December 15, 2022

Dedication Ceremony for the Firefighter Memorial

On Wednesday the Fire Department held a Dedication Ceremony for the Firefighter Memorial that was erected in front of Lodi Fire Station 1 (210 W. Elm St.). This memorial honors the legacy of Lodi Firefighters who paid the ultimate sacrifice. The memorial consists of a life-sized bronze statue depicting a firefighter honoring his fallen comrades, a 30’ Bronze Flag Pole and a plaque with the names of our Fallen Brothers.

City Awarded $8.2 Million for the Access Center

On Tuesday, December 13th, a group representing Lodi comprised of Community Development Staff, members of the City Council, and members of the Lodi Committee on Homelessness (LCOH) presented at the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors (BOS) meeting requesting funding for the continued development and construction of the Lodi Access Center and Emergency Shelter (Access Center). The initial request was $5.3 million for the completion of the primary building and parking lot, however, staff also presented a slide on the future phases, which included the Learning Center and exterior shade structures/courtyard at a cost estimated at $2.9 million. During the presentation, Councilmember Kuehne asked the Board of Supervisors to consider funding these phases as well. Kathryn Siddle and John Ledbetter, members from LCOH shared heartwarming and impassioned words about the success stories of our Temporary Access Center, as well as the history of where we have been and how we got here. This was integral to providing the whole picture to the BOS of what can be accomplished with resources and how much more can be done once the permanent Access Center is built.

The presentation went well and the BOS had supportive comments and praise for all Lodi is doing to assist those experiencing homelessness in our community. At the conclusion, it was the Boards motion to approve funding for our initial request as well as the future phases. The City of Lodi was awarded an amazing $8.2 million for the Access Center project. Staff wants to thank the BOS and County for their generosity as well as the County Staff that supported our request, and everyone that attended and presented on behalf of Lodi at the meeting, as this would not have been possible without all involved.

Staff are excited about the next steps and seeing the Access Center Project come to fruition.

Great Job by Public Works

Street Department crews worked long hours over last weekend’s storm event, responding to over 120 emergency calls for surface flooding due to a large amount of rain in a short period of time. Crews worked to remove debris caused by the high winds as well as clear storm drains, monitor storm pumps, and provide traffic control of flooded roadways. The City is thankful to have such dedicated staff! A few citizens went to Facebook to share their thanks for our staff during the storm:

"Your employees Jose Hernandez & Nick Romero came & worked hard to unclog the drainage portals on Fairmont& Graffigna & did a great job !!! Their boss is Jessie Barnett.

They stayed until the flow started working and the levels of water decreased immensely!!" -Cherie D.

"The city is absolutely amazing when it comes to clearing drains and collecting leaves. There was a branch down in front of my house and the city responded literally within an hour after I called to pick it up. Amazing!" -Katie K.

"Thank you city field workers for keeping our community safe!" -Jeanine J.

Site Selector Event

The City of Lodi participated in a professional site selector event showcasing San Joaquin County and its potential industrial and commercial development opportunities on December 1-3, 2022. The event was held at Great Wolf Lodge in Manteca, CA. 

Site selectors from Texas and California were in attendance in addition to economic development professionals from throughout the State. Jeff Berkheimer, Lodi Electric Utility Director, served as a guest speaker and shared Lodi Electric Utility’s plans to increase power reliability, especially during periods of critically high heat and high power usage by locating the new 48 MW gas-generated peaker plant in Lodi by July 2023. He also discussed LEU’s role in attracting one of five regional hydrogen production facilities planned for California. These topics were of high importance to site selectors who prioritize a reliable power supply and affordable energy as the state of California continues to chart a path toward its goal of 100 percent renewable and zero-carbon electricity by 2045. On day three of the three-day event, Business Development Manager, Astrida Trupovnieks, participated in a bus tour of San Joaquin County, including Lodi’s key, undeveloped commercial properties.

Power Supply Costs and Natural Gas Prices for Customers

Significant increases in natural gas prices are creating upward pressures on energy costs all across the western US as of late. Since Thanksgiving, there has been marked volatility in the energy markets which is driving historic prices in some markets and will undoubtedly result in higher-than-expected consumer energy bills. 

The City of Lodi does not yet have a full picture of the anticipated or likely financial impacts this will have for our customers, and while we anticipate this may result in higher monthly energy cost adjustments in the months ahead, we do not know the magnitude or extent as of yet. We are continuing to closely monitor this situation and are working with our public power partners at NCPA to appropriately prepare and implement mitigation measures. 

The City of Lodi continues to follow a very regimented energy procurement and hedging strategy to limit the impact of short-term market volatility on our energy portfolio. We will continue to keep our customers informed as this situation unfolds over the upcoming weeks and months.