>> SO WE CAN HIT ON THE BOND CHECK IT. ALL RIGHT. GREAT. WE’RE ABOUT 40 SECONDS AWAY.
WE’RE ALMOST ONE YEAR AWAY FROM
THE ANNIVERSARY OF WHEN THOSE
FEBRUARY STORMS LAST YEAR.
>> TOOK OUT OUR POWER AND WATER
FOR A LOT OF US IN THE KSAT
VIEWING AREA. WE’RE JOINED
TONIGHT BY SAN ANTONIO MAYOR
RON NIRENBERG. AND WE’RE GOING
TO BE TALKING TO CPS ENERGY
CITY COUNCIL PERSON OUT THE
SOUND OF ALL COMING UP AT 7
O’CLOCK ON OUR LIVE STREAM,
MISTER MAYOR AND THE BIG
QUESTION, I ASKED BOTH OF THOSE
INDIVIDUALS WAS WHAT DID YOU
LEARN FROM A YEAR AGO AND
WHAT’S CHANGED? SO I WANT TO
ASK YOU THAT SAME QUESTION
TONIGHT.
>> WELL, THERE’S A LOT AND
OBVIOUSLY SOME OF THAT IS HERE
AT THE LOCAL LEVEL AND AND THE
GREAT DEAL THAT IS ALSO A STATE
LEVEL IN WHICH WE ARE SUBJECT
TO THE MANAGEMENT OF THE
STATE’S ELECTRIC GRID. BUT HERE
AT THE LOCAL LEVEL, I THINK THE
MOST IMPORTANT THING, THE MOST
IMPORTANT LESSON THAT EVERYONE
HAS LEARNED.
>> IS THE THE
IMPORTANCE OF
>> TIMELY INFORMATION TO
CONSTITUENTS TO RESIDENTS WHEN
THERE IS A PENDING CRISIS.
>> AND THEN WE’RE WE’RE IN THE
MIDDLE OF IT, MAKING SURE THAT
PEOPLE HAVE THE INFORMATION
ABOUT THOSE SUCH THINGS AS
WARMING CENTERS. WHEN THERE’S
A FREEZE HAPPENING, WHAT WE’RE
ANTICIPATING FROM ERCOT IN
TERMS OF POTENTIAL JUST MAKING
SURE THAT THERE’S ACCURATE
INFORMATION FLOORING AT EVERY
LEVEL OF CRISIS MANAGEMENT IS
IS IMPORTANT IN MULTIPLE VENUES
AS WELL. NOT JUST SIMPLY
THROUGH PRESS CONFERENCES OR TV
INTERVIEWS, BUT ALSO THROUGH
TEXT MESSAGING THROUGH SOCIAL
MEDIA AND EVEN DOOR TO DOOR,
WHICH IS SOMETHING THAT SAN
ANTONIO HAS THROUGHOUT THIS
PANDEMIC. AND EVEN DURING THE
WINTER STORM.
>> YOU KNOW, PART OF THE
CONVERSATION IN THE LAST YEAR
SINCE HAS BEEN NOT IF WE’RE
GOING TO SEE ANOTHER EVENT LIKE
THIS IN TERMS OF THOSE WEATHER
CONDITIONS. BUT WHEN AND YOU
MENTIONED EUNUCH HAITIANS SO
WOULD YOU PUSH TO MAKE SURE
THAT IF THIS HAPPENS THE NEXT
TIME AND WE ARE IN A SITUATION
WHERE POWERS GOING OUT, WATER
IS GOING OUT. THERE WOULD BE
SOME SORT OF HEADS UP SOME SORT
OF NOTIFICATION TO ALL THE
CUSTOMERS TO MAKE SURE THAT
THEY’RE AWARE OF THAT.
>> YES, ABSOLUTELY. AND AND
WE’VE ALREADY SEE SOME CHANGES
THAT AT THE STATE LEVEL AND OR
COP IS ALREADY SENDING OUT SOME
OF ADDITIONAL WARNINGS ABOUT
THE IMPENDING WEATHER. SO THAT
HAS IMPROVED. WE NEED TO
CONTINUE TO SEE THAT AT THE
LOCAL LEVEL. WE HAVE TO START
BEFORE POTENTIAL STORM. THERE
ARE POTENTIAL DISASTER EVENT
WHERE WE ARE WORKING A DOOR TO
DOOR TO ENSURE WHERE CUBA WHERE
WE HAVE ACCESS TO.
RESIDENTS WHO ARE IN CRITICAL
SITUATIONS SET. SO THAT SHOULD
AN EVENT OCCUR. WE ARE. WE KNOW
WHO WE’RE SUPPOSED TO BE
LOOKING FOR IF THERE ARE AT
THEIR COMMUNICATIONS HAVE BEEN
BLOCKED OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
BUT ALSO, YOU KNOW, THROUGHOUT
THE STORM ITSELF, MAKING SURE
THAT, YOU KNOW, WE DON’T TAKE
FOR GRANTED THAT PEOPLE ARE
GETTING THE YOU KNOW, A LOT OF
FOLKS WERE JUST TRYING TO GET
SOME PEACE OF MIND THROUGHOUT
THE CITY THROUGHOUT THE
DURATION OF THE STORM AND
THROUGHOUT THE DURATION OF THE
OUTAGES. AND IT REQUIRES
COLLABORATION AT EVERY LEVEL.
SO I’M GLAD THAT THOSE SYSTEMS
HAVE BEEN FOCUSED ON THAT BEEN
IMPROVED. WE’RE
ABLE TO TEST DRIVE THEM IN MANY
WAYS THROUGH THE LAST ONE.
2 WINTER EVENTS THAT WE’VE HAD
HERE IN THE CITY. AND WE WILL
CONTINUE TO BE IMPROVING THOSE
AS THEY MOVE ALONG. AND THAT
GOES FOR THE STATE AS WELL.
>> SEEMS LIKE SOME OF THOSE
CHANGES WE HAVE SEEN WITH THE
FIRST 2 COLD SCARES THAT WE HAD
THIS WINTER AS WELL. AND, YOU
KNOW, WE TALKED TO RUSSELL
GOLD, WHO IS AN INVESTIGATIVE
EDITOR AND REPORTER WITH TEXAS
MONTHLY YESTERDAY. HE SAID,
YOU KNOW, WE WERE 2 OR 3
MINUTES AWAY FROM A
CATASTROPHIC FAIL OF THE POWER
GRID. BUT HE ALSO SAID HE DOES
NOT THINK ERCOT IS READY.
TAKE ARE CUT OUT OF THE
EQUATION. ARE YOU COMFORTABLE
THAT
THE CITY, CPS, ENERGY AND SAWS
ARE READY IN A COMMUNICATION
KIND OF WAY THIS TIME AROUND.
>> I AM. AND I’VE SEEN THAT
FOCUS AT COUNTY WIDE EMERGENCY
OPERATION CENTER.
>> LEVEL. AND SO I DO BELIEVE
THAT THE LOCAL LEVEL THEY
FOCUSED ON RESILIENCY AND
THEY’RE FOCUSED ON A REDUNDANCY
AND COMMUNICATION.
>> AND SO I’M COMFORTABLE WITH
TAT THAT. BUT THE CHALLENGE
REMAINS AT THE STATE LEVEL.
WE ARE SUBJECT TO ELECTRICAL
OF THE GRID AT THE STATE LEVEL.
AND SHOULD THERE BE OUTAGES
REQUIRED BECAUSE OF THE
COMMANDER OF THE OTHER ISSUES
THAT WOULD AFFECT OUR LOCAL
COMMUNITY AND IN TERMS OF
COMMUNICATION, WE WENT FROM
NO CRISIS TOO DEEP INTO A
CRISIS LITERALLY OVERNIGHT
WITHOUT ANY WARNING FROM THE
STATE IT LAST YEAR AND WHERE WE
ARE NOW, THERE HAVE BEEN SOME
IMPROVEMENTS, BUT THE OVERALL
WINTERIZATION AND EFFORTS TO
IMPROVE THE GRID HAVE BEEN MADE
WITHOUT ANY KIND OF TEETH.
THE REGULATIONS SO WE’RE IN
AND MANY WAYS IN THE SAME
SITUATION WE WERE LAST YEAR
WITH REGARD TO ENERGY GRID
MANAGEMENT. BUT THE
COMMUNICATION HAS IMPROVED AND
AGAIN, AT THE LOCAL LEVEL, I’M
CONFIDENT WE’VE THE WORK THAT
NEEDS TO BE DONE TO IMPROVE
COMMUNICATIONS AND ALSO
WINTERIZATION OF OUR OWN ENERGY
UTILITY INFRASTRUCTURE. I WILL
SAY ALSO, THOUGH, THERE ARE
DIFFERENT KINDS OF OUTAGES THAT
OCCUR AND WHAT WE SAW IN THE
LAST WINTER STORM WAS WHAT WE
SEE EVERY YEAR. AND THAT IS A
WINDBLOWN TREES THAT ARE
KNOCKING DOWN POWER LINES, ICE
ON LINES THAT BUT ALSO BECOMES
A CHALLENGE. SO THOSE KINDS
OF ISSUES ARE MINOR IN NATURE.
THEY NEED TO BE DEAL DEALT WITH
FROM ONE EVENT TO THE NEXT.
BUT THE OVERALL GRID MANAGEMENT
ISSUES ARE STILL A CONCERN AT
THE STATE LEVEL.
>> MAYOR, LET’S TALK ABOUT A
DIFFERENT KIND OF STORM GETTING
PEOPLE BACK TO WORK IN THE
LOCAL ECONOMY, BACK ON TRACK.
POST-PANDEMIC. HOPEFULLY WE CAN
SAY THAT SOON. TALK ABOUT THE
ESSAY READY TO WORK PROGRAM
BECAUSE THE CITY HAS ITS HAND
IN SOME OTHER WORKFORCE
TRAINING PROGRAM. SO WHAT IS
DIFFERENT ABOUT THIS PROGRAM?
>> I THINK YOU SOME OF THE
CHIEF DIFFERENCES OF THIS
PROGRAM, NUMBER ONE, ARE THE
LEVEL OF COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT.
THIS PUTTING EMPLOYERS WHO ARE
ACTUALLY THE JOB CREATORS IN
THE DRIVER’S SEAT AND HELPING
US WORK WITH THEM AS
FACILITATORS. THE CITY IS NOT
DOING JOB TRAINING AND CITIES
NOT DOING THE INTAKE. WE’RE
FACILITATING CONNECTING WORKERS
WITH EMPLOYERS AND WHAT NEEDS
TO HAPPEN IN THE IN BETWEEN
THAT IS STILL TRAINING. WE KNOW
THERE’S A TREMENDOUS SKILL GAP
AND NOT ONLY HERE IN SAN
ANTONIO, BUT ACROSS THE COUNTRY
WHERE THERE ARE JOBS THAT ARE
AVAILABLE. BUT THERE ARE
UNFILLED BECAUSE EMPLOYERS ARE
LOOKING FOR. BUT WORKERS THAT
HAVE THOSE SKILL SETS A
CREDENTIAL SEWER BRIDGING THAT
GAP BY FACILITATING THE
EMPLOYERS AND THE EMPLOYEES
WITH THE SKILL THE OTHER THING
THAT’S MARKEDLY DIFFERENT IS
THE SCALE AT WHICH WE’RE DOING.
THIS IS A GENERATIONAL CHANGE
THAT’S GOING TO OCCUR. IF THIS
PROGRAM IS SUCCESSFUL OVER THE
NEXT SEVERAL YEARS, IN TERMS OF
THOUSANDS OF FAMILIES THAT WILL
BE ABLE TO EMPLOYMENT
OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH THE SKILL
DEVELOPMENT. AND THEN THE FINAL
THING I WOULD SAY IS THAT IT’S
IT’S THE SUCCESS OF A JOB
TRAINING PROGRAM, AN EDUCATION
PROGRAM IS NOT SO MUCH WHAT
HAPPENS IN THE CLASSROOM, BUT
IT’S ALL THE LIFE EVENTS THAT
POTENTIALLY COULD BE AN
OBSTACLE FOR SOMEONE TO
COMPLETE. AND SO WHAT THIS
PROGRAM ALSO DOES IS DIFFERENT
NONPROFITS AND SERVICE
ORGANIZATIONS THAT CAN HELP
SURROUND THE INDIVIDUAL
PARTICIPANT IN THE PROGRAM AND
ENSURE THAT WE’RE ANTICIPATING
AND OVERCOMING OBSTACLES,
WHETHER IT’S CHILD CARE OR
TRANSPORTATION OR OR A
FINANCIAL ISSUE THAT GETS IN
THE WAY OF ALTERNATELY
COMPLETING THE PROGRAM THAT
WOULD PREVENT SOMEONE FROM
ENTERING INTO THAT JOB
SUCCESSFULLY. SO IT’S A
COMPREHENSIVE EFFORT. IT’S A
COMMUNITY-WIDE EFFORT AND AT A
SCALE THAT I DON’T THINK HAS
EVER BEEN DONE IN THE COUNTRY,
WHICH WHICH I THINK SHOWS GREAT
FORESIGHT BY THE CENTER
COMMUNITY.
>> SAN ANTONIO READY TO WORK.