Message from Police Chief Sierra Brucia

Regarding the dog incident, we want to assure the public that the Lodi Police Department is taking it seriously. An internal investigation began immediately after the incident and is near completion. The investigation will then be routed to the San Joaquin County District Attorney’s office for review.

A formal complaint against the employees involved has been submitted and is currently under investigation as well. Any policy violations or criminal charges found will be handled appropriately and within our policies and the law.

Our department will be reviewing all of our policies related to animal services and the use of tasers on animals. Coordination of additional training for our employees with how to deal with at large animals has already begun.

Thank you for your patience during this process. Updates will be made as they become available on our Facebook page.

February ECA

Natural gas prices surged again in late December which has pushed electricity market prices higher. However, the recent rain storms have helped fill California’s reservoirs up to more than 85% overall. In addition to plant revenue from the Lodi Energy Center, the better-than-expected hydroelectric energy has also generated revenue, thereby helping to offset power supply costs. As a result, the February 2023 ECA is 2.55 cents/kWh which is more than 50% lower than the prior two months’ ECA. Hopefully, hydro conditions will help continue to stabilize power costs in the coming months.

There are a number of ways to save energy (and money) during the winter months

Weatherstrip your doors and windows
Switch to a smart thermostat
Close the damper when not using the fireplace
Give your heating system a yearly checkup
Don't block your air vents
Check the insulation in your house

Customers can take advantage of a number of payment assistance programs to reduce the financial impact associated with monthly utility bills. For eligibility and information on these programs, please visit www.lodielectric.com. If you are having trouble paying your electric bill, there are options available to you. For more information on paying your bill and payment plan options, please call 333-6717 or email: [email protected].

Electric Utility Natural Gas Power Plant

The City of Lodi, in partnership with the State of California Department of Water Resources and Enchanted Rock, are constructing the 48MW natural gas power plant near the City of Lodi Water Treatment Plant by Lodi Lake. This project will provide critical capacity to the California electrical grid during times of peak loading conditions and will also provide an emergency power supply for the City in the event PG&E loses capacity on any of the incoming sub-transmission lines which provide service to the City. Below are the renderings provided by Enchanted Rock of the project.

Lodi Police Badge Pinning

This week Lodi Police Department celebrated the achievements and promotions of:

Corporal Jordan Lado to the rank of Sergeant
Officer Alberto Perez to the rank of Corporal

As well as acknowledged the completion of probation of our newest officers and records clerk, and welcomed our newest CSO's:

Officer Patrick Backman
Officer Erik Daniel
OFficer Juan Ortega
Records Clerk Tiffany Precissi
CSO Gage Canestrino
CSO Melisa Magana

Congratulations to all and thank you for serving our community

Docent Appreciation

Every year thousands of students and visitors tour the Lodi Lake Nature Area with the help of a Docent. Our Docents support these experiences by sharing their knowledge of the area and using these opportunities to encourage visitors to become better stewards of the environment. Park staff celebrated the Lodi Lake Nature Area Docent program volunteers with a luncheon and service award ceremony early last week. Pictured here are Dan White, Lodi Lake Program Coordinator, and Docent Jay Bell, being presented with a plaque honoring his 35-year commitment to our Docent Program.

Community Development is Going Digital

The Building Division of Community Development launched Phase 1, of a multi-phase effort, eventually offering our community a completely digital, building permit review platform online.

Theresa Woodhouse, our Senior Permit Technician, is leading this effort made Phase 1, live on January 12, 2023. This initial phase is designed to accommodate smaller scaled, repetitive permit requests such as reroof projects, HVAC modernizations, water heater upgrades, etc.

Goals of going digital include:

Streamlining permitting practices
Increase internal efficiency and workflow
Save time and money
Issue permits faster
Increased process transparency to our development community
Environmentally friendly = saves paper

Contractors and the public will now have online access to:

Check the status of permits and reviews
Pay fees
Schedule and check the status of requested field inspections

Thank you to Theresa for her efforts related to this accomplishment, now well over a year in the making. We are excited to take this first step and look forward to expanding these services to manage every type and scale of the project in the near future.

Parks Reopened

We are excited to announce that as of this February 1 the following parks have been reopened. Thank you to our amazing staff for all their hard work to restore our parks for the community to enjoy safely.

Borchardt Park
Beckman Dog Park
Candy Cane Park
Century Park
Century Meadows Park
DeBendetti Park
English Oaks Park
Grape Bowl – (Rentals ONLY)
Hutchins Street Square
Kofu Skate Park
Bob Johnson Park
Lodi Lake Park & Nature Area
Reynolds Ranch / Orchard Lane Park
Rose Gate Park
Roget Park
Van Buskirk Park
Vinewood Dog Park

Park Restrooms:

Beckman Park
Blakely Park – (CLOSED due to Vandalism)
Emerson Park
Hale Park
Katzakian Park
Lodi Lake Park – (North and South)
Peterson Park
Salas Park
Villa Fiore Park