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REPORT:

Administrative Committee

SYNOPSIS:

The Administrative Committee met Friday, June 19, 1998, and reviewed the proposed agenda for the July 10, 1998 Board meeting. The Committee also discussed various issues detailed in the Committee report. The next Administrative Committee meeting is Friday, July 24, 1998, at 9:30 a.m., in Conference Room CC8.

RECOMMENDED ACTION:

Receive and file this report.

Norma J. Glover, Chairman
Administrative Committee

Attendance:
Present were Norma Glover, Nell Soto (who arrived at 9:48 a.m.), and Roy Wilson (attending via teleconference from Larson Justice Center, 46200 Oasis Street, Suite 318 - Conference Room, Indio, CA 92201, a facility which is available to the public and at which location a copy of the agenda had previously been posted, in accordance with the Brown Act). Absent were Vice Committee Chair James Silva, Richard Alarcón, Wayne Nastri, and Mee Hae Lee.

Since a quorum was not present when the meeting was called to order, General Counsel Peter Greenwald advised that the Committee could discuss the items and communicate concurrence or comment on issues they opposed, which would be recorded in the minutes of the meeting.

DISCUSSION ITEMS:

1. Local Government & Small Business Assistance Advisory Group Report: Public Advisor La Ronda Bowen reported that the Local Government & Small Business Assistance Advisory Group (LG&SBA) met and was briefed on a number of different issues. LG&SBA made a recommendation to the Board regarding the spray booth issue and reviewed "small business" definitions. A representative from the State of California Air Resources Board and U.S. EPA were present to inform the Group of the importance of having a State Compliance Advisory Panel which will be put in place in the State of California.
   
   Committee Chair Glover directed staff to prepare a letter for her signature to the LG&SBA members informing them that the Board approved their recommendation regarding the continuation of the hearing on BACT/LAER.
   
   The LG&SBA is not expected to meet in July.

2. Chairman’s Report of Approved Travel: Less than a quorum was present during the discussion of this item; those Committee Members who were present communicated their concurrence. (See end of report for detail.)

3. Approval of Compensation for Board Member Assistant(s): The proposals renewing ten SCAQMD Board Member Assistant/Consultant contracts for FY 98-99 had been faxed to Committee Members for review in advance of the meeting. Committee Chair Glover commented that, upon reviewing the proposals, she was very impressed by the caliber of the candidates. Less than a quorum was present during the discussion of this item; those Committee Members who were present communicated their concurrence

4. Out-of-Country Travel: Acting Executive Officer Dr. Barry Wallerstein stated there was no out-of-country travel to report, with the exception of Air Quality Analysis and Compliance Supervisor Jay Chen’s visit to Taiwan in August, at the invitation of the Republic of China (Taiwan) EPA, to participate in roundtable discussions regarding VOCs and air pollution regulations. Taiwan EPA will cover Mr. Chen’s expenses and he plans to use his vacation time; therefore, the trip will be at no expense to the District.

JULY AGENDA ITEMS:

5. Authorize Use of Cooperative Federal, State, School, and Local Government Procurement Lists to Lease Photocopier Equipment: Director of Administrative and Human Resources Services Joe Contaoi reported that the current AQMD annual expenditure for copiers is approximately $721,000. Staff is recommending the use of cooperative federal, state, school, and local government procurement lists to lease photocopier equipment and provide service agreements resulting in annual savings of approximately $189,000. Staff also recommends declaring 20 outdated copiers owned by the AQMD as surplus and requests the Board authorize their removal from the fixed asset inventory. The surplused copiers can be used as trade-ins, thus reducing the amount of the lease agreements. The lease agreements will not only cover the equipment but also service, maintenance, toner, and per-copy rate as a one-payment item, thereby reducing the administrative costs of processing multiple invoices.
   
   Committee Chair Glover noted that vendors’ "add-ons" can be costly and requested that staff provide comparison data on the lease agreements after they have been in place for one year. Less than a quorum was present during the discussion of this item; those Committee Members who were present communicated their concurrence.

6. Execute Contracts to Review, Modify or Prepare Air Toxic "Hot Spots" Information and Assessment Act Health Risk Assessments: Assistant Deputy Executive Officer Jack Broadbent informed the Committee that there were 12 proposals in response to the RFP for assistance in reviewing, modifying, or preparing the remaining Air Toxics "Hot Spots" Information and Assessment Act Health Risk Assessments (HRAs). Staff recommends executing a contract with Applied Modeling, Inc. because it was the most cost-effective of the four proposals that were technically qualified. In response to a question from Committee Chair Glover, Mr. Broadbent responded the contract did not stipulate a specific deadline; however, it is expected the HRAs will be completed in 18 months. Less than a quorum was present during the discussion of this item; those Committee Members who were present communicated their concurrence.
   
   A quorum of the Committee was achieved upon Committee Member Nell Soto’s arrival at 9:48 a.m. Committee Chair Glover requested that the Committee return to Item #3, Approval of Compensation for Board Member Assistant(s), to review the proposed Board Members’ Assistant/Consultant compensation and contracts as follows:

   BOARD MEMBER	NAME	CATEGORY
   William A. Burke	María Barragán	Consultant-employee
   Norma H. Glover	Maureen Toal	Consultant-independent contractor
   Richard Alarcón	Mark Dierking	Consultant-employee
   Mee Hae Lee	Kelly Candaele	Consultant-independent contractor
   Jon D. Mikels	Daniela Fernandez Nancy Tracy	Assistant-employee Assistant-employee
   Wayne H. Nastri	Jennifer A. Chicconi	Consultant-employee
   Leonard Paulitz	Javier John Dutrey	Assistant-employee
   Nell Soto	Edric Guise	Consultant-independent contractor
   James Silva	Dolores "Nina" Hull	Consultant-independent contractor

   
   

   Moved (Wilson), seconded (Soto) and unanimously recommended for approval.

7. Execute Contract for Identification of State-of-the-Science Sampling, Analytical and Compliance Assessment: Assistant Deputy Executive Officer Carol Coy reported that an RFP had been issued for a contractor to review the state-of-the-science monitoring equipment and new technologies that would assist staff with odor complaints in the field. There was only one bid when the RFP was first issued and it had an unsatisfactory technical score. The RFP was re-released in April, 1998, and two proposals were submitted. Based upon the RFP selection criteria, Pacific Environmental Services, Inc. is recommended as the consultant for this project. Ms. Coy explained that more bids were not received because this is a unique RFP that couples the analytical aspects of examining laboratory and monitoring
   equipment and also the use of field instrumentation and inspection expertise. Moved (Glover), seconded (Soto) and unanimously recommended for approval.

8. Appropriate Funds from Undesignated Fund Balance to be Used to Develop Enforcement Strategies for Market-Based Programs: Ms. Coy briefed the Committee on the U.S. EPA grant awarded to the AQMD to develop enforcement strategies guidelines for market-based programs. AQMD will organize, support, and host a national task force composed of members from various state and local air quality regulatory agencies to develop the strategies. The grant money will be used to pay travel and teleconference expenses. Moved (Wilson), seconded (Soto) and unanimously recommended for approval.

9. Recognize and Appropriate Funds from EPA for Environmental Justice Initiative No. 2 and PM_2.5 Programs: Mel Zeldin, Director of Applied Science and Technology, reported that staff is recommending that the Board recognize Section 105 Supplemental Grant funds for the AQMD’s Environmental Justice Initiative No. 2 – Ambient Modeling of Air Toxics, and Section 103 Grant funds for the PM_2.5 program. The supplemental Section 105 grant is sufficient for this fiscal year; however, the amount of the allocation for the next fiscal year will not be known until approximately November, 1998. Ms. Glover advised that a meeting with EPA regarding the program had occurred and directed staff to prepare a summary of the program costs. Another meeting with EPA would then be scheduled to inform them of the costs of the program to the District. Moved (Soto), seconded (Wilson) and unanimously recommended for approval.

10. Appropriate Funds for Environmental Justice Initiative No. 2 and Technical Enhancement Program for Year 2000: Moved (Wilson), seconded (Glover) and unanimously recommended for approval.

11. Recognize and Appropriate Funds from ARB for Fourth Year Operation of Monitoring Sites for Children’s Health Study in South Coast Air Basin: Moved (Soto), seconded (Wilson) and unanimously recommended for approval.

12. Issue RFP to Prequalifty Vendors for Library Services and Supplies: Moved (Wilson), seconded (Soto) and unanimously recommended for approval.

13. Report on Major Projects for Information Management Scheduled to Start During First Six Months of FY 1998-99: Director of Information Management Dr. Vinita Mathur provided the Committee with an overview of major automation contracts and projects to be initiated by Information Management (IM) during the first six months of FY 1998-99, depending on Board approval. At the July 1998 Administrative Committee meeting Dr. Mathur will present the strategic plan for IM for the next five years. IM is coordinating with the Permit Streamlining Task Force to modify and develop systems to streamline permit processing. Moved to receive and file (Soto), seconded (Glover) and unanimously recommended for approval.

14. Issue RFP to Audit AB 2766 Fee Revenue Recipients for FYs 1995-96 and 1996-97: Director of Finance Rick Pearce informed the Committee that every two years the District is required to select an independent Certified Public Accountant firm to audit the use of the AB 2766 funds to ensure they are being used properly. These fee revenues are subvened to the AQMD from the Department of Motor Vehicles to be expended specifically for the purpose of mobile source air pollution reduction measures. It is the Attorney General’s opinion that the auditors are limited to examining the propriety of the expenditures, but are prohibited from auditing the efficacy of the program in reducing emissions. The AQMD submits an annual report to the ARB for evaluation regarding local governments’ expenditures. The ARB reports annually to its Board and the State Legislature on the technical nature of the projects statewide.
    
    Public Comment: Alan T. Bowser, representing the Automobile Club of Southern California (ACSC), expressed support for the AB 2766 funds for air quality emission reductions. He requested the District examine how effectively the money is being spent with respect to actual emission reductions. The ACSC favors a reduction in vehicle licensing fees (VLFs) to 1% in the interest of equity. VLFs are taxed at 2% and all other real property in the State is taxed at 1%.
    
    Committee Chair Glover referred to the June 18 Los Angeles Times article on the Legislative Analyst’s report concerning the projected deficit the State would incur if the VLFs are reduced to 1%. Deputy Executive Officer of Public Affairs and Local Government Assistance Lupe Valdez suggested a study of the program in its entirety including all three components: MSRC projects; disbursement to local governments; and AQMD-approved programs for the reduction of emissions from mobile sources.
    
    An RFP has been issued for a contractor to assist the cities in utilizing the funds effectively.
    
    Moved (Soto), seconded (Wilson) and unanimously recommended for approval.

15. Review July 10, 1998 Governing Board Agenda: Dr. Wallerstein informed the Committee of the following changes to the July 10 agenda:

    • ADD: Six-Month Status Report on the Implementation of the Environmental Justice Initiatives

    • ADD: Status Report on Rule 1122

    • ADD: Contract for $33,000 Augment to the Workflow Automation System
    
    Dr. Wallerstein reported that the Permit Streamlining Task Force will meet on June 23, and it is expected that there will be formal recommendations made to the Board as a result of that meeting.
    
    Ms. Glover requested the item regarding BACT/LAER for Natural Gas Fired Turbines be placed under the Board Calendar .
    
    Ms. Glover explained that the title and synopsis for Item #1613 had been amended to: Establish Procedure to Interview Candidates for the Executive Officer Position, and she read the amended synopsis as follows: "At the Executive Officer Search Committee meeting on June 17, 1998, the Committee, after lengthy discussion, recommended that the Governing Board interview the top 10 candidates in a special meeting over a two-day period or in a one-day meeting; the final candidate group be pared down to the top three or four based on the interview process; and the top three or four candidates be interviewed by the Governing Board at a subsequent special meeting to select a final candidate for the Executive Officer position. Also, the Committee proposed that a Board Member must be present during the interview screening process to be eligible to vote in selecting the final candidates." Committee Chair Glover confirmed that the previously scheduled Special Board Meeting on July 1, 1998, to interview candidates will not occur.
    
    With respect to the rules listed under Public Hearings, significant public testimony is expected on the amendments to Rule 1401- New Source Review of Toxic Air Contaminants, as well as Rule 1610 – Old-Vehicle Scrapping.
    
    Committee Chair Glover requested that when reviewing the Public Hearings portion of the Governing Board Agenda, staff include the expected amount of public testimony for each rule.
    
    Moved (Soto), seconded (Wilson) and unanimously recommended for approval.

16. Closed Session: Committee Chair Glover said there will be no Closed Session.

17. Other Business: None

18. Public Comment: Curtis Coleman of the California Manufacturers Association Air Quality Alliance and the California Aerospace Environmental Association referred to Rule 1107 – Coating of Metal Parts and Products, which will be coming to the Board at its August 1998 meeting. One of the proposed amendments is to delete the small quantity exemption of one gallon/day or 55 gallons/year. He questioned whether there had been adequate outreach to affected sources and expressed concern on behalf of small and mid-sized companies that will be forced to seek a variance, which will add to the Hearing Board workload.

    Committee Chair Glover adjourned the meeting at 10:38 a.m.

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