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Draft Minutes
Executive Committee Meeting
Friday, December 2, 2022
12:00 pm
In person:
Conference Room 1
East Bay Community Energy
1999 Harrison Street, Suite 800
Oakland, CA 94612
or via Zoom:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/998209098
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Meetings are accessible to people with disabilities. Individuals who need special assistance or a disability-related modification or accommodation to participate in this meeting, or who have a disability and wish to request an alternative format for the meeting materials, should contact the Clerk of the Board at least 2 working days before the meeting at (510) 906-0491 or [email protected].
If you have anything that you wish to be distributed to the Executive Committee, please email it to the clerk by 5:00 pm the day prior to the meeting.
1. Welcome & Roll Call
Present: Members: Arriola, Kalb, Martinez, Chair Lopez
Excused: Member Mei
2. Public Comment
This item is reserved for persons wishing to address the Executive Committee on any EBCE-related matters that are not otherwise on this meeting agenda. Public comments on matters listed on the agenda shall be heard at the time the matter is called. As with all public comment, members of the public who wish to address the Committee are customarily limited to three minutes per speaker and must complete an East Bay Community Energy
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electronic speaker slip. The Executive Committee Chair may increase or decrease the time allotted to each speaker.
There were no speakers for public comment.
REGULAR AGENDA
3. Approval of Minutes from October 28, 2022
Member Martinez motioned to approve the minutes. The motion was seconded by Member Arriola, which passed 4/0. Excused: Member Mei.
4. Community Advisory Committee Request Policy (Informational Item) Executive Committee Discussion of Community Advisory Committee agenda setting process and community representation
CEO Chaset stated that, at the October 19, 2022 BOD meeting, a request was made for the Executive Committee to provide feedback about policies and parameters for how staff shall be responsive to CAC requests that are not related to items that are on the Board agenda.
The Committee Discussed:
• Powers and parameters of the CAC as outlined in the Joint Powers Agreement • Rationale for ability of CAC to make requests for staff resources for un-agendized items.
• Rationale for CAC to approve staff requests by vote.
• Volume of requests for staff resources relative to staff capacity • Board of Directors process to make request for staff resources • How to increase collaboration between the Board and the CAC • Request for CAC Chair to forward CAC requests for staff resources to the Executive Committee Chair for discussion
• How to decide which requests for staff resources should be prioritized. • Appointment of an ad hoc subcommittee
Jim Lutz, Community Advisory Committee member, spoke in support of the ability of the CAC to be able to raise issues that staff might not wish to discuss or not consider to be important enough to discuss. Jim Lutz stated that the CAC’s purpose is to provide feedback from local communities, and that restrictions on ability of the CAC to speak should be carefully thought through.
Barbara Stebbins stated that EBCE owes its existence to the advocacy of community organizations and individuals in the community. Barbara Stebbins further stated that if the CAC is limited in its ability to speak, then it would not be able to provide feedback to the Board. Barbara Stebbins stated that if the CAC is limited in its ability to speak, it would limit the transparency of the agency.
East Bay Community Energy
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Cynthia Landy, Community Advisory Committee member, stated the reasons for her request to staff to provide an update on the in-house call center, and stated that her request was necessary to track the progress of Board commitments and priorities.
Margie Lewis spoke in support of the ability of the CAC to make requests of staff resources for current non-agendized items without hindrance. Margie Lewis stated that the Community Advisory Committee is designed to receive community input and that the role of EBCE staff is to implement the ideas of the community and the Board.
Audrey Ichinose - The clerk read Audrey Ichinose’s written public comment (attached) into the record. Audrey Ichinose stated that an overly bureaucratic process would be self-defeating and would set up unnecessarily antagonistic relationships between the CAC, the staff and the Board.
CAC Chair Eldred spoke regarding the CAC’s current process to organize staff work requests and in favor of increased collaboration with the Board.
Chair Lopez stated that she would ask the future Executive Committee Chair to provide structure for a future ad hoc committee and to create a code of conduct.
5. Committee Member and Staff Announcements including requests to place items on future Board agendas
CEO Chaset thanked the outgoing Executive Committee Chair and Vice-Chair and stated that there will be an opportunity to recognize outgoing Board members, and welcome new Board members, at the January 18, 2023 Board of Directors meeting.
Member Kalb thanked the outgoing Executive Committee Chair and Vice-Chair, and requested for staff update about NEM 3.0.
Chair Lopez thanked CEO Chaset, Member Martinez and Member Kalb.
6. Adjournment to January 27, 2023 at 12:00 pm.