOUT THOSE BIGGER THINGS THAT MIGHT BE THE BIG BALLOONS THAT WE HAVE TO DO. RIGHT NOW. WE'RE ON A GOOD, VERY MANAGEABLE TRAJECTORY, UM, FOR WHAT WE HAVE, AND WE'RE MANAGING THE LITTLE NUANCES OF SOME, SOME POCKETS OF ISSUES. BUT, BUT FOR THE MOST PART, TO YOUR POINT, DIRECTIONALLY, WE ARE, WE ARE GOING IN A GOOD DIRECTION THAT WHEN, WHEN WE GO OUT AND WE DO STUDY, UM, UM, OTHER COMMUNITIES, OTHER UTILITIES, THE BENEFIT THAT WE HAVE, AGAIN, IS TEXAS IS A STRONG STATE. UM, AND IT, AND OVERALL IT'S GROWING. AND THEN THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO WAS GROWING. WHERE IT IS REALLY CHALLENGING IS TO HAVE A CONSERVATION PROGRAM LIKE THAT WHERE, UM, POPULATION IS DECLINING AND, AND WE DON'T HAVE THAT. WE'RE, WE'RE IN A REALLY GOOD SENSE. SO IT HELPS PROTECT US TO, TO REALLY MAKE EVERYTHING WORK IN THE RIGHT WAY. OKAY. SO I THINK, UM, I MENTIONED THIS EARLIER, BUT JUST AGAIN, TO SHOW WE TAKE A SMALL CONTINGENT OF PEOPLE, IT JUST, IT, IT CHANGES AND DEPENDS ON WHO WE TAKE. I, I ALWAYS TRY TO GO, THEY LIKE TO TALK TO THE CEO. SOMETIMES A BOARD MEMBER WILL GO WITH US, UH, AS WELL. THIS TIME COULD NOT ARRANGE IT THROUGH THE BOARD CALENDARS. WE DID HAVE OUR C F O ED FLEMING, UM, GO WITH US. AND THEN OUR HEAD OF CAPITAL MARKETS ON THE FINANCIAL SIDE. AND THEN TWO, UM, TWO OF OUR TOP EXECUTIVES THAT WE BROUGHT THAT WAS AT [04:35:01] VERY TIMELY WAS WE BROUGHT OUR CHIEF SECURITY AND SAFETY OFFICER, FRED BOWELL, AND WE BROUGHT OUR NEW, UM, CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER, KAREN ERWIN. AND THERE IS A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF FOCUS ON SECURITY INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY. AND SO WE, WE, WE EXPLORED OUR PERSPECTIVES ON WHERE OUR STRATEGY IS GOING THERE, AND IT WAS VERY TIMELY. SO I WANTED TO SHOW THE VISIT, UM, DID THIS OTHER PICTURE KIND OF SHOWS YOU THAT'S THE SCRUTINY THAT WE GET WHEN, WHEN WE SIT AT THE TABLE WITH THEM , IT'S A, IT'S A, IT IS A BARRAGE OF ALSO, YOU KNOW, JUST REALLY GOING THROUGH KIND OF WHERE WE'RE HEADED AND THEM TESTING OUR STRATEGIES. UM, INTERESTINGLY, SOMETIMES THEY'LL BRING, UM, IT WON'T JUST BE THE PEOPLE THAT AN ANALYZE US. I THINK WE HAD A CORPORATE, A CORPORATE I O U ANALYST. THEY LIKE TO COME IN AND SEE WHAT WE DO AND, AND COMPARE THE STRATEGIES. WE ALSO HAD, UM, A CITY ANALYST, UM, THAT ACTUALLY REVIEWS THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO. SO THEY'RE ALWAYS TRYING TO CROSS POLLINATE AND MAKE SURE THAT THEY CAN HEAR, UM, WHAT'S HAPPENING IN SAN ANTONIO FROM MULTIPLE PERSPECTIVES. WE DO OFFER THEM TO COME HERE. AND, UM, IT LOOKS LIKE WE MAY BE ABLE TO GET MOODY'S TO COME TO SAN ANTONIO SOMETIME IN APRIL. AND I WILL TRY TO WORK WITH BEN AND SEE IF THERE'S ANY QUESTIONS YOU WOULD LIKE TO ASK ON, ON, ON THEIR BEHALF AND TARGETED TO US OR ANYTHING ABOUT THE INDUSTRY. WE'LL TRY TO WORK THAT OUT. UM, SO, YOU KNOW, UM, I HIGHLIGHTED KIND OF THE, ALL THE PROJECTS AND THE CENTRALIZATION AND THE ACTIVITY AND THE, AND THE, ON THE, UM, CIVIC AREAS, AND ULTIMATELY THE THINGS THAT WE'RE DOING IN INFRASTRUCTURE. BUT I DO WANNA MAKE SURE THAT I ACKNOWLEDGE, UM, JUST LIKE WE SAW, UH, ISSUES AND, AND THERE'S OPPORTUNITIES TO HARDEN. WE HAVE POCKETS AROUND THE CITY WHERE WE HAVE RELIABILITY ISSUES. AND SO INWOOD IS ONE THAT CAME UP RECENTLY, AND WE ARE WORKING ON, ON THOSE ISSUES. INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH, IT'S REALLY KIND OF A, UM, IT'S A GOOD CASE STUDY AND WE ARE ABSOLUTELY FOCUSED ON IT. THAT NEIGHBORHOOD ACTUALLY HAS A LOT OF UNDERGROUND ALREADY. SO INSIDE THE NEIGHBORHOOD, YOU DON'T, IT'S NOT THE INSIDE THE NEIGHBORHOOD THAT'S CAUSING THE ISSUE. IT IS THE CIRCUIT FROM THE SUBSTATION TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD. IT IS 18 MILES LONG. WE, UM, WE INCREASED THE VOLTAGE ON THE LINE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAD ENOUGH POWER TO PUSH THROUGH IT, BUT THAT LINE IS SO LONG THAT THERE ARE MANY POINTS OF, UM, UH, OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE PROBLEMS. AGAIN, EVERYTHING FROM WEATHER RELATED ISSUES TO CAR HIT POLE AND ALL THOSE OTHER THINGS. SO WE ARE RE-LOOKING AT THE WHOLE DESIGN OF THAT LINE TO TRY TO WORK ON IT. BUT IT ISN'T THE UNDERGROUND BY THE HOME. IT'S THE, IT'S THE LINE THAT MAKES THE CONNECTION. AND WE ARE LOOKING AT THAT. IF I GO TO THE NEXT ONE, THE, THE AIRPORT, UM, I KNOW THAT CHERYL IS VERY, VERY FOCUSED ON THE EFFICIENCY OF THE AIRPORT. AND, UM, I TALK ABOUT THIS A LOT. AND WE ARE WORKING ON A PLAN THAT WILL START THIS YEAR TO IMPROVE THE INFRASTRUCTURE AROUND THE AIRPORT. AND, UM, YOU KNOW, IT, AGAIN, THINGS WORK OUT FOR A LONG TIME. SEEMS GREAT, BUT WE ACTUALLY HAD ONE CIRCUIT LINE THAT WAS AERIAL. IT WAS SUBJECT AGAIN TO, WE ACTUALLY HAD PEOPLE HIT THE POLE, THEY DROVE INTO IT AND ALL TYPES OF THINGS. SO WE CREATED A REDUNDANT LINE SYSTEM. WE HAD ONE SUBSTATION FEEDING THAT SYSTEM. WE'RE GONNA CONNECT A SECOND SUBSTATION. WE WILL TAKE SOME OF THAT INFRASTRUCTURE UNDERGROUND, UM, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN HARDEN UP THE SYSTEM PER SE, AND, AND REALLY SUPPORT WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN THERE AT THE AIRPORT. AND AGAIN, FOR US, AND JUST FOR CLARITY, UM, EVEN A BLIP OF LIKE A, A, A POWER, A BLINK, UM, OFTENTIMES WE'RE CAUSING PROBLEMS IN THE SECONDARY SYSTEM TO BAGGAGE SYSTEMS AND THINGS LIKE THAT BECAUSE IT WOULD, IT WOULD BE, UM, A FLOW ISSUE AND THEN THE SYSTEM WOULD NEED TO BE RECALIBRATED. AND SOMETIMES THAT SYSTEM WOULD TAKE TIME TO DO IT, AND WE GET THAT. SO WE ARE GONNA DO ALL WE CAN TO KEEP THAT FROM HAPPENING AND KEEP THOSE SYSTEMS ONLINE. SO WORKING WITH, UM, CHERYL ON THAT. OKAY. UM, YOU KNOW, THIS, THIS SLIDE I SHOWED YOU, I ACTUALLY, UM, THINK I HAVE ANOTHER HANDOUT, UM, FOR THIS ONE. BUT I SHOWED YOU LAST TIME ALL OF THE, UM, THE DIFFERENT UTILITIES, SOME OF THEM IOUS AND SOME OF THEM MUNICIPAL ENTITIES, AND IT SHOWED, YOU KNOW, THE WHOLE SPECTRUM. WE ARE IN LIKE THE TWO, UM, THE TOP TWO AND A HALF PERCENT. BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, THERE'S ALWAYS QUESTIONS ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHY ARE YOU STILL AA RATED AND WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE, THAT KIND OF THING. UM, ONE STEP TOWARDS ANSWERING SOME OF THOSE QUESTIONS IS WE KIND OF LOOKED AT THE, THE TOP RATED, UH, UTILITIES, AND WE THOUGHT WE PROVIDE YOU JUST SOME CONTEXT ABOUT THAT. UM, THERE'S SIX OF US. ONE OF ONLY ONE IS AAA. AGAIN, PRIMARILY THAT AAA, UH, COMPANY HAS SOME DISTRIBUTION, BUT IT'S PRIMARILY A WHOLESALE PROVIDER AND IT HAS SOME, SOME GENERATION. [04:40:01] BUT WHAT MAKES IT SHORED UP IS THAT IS BACKED BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. AND SO IT'S BACKING, THERE'S THE ONLY ONE RIGHT NOW. THERE, THERE USED TO BE OTHERS, BUT THAT'S THE ONLY ONE THAT'S STILL AAA RATED. THE REST OF US ARE AA RATED. AND, UM, THIS GIVES YOU A VIEW OF WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE. IF YOU SEE THE COMMONALITY ON THE SECOND, UM, LINE, THE WIRES, BUSINESS TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION, WE ARE ALL COMMONLY PROVIDING SOME LEVEL OF, OF, UH, TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION SERVICE. AND, AND IN REALITY, THE LESS GENERATION YOU HAVE, UM, IT'S LESS COMPLEX. AND SO, UH, RATING AGENCIES HAVE SOME AFFINITY, BUT THEY'RE, THEY'RE NOT SOLELY AGAINST IT IF YOU'RE MANAGING IT WITH DIVERSIFICATION AND, UH, YOUR PROGRESSIVELY MAINTAINING YOUR PORTFOLIO. BUT THIS KIND OF GIVES YOU A SENSE OF, OF KIND OF WHAT THE BUSINESSES LOOK LIKE AND WHY THEY'RE DIFFERENT. I WILL HIGHLIGHT THAT. UM, THE, THERE'S THREE KIND OF IN THE MIDDLE, THE, THE SECOND FROM THE BOTTOM, THIRD AND FOURTH FROM THE BOTTOM THERE. THEY DON'T HAVE ANY GENERATION, BUT THEY ARE PULLING THEIR GENERATION FROM T V A, THE AAA RATED. AND IN FACT, THAT HELPS THEIR AA CREDIT RATING BECAUSE THEY'RE DOING BUSINESS WITH AAA RATED COMPANY AND THEY DON'T HAVE TO MANAGE A GENERATION PORTFOLIO. UM, THIS IS A LITTLE S SLIDE WE PUT TOGETHER. WE HAVE A WHOLE SET OF, UH, ANALYSIS, UH, WORK PAPERS AND, UM, THE RATING AGENCIES, UM, PERIODICALLY PUT OUT UPDATES TO THEIR STRATEGY AND HOW THEY RATE AND WHAT THEY LOOKED AT. BUT WE EXTRACTED A COUPLE OF THINGS, UM, THAT WE THOUGHT YOU MIGHT BE HELPFUL TO, TO LOOK AT. NOW, THEY'LL PUT, THEY'LL PUT ON OUR FORM THAT THEY THINK WE HAVE CHALLENGES. THEY, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE PROBABLY THE HIGHEST COMBINATION OF RATE AND DOLLARS IN TERMS OF GENERAL FUND TRANSFER. AND, BUT, BUT I WOULD SAY, BUT WE'VE ALWAYS HAD IT AND WE'VE ALWAYS MANAGED TO IT. AND WE'VE STILL MADE SURE THAT OUR PRICES ARE, ARE VERY AFFORDABLE ACROSS LARGE CITIES, UM, IN THE NATION AND IN THE STATE. SO IT'S A CHALLENGE, BUT THEY RECOGNIZE AT THE SAME TIME WE'RE ABLE TO MANAGE IT. UM, ADDITIONALLY, I'LL JUMP DOWN. THEY TALK ABOUT NUCLEAR, NUCLEAR, AGAIN, ALWAYS ADDS COMPLEXITY TO YOUR, TO YOUR GENERATION PORTFOLIO. BUT AGAIN, IT DOES HELP ON THE OTHER SIDE BECAUSE IF IT'S WELL MANAGED AND, UM, IT'S RELIABLE POWER, IT'S EXTREMELY EFFICIENT, THEN YOU GET BENEFITS FROM THAT. SO IT'S, IT'S KIND OF A BACK AND FORTH GAME LOOKING AT THE POSITIVES AND NEGATIVES YOU GO THROUGH, YOUR ANALYST ASSESSES, YOU, YOU HAVE TO GO THROUGH CREDIT COMMITTEE THEN, AND THEN YOU GET YOUR RATINGS AFFIRMED, AND THEY LOOK AT ALL THESE AND MANY MORE CRITERIA TO GIVE YOU THOSE RATINGS. THIS IS A MOODY'S, THEY ACTUALLY SHARES, THEY'VE HAD A, A SCORING INDEX, AND I THOUGHT IT MIGHT BE INTERESTING FOR YOU TO SEE. SO IF YOU LOOK AT IT, THEY ACTUALLY HAVE A CRITERIA WHERE THEY SHOW WEIGHTS AND WHAT THEY FOCUS ON AND, AND HOW THEY GIVE YOU CREDIT AND BENEFIT FOR, FOR YOUR RATINGS CATEGORY. AND IF YOU GIMME JUST A MINUTE HERE, UM, IF YOU SEE WE HAVE THREE, THREE OF OUR COMP, THREE OF THE SECTIONS IS CENTERED IN THE AA RATING, UM, CATEGORY. AND THAT'S WHERE WE ARE OVERALL RATED. WE HAVE SOME THINGS THAT THEY THINK ARE A RATED. UM, ULTIMATELY OUR DEBT RATIO, WE HAVE A, LIKE A LITTLE BIT HIGHER THAN 60%. SO THEY CHALLENGE US AND WE HAVE A PLAN TO GET OUR DEBT RATIO DOWN LOWER, AND THEN OUR A D S C AT 0.6% AT 1.10 1.6 AS A RATE. UM, WE MANAGE TO THAT. BUT THE HIGHER YOU GO, THE MORE CREDIT YOU GET TO HAVING A HIGHER DEBT, UH, DEBT COVERAGE RATIO. ON THE OTHER SIDE, OUR CASH AND LIQUIDITY, IT, IT, WE HOLD ONTO A LOT OF CASH TO COVER ALL OF OUR WORKING OBLIGATIONS AND OF, WE HAVE LOTS OF WORKING OBLIGATIONS. UM, YOU GOTTA PAY FOR THE FUEL, YOU GOTTA PAY FOR THE TRANSPORT COSTS, THE LABOR, ALL THOSE THINGS. SO WE HOLD ONTO A HEALTHY LEVEL OF CASH REALLY FOR THE STRENGTH OF THE COMPANY. AND SO OUR CASH AND OUR ACCESS TO CASH IS AN ABSOLUTE STRENGTH, AND WE'RE AT THE TOP OF THE, THE INDUSTRY FROM THAT STANDPOINT. AND THEN ULTIMATELY, AGAIN, BEING, UM, WE'RE NOT REGULATED BY FERC, BUT WE HAVE OUR OWN LOCAL REGULATORS THAT, THAT ASSESS US. AND THEY BELIEVE THAT'S A STRENGTH BECAUSE IT, IT IS IMPORTANT THAT OUR OWNER REGULATOR UNDERSTANDS OUR BUSINESS AND THAT TYPE OF OVERSIGHT THEY THINK IS A STRENGTH. SO, OKAY. UM, ANOTHER QUESTION WE GOT WAS, YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES UH, CUSTOMERS SAY, WELL, SO WHAT, UM, THAT C P S ENERGY HAS GREAT CREDIT. I'M NOT SURE IT BENEFITS US. UM, AND SO WE PUT SOME THOUGHT INTO IT, AND WE HAVE A COUPLE OF SLIDES TO SHARE WITH YOU. FOR US, WE BELIEVE THAT, UM, THE SAME WAY THAT AN INDIVIDUAL'S CREDIT SCORE IS IMPORTANT TO THEM IS EXACTLY WHAT WE EXPERIENCE. SO WHEN YOU GO TO THIS NEXT SLIDE AND LOOK AT IT, WE ACTUALLY KIND OF DID A, A MATRIX WHERE WE KIND OF PUT ON ONE SIDE OUR, OUR CATEGORIES IN THE INDUSTRY THAT YOU SEE, AND WE EQUATED IT TO A PERSONAL F I C O SCORES. SO TOP HIGHLY RATED PEOPLE ARE GONNA BE ABLE [04:45:01] TO GET CAR LOANS WITH LOW INTEREST RATES BECAUSE MOSTLY BECAUSE THEY HAVE GREAT CREDIT. AND SO THE, THE FINANCING COMPANY OR THE CAR DEALERSHIP IS GONNA WANNA DO THAT. BUT IF SOMEONE HAS A REALLY LOW RATING AND, AND EVEN AS YOU GO THROUGH, UM, YOU GO FROM ONE CATEGORY TO THE NEXT, THE INCREASE IN INTEREST COST IS 38% ON AN INDIVIDUAL. WE WENT OUT THERE AND PULLED THAT AND ACTUALLY WENT OUT AND THE INTERNET AND RUN, RAN THIS MATRIX TO SHOW THE DYNAMIC NATURE OF HOW MUCH MORE OF A PREMIUM YOU CAN PAY IF YOU DON'T HAVE GREAT CREDIT. AND ON THE FARTHEST END OF GREAT CREDIT, UM, IT'S EXTREMELY PUNITIVE. SO FOR US, WE HAVE NEVER LET OUR CREDIT RATING GO DOWN. WE'VE ALWAYS DONE THE THINGS THAT WE CAN DO TO KEEP OUR CREDITS UP ABOUT, UM, PROBABLY IN THE, UM, 2008 TIMEFRAME WHEN THE MARKET DISLOCATED BEFORE THAT, SEVERAL YEARS BEFORE THAT CREDIT WAS NOT VALUED. AND SO THERE WERE COMPANIES THAT WERE INSURANCE COMPANIES THAT ACTUALLY PROPPED UP THE CREDITS IN THE INDUSTRY. THEY WERE CALLED SURETY COMPANIES. AND, UM, YOU COULD ACTUALLY, YOU COULD BUY AAA UPGRADE IF YOU WERE A AA, WE COULD GO GET THAT INSURANCE AND THEN WE'D BE CONSIDERED A AAA. SO, SO PEOPLE THOUGHT THAT WASN'T VERY, VERY IMPORTANT. THEN WHEN THE MARKET DISLOCATED AND, YOU KNOW, EVERYTHING WENT AWRY, 2008, ALL OF THOSE COMPANIES THAT WERE AROUND PROVIDING SURETY CRASHED, THEY'RE NO LONGER AVAILABLE. YOU CANNOT DO THAT ANYMORE. AND ALL OF THE, UM, FINANCIAL REVIEWERS, LIKE CREDIT RATING AGENCIES, BYPASS ANY TYPE OF BELT AND SUSPENDERS APPROACH, AND THEY LOOK AT THE UNDERLYING CREDIT OF THAT ORGANIZATION AND THEY MAKE YOU TRANSACT BUSINESS ON YOUR EXACT CREDIT WORTHINESS. SO YOUR UNDERLYING CREDIT SUPPORT WHAT KIND OF BUSINESS YOU ARE AT THE HEART IS IMPORTANT. IT MAKES A DIFFERENCE. AND I'LL GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE. AND WHERE WE'VE SEEN IT IS, UM, AND INTEREST RATES HAVE GONE DOWN, BUT THEY'VE GONE DOWN MORE FOR US BECAUSE OUR UNDERLYING CREDIT IS SO STRONG. SO WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO MOVE OUR CREDIT NUMBERS FROM ALMOST 5% DOWN TO BELOW, UM, 4%. AND THAT'S JUST A SNIPPET OF TIME. BUT IF WE GO BACK FROM THE TIME THAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO GO BACK IN AND, AND ACTUALLY REFINANCE DEBT OVER TIME SINCE ABOUT 1985, WE'VE SAVED OVER $900 MILLION IN SAVINGS. SO AGAIN, IT WOULD BE LIKE, UM, YOU GO OUT AND YOU GET DEBT AND YOU GET IT AT A CERTAIN LEVEL, BUT YOU CAN GO BACK IN WHEN THE PRICES START TO GO DOWN AND, AND REFINANCE IT. LIKE YOU WOULD REFINANCE A HOUSE. WHEN YOU DO THAT, EVERYBODY DOES IT TO SAVE MONEY. EVERY TIME WE'VE DONE THAT, THAT'S COME BACK TO THE BENEFIT OF OUR CUSTOMERS. IT HELPS US KEEP THE BILLS DOWN. IT HELPS US AFFORD, UM, DOING ALL THE THINGS LOCALLY WITHOUT RAISING RATES MORE. AND SO ULTIMATELY THIS CREDIT IS JUST LIKE MAINTAINING THE PERSON'S PERSONAL FICA SCORE. UM, THE OTHER THING I WANTED TO, UM, SHARE IS THAT RECENTLY EVERYBODY'S SEEN A LOT OF ACTIVITY ON THE TAX ACT AND THE, THE RAMIFICATIONS. AND THERE'S TWO POINTS TO MAKE RELATIVE TO THAT. ONE OF THE THINGS ON THE TABLE TO MAKE THE TAX ACT, UM, I GUESS FLUID WAS THE POTENTIAL ELIMINATION OF TAX EXEMPT DEBT. AND, UM, THAT WOULD'VE ACTUALLY BEEN VERY COSTLY TO ANY MUNICIPAL ENTITY, THE CITY, UM, US CO UH, SAWS, ANY, ANY MUNICIPAL UTILITY, IF WE GOT THAT ELIMINATED, WE'D AUTOMATICALLY GET AN INCREASE IN INTEREST RATES FROM, FROM THAT STANDPOINT, THAT DID NOT HAPPEN. AND SO THERE WERE, THERE WAS A LOT OF CONVERSATIONS WITH, UH, AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL FROM MANY ENTITIES IN THE INDUSTRY ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE TO COMMUNITIES OF BEING ABLE TO ACCESS TAX EXEMPT DEBT BONDS. AND SO THAT STAYED AND WAS NOT, UM, TOUCHED. THERE WAS ONE ELIMINATION OF WHAT WE CALL, UM, ADVANCE REFUNDING BONDS. THEIR, THEIR ABILITY FOR YOU TO ACTUALLY PUSH OUT, UM, MOVE UP YOUR ABILITY TO REFINANCE DEBT. AND WE HAVE USED THAT. UM, BUT WE DO NOT PROJECT THAT, AND WE DID NOT PUT IT IN OUR ESTIMATES, AND WE DO NOT RELY ON THAT. SO WE THINK THE, THE ACTUAL ELIMINATION OF REFUNDING IS NOT A HUGE IMPETUS FOR US. AND IN FACT, INTEREST RATES WILL PROBABLY BE GOING UP, SO THERE WON'T BE A LOT OF REFINANCINGS ANYWAY. UM, GO BACK ONE, ONE MORE. UM, THERE IS, THERE, THERE HAVE BEEN A COUPLE OF ARTICLES RUN THAT I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT YOU HEAR SOME OF THE, UH, SOME UTILITIES ARE LOWERING RATES BECAUSE OF THE TAX ACT. AND WE HAVE GOTTEN A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS ABOUT DOES THAT MEAN THAT WE WILL LOWER RATES BECAUSE OF THE TAX ACT? UM, THE, THE ONES THAT ARE LOWERING THE TAX RATES ARE THE IOUS THAT PAY FEDERAL INCOME TAXES. SO THE 35% RATE THAT WAS OUT THERE WAS INCORPORATED AND EMBEDDED IN THE RATE STRUCTURE FOR ALL OF THOSE IOUS. WHEN THAT CORPORATE RATE GOES DOWN FROM 35% TO 21%, [04:50:01] THERE'S A BENEFIT. AND SO THEY CAN LOWER THEIR RATES AND OFFER THOSE SAVINGS BACK TO THEIR CUSTOMERS. WE NEVER CHARGED 21% OR 35%, SO THEY WERE NEVER IN OUR RATES TO BEGIN WITH. AND SO WE ALREADY HAVE LOW COST STRUCTURE 'CAUSE THOSE WEREN'T THERE. SO IT DOES NOT APPLY TO MUNICIPAL OWNED UTILITIES. IT DOES APPLY TO IOUS. SO GETTING CLOSE TO THE END, I THINK LAST TIME I TALKED ABOUT, UM, J B S A AND THE, UM, OUR ABILITY TO ACTUALLY TAKE ON MAINTAINING THE INFRASTRUCTURE AT SOME OF THE REMAINING BASES IN TOWN. AND I ANNOUNCED THAT, BUT I'LL GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE. I DIDN'T HAVE THE NUMBERS I WANTED TO SHARE. UH, BA BASICALLY AGAIN, THEY TRANSFERRED THE ASSETS TO US EFFECTIVELY AND THEN WE MAINTAIN THEM. AND THEN THERE'S A FEE WITH COST ESCALATIONS OVER TIME OVER THE 50 YEARS. SO THIS IS AN EXTREMELY LONG CONTRACT, BUT OVER TIME WE WILL BE GIVING THEM ABOUT $410 MILLION OF, OF VALUE. THE REAL VALUE PROPOSITION FOR THEM IS THEY DON'T HAVE TO MAINTAIN THEM ANYMORE. THEY DON'T HAVE TO KEEP UP THEIR EXPERTISE AND THEY DON'T HAVE TO BE THE EXPERT ONES TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT INFRASTRUCTURE IS TAKEN CARE OF. AND SO IT'S ONE LESS THING OUT OF THEIR REQUIREMENTS FOR MISSIONS THAT WE ARE DOING FOR THEM. AND THEN SO I GIVE THE QUANTIFIED, UM, IMPACT THERE AS WELL AS THE, UM, ADDITIONAL REVENUE THAT CAN COME FROM CITY PAYMENT. NEXT SLIDE. UM, ONE THING I WANTED TO ANNOUNCE, WE RECENTLY EXECUTED A MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING WITH J B SS A, WE ARE GOING TO BE PIPELINING, UM, PEOPLE WHO ARE COMING VETERANS TO BE COMING OUTTA THE MILITARY. SO THEY USUALLY GO INTO KIND OF A TRANSITIONAL TERMINAL SERVICE PERIOD WHERE THEY'RE PRETTY MUCH DONE WITH THEIR WORK ON BASE AND THEY'RE THINKING ABOUT, UM, WORKING IN PRIVATE INDUSTRY. AND SO WE ARE GOING TO BE BRINGING THEM IN, UM, IN POCKETS OF AVAILABILITY INTO OUR SYSTEM TO HELP THEM KIND OF LEARN WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE TO BE IN KIND OF A BUSINESS SETTING AND HELP THEM THINK ABOUT, UM, THEIR CAREERS AND HOPEFULLY CREATE SOME LEVEL OF PIPELINE BACK INTO THE COMMUNITY. SO WE ARE VERY EXCITED AND WE'LL BE STARTING AND, AND BRINGING ON OUR FIRST, UM, ENTRANCE INTO THAT PROGRAM THIS SPRING. AND I THINK MY LAST SLIDE IS, UM, ON FEBRUARY ONE, WE WILL BE ACTIVATING AN INCREASE IN OUR LIVING WAGE. WE'VE HAD A LIVING WAGE FOR A VERY LONG TIME. WE HAD TAKEN IT UP TO 1375. UM, I JUST HEARD ON THE RIDE OVER WALMART IS TAKING THEIR LIVING WAGE UP TO 11 BUCKS. UM, AND UH, BUT WE ARE ULTIMATELY TAKING OURS UP TO $15 AND THAT WILL TAKE EFFECT ON FEBRUARY ONE. SO I WILL STOP THERE, SEE IF THERE ARE ANY MORE QUESTIONS. PAUL, WE DO HAVE COUNCIL MEMBERS. YES. THANK YOU, SIR. UH, COUPLE MORE QUESTIONS. UH, OKAY. PART OF THE MAINTENANCE THAT YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT AND THE DAMAGES FROM NATURAL DISASTER MM-HMM. SNOW EVEN MM-HMM. , FLOODS, THAT KIND OF THING. UH, I'VE HAD A COUPLE OF CONVERSATIONS WITH YOUR STAFF ABOUT, UH, PUTTING TOGETHER, UH, AN ANALYSIS ON UNDERGROUND VERSUS ABOVE GROUND SERVICES AND, UH, HAVING THAT AS, UH, AND, AND ACTUALLY LOOKING AT THAT BECAUSE OVER TIME THAT THAT'S GONNA SAVE C P SS AND THE CITY MONEY OVER YEARS AVOIDING THOSE MAINTENANCE COSTS. I WOULD AGREE WITH YOU. UM, EUROPE HAS BEEN DOING THAT FOR MANY, MANY YEARS AND, UH, I THINK WE NEED TO TAKE A MORE CONCENTRATED LOOK AT THAT MM-HMM. TO INCLUDE, UH, MAYBE OFFERING INCENTIVES TO, UH, INCOMING INDUSTRIES, UM, WHATEVER HOUSING COMPLEXES TO PUT THOSE NEW INSTALLATIONS UNDERGROUND VERSUS, UH, ABOVE GROUND. AND ALSO, AND I UNDERSTAND THE CITY HAD HAD A PROGRAM AT ONE TIME ABOUT GOING BACK AND PUTTING UTILITIES UNDERGROUND THAT HAD BEEN PUT ABOVE GROUND. SO I THINK WE NEED TO TAKE A, AN OVERALL LOOK AT THAT AGAIN. AND WE, WE COULD DEFINITELY LOOK AT THAT AND LOOKING AT THAT AS A, A FUTURE PROGRAM AND SEEING WHAT, WHAT THE PAYBACK REALLY IS OVER TIME, OVER 5, 10, 15, 20 YEARS. AND, AND, UH, TAKING A PORTION OF THAT AND HAVING THAT AS INCENTIVES TO DO THAT FOR, UM, INCOMING, INCOMING JOBS, INCOMING INDUSTRY, UH, NEW DEVELOPMENTS, THAT KIND OF THING ACROSS SAN ANTONIO. WE WOULD LOVE TO SIT DOWN AND TALK TO YOU ABOUT THAT. GREAT. UM, YOU TALKED ABOUT IT A LITTLE BIT, CORE COMPETENCIES MM-HMM. , UH, WITH THE MILITARY, EXCELLENT EXAMPLE. I I THINK THAT'S FANTASTIC. I I STARTED THAT, UH, PROCESS BACK IN WHEN I GOT HERE TO, UH, SAN ANTONIO IN 1991. YEAH. ON UTILITIES, PRIVATIZATION WE CALLED IT. SO [04:55:01] I'M GLAD THAT IT'S FINALLY GETTING THROUGH THE SYSTEM AND, UH, WE'RE SEEING SOME FRUITS OF THAT. UM, MY QUESTION TO YOU IS, HAS, HAVE YOU LOOKED AT THAT IN YOUR CAR CORE COMPETENCIES ACROSS C P S? FOR EXAMPLE, UH, YOU HAVE, UH, I THINK IT'S SIX OR SEVEN DIFFERENT, UM, UM, AREAS THAT YOU MAIN AND MAYBE NOT SIX OR SEVEN, UM, TRANSPORTATION SERVICES, MAINTAINING YOUR VEHICLE FLEETS MM-HMM. , HAVE YOU LOOKED AT THAT AS A POTENTIAL TO CONTRACT OUT THOSE SERVICES VERSUS DOING THAT IN-HOUSE? IN OTHER WORDS, CONCENTRATING ON YOUR CORE COMPETENCIES AND LOOKING AT THOSE AREAS? THAT REALLY ISN'T PART OF IT. IT'S JUST ALWAYS BEEN PART OF IT BECAUSE THAT'S THE WAY IT WAS. AND I WENT THROUGH PERSONAL EXPERIENCES WITH THAT IN THE AIR FORCE WHERE WE HAVE CONTRACTED OUT MANY, MANY THINGS SO THAT WE CAN JUST LIKE J B S A YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT MM-HMM. CONCENTRATE ON WHAT THEIR CORE COMPETENCIES IS. SO WE, WE DO OFTEN LOOK AT IT. WE, WE ACTUALLY BELIEVE THAT WE NEED TO HAVE A MIX. SO WE'RE NOT, AT A MINIMUM, WE THINK ABOUT HAVING A MIX SO THAT WE DON'T OVER PURCHASE AND OVERINVEST IN THINGS. EVEN IN TERMS OF, UM, UM, CERTAIN TYPES OF MAINTENANCE WORK. WE DON'T LIKE CERTAIN, UM, TRENCHING WORK AND THINGS LIKE THAT. WE DON'T HAVE TO DO THAT. WE DON'T HAVE TO ALWAYS HAVE THAT SKILLSET. SO WE LOOK AT IT, EVEN, EVEN CERTAIN ASPECTS OF WHAT WE DO EVERY DAY ISN'T THE CORE PART OF WHAT WE DO. SO WE DO LOOK AT IT, WE ALSO LOOK AT OUR MAINTENANCE PROGRAMS AND WE LOOK AT CERTAIN TYPES OF ACTIVITIES THAT, THAT, UM, WE CAN'T DO EVERY TYPE OF MAINTENANCE, UM, IN OUR AREA. SO WE CONSTANTLY LOOK AT IT. SOME OF THE CHALLENGES THAT WE HAVE, OUR BUCKETS ARE SPECIALLY DESIGNED AND, UM, SO THEY, THEY, WE MODIFY THEM TO WORK BEST IN SAN ANTONIO. NOT EVERYBODY CAN WORK ON 'EM. ALL THAT SAID, WE ARE ALWAYS OPEN TO SUGGESTIONS. SO, UM, WE WOULD BE GLAD TO SHARE WITH YOU SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE ARE LOOKING AT TO BE ABLE TO OUTSOURCE. AND THEN IF THERE ARE ANY OTHER SUGGESTIONS YOU WOULD LIKE US TO LOOK AT, WE'D BE GLAD TO DO THAT. WE'LL, WE'LL SHARE BACK AND FORTH. YES, WE ARE, WE DO LOOK AT IT. GREAT. OKAY. I'D LIKE TO SEE WHAT YOU'RE CURRENTLY LOOKING AT, WHAT YOU HAVE LOOKED AT, AND LET'S TALK ABOUT SOME OF THOSE OTHER AREAS THAT WE MIGHT WANT TO TAKE A LOOK AT. ABSOLUTELY. AT, UH, THE LAST THING THAT I HAVE IS, I'M VERY EXCITED ABOUT YOUR MILITARY TRANSITION, UM, PROPOSAL AND, AND THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT THAT MIGHT GIVE TO OUR FOLKS HERE IN SAN ANTONIO TO KEEP 'EM HERE, UM, INSTEAD OF MOVING AWAY TO SOME OTHER LOCATION. SO, UH, I'M VERY EXCITED ABOUT THAT AND I'D LIKE TO TALK TO YOU FURTHER ABOUT THAT ALSO, AND, AND HOW NOT ONLY C P S, BUT UH, KEEPING THAT MORE OF AN ENGAGEMENT BY SAWS MM-HMM. , AS WELL AS THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO, ALSO ON HOW YOU'RE GONNA PUT THAT PROGRAM TOGETHER AND HOW WE CAN ADAPT THAT TO OTHER PORTIONS OF SAN ANTONIO HERE. WE WOULD LOVE TO SHOW YOU HOW WE'RE STARTING. AND I THINK THAT'S A, A GREAT PLACE BECAUSE THERE ARE OBVIOUSLY A LOT OF, THERE'S A LOT OF SUPPLY COMING OUT AND, UM, THE, WE CAN SEE A NEED AND WE CAN SEE THE HELPFUL PART OF IT. AND I THINK THEY CAN GO, THEY, THEY HAVE VERY TRANSFERABLE SKILLS TO JUST ABOUT ANY BUSINESS. SO WE, WE'D LOVE TO PARTNER AND THEN ALSO HELP OTHER BUSINESSES THINK ABOUT THAT MORE BROADLY. GREAT. THANK YOU. I, AND JUST ONE, ONE OTHER LITTLE THING. MM-HMM. , UM, YOU KNOW, ON FUTURE EXPANSIONS, I HAD A MEETING WITH YOUR STAFF THE OTHER DAY AND, AND I UNDERSTAND Y'ALL ARE LOOKING AT POTENTIAL FOR FUTURE EXPANSIONS, UH, OF THE OLD TUTTLE POWER PLANT THERE. AND, UH, I'M STILL VERY INTERESTED IN, IN, UH, UH, TAKING A LOOK AT THAT PLANT WHERE IT STANDS NOW, AND, UH, UM, TAKING SOME OF THAT PROPERTY THERE AND GIVING IT, UH, OPENING IT UP FOR, UH, THE PUBLIC TO USE AS A PARK SYSTEM THERE. SO, UH, AS SOON AS Y'ALL GET THAT TOGETHER, I, I, I'M BEEN ANXIOUSLY WAITING TO SEE YOUR PROPOSAL ON WHAT, WHAT YOU'D LIKE TO DO THERE. AND, UH, I'M, I, I'M READY TO SIT DOWN AND TAKE A LOOK AT THAT AND WORK WITH YOU. WELL, ABSOLUTELY. I THINK, I THINK WE ARE OPEN. UM, IT'S A, IT'S AN INTERESTING, AND I KNOW YOU GOT A TOUR, SO YOU KNOW THIS, IT'S AN INTERESTING LOCATION. IT IS INTERNAL AND MOST PEOPLE WOULDN'T EVEN KNOW WHAT IT WAS BECAUSE IT HAS SO MUCH, YOU KNOW, GOODNESS, IN TERMS OF TREE COVERAGE, IT DOES HAVE A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF CENTRALIZATION IN TERMS OF OUR INFRASTRUCTURE. WE DO EQUIPMENT MAINTENANCE ON THAT BIG COMPLEX. WE DO EQUIPMENT MAINTENANCE OUT THERE, WE MAINTENANCE OUT THERE, WE DO TRAINING, WE DO SUBSTATION WORK, WE HAVE A SUBSTATION OUT THERE, UM, ON THAT LOCATION. IT'S, IT'S JUST WELL INSULATED BY KIND OF THE THINGS AROUND IT. SO WE WOULD LOVE TO COME AND TALK TO YOU ABOUT WHAT, WHAT IS POTENTIALLY THERE. WE DO NEED TO ULTIMATELY PROTECT IT BECAUSE IT IS CRITICAL TO THE RELIABILITY OVERALL, BUT WE CAN LOOK AND SEE WHAT THE POSSIBILITIES ARE. [05:00:01] YEAH. AND I, YOU KNOW, THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT I WANNA DO IS SIT DOWN AND TAKE A LOOK AT, 'CAUSE IT, YOU ARE CORRECT. IT IS VERY INTERESTING AND IT WOULD, UH, A GOOD PORTION OF THAT, UH, WOULD MAKE A VERY NICE PARK SYSTEM CONNECTING LADY BIRD JOHNSON AND THE MM-HMM. PAREN PARK THERE AND, UH, UM, ADD TO OUR TRAIL SYSTEM ACROSS SAN ANTONIO. AND I THINK THE PEOPLE ACROSS SAN ANTONIO WOULD BE VERY, VERY HAPPY TO HAVE ADDITIONAL TRAILS AND, UH, PARK FACILITY, SOMETHING NEW, UH, THAT'S KIND OF BEEN TUCKED AWAY FOR A LONG TIME AND IT IS A BEAUTIFUL AREA THERE. SO, UH, CAN'T WAIT TO SEE THAT. WE'LL SET UP ANOTHER MEETING WITH YOU TODAY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. BUT THANK YOU FOR DOING THE TOUR. SURE. THANK YOU, SIR. THANK YOU, COUNCIL. THANK YOU, PAULA. THE MEETINGS WITH, UH, MOODY'S AND FITCH AND S AND P GLOBAL AND ALL THAT, HOW OFTEN DO THEY HAPPEN? UH, ANNUALLY FOR ME, UM, EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE WE WILL, WE'LL VISIT WITH THEM WHEN WE GO UP AND DO A BOND ISSUE KIND OF INFORMALLY. RIGHT. BUT AT, AT LEAST ONCE A YEAR, I MAKE SURE I GET UP THERE. OKAY. AND IS IT JUST YOU, 'CAUSE I SAW PHOTOS THAT YOU TAKE A DELEGATION WITH YOU OR SOME SORT? NO, IT'S NOT JUST ME. SO I, SO THE C IT'S USUALLY FOR SURE THE C F O AND MYSELF. OKAY. AND THEN WE BRING, UM, ADDITIONAL EXECUTIVES IN TERMS OF, UM, YOU KNOW, WHAT THE FOCUS AND THE STRATEGIC EFFORT. WE, WE'VE DONE A HUGE MARRIED, WE'VE BROUGHT OUR C L O, WE'VE, WE'VE BROUGHT OTHER PEOPLE. SO WE DO, WE DO ABOUT FOUR OR FIVE PEOPLE. OKAY. SO THIS IS NOT JUST FOR WHEN YOU ISSUE BONDS? NO, NO, NOT AT ALL. CONTINUOUS EFFORT. IT'S A CONTINU. WHEN WE DO ISSUE BONDS, WHAT, WHAT HAPPENS IS, I MEAN, THEY RATE US ALL YEAR LONG. SO WHENEVER WE GO TO MARKET, UM, THEY ASK FOR OUR MOST, UM, UPDATED INFORMATION ON THE BOND ISSUE WHERE WE'RE GONNA USE IT FOR OUR MOST UPDATED FINANCIALS. SO THEY'RE REVIEWING US CONSTANTLY, AND THEY WILL CALL US, UM, THROUGHOUT THE YEAR WITH QUESTIONS. UM, THEY, THEY ALL THE, EVERY TIME OUR NAME POPS UP, THEY HAVE US ON, UH, NOTICE. SO IT'S A CONSTANT THING. IF THEY HAVE THE QUESTION, THEY WILL CALL. AND WE TYPICALLY HAD TAKE THE, OUR HEAD OF, UH, CAPITAL MARCUS, BECAUSE SHE'S THE ONE THAT'S HAVING THE, THE CONSTANT DIALOGUE. UM, WHEN WE DO NEW BOARD MEMBERS AND WHEN WE GET, WHEN THE, WHEN I CAME ON BOARD AS A NEW C E O, UM, WE NOTIFY THEM AS IT'S HAPPENING. SO THEY'RE GETTING CONSTANT UPDATES, BUT I, UM, WANNA GO UP THERE TO TALK TO THEM FACE TO FACE, TO, TO ANSWER ANY QUESTION THEY HAVE IN PERSON. AND WE, WE'VE ALWAYS DONE THAT WITH, WITH ALL OUR C CEOS. THANK YOU. COUNCIL. ANY QUESTIONS, PAUL? THANK YOU SO MUCH. OKAY. OKAY. HAVE A GREAT DAY. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.