FROM: James D. Herberg, General Manager
SUBJECT:
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PUBLIC AFFAIRS UPDATE FOR THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY 2022
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GENERAL MANAGER'S RECOMMENDATION
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RECOMMENDATION:
Receive and file the Public Affairs Update for the month of February 2022.
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BACKGROUND
Staff will provide an update on recent public affairs activities.
RELEVANT STANDARDS
• Maintain influential legislative advocacy and a public outreach program
• Build brand, trust, and support with policy makers and community leaders
• Maintain collaborative and cooperative relationships with regulators, stakeholders, and neighboring communities
• Listen to and seriously consider community input on environmental concerns
PROBLEM
The Orange County Sanitation District (OC San) is well-recognized within the water/wastewater industry; however, within our service area there is limited knowledge by our customers of the important work we do to protect public health and the environment. In general, the customers we serve do not realize that when they improperly dispose of waste into the sanitation system, it can negatively affect our sewer lines, our treatment plants, and the quality of water we supply to the Groundwater Replenishment System.
PROPOSED SOLUTION
By providing tours, community outreach, education, and general communication via OC San’s website, social media outlets, and direct mailings, we can educate the community, local agencies, and businesses on our messaging such as the What2Flush program, energy production, water recycling, biosolids, and our source control program. This, in turn, helps improve the quality of wastewater that is recycled or released to the ocean.
RAMIFICATIONS OF NOT TAKING ACTION
If we do not educate the community, local agencies, and area businesses about OC San, we may not have the support necessary to deliver our mission.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Activities for the month of February 2022:
Outreach Report
An outreach report that includes tours, website postings, social media postings, construction notifications, speaker engagements, and more is included as an attachment to this Agenda Report.
Virtual Tours
To continue engaging with the community and our stakeholders, staff conducts virtual tours of the Plant which has allowed participants an opportunity to remotely visit OC San and learn how we protect public health and the environment. For this reporting period, we held two virtual tours reaching 63 people.
Social Media
Over the last month, OC San remained active on our social media accounts to continue connecting with our audience. This is a quick snapshot of what we did:
• Facebook: 16 posts and reached 4k people
• Twitter: 12 posts and reached 2.7k people
• Instagram: 13 posts and had 2.4k reached
• LinkedIn: 3 posts and had 1.6k reached
Construction Outreach
OC San continues to keep our communities informed of construction activities throughout our service area. There are currently active projects in Fountain Valley, Los Alamitos, Seal Beach, Westminster, Buena Park, Anaheim, and within both of our facilities. Website updates, email and text alerts, and notifications continue to be distributed as the projects progress.
Vendor Outreach Program
As a reminder, OC San relaunched the Vendor Outreach Program with a focus on Orange County businesses to enhance the competitive bidding opportunities for OC San. A workshop was held on March 1 to show prospective bidders how to register as vendors, what OC San’s business practices area, and present upcoming opportunities. The workshop was attended by over 45 distinct companies. A second workshop is scheduled for May 3 to highlights OC San’s maintenance services contracts.
ATTACHMENT
The following attachment(s) may be viewed on-line at the OC San website (www.ocsan.gov) with the complete agenda package:
• Outreach and Media Summary Report - February 2022
• Presentation