Rate Fairness Board
We are committed to providing you with outstanding, reliable, and efficient service while keeping our rates affordable. Since 2002, the Rate Fairness Board has been reviewing and advising us on rate matters. This group consists of appointed members including local residents and business owners.
The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) Rate Fairness Board and SFPUC staff will convene Rate Fairness Board meetings in-person and remotely by teleconference. For instructions on how to join the meeting remotely and make comment, please refer to the agenda for each meeting.
Current Rates
The current rate package was developed through a series of public meetings by staff with the input, guidance and review of the Rate Fairness Board, an advisory group of ratepayers and City financial officers created under the voter-approved Proposition E (2002) to ensure rate stability, fairness and affordability.
Meetings and Minutes
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More Agendas/Minutes, Service Studies
2021 Agendas Supporting Documents 2021 Minutes November 12 Item 5a November 12 (approved) September 24 Item 4a
Item 4bSeptember 24 (approved) July 30 July 30 (approved) April 23 Item 4a
Item 4b
Item 4cApril 23 (approved) 2020 Agendas Supporting Documents 2020 Minutes December 21 Item 4a
Item 4bDecember 21 (approved) October 9 Item 6
Item 7October 9 (approved)
Rate Fairness Board Roster
| Member Name | Title | Qualification | Appointed By |
|---|---|---|---|
| Howard Ash | Chair | Residential City Retail Customer | Board of Supervisors |
| Vishal Trivedi | Member | Financial Analyst of Office of Public Finance | Controller's Office |
| Trisha McMahon | Member | Budget and Planning Manager of Office of the City Administrator |
City Administrator or designee |
| Ken Hinton | Member | Budget and Revenue Analyst | Controller's Office |
| Vacant | Member | Residential City Retail Customer | Mayor's Office |
| Vacant | Member | City Retail Small Business Customer | Board of Supervisors |
| Vacant | Member | City Retail Large Business Customer | Mayor's Office |
Interested applicants for the vacancies on our Rate Fairness Board should visit the SF Board of Supervisors site.
Biographies
Howard Ash
Chair and Residential Ratepayer
Howard Ash is an energy & utilities economist with over 25 years of experience in industry, government and consulting. Currently with Chevron, his career includes stints with the U.S. Department of Energy, Pacific Gas Transmission Company and the World Bank. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Yale and a Master of Science in Engineering-Economic Systems from Stanford.
Vishal Trivedi
Financial Analyst of Office of Public Finance
Vishal Trivedi has been with the City and County of San Francisco since 2007. He has served in his current role as a financial analyst with the Controller’s Office of Public Finance since February of 2014. Prior to joining the Controller’s Office, he worked as an aviation planner at San Francisco International Airport for over six years. Vishal began his public sector career as a finance intern with the City of Los Angeles, working on budget issues for their Department of Recreation and Parks. As an analyst with the Office of Public Finance, Vishal has worked on billions of dollars of debt transactions, and administers a general obligation bond portfolio of over $2 billion in currently outstanding debt. Vishal has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and Geography from the University of California, Berkeley, as well Master of Public Administration and Master of Arts in International Relations degrees from Syracuse University.
Trisha McMahon
Budget and Planning Manager
Trisha McMahon is the Budget & Planning Manager for the City Administrator's Office, where she helps guide fiscal and operational decisions with data analysis and visualization, best practice research, and performance measurement. Prior to joining the City and County of San Francisco, Trisha worked as a policy analyst for seven years at a small public policy consulting firm providing strategic and analytical services for public, not-for-profit, and private sector clients. Most of her work days were spent building complex programmatic, fiscal, and economic models in order to measure the impact of policy changes. Trisha holds a Master pf Public Policy degree from UC Berkeley's Goldman School of Public Policy and and a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Studies from the University of Arizona.
Rate Fairness Board Rules of Order
The SFPUC Rate Fairness Board adopted the Rate Fairness Board Rules of Order on April 11, 2023.
Contact the Rate Fairness Board Secretary
To request additional materials or information about the Rate Fairness Board, please contact the Rate Fairness Board Secretary by email at RateFairnessBoard@sfwater.org; or by U.S. mail at 525 Golden Gate Avenue – 4th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94102.