TOUCH ON THAT. WE’VE GOT THE TIME. YEAH, WE’RE ABOUT 15 SECONDS AWAY.
>> WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THE
CITY AND IS THERE CONCERN THAT
THE RISE IN THE CASES THAT
WE’RE SEEING IN COVID COULD
IMPACT CITY SERVICES? WE’RE
JOINED AS WE ARE ON MOST
WEDNESDAYS BY SAN ANTONIO.
MAYOR RON NIRENBERG JOINS US
LIVE FROM HIS OFFICE. MISTER
MAYOR, WHEN WE SEE A NUMBER
LIKE MORE THAN 7,000 CASES THAT
WE SAW JUST TODAY.
CAN WE PUT DO WE NEED TO PUT
THAT IN SOME SORT OF CONTEXT
WHEN WE’RE TALKING ABOUT JUST
HOW CONTAGIOUS THE OMICRON
VARIANT IS.
>> I THINK ON TAXES, ALWAYS
EXTREMELY IMPORTANT. AND AND
THE OMICRON VARIANT IS THE MOST
HIGHLY CONTAGIOUS VARIANT THAT
WE’VE SEEN THROUGHOUT THIS
PANDEMIC. THAT MUCH IS CLEAR.
WE ARE CAUTIOUSLY HOPEFUL THAT
THE DATA WILL BEAR OUT THAT
THE CASES ARE PERHAPS A LITTLE
LESS SEVERE. BUT THE BIG
MESSAGE FOR TO CONTINUE TO
DRIVE HOME IS THE FACT THAT
YOU CAN AVOID SERIOUS ILLNESS
AND HOSPITALIZATION BY MAKING
SURE THAT YOU’RE VACCINATED,
THAT YOU’RE BOOSTED THAT YOUR
EXHIBIT, YOU KNOW, PRACTICING
THE SAFE BEHAVIORS LIKE MASKING
UP WERE APPROPRIATE AND PROPER
SANITATION. THAT REMAINS TRUE.
BUT THE OMICRON VARIANT IS VERY
HIGHLY CONTAGIOUS. THAT’S WHY
YOU SEE IN THE CASE NUMBERS
SKYROCKET. YOU’VE ALSO SEEN THE
POSITIVITY RATE SKYROCKET.
THAT’S TRUE ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
EVEN IN TEXAS WHERE AND DALLAS
COUNTY, FOR INSTANCE, LAST A
COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO RECORDED
A 48% POSITIVITY RATE. SO WE’RE
SEEING THINGS THAT WE HAD NOT
SEEN BEFORE IN THE EARLIER
PHASES OF THIS PANDEMIC.
>> YOU KNOW, THROUGHOUT THE
PANDEMIC, THE OVERALL MESSAGE
HAS BEEN THAT TYPICALLY OLDER
PEOPLE, ADULTS, THEY TEND TO
GET THE MORE SERIOUS ILLNESS.
AND WHEN IT COMES TO KIDS, THE
YOUNGEST PEOPLE WHO CAN GET
VACCINATED 5 IN UP, WE HAVE A
PRETTY LOW VACCINATION RATE IN
OUR COMMUNITY. SO HOW BIG OF A
CONCERN IS THAT FOR YOU IN ANY
OF THE OTHER HEALTH EXPERTS
THAT YOU’RE TALKING TO?
>> WELL, THAT AND THE JUDGE NOT
CONVENE THE SUPERINTENDENTS
TODAY TO TALK ABOUT THAT AND
THE IMPORTANCE FOR US TO GET
THE MESSAGE TO FAMILIES THAT
OUR 5 TO 11 YEAR-OLD
POPULATION, WHICH WAS THE LAST
TO BECOME ELIGIBLE WITH THE
VACCINATIONS STILL HAS A LOT OF
ROOM TO AND WE KNOW THOSE
STUDENTS ARE BACK IN SCHOOL
AND SO TO PROTECT WE NEED TO
MAKE SURE THAT THEY’RE GETTING
VACCINATED. SO IF YOU HAVE, IF
YOU ARE A PARENT OF A CHILD IS
BETWEEN 5 AND 11. ARE YOU ARE
ELIGIBLE FOR THE VACCINE AND
YOU SHOULD GO GET IT TO PROTECT
THEM AND THE SCHOOL SETTING AND
MAKE SURE THAT AGAIN, THEY’RE
NOT AT FURTHER RISK FOR FOR
SEVERE INFECTION, BUT YES, THE
THE OTHER TRENDS THAT WE SAW,
THE OTHER DATA POINTS THAT WE
SAW EARLIER AND THE PANDEMIC
ARE STILL BEARING THIS VIRUS
STILL TAX UNDERLYING
CONDITIONS. SO AND ALSO FOLKS
WHO ARE OLDER WHO ARE IMMUNE
COMPROMISED, PERHAPS.
AT HIGHER RISK FOR SEVERE
INFECTION. AGAIN, WE NEED TO
GET FOLKS VACCINATED,
PARTICULARLY THOSE KIDS, TOO,
JUST BECAME VACCINATED A FEW
MONTHS AGO. AND WE’VE GOT A
LOT OF ROOM TO IMPROVE THERE.
>> I DON’T. WE TALK LAST WEEK,
YOU HAD SOME CONCERN ABOUT HOW
SUCH A HIGHLY CONTAGIOUS
VARIANTS LIKE OMICRON COULD
AFFECT POLICE SPY OR EVEN BASIC
CITY SERVICES. CITY
DEPARTMENTS. ARE YOU SEEING
THAT PLAY OUT? ARE YOU STILL
CONCERNED ABOUT THAT?
>> I AM CONCERNED ABOUT JUST AS
WE ARE IN THE HOSPITALS AND
MAINTAINING SPENT THE STRENGTH
OF STAFF THERE.
AND THE CHALLENGES YOU KNOW,
INCREASING PATIENT LOADS AND
ALSO NURSES AND HEALTH CARE
PROFESSIONALS THEMSELVES COMING
UP, GETTING SICK. WE’VE GOT TO
MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE
ESSENTIAL SERVICES TAKEN CARE
OF IN THE THROUGHOUT OUR PUBLIC
SECTOR. I WILL TELL YOU THE
OMICRON VARIANT HAS ALSO HIT
CITY EMERGENCY PERSONNEL.
AND SO WE HAVE SEEN STAFF RANKS
SUFFER BUT IT HAS NOT AFFECTED
THE DELIVERY OF CITY SERVICES.
THANKFULLY NOT YET. WE’VE SEEN
A LITTLE BIT OF A DROP IN THE
NUMBER OF POSITIVE CASES THIS
WEEK COMPARED TO LAST. BUT
WE’RE WE’RE VERY CLOSE TO THE
ER. IN FACT, WE’RE UP AT THE
HIGHEST NUMBERS WE’VE SEEN IN
TERMS OF INFECTIONS AMONG
EMPLOYEES. AND WE’VE GOT TO
WATCH THAT VERY CAREFULLY TO
MAKE SURE THAT IT DOESN’T
IMPACT SET CITY SERVICES ARE.
I WILL ALSO SAY THEY WERE
MAKING PREPARATIONS IN THE
EVENT THAT WE DO HAVE TO SHIFT
SHIFT SOME OF THE LOAD THAT THE
REBALANCE SOME OF THE CITY BUT
THANKFULLY WE HAVE NOT HAD TO
DO THAT YET. WE’RE PREPARING
FOR THAT EVENT, BUT WE’RE
TRYING TO PREVENT IT FROM
HAPPENING.
>> WE WANT TO SWITCH GEARS HERE
TO THE VOTE EXPECTED TOMORROW
ON THE CPS ENERGY RATE
INCREASE. THE CITY COUNCIL
TAKING UP THAT ISSUE TOMORROW
DURING COUNCIL MEETINGS.
ARE YOU EXPECTING THAT TO PASS?
WILL THAT BE APPROVED? AND IF
SO, WHAT’S YOUR MESSAGE TO
EVERYONE WHO WILL THEN BE
PAYING THAT RATE INCREASE?
>> YES, THAT WELL, FIRST OF
ALL, I WILL LIKE I AM A CPS
RIGHT THERE. WE ARE ALL CPS
REPAIRS. WE’RE ALSO ALL OWNERS
OF THE UTILITY AND FOR US TOO,
GET THE SERVICE THAT WE EXPECT
FROM THAT UTILITY AS A PUBLIC
UTILITY. WE’VE GOT TO MAKE SURE
THAT WE’RE PROVIDING RESOURCES.
WE HAVE ASKED THE PS TO WHITTLE
DOWN THEIR RATE ADJUSTMENT
REQUEST. SO THE VERY ESSENTIAL
IS NEEDED TO MAKE SURE THAT
WE’RE ADDRESSING WEATHERIZATION
RESILIENCE, MAKING SURE THAT
WE’RE KEEPING UP WITH THE
INFRASTRUCTURE MAINTENANCE AND
MAY HAVE AND THAT’S WHY THEY’D
REDUCE THE REQUEST TO BELOW
4%. SO I DO EXPECT IT TO PASS
BECAUSE I THINK NO ONE WANTS
TO ADJUST RATES EVER. WE
HAVEN’T DONE THAT IN 8 YEARS.
BUT WE ALSO RECOGNIZE THE
REALITY THAT WE HAVE TO PROVIDE
OUR PUBLIC UTILITY THE
RESOURCES NECESSARY TO DELIVER
THE SERVICES THAT WE REQUIRE.
>> YEAH, IT’S INTERESTING
BECAUSE YOU BRING YOU BRING
UP THE FACT THAT STOUT BELOW
4%. AT ONE POINT THERE WAS TALK
OF MAYBE A 10% INCREASE IN CPS
ENERGY BILLS. SO JUST A LITTLE
MORE CONTEXT TO BEGIN AND END
THIS CONVERSATION WITH MAYOR
RON NIRENBERG IS ALWAYS