Central San Logs PFAS Wins as Pension, Wildfire Bills Fall Short

The Central Contra Costa Sanitary District board spent most of its Oct. 15 meeting on a final accounting of the 2026 state legislative session. The district came out mostly ahead: new PFAS and producer-responsibility laws passed, while a pension reform bill the board opposed was vetoed. Directors also approved $1.6M in no-bid equipment deals without discussion and celebrated a national award for the household hazardous waste program.

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• AB 1383 pension reform vetoed after the board opposed it, and the bill is expected back in 2027
• Wildfire liability compromise SB 492 fails, and staff said lawmakers "listened to local governments"
• New PFAS pesticide database required by 2028 under AB 1603, a law staff counts as a win
• AB 1621 signed over the board's opposition, while the governor vetoed permit-timeline bill AB 1997
• $1.6M in sole-source sludge equipment approved 5-0 on consent, with no discussion
• Household hazardous waste program wins national excellence award as its longtime lead retires

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Sacramento Scorecard: Wins, Vetoes, Unfinished Business

The basics: Emily, a member of the district's legislative staff, delivered the final 2026 state session report. It ran more than 20 minutes, the longest item of the meeting. The board received the report and took no action.

Why it matters: Pension rules, wildfire liability and PFAS regulation all shape the district's costs. Several of these fights are expected to return in 2027 under a new governor.

Where things stand: the wins. Staff credited several new laws to the district's advocacy:

• AB 277 gives state revolving fund loans more flexibility for water reuse projects.
• AB 1603 targets pesticides that contain PFAS, the long-lasting "forever chemicals." "This one requires a reporting database by 2028 for all PFAS-containing pesticides sold or used in California," said Emily. The data will be reported to each county.
• Three producer-responsibility bills passed: SB 501, SB 936 and AB 762. They cover e-bike batteries, nitrous oxide and single-use vapes. Staff credited the California Product Stewardship Council for the push.

Staff said the PFAS bill's passage came as a surprise.

Housing: one loss, one reprieve. Staff said the development community put forward 12 to 15 bills this session, and few passed. One that did was AB 1621, which amends the Housing Accountability Act. It adds timing provisions and penalties for noncompliance. "The board certainly took an oppose unless amended position," said Emily.

The governor vetoed AB 1997, which would have changed approval timelines under the Permit Streamlining Act. Staff read the veto message: "Effective housing policy should provide clear, workable rules that move projects forward, not jam public agencies into making consequential decisions under uncertain statutory requirements."

Pensions and wildfire: stalled, not settled. The governor vetoed AB 1383, a reform of the state's Public Employees' Pension Reform Act (PEPRA). Staff had expected him to sign it. The bill focused on police and fire pensions but would also have affected Central San, and the board opposed it.

On wildfire liability, SB 492 surfaced Aug. 30-31 as a late compromise and then failed. The governor called for full structural reform instead. Staff said PG&E was the lead advocate on the issue and disclosed that she previously worked for PG&E and owns its stock. "The positive here is that the state legislature very much listened to local governments' concerns," she said.

What's next: Staff expects six issues to dominate the 2027 session: wildfire liability, insurance, PFAS, AI safety, housing permitting and state budget limits. Director Michael McGill asked: "Emily, do you have any sense of the organizations we're part of, if they're going to be advancing bills next year or recommending bills?"

Staff answered that associations are floating ideas but cannot discuss them until committee and legal review. "You will hear about them very soon," she said. Staff added that CASA has discussed pausing its PFAS efforts. Groups including CASA and CSDA are waiting to see where the new governor stands before taking positions.

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$1.6M in No-Bid Sludge Equipment Clears Consent

Where things stand: The board approved Resolution Nos. 2026-033 and 2026-034 on the consent calendar. The resolutions exempt two equipment agreements from competitive bidding and authorize the general manager to sign them:

• Veolia WTS Systems USA Inc. for $1.125M
• Enviromix Inc. for $480,000

The equipment will support a densified activated sludge demonstration, a pilot of a wastewater treatment process. The agreements were also found exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Board President Florence Wedington asked whether anyone wanted to pull an item. No one did, and there was no discussion.

Why it matters: This was the meeting's largest spending decision. It was approved as a sole-source purchase with no public deliberation.

Decisions and stakeholder impacts: The consent calendar, which also included the Oct. 1 minutes, passed by roll call. The vote was For: 5 (Jean Kuznik, Barbara Hockett, Michael McGill, Tad Pilecki, Florence Wedington), Against: 0, Absent: 0. The two vendors gain contracts outside a competitive process. Ratepayers and watchdogs interested in how the demonstration is justified will need to look to the agenda materials, since the meeting record offers no explanation.

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Hazardous Waste Program Takes National Honors

Where things stand: The district's household hazardous waste program received the 2026 Program Excellence Award from the North American Hazardous Materials Management Association (NAHMMA). The award was presented in Nashville. Environmental Compliance Program Administrator Colleen Henry, filling in for Lori Schechtel, laid out the program's record.

"We've safely collected more than 54 million pounds of hazardous waste," said Henry. She also cited:

• An 88.8% beneficial-use diversion rate
• More than 800,000 drop-off participants
• 9.5 million pounds of reusable products provided to 315,000 reuse customers

Why it matters: The award comes as program lead David Wyatt retires Nov. 1. Henry traced his tenure, which included the program's move to six-day operation in 2009, a pharmaceutical disposal program and the district's relationship with PaintCare. She also noted the program won a CalEPA excellence award in 2003. President Wedington congratulated the team.

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Minor Items

• New hire: Risk Manager Shari Deutsch introduced Antoinette Campbell as the new Risk Management Technician. Campbell previously worked as a recycled water attendant, intern and temporary employee. "The mission of Central San has always been very important to me," Campbell said.
• Annexation approved: "LAFCO approved the annexation that Central San was asking for to an almost 10-acre parcel," said Director Jean Kuznik.
• Regional reports: Director McGill reported on the mayor's conference, the Special Districts executive committee, CalLAFCO and a workforce board committee.
• Legislative tour: Director Tad Pilecki said Central San will host a CSDA legislative staff tour.
• Routine reports: The board received the September investment portfolio and the Oct. 7 Engineering and Operations Committee minutes without questions.

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Looking Ahead

The Secretary of the District announced these upcoming meetings:

• Administration Committee: Oct. 20
• Finance Committee: Oct. 28, 9 a.m.
• Administration Committee: Nov. 3, 9 a.m.
• Engineering and Operations Committee: Nov. 4, 9 a.m.
• Full board: Nov. 5, 2:30 p.m.