It is with great sadness that Union Sanitary District shares the news that Director Thomas R. Handley, 72, passed away peacefully on Thursday, May 16, 2024, at the Kaiser Permanente Fremont Hospital, surrounded by his family. Director Handley served the customers of Union Sanitary District for 24 years with distinction and dedication. The Union Sanitary Board of Directors and staff offer heartfelt condolences to the Handley family; his loss is deeply felt by the organization and USD community.
Tom first served as a USD Director for seven years beginning in 1995 before a job transfer took him out of state in 2002. He was appointed in 2007 to fill a retiring Director’s seat, then ran uncontested in 2008 and served consecutive terms until his passing. Most recently he served on the Board’s Audit, Budget and Finance, and Investment Portfolio Ad Hoc committees. Tom also served as the District representative to the Southern Alameda County Geographic Information System Authority and was instrumental in negotiating the most recent East Bay Dischargers Authority JPA.
As a USD Director, Tom modeled being a good fiscal steward with ratepayers' interests in mind. He prioritized USD’s delivery of services in a cost-effective manner while ensuring the District met all environmental regulations and focused on maintenance of USD’s infrastructure as key to protecting the environment while being fiscally conservative. Tom recognized the need to balance business interests while meeting environmental standards, encouraging collaboration with business customers to develop mutually agreeable and cost-effective guidelines and timeframes.
During Tom’s tenure, he provided guidance and direction through major District initiatives and upgrades to USD’s Union City treatment plant. The latest program benefiting from his support is the District’s Enhanced Treatment and Site Upgrade Program (ETSU), the largest capital improvement program in USD’s 106-year history. Tom’s many years of leadership have been integral to important programs that will serve the District’s customers now and for decades to come.
It’s a triple-crown win for Union Sanitary District (USD) Collection Services workers: They recently recovered a treasured ring thought to be lost in a sewer line – the District’s third ring rescued in recent years.
Union City customer Bonhellita Ancona left the District a distraught voicemail noting she’d lost the wedding ring she’d worn for 74 years down her toilet several days previously. “If it’s found, please, please let me know,” she said in her message.
When Collection System Workers Johnny Powell and Chris Ybarra inspected the sewer main in her neighborhood the next day, their remote-controlled maintenance camera revealed the ring caught on a bit of debris. The cleaned-up ring was then reunited with its grateful owner.
Bonhellita’s son Leonard Ancona addressed USD’s Board of Directors at a recent meeting to thank staff members on behalf of his mother. He described working in Bonhellita’s yard as Powell and Ybarra tried to retrieve the ring, then hearing one of them call out “Bingo!” “An incredible find or a miracle was truly witnessed,” said Ancona. Hearing of two other rings rescued by Collection Services workers in previous years, Ancona smiled and concluded, “the trifecta is complete.”
“The steep terrain of the street and slope of USD’s main lines at that location make the ring a very lucky discovery considering it was lost many days earlier,” said Collection Services Manager Jose Rodrigues. “We’re glad to return something that means so much to the owner and family."
