Several public commenters at the SFPUC Jan. 13 hearing pressed the commission on an item identified on budget slides as the Millbrae Operations Center Improvement Project and raised concerns about local outreach, fiscal impacts and environmental justice.

Steve Rinaldi, Vice Mayor of Millbrae, said the project appears in the CIP as a roughly $366 million undertaking and urged the commission to stop work until Millbrae has had a meaningful opportunity to review it and the oversight body BOSCA has weighed in. "This project must be halted until Millbrae is able to weigh in directly, BOSCA provides oversight, and a true win‑win outcome is established," Rinaldi said.

Anne Schneider, former Millbrae mayor and a BOSCO representative, told the commission that SFPUC property records undercount SFPUC landholdings in Millbrae and that regional public‑agency parcels that do not pay property tax amount to a significant share of land in Millbrae. Schneider also raised environmental justice concerns, including recent tree removal and a retaining wall tied to SFPUC work.

Patricia Lam, a Millbrae resident, said converting local commercial sites to an SFPUC storage and workshop would cost local jobs and reduce limited commercial land. She estimated the facility would cost "$250 million plus" and urged SFPUC to look for alternative, non‑commercial locations.

SFPUC staff responded that showing a project in the CIP does not equal approval of that specific project, and the chair and staff said commissioners can request additional materials and that project approvals occur separately from budget and CIP adoption.

Other regional commenters — including representatives of environmental groups and nearby wholesale customers — used their time to question SFPUC's planning assumptions (notably the agency's "design drought" assumptions) and warned that large alternative water supply projects could multiply costs. The commission continued the budget hearing and will hear follow‑ups at a special meeting on Jan. 23.

What the record shows: the CIP slide referenced by commenters lists a Millbrae‑related operations project with a dollar figure on the slide (commenters cited $366 million); multiple callers asked for greater transparency, BOSCA engagement, and a pause on any project approvals until local concerns are addressed. Staff clarified that capital plan inclusion is not equivalent to project authorization.