* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. DIRECTOR [00:00:01] WILLIAMS, DR. PER COUNCIL MEMBER ABBY CAYMAN, [Press Conference: "Health Department Earns CDC Designation for Excellence"] DR. LAURA HOPKINS, AND DR. KATHY ENOR, UH, WITH ME TO TODAY. UH, GOOD AFTERNOON, AND THANK YOU FOR JOINING US TODAY FOR A VERY SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT. UH, AS I INDICATED, JOIN ME ON STAGE AS HOUSTON HEALTH DEPARTMENT, UH, DIRECTOR, DIRECTOR WILLIAMS, UH, DR. PER OUR CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON, DR. LAURA HOPKINS, THE CHIEF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE OFFICER FOR THE HOUSTON HEALTH DEPARTMENT. DR. KATHY INOR WITH RICE UNIVERSITY AND HOUSTON PUBLIC. WELL, CAROL HANOCK WITH THE HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT, UH, WILL PROBABLY BE ON HER WAY. UH, AND THEN ALMOST ALSO ALSO JOINED BY A COUNCIL MEMBER, AB CAMAN OF DISTRICT C. THE CITY OF HOUSTON IS PROUD TO ANNOUNCE TODAY THAT THE HOUSTON HEALTH DEPARTMENT IS THE RECIPIENT OF THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTIONS, NATIONAL WASTEWATER SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM CENTER OF EXCELLENCE AWARD FOR ITS WORK IN WASTEWATER EPIDEMIOLOGY. VERY, VERY PROUD OF THEM FOR THAT. THIS SYSTEM FORMS PART OF THE CITY'S RESPONSE TO COVID TO THE COVID-19, UH, EPI PANDEMIC. IN MAY OF 2020, THE HOUSTON HEALTH DEPARTMENT GATHERED A TEAM OF PARTNERS TO DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT A SARS COVID TWO WASTEWATER SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM FOR HOUSTON RESEARCHERS, SCIENTISTS, ENGINEERS, AND PUBLIC HEALTH PROFESSIONALS FROM PUBLIC WORKS RICE UNIVERSITY, WE'RE ALL PART OF THIS EXTRAORDINARY TEAM THAT DEVELOPED THIS SYSTEM FOR THE CITY. THIS MONITORING SYSTEM ALLOWS THE DEPARTMENT TO PROVIDE DATA TRACKING OF THE COVID-19 VIRUS IN OUR COMMUNITIES THROUGH OUR WASTEWATER SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM. THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT CAN PINPOINT THE LEVEL OF COVID-19 VIRUS IN OUR CITY AND BETTER DEPLOY PUBLIC HEALTH RESOURCES TO AREAS OF THE CITY WHERE THE VIRUS IS MORE PREVALENT. TODAY, COVID-19 WASTEWATER SURVEILLANCE, UM, MONITORS HOUSTON'S 39 WASTEWATER, UH, TREATMENT PLANTS 73 MANHOLES AND 63 LIFT STATIONS SERVING 2.16 MILLION PEOPLE. IN ADDITION TO SERVICING THIS COUNTRY'S FOURTH MOST POPULAR CITY, OUR WASTEWATER SYSTEM IS ONE OF THE LARGEST SEPARATE SEWER SYSTEMS IN THE NATION. AND I WANT TO TAKE THIS MOMENT AND CONGRATULATE THE HOUSTON HEALTH DEPARTMENT FOR THEIR EXCELLENT WORK AND COLLABORATION WITH HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS, RICE UNIVERSITY, AND THE CD AND THE CDC. THE WASTEWATER SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM, UH, SYSTEM CENTER WILL ALLOW A CONTINUED COLLABORATION BETWEEN THE DEPARTMENT AND RICE UNIVERSITY. UH, THE DEPARTMENT WILL LEAD THE CDC GRANT WITH A SUB-AWARD GIVEN TO RICE UNIVERSITY THAT WILL ASSIST THE HOUSTON HEALTH DEPARTMENT IN SHARING ITS EXPERTISE WITH CITIES ACROSS THE NATION AND SUPPORTING PUBLIC HEALTH. IT ALSO PLACES THE DEPARTMENT CENTER STAGE AS THE CDC DEVELOPS SUB SUBSTANDARD METHODS, UH, A STANDARDIZED METHODS, UH, FOR THIS NEW PUBLIC HEALTH TOOL. UH, AND I ALSO WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THIS IS WHAT THEY HAVE DONE USING WASTEWATER TO, TO DETERMINE THE LEVEL OF COVID THAT IS OUT THERE IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON. WE ARE GOING TO BE EXPANDING THAT NOW, UH, TO MONKEYPOX. SO IN ABOUT TWO TO THREE WEEKS AS THE ADDED SUPPLIES COME IN, UM, THEY NOW HAVE THE TECHNOLOGY AND THE ABILITY TO DETERMINE THE LEVEL OF MONKEYPOX, UH, IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON THROUGH THIS WASTEWATER SYSTEM, JUST LIKE THEY DID FOR COVID. UH, THEY WILL NOW BE DOING IT, UH, FOR, UH, FOR MONKEYPOX. SO, COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, YOU ARE SUPPORTING THE OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS. UH, WE'RE GOING TO DRAW DOWN A LITTLE BIT OF MONEY FROM THE FUND BALANCE TURN, UH, GIVE IT TO THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT, UH, SPECIFICALLY, UH, FOR THE SURVEILLANCE FROM MONKEYPOX IN OUR WASTEWATER SYSTEM. AND THAT SHOULD BEGIN IN ABOUT TWO TO THREE WEEKS. SO I'M VERY, VERY EXCITED ABOUT THAT. UH, NOW LET ME BRING UP DIRECTOR WILLIAMS, WHO LEADS OUR HOUSTON HEALTH DEPARTMENT TO TELL US MORE ABOUT THIS INCREDIBLE NATIONAL RECOGNITION, AND HE WILL BE FOLLOWED BY DR. LAUREN LAUREN HOPKINS, AND THEN FOLLOWED BY DR. KATHY INOR, AND THEN FOLLOWED BY DR. DAVID PER DIRECTOR WILLIAMS. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UH, I WANT TO EXPRESS MY GRATITUDE AND SUPPORT, UM, FOR YOUR SUPPORT OF OUR WASTEWATER PROJECT, AND MAYBE MORE IMPORTANTLY OF THE ANNOUNCEMENT THAT YOU MADE, BECAUSE WE [00:05:01] ARE REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO, UH, ESTABLISHING AN ONGOING SURVEILLANCE, BROADER SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM FOR THE, THE, THE CITY OF HOUSTON. AND THIS IS CERTAINLY, CERTAINLY THE WAY TO GO. THIS DESIGNATION OF THE WASTEWATER EPIDEMIOLOGY AS THE NATIONAL CENTER OF EXCELLENCE ESTABLISHES OUR EFFORTS AS A MODEL FOR THE NATION. THE CENTER WILL HELP THE DEPARTMENT SHARE ITS EXPERTISE WITH STATES AND CITIES ACROSS THE NATION. I WANT TO TELL YOU THAT THAT EFFORT HAS ALREADY STARTED. I'M REALLY GRATEFUL FOR THE SCHOLARS AT RICE UNIVERSITY FOR PARTNERING IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SURVEILLANCE PROGRAM WHEN WE SOUGHT THEIR, UH, ASSISTANCE. THE RESEARCHERS DROP THEIR REGULAR RESEARCH AND WE'RE EAGER TO COLLABORATE, AND I'M EXCEPTIONALLY GRATEFUL FOR THAT. THANK YOU FOR YOUR LONG DAYS AND LONG MEETINGS POURING OVER RESULTS TO FIND THE BEST PATH FORWARD. OUR CENTER PARTNERS ARE NOT JUST LOCAL EXPERTS, BUT I WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE FACT THAT THEY ARE NATIONAL EXPERTS. THE SUCCESS OF THE PROGRAM IS DUE TO THESE PARTNERS AND TO THE VISIONARY CITY, CITY LEADERS IN HOUSTON, ESPECIALLY OUR OWN DR. LAUREN HOPKINS, OUR DEPARTMENT'S CHIEF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENTIST. HER EXCEPTIONAL VISION KEPT THIS INITIATIVE MOVING FORWARD AND MADE IT A MODEL FOR THE REST OF THE COUNTRY. I WANT TO THANK, UH, UH, DIRECTOR CAROL HATER FOR HER QUICK DIRECTION TO QUICKLY ESTABLISH COLLECTIONS OF THE SAMPLES EVERY WEEK FROM THE PUBLIC WORK SYSTEM, ONGOING TECHNICAL SUP, TECHNICAL SUPPORT, AND NATIONAL LEADERSHIP OF WASTEWATER ENTITIES, AND SHE'S ALREADY COMMITTED TO CONTINUE THAT. I WANT TO THANK ALSO OUR OWN DR. DAVID PER, WHO PLAYED A, A CRITICAL ROLE IN HIS ANALYTICAL ASSISTANCE AND INTERPRETATION OF THE FINDINGS FOR THIS PUBLIC HEALTH INTERVENTION OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS. THE HOUSTON TEAM SHARED ITS EXPERIENCE IN SAMPLE COLLECTION ANALYSIS, STATISTICAL INTERPRETATION USE AS A PUBLIC HEALTH INTERVENTION AND COMMUNICATION ACROSS AUDIENCES. THE TEAM PROVIDED TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO STATES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS IN THE FORM OF WEBINARS, CONSULTATIONS, WEBSITE, MATERIALS, AND A DASHBOARD FOR TRAINING. THESE EFFORTS ARE FUNDED BY THE CDC, THE CDC FOUNDATION, ROCKEFELLER FOUNDATION, AND THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION. THE CENTER WILL EXPAND AND CONTINUE THESE EFFORTS BY PROVIDING TRAINING TO STATE AND LOCAL HEALTH DEPARTMENTS AND OTHER ENTITIES PLANNING TO CONDUCT WASTEWATER SURVEILLANCE. THE TRAINING WILL FOCUS ON HOUSTON'S EXPERIENCE AND COVER TYPE TOPICS SUCH AS SAMPLING ANALYSIS, STATISTICAL INTERPRETATION AND PUBLIC HEALTH INTERVENTION TRAINING WILL BE FOLLOWED WITH SITE VISITS, SO ENTITIES CAN ACTUALLY VISIT HOUSTON TO LEARN TECHNIQUES. HANDS ON PUBLIC WORKS WILL SUPPORT THE CENTER BY CONTINUING AND EXPANDING ENGAGEMENT WITH OTHER LOCAL WASTEWATER, UTILITIES, TECHNICAL PRESENTATIONS AT REGIONAL, STATE AND NATIONAL CONFERENCES AND FREQUENT WEBINARS TO WORK WITH OTHER ENTITIES AND HEALTH DEPARTMENTS IN THE DEVELOPMENT AND EXECUTION OF WASTEWATER VIRUS MONITORING. THROUGH THE CENTER, THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT PUBLIC WORKS AND RICE RESEARCHERS WILL ALSO WORK TOGETHER ON KEY RESEARCH PROJECTS TO IMPROVE WASTEWATER DISEASE SURVEILLANCE. I'D LIKE TO BRING UP DR. LAUREN HOPKINS, OUR CHIEF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE OFFICER. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. DIRECTOR WILLIAMS. UM, IS, UH, I GUESS OUR HONOR HERE AT THE CITY OF HOUSTON TO BE AWARDED THIS, UM, CENTER OF EXCELLENCE FOR WASTEWATER. UM, AS WE WORKED ON THIS PROJECT FOR THE PAST TWO AND A HALF YEARS, UH, WE DID IT BECAUSE WE NEED OUT OF NECESSITY. AND, UH, WITHOUT THE SUPPORT OF, OF THE MAYOR AND THE DIRECTOR OF THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT, UM, AND DOC, UM, UM, DIRECTOR HADDOCK OF PUBLIC WORKS AND, UH, DR PER WITHIN THE CITY AS WELL AS OUR ACADEMIC PARTNERS, WE REALLY WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN ABLE TO ACHIEVE WHAT WE DID. UM, JUST TO GIVE YOU A TINY BIT OF BACKGROUND ABOUT HOW IT CAME ABOUT, UM, ABOUT WHEN WE BEGAN LOOKING INTO, UM, USING, UM, WASTEWATER FOR, UH, SURVEILLANCE FOR SARS COV TO TWO, WE REALLY DIDN'T, UM, HAVE THE EXPERTISE WITHIN THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT. AND SO WE SOUGHT EXPERTISE FROM OUR LOCAL COMMUNITY. AND WE, UM, IN THE INITIALLY, UH, WE HAD A TEAM OF, FROM BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE AS WELL AS RICE UNIVERSITY, UH, WITH OUR STARTUP. AND AS WE'VE MOVED ALONG, UM, WE'VE CONTINUED THIS ACADEMIC PARTNERSHIP AND I CAN'T, UM, UNDERSCORE THE IMPORTANCE OF, OF CITY, UM, ACADEMIC PARTNERSHIPS IN, IN, UM, MOVING FORWARD ON, ON THINGS THAT ARE ON THE REALM OF RESEARCH BUT NEEDED TODAY. UH, SO WITH THAT, I'D LIKE TO INTRODUCE, UH, DR. INER HERE FROM RICE TO TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT WHAT THE CENTER WILL DO. [00:10:04] OKAY. THANK YOU EVERYONE. UM, SO AS NOTED BY RICE UNIVERSITY, UH, PRESIDENT, UH, REGINALD DEROCHE, UH, THIS AWARD EXEMPLIFIES THE VALUE OF STRONG PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN UNIVERSITIES AND THE COMMUNITIES THEY SERVE. IT'S JUST SIMPLY BEEN AN HONOR TO BE A PART OF THIS VERY, UH, INTENSE EFFORT. UH, AND IT TRULY HAS BEEN A TEAM EFFORT OVER THE LAST 2.5 YEARS, AND WE'RE HONORED TO PLAY, UH, THIS LEADING ROLE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF WASTEWATER EPIDEMIOLOGY PROGRAMS NATIONWIDE. UH, I, I WANNA UNDERSCORE DR. HOPKINS LEADERSHIP OF THIS PROGRAM, UH, AS THAT IT HAS ENSURED THAT THE ANSWERS THAT WE SOUGHT DIRECTLY BENEFIT THE RESIDENTS OF HOUSTON. AND IN MARCH, 2022, SHE WAS NAMED TO THE NATIONAL AC ACADEMY'S COMMITTEE ON COMMUNITY WASTEWATER, UH, BASED DISEASE SURVEILLANCE. SO, CONGRATULATIONS, DR. HOPKINS. SO, DR. LAUREN STADLER, WHO'S OUR, UH, SORT OF GOLDEN NUGGET IN ALL OF THIS, UH, SHE, SHE IS AN ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF CIVIL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING AT RICE AND A NATIONAL LEADER IN WASTEWATER SCIENCE. UH, SHE LED THE DEVELOPMENT OF, UH, LABORATORY METHODOLOGIES AND, AND THOSE, AND STREAMLINING THE PROCESS TO, UH, FROM SAMPLING TO THE DATA COMING TO THE ANALYTICS TEAM, WHICH I HEAD UP, UH, STAB STATS LAB AND HOUSTON HEALTH DEPARTMENT LAB PROVIDE WEEKLY ME MEASUREMENTS FROM, UH, THESE, UH, NUMEROUS OVER A HUNDRED LOCATIONS ACROSS THE CITY, AND WE RECEIVE THOSE EVERY WEEK. AS STATTER NOTES. THE NEW CENTER WILL HELP US, UH, SHARE OUR EXPERTISE WITH STATES AND MUNICIPALITIES ACROSS THE NATION, AND PUT A CENTER STAGE OF CDC DEVELOPED STANDARDIZED METHODS FOR THIS NEW PUBLIC HEALTH TOOL. AS THE LEADER OF THE ANALYTICS TEAM, I'D LIKE TO THANK THE STUDENTS AND FACULTY OF RICE UNIVERSITY STATISTICS THAT HAVE SUPPORTED THIS EFFORT AND THE PHENOMENAL ANALYTICS TEAM AT THE HOUSTON HEALTH DEPARTMENT. I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO ACKNOWLEDGE OUR RICE COLLABORATE COLLABORATORS, DR. TODD TRIGAN FOR THE VARIANT ANALYSIS, AND DR. FERRIS ALTA FOR THE PUBLIC FACING DASHBOARD THAT I'M SURE MANY OF YOU SEE, UH, THROUGHOUT THE EFFORTS. AS WE NOTED, WE'VE ANSWERED IMPORTANT QUESTIONS FOR THE CITY. THE WASTEWATER INFORMATION IS COMBINED WITH ALL OTHER INFORMATION THAT THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT HAS TO PRO PRIORITIZE PUBLIC HEALTH RESPONSE, AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO DOING MORE OF THAT. UH, THESE ANALYSES WILL BE EXPANDED UPON TO IDENTIFY WHICH INDICATORS ARE MOST USEFUL IN PREDICTING INCREASES IN WHERE AND WHEN TO PRO PRIORITIZE INTERVENTIONS. UH, THE CENTER WILL ALSO DETERMINE THE MOST EFFECTIVE GEOGRAPHIES, UH, GEOGRAPHIC SCALE AND TEMPORAL SAMPLING FREQUENCY FOR WASTEWATER TESTING, FOR DIFFERENT SURVEILLANCE TAR TARGETS. UH, DR. STADLER WILL ALSO EVALUATE METHODS AND WORKFLOW TO ANALYZE NEW WASTEWATER TARGETS, SUCH AS MONKEYPOX, AS WE'VE NOTED, UM, WITH THE SUPPORT FROM THE, UH, HOUSTON HEALTH DEPARTMENT LAB. AND WITH THIS, I'LL TURN IT OVER TO DR. PER THANK YOU. UH, THANK YOU. I'M JUST GONNA PUT A LITTLE PERSPECTIVE ON THIS IF I COULD. SO, BACK IN THE BEGINNING WHEN THIS STARTED, YOU KNOW, TODAY WE TALK ABOUT WASTEWATER PRETTY COMMONLY, AND OUR MEMBERS ARE, ARE FRIENDS IN THE MEDIA AND SUCH. BUT BACK WHEN THIS STARTED, IT SEEMED LIKE A PRETTY STRANGE CONCEPT. AND SO I REALLY WANNA THANK MAYOR TURNER AND THE MEMBERS OF COUNCIL BECAUSE THEY WERE ABLE TO QUICKLY APPRECIATE THAT THIS WAS ACTUALLY GOING TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE. AND I DON'T KNOW THAT EVERYONE NORMALLY WOULD'VE THOUGHT OF, REALLY, YOU'RE GONNA MEASURE FOR THE VIRUS AND THE WASTEWATER. HOW'S THAT GONNA HELP US? WELL, IT DOES HELP, AND IT, AND IT IS NOT JUST A FUN FACT THAT WE COME UP WITH EVERY WEEK. IT'S NOT JUST SOMETHING TO BE PUT IN THE MEDIA. OUR HOSPITAL PARTNERS EVERY WEEK FOR THE LAST TWO YEARS HAVE BEEN VERY ANXIOUSLY LOOKING FOR THE VALUE, BECAUSE IT HELPS THEM MANAGE THE HOSPITALS IN TERMS OF WHAT, WHAT, YOU KNOW, THE, THEY CAN THEN ANTICIPATE. IT BECAME A VERY RELIABLE PREDICTOR OF HOW MANY PATIENTS WITH COVID WERE GONNA BE COMING TO THE HOSPITAL AND WHAT THEIR PATIENT LOAD WAS GONNA BE. AND IT GAVE US SOMETIMES A THREE WEEK HEADS UP AS TO HOW THINGS WERE GOING TO CHANGE, WHICH BECAME CRITICALLY IMPORTANT TO THE MANAGEMENT OF HOSPITALS ACROSS THE HOS, THE HOUSTON AREA. AND SO YOU CAN IMAGINE THAT THOSE FOLKS THAT RUN THE HOSPITALS HAVE A VERY DIFFICULT JOB BECAUSE THE HEART ATTACKS, THE STROKES, THE NEW BABIES BEING BORN, THE HIP FRACTURES, THE CAR ACCIDENTS, ALL OF THOSE THINGS CONTINUE TO OCCUR. AND THEN THEY HAD TO MANAGE THE EXTRA LOAD OF COVID PATIENTS ON TOP OF THAT. AND SO IF THEY HAD A HEADS UP AS TO WHAT WAS GONNA HAPPEN TWO, THREE WEEKS AHEAD OF TIME, THEY WERE ABLE TO BETTER MANAGE. AND AS A RESULT OF THIS, I BELIEVE IN MY HEART THAT LIVES WERE SAVED IN HOSPITALS BECAUSE THE HOSPITAL MANAGEMENT GOT THE HEADS UP OF THIS, UH, THIS DATA. SO IT'S NOT JUST AN INTERESTING THING, IT ACTUALLY WAS WHERE THE RUBBER MET THE ROAD THAT MADE A DIFFERENCE IN PEOPLE'S LIVES AND HEALTHCARE. AND AS WE MOVE FORWARD, WE'RE LOOKING AT THINGS LIKE MONKEYPOX AND THIS TECHNOLOGY. AND HERE'S THE OTHER THING, IS LOOKING INTO SEWAGE WATER FOR PATHOGENS IS NOT ENTIRELY NEW. THIS HAS ACTUALLY BEEN, IF YOU LOOK IN THE PUBLIC HEALTH TEXTBOOKS, YOU'LL SEE THAT HUNDREDS OF YEARS AGO THEY LOOKED FOR IT. WHAT IS DIFFERENT IS THE LEVEL OF SOPHISTICATION [00:15:02] IN THE TESTING, THE ACCURACY OF THE MEASUREMENT, AND THE FACT THAT THEY ARE TO DO IT ON SUCH A HUGE SCALE IN THE FOURTH LARGEST CITY IN THE NATION THAT IS COMPLETELY NEW. THAT WAS NEVER DONE BEFORE. AND WE NOW HAVE CITIES ACROSS THE NATION THAT ARE, UH, REPLICATING AND DUPLICATING THESE EFFORTS BECAUSE IT IS SO IMPORTANT TO THE POINT WHERE NOW THE CDC HAS ACTUALLY CREATED FUNDS TO CREATE A CENTER OF EXCELLENCE. AND OUR OWN FOLKS HERE AT, AT BAY, AT, UH, WELL, YOU KNOW, BAYLOR PARTICIPATED, BUT AT RICE UNIVERSITY AND, UH, THE CITY OF HOUSTON, UM, ARE THE PROUD RECIPIENTS OF IT, AS THEY WELL SHOULD BE. AND SO, I JUST WANNA POINT A LITTLE BIT OF THING. AGAIN, THANK YOU TO THE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL FOR UNDERSTANDING WHAT MAY HAVE SOUNDED LIKE A CRAZY IDEA WAS NOT CRAZY AT ALL, AND TO PUT INTO PERSPECTIVE THAT THIS REALLY MADE A HUGE OPERATIONAL DIFFERENCE THAT PROBABLY RESULTED IN SAVING PEOPLE'S LIVES. MAYOR. AND I'M GONNA BRING UP COUNCILMAN MABY CAYMAN, BECAUSE WE TURNED TO THE WASTEWATER TO DETERMINE THE LEVEL OF COVID THAT EXISTS IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON. NOW WE'RE TURNING TO THE WASTEWATER TO DETERMINE THE LEVEL OF MONKEYPOX. AND I KNOW A NUMBER OF THE CASES ARE COMING OUT OF DISTRICT C, AND I KNOW MEMBER, MEMBER CAME AND FEELS VERY STRONGLY ABOUT IT. COUNCIL MEMBER. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THE, THE ANNOUNCEMENT TODAY THAT YOU SHARING AND YOUR COMMITMENT TO, UM, EXPANDING THE PROGRAM TO MONKEYPOX, I THINK IS INDICATIVE OF THE LEADERSHIP THAT THE CITY OF HOUSTON CONTINUES TO PROVIDE, UM, AT THE CUTTING EDGE OF HEALTH AND SAFETY FOR ALL HOUSTONIANS, AND NOT JUST FOR HOUSTONIANS, BUT FOR THE NATION. UH, I, I CAME TODAY TO SU TO SUPPORT NOT ONLY OUR HEALTH DEPARTMENT AND MAYOR OF THE CITY, UM, AND CONGRATULATING EVERYONE ON THE IMPORTANT RECOGNITION, BUT ALSO RICE UNIVERSITY. UM, THIS COULD NOT HAVE BEEN DONE WITHOUT THE PARTNERSHIP. AND, UH, THAT PARTNERSHIP CONTINUES TO PLAY A VITAL ROLE IN SAVING LIVES HERE IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON. SO, DR. HOPKINS, TO EVERYONE, THANK YOU FOR THE PARTNERSHIP. IT'S INVALUABLE. MAYOR, THANK YOU FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP AS WE CONTINUE TO BUILD UPON, UH, FOR THE COUNTRY, UH, THIS NEW TECHNOLOGY THAT WAS SPEARHEADED RIGHT HERE IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON. AND AGAIN, UH, LET'S, UH, LET'S ACKNOWLEDGE THE CITY OF HOUSTON HEALTH DEPARTMENT, UH, AS THE RECIPIENT OF THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTIONS, NATIONAL WASTEWATER SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM CENTER OF EXCELLENCE AWARD FOR ITS WORK, UH, FOR ITS WORK IN WASTEWATER EPIDEMIOLOGY. NOW, ANY OF THEM CAN TAKE ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU MAY HAVE ON THIS SUBJECT. ANY, ANYTHING ELSE, ANY, ANY QUESTIONS, UH, ON THIS ANNOUNCEMENT RELATED TO MONKEYPOX? YEAH. YES. YEAH, I JUST HAVE A FEW QUESTIONS ABOUT MONKEYPOX. UM, AND DR. DR. PERS, THIS MAY BE MORE FOR YOU. UM, WELL, FIRST OF ALL, I GUESS IF YOU COULD JUST ADDRESS BEING ABLE TO MONITOR MONKEYPOX IN THE WASTEWATER, WHAT THAT WILL DO FOR YOU GUYS, PREDICTING WHAT'S GOING FORWARD AND WHAT'S ACTUALLY HAPPENING IN THE COMMUNITY. HOW IMPORTANT IS THAT? WELL, AS YOU SAW WITH COVID, WE WERE ABLE TO GET A BETTER IDEA OF, OF HOW MUCH COVID THERE REALLY WAS IN THE COMMUNITY. BECAUSE REMEMBER, WITH COVID, ABOUT 40% OF PEOPLE HAD NO SYMPTOMS, RIGHT? AND SO WE, WE WERE ABLE TO QUICKLY REALIZE THE PROBLEM WAS BIGGER THAN, THAN WE RECOGNIZED FROM WHO WAS TESTING OR WHO WAS GOING TO THE HOSPITAL. WITH MONKEYPOX, WE WILL LEARN, BUT REMEMBER WITH MONKEYPOX, YOU GOT A TWO WEEK, MAYBE AS MUCH AS A THREE WEEK INCUBATION PERIOD. AND SO, UM, AND AGAIN, WITH THE SYMPTOMS BEING, YOU KNOW, UH, UH, A FEVER, BODY ACHES, FATIGUE, THOSE ARE COMMON SYMPTOMS WITH A LOT OF VIRAL ILLNESSES, WE COULD EASILY BE UNDERESTIMATING HOW BIG THE PROBLEM IS. SO THIS WILL GIVE US A VERY OBJECTIVE VIEW AS TO HOW BIG THE PROBLEM IS. AND IT WILL ALSO GIVE US AN IDEA GEOGRAPHICALLY OF WHERE THE PROBLEM MAY BE WORSE THAN OTHERS. SO, BACK WITH, WITH COVID, WE WERE ABLE TO RECOGNIZE BY ZIP CODE THE AREAS THAT HAD GROWING NUMBERS THAT WERE GROWING AT A FASTER RATE THAN OTHERS. AND THEN DIRECTOR WILLIAMS AND HIS TEAM WAS ABLE TO THEN FOCUS RESOURCES INTO THOSE ZIP CODES TO TRY AND SLOW THINGS DOWN. AND IT WAS, YOU KNOW, PRETTY EFFECTIVE. WE ANTICIPATE BEING ABLE TO DO THE SAME THING WITH, WITH MONKEYPOX. NOW MONKEYPOX YOU HAVE TO KEEP IN MIND IS A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT VIRUS. IT HAS A DIFFERENT PATHOPHYSIOLOGY, AND WE WILL BE LEARNING AS WE GO. 'CAUSE NOBODY'S EVER TESTED FOR MONKEYPOX BEFORE. SO TO SOME DEGREE WE'RE GONNA BE LEARNING AS WE GO, BUT WE ANTICIPATE IT WILL TRANSLATE INTO ACTUAL ACTION THAT WILL BENEFIT, UH, THE COMMUNITY. THAT'S WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR. ONE OF THE QUESTIONS, UH, THAT WE HAD WAS ABOUT THOSE WHO ARE HIV POSITIVE. UM, MANY OF THEM ARE TAKING THE SAME MEDICATION AS THOSE WHO ARE ON PREP. UM, WHY ARE SOME WHO ARE HIV POSITIVE NOT IN THE SAME RISK CATEGORY AS THOSE WHO ARE ON PREP? YEAH, THIS IS A GREAT QUESTION, AND I'M GLAD YOU ASKED IT. SO, RIGHT NOW, WHEN WE HAVE SIGNIFICANTLY TOO LITTLE VACCINE FOR THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE, WELL, A, WHO WANT IT, UH, BUT B WHO NEED IT. AND SO LET'S TALK ABOUT THAT. OUR GOAL RIGHT NOW IS TO MINIMIZE THE AMOUNT OF SPREAD OF MONKEYPOX WITHIN THE COMMUNITY. PEOPLE WHO ARE HIV POSITIVE AND HAVE COMPROMISED IMMUNE SYSTEMS [00:20:01] ARE AT INCREASED RISK OF HAVING COMPLICATIONS SHOULD THEY BECOME INFECTED. BUT MOST PEOPLE, NOT ALL, BUT MOST PEOPLE WHO ARE, WHO KNOW THAT THEY ARE, HIV POSITIVE, KNOW THAT THEY'RE AT INCREASED RISK AND LIKELY ARE NOT BEHAVING IN WAYS THAT PUT THAT AT AN INCREASED RISK OF CONTRACTING AND SPREADING THE VIRUS. SO WE'RE TRYING TO TARGET THE VACCINE AND THOSE PEOPLE WHO ARE AT GREATEST RISK FOR CONTRACTING AND SPREADING IT THROUGH THE COMMUNITY. SO THAT'S WHY THE CRITERIA ARE PEOPLE WHO ARE KNOWN CONTACTS OF CASES, PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN DIAGNOSED RECENTLY WITH SYPHILIS OR GONORRHEA, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, IF YOU CAUGHT SYPHILIS OR GONORRHEA, YOU'RE PROBABLY DOING THINGS THAT PUT YOU AT HIGH RISK. UM, BUT PEOPLE ARE HIV AND ON PREP, OR THEY'RE ON PREP BECAUSE THEY KNOW THEY'RE TAKING RISKS, RIGHT? AND SO WE'RE TRYING TO GET AT THOSE FOLKS WHO ARE THE HIGHEST RISK TAKERS RIGHT NOW, RECOGNIZING THAT PEOPLE THAT ARE IMMUNE COMPROMISED ARE AT GREATER RISK OF HAVING COMPLICATIONS. BUT IF YOU KNOW YOU'RE IMMUNE COMPROMISED, WE ARE REALLY HOPING THAT YOU'RE BEHAVING IN A WAY THAT DOESN'T PUT YOU AT INCREASED RISK WHILE THIS OTHER GROUP STILL IS. DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? YES, IT, YES IT DOES. UM, AND THEN THE COUNTY VOTED TO USE ALL THEIR DOSES AS FIRST DOSES. IS THE CITY DOING THE SAME THING? SO WE ARE STRATEGIZING. SO, UH, ANOTHER GOOD QUESTION. WE, WE HAVE TO KEEP A ENOUGH VACCINE AVAILABLE TO GIVE A SECOND DOSE. THE SITUATION WE DON'T WANNA GET INTO IS WHERE SOMEBODY'S DUE FOR THEIR SECOND DOSE, SO WE DON'T HAVE IT. SO WE ARE LEANING FORWARD IN GIVING, UM, WITH THE FIRST SHIPMENT, WE INITIALLY GAVE HALF OF IT AS FIRST DOSES, AND THE SECOND HALF WE HELD ONTO. NOW AS WE'RE GETTING MORE DOSES, WE'RE STARTING TO GIVE MORE FIRST DOSES. THE, THE, THE PROBLEM OR THE CHALLENGE IS BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE A SCHEDULE AS TO WHEN WE'RE GONNA GET, YOU KNOW, THE NEXT SHIPMENTS. WE DON'T WANNA WIND UP IN SITUATION WHERE SOMEBODY'S DUE FOR THEIR SECOND DOSE. SO WE'RE OUT A VACCINE. SO WE'RE TRYING TO BALANCE THAT AS WE MOVE FORWARD. BUT ARE WE GIVING WHAT WOULD'VE BEEN SECOND DOSES? FIRST DOSE IS YES, BUT WE'RE JUST BEING VERY CAREFUL ABOUT IT. AND THEN MY FINAL QUESTION, IS THE CITY ON THE VERGE OF DECLARING A PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY AS, AS WE'VE SEEN IN OTHER PLACES? YEAH, SO THAT'S A BIT OF A LEGAL QUESTION. AND, AND, UH, YOU WANT TO HANDLE THAT OR YOU WANT ME TO ? I HAVE, UH, HAD THAT CONVERSATION AND BROUGHT IT UP. UM, I DON'T THINK WE'RE AT THAT POINT YET. UM, BUT WE ARE HAVING THOSE CON THAT CONVERSATION AND LOOKING AT THE, THE RATE IN WHICH THE CASES ARE COMING AND INCREASING. CERTAINLY IF WE HAD INFORMATION FROM OUR WASTEWATER THAT WOULD PUT ME IN A MUCH BETTER POSITION, I'LL HAVE, WOULD HAVE MORE INFORMATION. WHAT I WOULD SAY IS THAT, UM, UH, WE CERTAINLY NEED MORE DOSES BECAUSE THE COUNTY GETS THEIRS FROM US. YOU KNOW, WHATEVER WE GET, THEY GET ABOUT 30%, 30%, UH, 30%. UM, AND THE DEMAND IS STILL HIGHER THAN THE SUPPLY. UM, SO WE ARE, WE, WE ARE LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS EVERY SINGLE DAY, BUT WE ARE HAVING THOSE CONVERSATIONS, UH, TALKING WITH OTHER MAYORS ACROSS THE COUNTRY BECAUSE IN SAN FRANCISCO AND NEW YORK, THEY HAVE DECLARED PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCIES. SO WE ARE NOT THERE YET. UH, BUT WE ARE CONTINUING TO LOOK AT THE NUMBERS. DO YOU HAVE A NUMBER OR THRESHOLD THAT WE WOULD HAVE TO BE AT ANY IDEA IF IT GETS TO THE POINT, FOR EXAMPLE, WHERE WE ARE DOUBLING IN JUST, UH, LET'S SAY A MATTER OF DAYS, UM, UH, AND THE SUPPLY IS REALLY NOT KEEPING UP. IT'S NOT KEEPING UP RIGHT NOW, BUT IF IT GETS GET FURTHER, FURTHER BEHIND, UM, THEN, UM, I WOULD FOR EXAMPLE, UM, CERTAINLY LOOK AT DECLARING THAT, UH, AND ASKING THE STATE TO DECLARE IT. UM, AND THE PRIMARY REASON WOULD BE TO ADD ADDITIONAL PRESSURE TO THE CDC AND THE STATE TO PROVIDE MORE DOSES. THANK YOU BOTH. OKAY. MAYOR, CAN I ADD SOMETHING? SORRY, DR. PARSON, I'M SORRY. SO TO YOUR QUESTIONS ABOUT VACCINE, AN IMPORTANT PART OF THAT DISCUSSION, IT DOESN'T SEEM TO BE BEING HAD. SO THE VACCINE IS A TWO SHOT SERIES, 28 DAYS APART, FOUR WEEKS APART. AND THEN YOU PROBABLY DON'T START HAVING YOUR MAXIMUM, UH, PROTECTION UNTIL ABOUT TWO WEEKS AFTER THE SECOND SHOT. SO EVEN IF SOMEBODY GOT THEIR SHOT TODAY OR LAST WEEK OR SOMETHING, IT'S STILL A LONG TIME BEFORE THEY'RE GONNA ACTUALLY HAVE PROTECTION. AND THEN THE VACCINE, WE BELIEVE TO BE ABOUT 85% EFFECTIVE, IT'S NOT A HUNDRED PERCENT EFFECTIVE. LIKE NO VACCINE IS A HUNDRED PERCENT EFFECTIVE, BUT WHAT IS A NEARLY A HUNDRED PERCENT EFFECTIVE, AND YOU CAN GET THAT EFFECT, THAT IMPACT RIGHT NOW IS BY THOSE PEOPLE WHO ARE TAKING HIGH RISK. BY HAVING FREQUENT, UH, UH, NEW SEX PARTNERS OR HAVING MULTIPLE SEX PARTNERS AT THE SAME TIME, YOU STOP DOING THAT, THAT IS IMMEDIATELY HIGHLY EFFECTIVE. SO WHILE WE TALK A LOT ABOUT VACCINE, VACCINE IS A GREAT ASSET FOR US AS A COMMUNITY, BUT IT IS NOWHERE NEAR AS EFFECTIVE AS PEOPLE PAYING ATTENTION TO THEIR BEHAVIORS. AND AGAIN, TO THE HIV POPULATION, ANY POPULATION THAT'S GOT IMMUNOCOMPROMISED, WHETHER IT BE, UH, YOU KNOW, ORGAN TRANSPLANT OR A DIABETIC PATIENT, OR [00:25:01] THERE ARE A WHOLE LONG LIST OF ILLNESSES THAT CAN CAUSE YOU TO HAVE IMMUNE COMPROMISE FOR THOSE FOLKS. IF YOU'RE IN A MONOGAMOUS RELATIONSHIP AND BOTH PARTIES ARE BEING MONOGAMOUS, YOU'RE PROBABLY AT ESSENTIALLY NO RISK. BUT IF YOU'RE OUT HAVING NEW SEX PARTNERS AND LOTS OF SEX PARTNERS, YOU'RE AT PRETTY HIGH RISK. YOU HAVE 100% CONTROL OVER THAT. JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE KEEP THAT IN MIND. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS ON THIS TOPIC? ANYTHING? HI, MAYOR TURNER. WE KNOW THAT THE FEDERAL DOCUMENTS NOW HAVE BEEN UNSEALED IN THE CASE AGAINST WILLIAM PAUL THOMAS. WE HAVE MORE DETAILS, AND I BELIEVE YOU ARE AWARE OF MORE DETAILS. NO, MA'AM. ABOUT THIS AS WELL. I'LL TELL YOU SOME OF WHAT'S SAID. UH, SPECIFICALLY IN ONE INSTANCE, THEY SAY, UH, THOMAS WORKED WITH A BUSINESSMAN TO EXPEDITE A PERMIT FOR A APPROVAL AND APPROVAL OF A FIRE PERMIT, A-A-T-C-O, A TEMPORARY CERTIFICATE OF OCCUPANCY, THAT HFD FIRE MARSHAL'S OFFICE OKAY. WOULD NEED TO, UM, GIVE THEM. WHAT'S YOUR REACTION TO THAT ALLEGATION? WELL, IT'S AN ALLEGATION. I'LL HAVE TO HAVE A LOT MORE INFORMATION THAN THAT. OKAY. IT ALSO SAYS THAT HE, UH, THOMAS USED HIS OFFICIAL POSITION, HIS INFLUENCE AS A HIGH LEVEL MEMBER OF YOUR EXECUTIVE, UH, CABINET IS NOT THE RIGHT WORD, BUT YOU KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT. COMMITTEE MM-HMM . TO INFLUENCE THE PEOPLE, A SPECIFIC PERSON AT HFD TO GET THIS PERMIT THROUGH. ARE YOU AWARE THAT THIS TOOK PLACE? NO MA'AM. YOU'RE JUST NOW TELLING ME. OKAY. DO YOU HAVE PLANS TO OPEN AN INVESTIGATION, SPEAK WITH HFD LEADERS? NUMBER ONE, THIS, THIS MATTER'S ALREADY IN THE COURTS, SO LEMME BE VERY CLEAR IF ANY EMPLOYEE DOES ANYTHING WRONG, CONTRARY TO POLICY AND CONTRARY TO LAW, UH, THEN IT'S WRONG AND I DON'T CONDONE IT. SO YOU DON'T PLAN TO DO ANY OF INTERNAL INVESTIGATION TO FIND OUT WHAT'S GOING ON IN YOUR DEPARTMENTS. YOU JUST, WITH ALL DUE RESPECT, YOU JUST TELLING ME THIS, BUT I CERTAINLY, LET ME DEFER TO LEGAL. WE HAVE OUR OWN OIG, WE HAVE OUR OWN PROCESS. WE ARE JUST NOW, UH, BEING MADE AWARE THE ALLEGATION REALLY OF WHAT THE, UM, WHAT HE WAS, UM, LET'S SAY PLED GUILTY TO. AND AGAIN, ASSUMING THAT'S THE CASE, UH, THAT CAME OUT, UH, LAST EVENING, AND NOW YOU ARE JUST TELLING ME THIS, SO LET ME, LET ME DEFER TO, TO LEGAL AND WE'LL HANDLE IT THE WAY WE HANDLE ALL OF THESE TYPE OF SITUATIONS. OKAY. UH, THE CITY HAS AN OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL. IT'S HOUSED IN THE LEGAL DEPARTMENT. MOST OF WHAT IT DOES IS COMPLAINT DRIVEN. IT'S RESPOND TO COMPLAINTS, BUT IF IT BECOMES AWARE OF ALLEGATIONS THAT COULD BE A VIOLATION OF, OF CITY LAWS OR OTHER LAWS, UH, WE WILL INVESTIGATE. THIS INFORMATION HAS JUST COME TO LIGHT. WE WILL LOOK AT IT. THERE'S VERY LITTLE WE CAN SAY ABOUT IT. THE PROCESS IS CONFIDENTIAL AND THAT FOR SEVERAL REASONS, MUCH LIKE A FEDERAL INVESTIGATION IS CONFIDENTIAL. WE NEED THE COOPERATION OF PEOPLE TO FIND INFORMATION. AND WHAT WE'RE DEALING WITH ARE ALLEGATIONS. SO UNTIL WE GO THROUGH IT ALL, WE DON'T COMMENT ON WHETHER SOMETHING IS LIKELY OR MORE LIKELY. WE JUST SIMPLY DON'T KNOW UNTIL WE COMPLETE THE INVESTIGATION. SO THE FEDERAL ALLEGATIONS LAYING OUT THE CHARGE AGAINST MR. THOMAS ARE NOT ENOUGH FOR YOU ALL TO START YOUR OWN INVESTIGATION, IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE SAYING? WELL, I THOUGHT I WAS SAYING THE OPPOSITE, THAT, UH, BECAUSE THIS INFORMATION HAS COME TO LIGHT, WE WILL BE LOOKING AT IT. OKAY. AND ALSO, MAYOR, EARLIER TODAY IN COMMENTS ABOUT THIS CASE, YOU SAID THAT IN REGARDS TO THE CERTIFICATION, CLASSIFICATION OF BARS VERSUS RESTAURANTS, THAT THE CITY HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH IT. BUT THE, UH, INFORMATION HERE SAYS THAT MR. THOMAS, AGAIN USED HIS INFLUENCE TO GET A CLASSIFICATION CHANGE FOR THIS BAR OWNER. UH, WHAT ARE YOUR RESPONSE TO THAT? WELL, BEAR IN MIND IT WAS THE STATE THAT CHANGED THE CLASSIFICATION FROM A BAR TO A RESTAURANT. IF THE ON, IF THE SALES WAS 50% MORE ON THE FOOD THAT WAS BEING OFFERED THAN THE BEVERAGES, THEN A BAR COULD SHIFT FROM BEING A BAR TO BEING A RESTAURANT. THAT WAS THE STATE'S DETERMINATION. AND IT'S THE TABC, THE TEXAS ALCOHOL BEVERAGE COMMISSION THAT DETERMINES AND LOOKS AT THE, THE SALES. IT'S NOT THE CITY OF HOUSTON. THAT IS TABC. THAT'S WHAT I SAID EARLIER TODAY, AND I STAND BY THAT. IF THERE'S ANYTHING ELSE AS IT RELATES TO ENFORCEMENT, THEN WE'LL HAVE TO CHECK ON THAT. BUT, UH, ON THE TOP OF MY HEAD, I DON'T, I CAN'T RECALL THE SPECIFIC DETAILS, BUT I DO KNOW THERE WAS A STATE POLICY THROUGH THE TABC, AND IT'S THE TABC THAT LOOKS AT THE CELLS, NOT THE CITY OF HOUSTON. THANKS MAYOR. MM-HMM . AND MAYOR. I KNOW WILLIAM PAUL HAS BEEN IN THIS POSITION FOR A LONG TIME, UM, EVEN BEFORE YOU, HE'S BEEN EMPLOYEE OF THE CITY OF HOUSTON FOR ABOUT 14 YEARS. 14 PRE PREDATING EVEN ME BEING HERE. OKAY. AND, AND EARLIER YOU TALKED ABOUT THIS AS NOT THE, THE CHARACTER THAT, YOU KNOW, UM, CAN YOU DESCRIBE YOUR DISAPPOINTMENT [00:30:01] IF THIS TURNS OUT TO BE TRUE? IT TURNS OUT TO BE TRUE. I'M VERY DISAPPOINTED. IT IS UNCHARACTERISTIC. HE WAS THE, UH, LIAISON TO CITY COUNCIL, AND HE DID AN EXCELLENT JOB. HE DID AN EXCELLENT JOB. BUT HIS JOB WAS PRIMARILY, UH, TO WORK WITH THE COUNCIL MEMBERS TO ADDRESS ANY OF THEIR CONCERNS. WHEN THERE WERE ITEMS ON THE AGENDA THAT WE WOULD TAKE UP ALMOST EVERY WEDNESDAY, HE WOULD GET WITH THEM PRIOR TO, UH, TO FIND OUT WHATEVER CONCERNS, QUESTIONS THAT THEY HAD. THAT WAS HIS PRIMARY JOB. THAT WAS HIS ROLE. UM, NOT, YOU KNOW, DEALING WITH, UM, ANY OTHER AGENCY OR DEPARTMENT OUTSIDE OF BEING RESPONSIVE TO THE COUNCIL MEMBERS. UM, AND FOR, UM, FROM THE PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATION TO MINE IN THAT CAPACITY, HE DID AN OUTSTANDING JOB. IF THE ALLEGATIONS TURN OUT TO BE TRUE, IT IS CONSI INCONSISTENT TO THE PERSON THAT I CAME TO KNOW. BUT BE THAT, AS IT MAY LEMME BE VERY CLEAR, IF ANY EMPLOYEE DOES SOMETHING THAT'S WRONG, CONTRARY TO THE POLICY THAT IS ILLEGAL, AND WE DON'T CON, WE DON'T, UH, CONDONE THAT AND WE MAKE NO EXCUSES FOR THAT. BUT, UM, BUT WHAT IS BEING REPORTED SINCE YESTERDAY, UH, UH, AND EVEN TODAY IS JUST CONTRARY, INCONSISTENT TO THE PERSON THAT I'VE COME TO KNOW. THANK YOU SO MUCH. MAYOR. ANY IDEA HOW LONG AN INVESTIGATION COULD LAST THAT MIGHT BE A ? WELL, RIGHT NOW IT, IT IS IN THE JUDICIAL. IT IS IN THE JUDICIAL PROCESS. SO SOME THINGS HAVE BEEN HAPPENING FROM ALL INDICATIONS, UH, FOR QUITE SOME TIME. SO IT'S ALREADY IN THE PROCESS. IT'S GOING THROUGH THE PROCESS, UH, AND THE, JUST THE, UH, JUSTICE DEPARTMENT THAT I, I GUESS WOULD HAVE A LOT MORE INFORMATION THAN ANYBODY. AND INSTEAD OF THINGS BEING HANDLED NOW IN A DRIP, DRIP FASHION, AND BEARING IN MIND, NO ONE HAS TALKED, UH, UH, TO ME ABOUT THIS MATTER OR ANY OTHER PERSON ON MY, ON MY TEAM, ON MY EXECUTIVE TEAM ABOUT THIS MATTER, THE INFORMATION THAT I AM RESPONDING TO IS, IS COMING FROM REPORTERS, BUT NO ONE HAS COME. NO ONE FROM THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT HAS COME TO ME OR MY EXECUTIVE TEAM AND ASKED US OR SAID ANYTHING OR BROUGHT THIS MATTER TO OUR ATTENTION. WE'RE GETTING IT FROM THE REPORTERS. THANK YOU SO MUCH. WOULD YOU LIKE TO HEAR FROM THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT SINCE YOU SAID, YOU KNOW, THEY HAVE IT? ARE YOU INVITING THEM TO SPEAK TO YOU ABOUT THIS MATTER? N COME ON NOW. YOU, YOU, YOU'RE A BETTER REPORTER THAN THAT, BUT YOU SAID NO ONE HAS SAID IT'S, THERE'S FEDERAL DOCUMENTS THAT ARE AVAILABLE NOW. YOU'RE TALKING, YOU'RE ASKING ME QUESTIONS AS IF I KNOW MORE THAN WHAT I AM SAYING TO YOU AND WHAT I'M SAYING, YOU KNOW MORE THAN WHAT I KNOW. OKAY. YOU ARE LOOKING AT INFORMATION THAT I HAVE NEVER SEEN, AND I CAN ONLY RESPOND BASED ON WHAT YOU ARE SAYING. SO YOU PLAN TO LOOK AT THE DOCUMENTS FOR YOURSELF AND WHATEVER INFORMATION COMES OUT, I CERTAINLY WILL TAKE A LOOK AT IT. THANK YOU, MAYOR. ABSOLUTELY. SO LET ME BE . LET BE JUST AS CLEAR AS I CAN. NO ONE IS CONDONING ANY WRONGDOING BY ANYONE. WE HAVE 22,000 EMPLOYEES HERE AT THE CITY OF HOUSTON. LET ME SAY TO ALL 22,000. I WANT YOU TO DO YOUR JOB. I WANT YOU TO DO YOUR JOB WITH THE GREATEST DEGREE OF EXCELLENCE, OKAY? AND I WANT YOU TO, TO ADHERE TO THE POLICIES AND PROCEDURES AND TO THE LAW. ANYTHING LESS THAN THAT IS UNACCEPTABLE. AND I DON'T CARE WHO YOU ARE, BUT THE ACTIONS OF A FEW DO NOT CONDEMN 20 SOME THOUSAND EMPLOYEES OF THIS CITY WHO COME TO WORK EACH AND EVERY DAY. ONE, TWO, OR THREE SHOULD NOT BE REFLECTIVE OF SOME 22,000 EMPLOYEES. AND THESE ARE PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN WORKING THROUGH COVID, THROUGH MONKEYPOX. I'VE DEALT WITH SEVEN FEDERALLY DECLARED DISASTERS. AND IT'S BEEN EMPLOYEES THAT'S BEEN COMING TO WORK, AND SOME OF THEM HAVE LOST THEIR LIVES. NOW, DO YOU HAVE SOME PEOPLE IN IN OUR ORGANIZATION THAT DO THAT ACT CONTRARY TO THE POLICY AND DO SOME CRAZY, SILLY STUFF? YES. AND WE DON'T CON, WE DON'T CONDONE THEIR BEHAVIOR. I DON'T CARE WHO THEY ARE, I DON'T CARE WHO THEY ARE. BUT AT THE SAME TIME, THE OVERWHELMING PERCENTAGES OF [00:35:01] EMPLOYEES THAT WORK FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON ARE GOOD, HARDWORKING PEOPLE. I WISH I COULD EXPLAIN WHY SOME PEOPLE GO ASTRAY. I WISH I COULD. I WISH I COULD. BUT I WILL TELL YOU, WILLIAM PAUL CAME TO WORK. WILLIAM PAUL DID HIS JOB, UM, DID A WONDERFUL JOB IN THE POSITION THAT HE HELD. BUT IF IT TURNS OUT THAT HE DID SOMETHING WRONG, CONTRARY TO LAW, THEN EVERYBODY HAS TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE. THAT'S ALL I CAN TELL YOU. OKAY. THANK YOU. ALSO VERY, VERY MUCH. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.