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Draft Minutes
Executive Committee Meeting
Wednesday, May 3, 2023
9:00 am
In Person:
Conference Room 1
East Bay Community Energy
1999 Harrison St, Suite 800
Oakland, CA 94612
Or from the following remote location:
• Dublin Civic Center, Second Floor, 100 Civic Plaza, Dublin, CA 94568 Via Zoom:
https://ebce-org.zoom.us/j/88267670367
Or join by phone:
Dial(for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location):
US: +1 669 900 6833 or +1 253 215 8782 or +1 346 248 7799 or +1 301 715 8592 or +1 312 626 6799 or 877 853 5257 (Toll Free) or 888 475 4499 (Toll Free) Webinar ID: 882 676 70367
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.
Please note: The first twenty-five minutes of the 5/3/23 Executive Committee meeting was not captured on the video recording. Minutes begin with the start of the video recording. Written general public comment statements were obtained from Jessica Tovar and Travis Gibrael in lieu of their spoken comments.
Time stamps in the minutes below refer to the video recording on the public meeting page at https://ebce.org/meetings/executive-committee-meeting-5-3-23/ East Bay Community Energy
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1. Welcome & Roll Call
Present: Members: Tiedemann, Hu, Kalb, Marquez and Chair Balch Member Kalb left the meeting at 10:07am
Member Marquez left the meeting at 10:26am.
Please note that Chair Balch reordered the agenda so that the Item 5. Energy Prepay was heard prior to Item 4. 2022-23 Budget.
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 electronic speaker slip. The Executive Committee Chair may increase or decrease the time allotted to each speaker.
Please note: Jessica Tovar and Travis Gibreal’s full written public comment statements are included as an attachment to the 5/3/23 Executive Committee minutes.
Jessica Tovar, representing the East Bay Clean Power Alliance, voiced the alliance's desire for EBCE's Local Development Business Plan programs and projects to receive funding that will promote equitable benefits reaching frontline communities. She emphasized the importance of shared community benefits, such as microgrids for community resilience, to ensure that vulnerable communities have the ability to maintain power during unforeseen crises.
Travis Gibreal, a resident of Oakland and Microgrids Project Manager for the Reclaim Our Power utility justice campaign, expressed his appreciation for EBCE's efforts to deploy microgrids in municipal facilities throughout Alameda County. However, Mr.
Gibreal highlighted a concern that current microgrid deployments often focus on facilities that the state deems important rather than the locations that would be most beneficial to marginalized communities. Gibreal suggested that EBCE collaborate with community-based organizations (CBOs) that represent frontline communities to determine where future microgrids should be deployed. He recommended working with environmental justice organizations, community land trusts, and community development corporations. Gibreal also lauded EBCE's intention to work with school districts to convert their solar PV systems into storage-backed microgrids and suggested community outreach to inform families of the benefits. Lastly, he emphasized that future microgrid expansions should prioritize serving the most marginalized communities and offered his expertise to assist EBCE in developing their outreach plan for project expansion.
3. (10:40) Approval of Minutes from April 5, 2023
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Member Marquez motioned to approve the minutes. The motion was seconded by Member Tiedemann, which passed 4/0
Abstain: Chair Balch
4. Energy Prepay (Informational Item)
Overview of historical energy prepay transactions and future plans Please note: The Energy Prepay presentation was not captured in the video recording. Minutes begin with the start of the video recording. Timestamps refer to the video recording on the public meetings page at
https://ebce.org/meetings/executive-committee-meeting-5-3-23/.
The Committee discussed:
• (4:41) Chair Balch asked how, given the rising interest rate environment, the repricing of the pre-pay transaction bonds might impact the cost of their principal repayment.
• (7:25) Chair Balch asked for clarification about the strategy that staff use to decide which contracts and purchase agreements are assigned to the pre-pay transaction vehicle.
(10:37) There was no public comment for this item.
5. (10:42) 2023/24 Budget (Informational Item)
Review of next year’s draft budget
The Committee discussed:
• (52:49) Member Hu asked for the justification for hiring seventeen full-time employees and about EBCE’s reserve policies.
• (56:54) Member Tiedemann asked for the rationale for returning incremental savings to ratepayers as a one-time bill credit.
• (59:37) Chair Balch asked for when EBCE expects to distribute the one-time bill credit.
• (1:03:12) Member Marquez asked for the status of the Community Grants program.
• (1:05:05) As follow up to CEO Chaset’s comment that EBCE would focus on giving fewer but larger, multi-year grants, Chair Balch asked if a “light” grant program should be developed that provides awards of less than $100,000. • (1:06:16) Member Marquez asked to consider pairing non-profits with fiscal sponsors to ensure that grant awards are leveraged effectively. • (1:06:42) Member Marquez also expressed concern about the local development budget decreasing by $1.5 million year over year.
Member Kalb left the meeting at 10:07am
• (1:07:12) Chair Balch raised concerns regarding increases in the budget's energy, overhead, and operating expenses. Chair Balch questioned whether these expense increases, exceeding the rate of revenue growth, are East Bay Community Energy
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sustainable, and sought clarification on how these factors align with the staff's planned trends and marketing expenses.
• (1:09:44) Chair Balch asked if any restrictions have been placed on financial reserve funds. He also asked about the liquidity of those funds. • (1:21:32) Chair Balch asked CEO Chaset to respond to Jessica Tovar’s request for EBCE to fund microgrids.
• (1:25:43) Member Tiedemann proposed discussing alternative uses for the surplus funds planned for one-time bill credits at the full board meeting. He questioned the efficacy of the $12 credit, suggesting the $13 million might better serve the community if invested in clean energy or local programs, possibly offering more targeted support for lower-income customers. • (1:28:08) Member Marquez agreed with Member Tiedemann’s comment (immediately above), stating that she would like to see a cost out of options besides the one-time bill credit for the Board to consider, including investment in renewable energy projects and program expansion.
Member Marquez left the meeting at 10:26am.
• (1:28:37) Chair Balch proposed that, after a mid-year update, the Board look at how potential savings from staff vacancies are being allocated. (1:14:36) Jessica Tovar spoke in favor of the one-time bill credit but stated that bill credits are meaningful but not transformative. Jessica Tovar also spoke in favor of prioritizing and increasing the Community Resilience budget and for a clarification of what Community Resilience entails. Tovar proposed that the Community Innovation Grants budget should be replenished and offered annually, and for internal and external funding sources to be delineated in that budget. Finally, Tovar spoke in favor of matching non-profit organizations with fiscal sponsors, noting that in 2020, many community organizations lacked fiscal sponsorship or 501c3 status, making them ineligible for grants.
(1:17:23) Travis Gibrael spoke in favor of increased focus on microgrids and for the strategic use of renewable energy storage investments. He proposed deploying storage at key sites, such as solar-equipped schools in Alameda County, for peak shaving and as resilience hubs during emergencies. Travis Gibrael noted the availability of federal and state funding for projects that serve marginalized communities and enhance storage capacity.
(1:19:38) Barbara Stebbins expressed concern over the perceived insufficiency of the $2 million budget allocation for Resilient Communities, particularly in the context of escalating climate change impacts on California and the continuing recovery from COVID-19 in historically under-resourced communities within EBCE's jurisdiction.
Stebbins argued that this figure is inadequate out of the $21 million allocated for local development, and she advocated for an increase in funding. She echoed previous comments by Jessica Tovar and Travis Gibrael, highlighting that boosting community resilience would benefit both the community and EBCE by expanding energy storage that could be utilized during peak load times.
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6. Committee Member and Staff Announcements including requests to place items on future Committee Agendas
There were no announcements from Committee Members or staff.
7. Adjournment to June 7, 2023 at 9:00 am
___________________________________
Jack Balch, Chair
Attest:
___________________________________
Adrian Bankhead, Clerk of the Board
EBCE Public Comment received for 5/3/23 Executive Committee Meeting Letter # Name Date
1 Jessica Tovar 5/3/2023
2 Travis Gibreal 5/3/2023
5/31/23, 6:33 PM
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ik=703fa6ea73&view=pt&search=all&permmsgid=msg-f:1765433130997075671&simpl=msg-f:1765433130997075671 1/1 Adrian Bankhead <[email protected]>
comments
Jessica Tovar <[email protected]> Tue, May 9, 2023 at 9:03 AM To: Adrian Bankhead <[email protected]>
I don't remember exactly what I said, but you can use this:
My name is Jessica Tovar with the East Bay Clean Power Alliance We want to see EBCE Local Development Business Plan programs and projects funded to ensure equitable programs reach frontline communities. Such investments that are shared community benefits like microgrids for community resilience that ensure vulnerable communities can keep the power on during any unforeseen crises.
For Travis Gibrael:
I commend the work you've done so far, but strongly encourage all expansions of your microgrid initiative to focus on serving the most marginalized communities first. This is best done through robust outreach to CBOs that know and work with those communities rather than simply backing up power to municipal facilities (though sometimes the two do overlap in community centers like rec centers, libraries, and schools). As someone whose job it is to facilitate the development of projects like these in frontline communities, I would like to be in dialogue with EBCE as you consider your outreach plan for project expansion. Thank you.
Jessica Guadalupe Tovar,
Local Clean Energy Alliance, Energy Democracy Organizer East Bay Clean Power Alliance, Coordinator
339 15th Street Suite 208 Oakland CA, 94612
[email protected] 415-766-7766
Support my work with a donation
Community Choice, Community Power video, Community vision for Solutions video, EBCE fund asthma prevention now! Twitter Instagram Facebook
Book: Energy Democracy Advancing Equity in Clean Energy Solutions EBCE Executive Committee Public Comment Statement - Jessica Tovar - 5/3/23 Public Comment #1 5/31/23, 6:13 PM
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ik=703fa6ea73&view=pt&search=all&permmsgid=msg-a:r2531805880326544486&simpl=msg-a:r253180588032654… 1/2 Adrian Bankhead <[email protected]>
FW: EBCE executive committee meeting
Adrian Bankhead <[email protected]> Wed, May 31, 2023 at 6:13 PM To: Adrian Bankhead <[email protected]>
From: Travis Gibrael <[email protected]>
Date: Wednesday, May 3, 2023 at 5:20 PM
To:
Subject: EBCE executive committee meeting
*** [EXTERNAL] This message comes from an external organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. ***
Hi Mayor Tiedemann, Vice Mayor Balch, and Councilmember Kalb, Thanks for offering me your cards this morning and thanks for your willingness to engage in dialogue about microgrids and community resilience. I've included Councilmember Kalb on this message as I'm an Oakland resident. I'll start with an approximation of my public comment from this morning (to add to the record) and then end with a request for next steps.
SPEAKER SLIP:
Travis Gibrael
Reclaim Our Power
1972 36th Ave, Oakland, CA 94601
COMMENT:
I live in Oakland and work for the Reclaim Our Power (ROP) utility justice campaign. My job (Microgrids Project Manager) is to support CBOs that represent frontline communities to develop microgrids within their neighborhoods, which can meet the material needs of the community during an emergency. In the context of that work, I've been impressed to read about EBCE's efforts to deploy microgrids in municipal facilities throughout Alameda County in the coming years. One of ROP's primary talking points about microgrid deployment in California is that they are almost always built on facilities that cities/the state deem important, but not the buildings that the people themselves (especially the most marginalized) would have chosen. Or even places they would feel safe to go during an emergency (i.e. police stations).
My goal is to encourage EBCE to work in collaboration with CBOs that represent frontline communities in determining where to target future deployment of microgrids. Some recommendations include working with environmental justice organizations (APEN is actively trying to build a microgrid on the Lincoln Rec Center in Oakland as we speak, and Communities for a Better Environment is currently hiring a new staff member to manage a potential project), community land trusts, and community development corporations (like EBALDC, the Unity Council, etc.). Though Alameda County has plenty of other non-profits focused on meeting the material needs of vulnerable populations that should also be consulted.
EBCE Executive Committee Public Comment Statement - Travis Gibrael - 5/3/23 Public Comment #2 5/31/23, 6:13 PM East Bay Community Energy Mail - FW: EBCE executive committee meeting https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ik=703fa6ea73&view=pt&search=all&permmsgid=msg-a:r2531805880326544486&simpl=msg-a:r253180588032654… 2/2 I was heartened to hear of the intention to work with school districts in the next few years to transform their current solar PV systems into storage-backed microgrids. I would encourage outreach to the school districts to begin laying the groundwork in the communities themselves for families to know that eventually schools will be open to meet people's material needs during emergencies. The lights will stay on, medical devices can access power, medicines and foods can access refrigeration, along with heating, cooling, and air filtration during disasters of heat, cold, and smoky air. Signage at the schools during blue sky conditions can begin to build a culture of knowing where to go during a crisis.
In summary, I commend the work you've done so far, but strongly encourage all expansions of your microgrid initiative to focus on serving the most marginalized communities first. This is best done through robust outreach to CBOs that know and work with those communities rather than simply backing up power to municipal facilities (though sometimes the two do overlap in community centers like rec centers, libraries, and schools). As someone whose job it is to facilitate the development of projects like these in frontline communities, I would like to be in dialogue with EBCE as you consider your outreach plan for project expansion. Thank you.
REQUEST:
I would like to schedule a meeting with whoever at EBCE is most appropriate to discuss this in more detail.
Please let me know who I should speak with and the best means to get that on the calendar.
Thanks so much for your time and consideration,
Travis
[Quoted text hidden]
EBCE Executive Committee Public Comment Statement - Travis Gibrael - 5/3/23 Public Comment #2