Full Text
CITY OF ANAHEIM UNDERGROUND CONVERSION SUBCOMMITTEE AGENDA FEBRUARY 25, 2026 3:45 P.M. The Regular Meeting of the Underground Conversion Subcommittee is scheduled for Wednesday, February 25, 2026, at 3:45 p.m., in Anaheim West Tower, 7th Floor Large Conference Room, 201 S. Anaheim Boulevard, Anaheim, California 92805. Any writings or documents provided to a majority of the Underground Conversion Subcommittee regarding any item on this Agenda (other than writings legally exempt from public disclosure) are available for review on the 7th Floor of Anaheim West Tower, located at 201 S. Anaheim Boulevard, Anaheim, California during regular business hours (Mon-Fri 8AM-5PM) or online at http://anaheim.net/DocumentCenter/View/3776/Underground- Conversion-Subcommittee-Meeting-Agenda?bidId. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION: The following options are available to the public regarding public participation on any agenda items or matters within the jurisdiction of the Subcommittee: 1) Members of the public can submit comments electronically for Underground Conversion Subcommittee Member consideration by sending them to [EMAIL REDACTED]. To ensure distribution to the Underground Conversion Subcommittee prior to consideration of the agenda items or matters under the jurisdiction of the Subcommittee, please submit comments prior to 12:00 P.M. the day of the meeting. Those comments will be distributed to the Underground Conversion Subcommittee and will be made part of the official public record of the meeting. Contact the Public Utilities Electrical Engineering Office at [PHONE REDACTED] or [EMAIL REDACTED] with any questions. 2) Members of the public can provide in-person comments in the 7th Floor Large Conference Room located at Anaheim West Tower. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Meeting Call to Order 1. Public Comments: Members of the public may submit comments electronically for the Subcommittee’s consideration, provide in-person comments on any item under the jurisdiction of the Subcommittee, or provide public comments on any agenda item. When recognized by the Chairperson, please state your name and address for the record. The time limit established by the Subcommittee for speakers is three minutes per speaker. 2. Approval of the Minutes of the Underground Conversion Subcommittee Meeting of November 19, 2025. 3. Consideration of Candidate Projects and Recommendation to add a new Project to the Proposed Fiscal Year 2026/27 Five-Year Underground Conversion Plan. 4. Next meeting date (proposed – May 27, 2026). 5. Item(s) by City staff. 6. Item(s) by Underground Conversion Subcommittee Members: Chairperson Mr. Pham Vice-Chairperson Mr. Ibrahim Mr. Perez Mr. Abdulrahman Mr. McMenamin ---PAGE BREAK--- 7. Adjournment. (Next Regular Meeting of May 27, 2026, at 3:45 p.m.) The City of Anaheim (Anaheim) wishes to make all of its public meetings and hearings accessible to all members of the public. Anaheim prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin in any program or activity. If requested, the agenda and backup materials will be made available in appropriate alternative formats to persons with a disability as required by Section 202 of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. Section 12132), and the Federal Rules and Regulations adopted in implementation thereof. Any person who requires a disability-related modification or accommodation, including auxiliary aids or services, may request such modification, accommodation, aid, or service by contacting the Public Utilities Electrical Engineering office by telephone at (714) 765-5156, or via email to [EMAIL REDACTED], 72 hours prior to the scheduled meeting. I certify that a complete copy of this agenda was posted by 5:00 p.m. on February 19, 2026, at Anaheim West Tower: , Vsrianna Mendoza, Administrative Assistant, on behalf of Signed: ---PAGE BREAK--- UNAPPROVED CITY OF ANAHEIM UNDERGROUND CONVERSION SUBCOMMITTEE MINUTES NOVEMBER 19, 2025 The Agenda was posted on Thursday, November 13, 2025. The regular meeting of the Underground Conversion Subcommittee was called to order at 3:45 p.m. on Wednesday, November 19, 2025, at Anaheim West Tower, 7th Floor Large Conference Room, 201 S. Anaheim Blvd., Anaheim, California. Subcommittee Members Present: Chairperson Anh Pham, Vice-Chairperson Talab Ibrahim, LuisAndres Perez, “AB” Abdulrahman, Albert McMenamin Subcommittee Members Absent: None Staff Present: Janet Lonneker, Teresa Chen, Vinh Tran, Steven Chagolla, Sharon Friedemann, and David Mori Members of Public Present: None AGENDA ITEM ACTION TAKEN 1. PUBLIC COMMENTS. Chairperson A. Pham asked if any public comments had been submitted electronically. No public comments were submitted electronically, and no members of the public were present at the meeting. Chairperson A. Pham closed the public comments portion of the meeting. 2. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES OF THE UNDERGROUND CONVERSION SUBCOMMITTEE MEETING OF AUGUST 27, 2025. Chairperson A. Pham called for a motion on the approval of the Meeting Minutes from the August 27, 2025, meeting. Vice-Chairperson T. Ibrahim moved approval of the August 27, 2025, meeting minutes. A. Abdulrahman seconded the motion. MOTION CARRIED: 5-0 ABSTAINED: 0 ABSENT: 0 ---PAGE BREAK--- 2 AGENDA ITEM ACTION TAKEN 3. PROPOSAL AND CONSIDERATION OF CANDIDATE PROJECTS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2026/27 FIVE-YEAR UNDERGROUND CONVERSION PLAN. S. Chagolla, Senior Electrical Engineer, provided the Subcommittee an update on projects currently under construction, including Beach Boulevard in District 1, Cerritos/Nutwood in District 2, and the Wildfire Mitigation Undergrounding in Fire Threat Zones in District 6. The update included current progress, milestones achieved, and anticipated completion dates. He then presented, for the Subcommittee’s consideration, eighteen candidate projects for FY 2026/27 Five-Year Underground Conversion Plan. He explained the current cash flow, available funding, investments made across the six City Council Districts, project selection criteria, and details of the proposed candidate projects. The Subcommittee recommended six candidate projects (one per City Council District) for further evaluation. The candidate projects were: • Ball (District 1) • Orangewood (District 2) • Sycamore/Harbor (District 3) • Ball/Walnut (District 4) • Rio Vista (District 5) • Santa Ana Canyon Road/Lakeview (District 6) Staff indicated that they will evaluate the six candidate projects and provide additional information to the Subcommittee, and that the Subcommittee may consider recommending one or more projects for inclusion in the FY 2026/27 Underground Conversion Five-Year Plan at the February 2026 Subcommittee meeting. No action taken by the Subcommittee. 4. NEXT MEETING DATE. The Subcommittee members are available to attend the next regular meeting of the Underground Conversion Subcommittee on February 25, 2026. ---PAGE BREAK--- 3 AGENDA ITEM ACTION TAKEN 5. ITEM(S) BY UNDERGROUND CONVERSION STAFF. V. Tran, Transmission and Distribution Manager, informed the Subcommittee that two projects under the current Five-Year Plan are scheduled for public hearings and district formations in 2026. The first project, Ball/Brookhurst, is located on Ball Road from Brookhurst Street to Euclid Street. The second project, Santa Ana/State College, is located on Santa Ana Street from Vine Street to State College Boulevard. J. Lonneker, Assistant General Manager-Electric Services, informed the Subcommittee that APU received $7.5 million in grant funding from the California Energy Commission through the Community Energy Reliability and Resilience Investment (CERRI) Program. The CERRI grant will help APU replace and automate aging underground switches. 6. ITEM(S) BY UNDERGROUND CONVERSION SUBCOMMITTEE MEMBERS. Chairperson A. Pham asked whether staff could confirm if the high-voltage lines within Deer Canyon Park are Southern California Edison (SCE) facilities and whether staff are aware of SCE’s protocols for de- energizing the lines during wildfire threat events. J. Lonneker indicated that the two transmission lines belong to SCE and serve the Orange County regional area. SCE has de-energized and rerouted power during past events affecting the area; however, this approach has not been formalized by SCE. APU has contacted SCE to request a formal plan, as this effort requires coordination between both agencies’ operations departments. APU is seeking a formalized plan from SCE to include in the upcoming 2027 Wildfire Mitigation Plan update to address fire- threat mitigation associated with non-APU electrical facilities. ---PAGE BREAK--- 4 AGENDA ITEM ACTION TAKEN J. Lonneker also shared that APU will participate in the Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) forum hosted by SCE in December 2025. J. Lonneker further explained that APU has undergrounded the 12,000- volt priority overhead lines adjacent to Deer Canyon Park along Eucalyptus Drive. The current Wildfire Mitigation Undergrounding Project addresses the remaining seven segments within the fire-threat zones. APU is also planning to install covered conductor on the segment of overhead lines along La Palma Avenue that falls within the lower-tier fire-threat zone. These lines are co-located on jointly owned poles with SCE; however, SCE’s plans for their overhead lines are currently unknown. Finally, there is one remaining SCE 12,000-volt overhead line along Santa Ana Canyon Road toward Gypsum Canyon Road. APU has brought this to SCE’s attention as an opportunity for undergrounding, as APU is planning to extend underground distribution lines to support the Gypsum Canyon Memorial Park development. A. Abdulrahman asked whether covered conductor prevents or mitigates fire. J. Lonneker explained that covered conductor provides an added layer of insulation to help protect against faults or arcing during events, such as high winds, that can cause line-to-line contact. Chairperson A. Pham asked whether staff could confirm the ownership of the overhead lines that cross the 91 Freeway at the dead-end of Fairmont Boulevard, and whether there are plans to underground those lines in coordination with the Planning Commission’s discussions regarding an over/underpass on Fairmont Boulevard to improve evacuation routes for Anaheim Hills. V. Tran confirmed the overhead transmission and distribution lines belong to APU. He provided the Subcommittee with details regarding the project costs to underground and potential coordination with other agencies such as Caltrans. V. Tran also explained that OCTA and Caltrans currently have projects to widen the freeway between Imperial Highway and Fairmont ---PAGE BREAK--- ---PAGE BREAK--- UGC SUBCOMMITTEE I FEBRUARY 25, 2026 FY 2026/27 UNDERGROUND CONVERSION 5-YEAR PLAN CANDIDATE PROJECTS ---PAGE BREAK--- 2 ACTIVE & PLANNED PROJECTS Santa Ana/St College La Palma/ Anaheim La Palma/Sunkist Olive/ Vermont Cerritos/ Nutwood Ball / Brookhurst La Palma/ East 1 3 4 5 6 Projects in Design/Construction Legend: Wildfire Mitigation UG in FTZ Planned Projects Beach Broadway Nutwood / Ball 2 Nohl Ranch/Nohl Canyon ---PAGE BREAK--- 3 (D1) BEACH BLVD - CONSTRUCTION ---PAGE BREAK--- 4 (D2) CERRITOS/NUTWOOD - CONSTRUCTION • SCE Comm, Verizon has completed work • Rail Road Crossing • Coordination w/ adjacent schools for final paving operations ---PAGE BREAK--- 5 (D4) OLIVE/VERMONT – BID SOLICITATION • 1.8 Miles • Est. Cost: $18M • Multiple Railroad Crossings • Coordination w/ adjacent schools and Sustainability Education Center ---PAGE BREAK--- 6 (D3/D5) LA PALMA/EAST – DESIGN • 1.3 Miles • Est. Cost: $13.5M • Coordination w/ telcos and Public Works for Street Paving • Letters of Joint Trench Commitment ---PAGE BREAK--- 7 (D6) WILDFIRE MITIGATION - CONSTRUCTION COUNTRY HILL RD MARTELLA LN ---PAGE BREAK--- 8 COMPLETED & PLANNED INVESTMENTS 24.9 mi $84.5M (3 Projects) 22.0 mi $70.0M (1 Project, 3 Partial) 1 2 3 4 5 6 13.0 mi $63.9M (2 Projects) 32.3 mi $71.9M (2 Partial) 36.8 mi $103.5M (1 Project, 2 Partial) 28.5 mi $74.0M (2 Projects) COMPLETED & PLANNED INVESTMENTS: $467.7M ---PAGE BREAK--- $ M $5 M $10 M $15 M $20 M $25 M $30 M Dec-16 Mar-17 Jun-17 Sep-17 Dec-17 Mar-18 Jun-18 Sep-18 Dec-18 Mar-19 Jun-19 Sep-19 Dec-19 Mar-20 Jun-20 Sep-20 Dec-20 Mar-21 Jun-21 Sep-21 Dec-21 Mar-22 Jun-22 Sep-22 Dec-22 Mar-23 Jun-23 Sep-23 Dec-23 Mar-24 Jun-24 Sep-24 Dec-24 Mar-25 Jun-25 Sep-25 Dec-25 Mar-26 Jun-26 Sep-26 Dec-26 Mar-27 Jun-27 Sep-27 Dec-27 Mar-28 Jun-28 Sep-28 Dec-28 Mar-29 Jun-29 Sep-29 Dec-29 Mar-30 Jun-30 Sep-30 Dec-30 Mar-31 Jun-31 Sep-31 Dec-31 UNDERGROUND CASH ACCOUNT BALANCE Actuals thru November 2025 Actual Forecasted 9 CASH FLOW Superscripts: Estimate $6M to underground SCE overhead facilities for Beach FEMA reimbursement factored into the Wildfire Mitigation UG project UGC Cash Balance: Approx. $24M Nutwood/Cerritos Wildfire Mitigation UG(2) Olive/Vermont Ball/Brookhurst Santa Ana La Palma/ Anaheim Beach(1) La Palma/ Sunkist Broadway Nutwood/Ball Nohl Ranch/ Nohl Canyon La Palma/East ---PAGE BREAK--- 10 FY 2026/27 UGC CANDIDATE PROJECTS 1 2 3 4 5 6 Rio Vista $6.5M Orangewood $4.5M Ball $62M* SACR/Lakeview $13M Ball/Walnut $16M * Includes SCE’s cost Sycamore/Harbor $5M ---PAGE BREAK--- 11 (D1) BALL ---PAGE BREAK--- Proposed Project: Ball • Ball, w/o Knott to Magnolia • Construction: APU: $23M SCE: $39M • 2.5 Miles • SCE Transmission & Distribution • Flood Channel Crossing W ---PAGE BREAK--- 13 (D2) ORANGEWOOD ---PAGE BREAK--- Proposed Project: Orangewood • Orangewood, Euclid to 9th • Construction: $4.5M • 0.5 Miles • SCE Distribution lines on 9th E ---PAGE BREAK--- 15 (D3) SYCAMORE/HARBOR ---PAGE BREAK--- E Proposed Project: Sycamore/Harbor • Sycamore, West to Harbor • Construction: $5M • 0.6 Miles ---PAGE BREAK--- 17 (D4) BALL/WALNUT ---PAGE BREAK--- Proposed Project: Ball/Walnut • Ball, Euclid to Walnut • Construction: $16M • 1.9 Miles • Railroad Crossing E ---PAGE BREAK--- 19 (D5) RIO VISTA ---PAGE BREAK--- Proposed Project: Rio Vista • Rio Vista, Wagner to Lincoln • Construction: $6.5M • 0.8 Miles N ---PAGE BREAK--- 21 (D6) SACR/LAKEVIEW ---PAGE BREAK--- Proposed Project: SACR/Lakeview • Santa Ana Canyon, Lakeview to Nohl Canyon • Construction: $13M • 1.25 Miles • 55 & 91 Freeway Crossings E ---PAGE BREAK--- 23 PROJECT EVALUATION MATRIX Criteria Project Coordination Reliability Aesthetics Geographic Diversity Funding (Project Cost) High Street widening or priority corridor Near-term upgrades for reliability/ capacity; eliminate multiple crossings over freeways, railroads & flood channels High concentration of wires with multiple circuits; major street; no SCE lines No recent active/completed projects within area Fits within projected cash flow (below $7M) Med Street rehab, other utility or city project Future Overhead upgrades; create new circuit tie points; Small Residential, Commercial corridor; SCE line crossing Adjacent to another project already in 5-Yr Plan Requires two-year funding ($7-13M) Low No electrical impact or recent repaving No planned overhead upgrades or unfeasible to underground (e.g. along riverbed) Minimal overhead lines or SCE lines along project High Dollar Investment / No. of projects already in 5- Yr Plan; projects currently active or recently completed within the area Requires multi- year funding ($13M+) ---PAGE BREAK--- 24 PROPOSED CANDIDATE PROJECT SELECTION Council District Proposed Projects Project Coordination Reliability Aesthetics Geographic Diversity Funding (Project 1 Ball Future sewer improvement project; future street improvement project Eliminate Flood Channel crossing; Tie points with previous UG project Poles congested – high concentration of OH wires undergrounded including SCE’s UG in construction on Beach Blvd $62M 2 Orangewood Future street improvement project Tie points with previous UG project Residential area UG in construction on Cerritos/Nutwood $4.5M 3 Sycamore / Harbor None Tie points with previous UG project Residential area UG recently completed on Sycamore $5M 4 Ball / Walnut Future street improvement project Eliminate railroad crossing; Tie points with previous UG project Pole congested – multiple circuits of high voltage OH UG design on Olive/Vermont in progress $16M 5 Rio Vista Future street improvement project Tie points with previous UG project; improve traffic issues with OH poles Adjacent to residential blocks; multiple resident inquiries UG design on La Palma/East in progress $6.5M 6 SACR / Lakeview Future street improvement project Multiple freeway crossings Major street; minimal overhead lines UG in construction Fire Threat Zones $13M Priority: Low Med High ---PAGE BREAK--- 25 FY 2026/27 5-YEAR PLAN APPROVAL PROCESS Jun Subcommittee Selection of candidate project(s) for Five-Year Plan Subcommittee To consider FY 26/27 Five-Year Plan for recommendation to PUB PUB To consider FY 26/27 Five-Year Plan for recommendation to City Council City Council To consider approval of FY 26/27 Five-Year Plan Feb 2026 May 2026 Jun 2026 Jul 2026 ---PAGE BREAK--- Questions?