Agenda packet — Ava Community Energy Executive Committee, June 7, 2023

EBCE is committed to protecting our environment and is proud to be a Certified California Green Business
Executive Committee Meeting
Wednesday, June 7, 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.

1. Welcome & Roll Call

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.

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3. Approval of Minutes from May 3, 2023

4. FY 2023-24 Draft Budget Review (Informational Item)
Review updated information on the proposed draft budget for the upcoming 2023-2024 fiscal year

5. EBCE Name Proposal (Informational Item)
Present the process and proposed new name for EBCE

6. CAC Term Extension + Stockton Membership (Informational Item) Proposal to extend current expiring CAC terms by six months and add an interim member for Stockton

7. Committee Member and Staff Announcements including requests to place items on future Committee Agendas

8. Adjournment to July 5, 2023 at 9:00 am
EBCE is committed to protecting our environment and is proud to be a Certified California Green Business
Draft Minutes
Executive Committee Meeting
Wednesday, May 3, 2023
9:00 am
In Person:

Dial(for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location):

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.

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 Draft Budget for Fiscal
Year 2023-2024
JUNE 7, 2023
PRESENTED BY:

NICK CHASET, CEO
2 Executive Summary – June Update
• PG&E May ERRA Forecast – filed after May Budget presentation – results in less than $3M change in EBCE’s project net position targets set in 2022 o No changes to base case value proposition (5% discount for BC and $0.0025 premium for R100)
o This additional $3M is added to local programs to extend Community Grant funding and provide technical assistance to CBO Resilience Hubs • Staff has also provided more detailed discussion of:
o Major Risk Factors
o Personnel Budget Build Out
o Use of Funds under different Value Proposition scenarios 3 Summary Draft Budget for Fiscal Year 2023-2024
Notes:

YTD* reflects actuals through Mar 31,
2023
EST are most current projections as of
May 31, 2023
Net Position through Mar 31, 2023: $76MM
FY 2023-24 FY 2022-23 FY 2022-23
DRAFT BUDGET BUDGET YTD* + EST

OPERATING ACTIVITY

EXPENSES & OTHER USES
Energy Operating Expenses
Cost of Energy 685,288,000 523,996,000 657,730,000
Energy Operating Services 11,230,000 11,245,000 11,277,000 Total Energy Operating Expenses 696,518,000 535,241,000 669,007,000 Total Overhead Operating Expenses 39,299,000 27,426,000 21,793,000

NON-OPERATING ACTIVITY
Total Non-Operating Revenue 1,728,000 276,000 3,275,000 Total Non-Operating Expenses 27,650,000 30,990,000 23,893,000 TOTAL EXPENSES 763,467,000 593,657,000 714,693,000
NET INCREASE(DECREASE) IN POSITION 177,279,000 176,559,000 152,301,000

RESERVE BALANCE
Beginning Reserve Balance* 230,873,000 155,873,000 155,873,000 # Operating Target (50%) 367,909,000 281,334,000 281,334,000 *Expected value after FY 2022-23 contribution
4 Draft Budget: Base Case Assumptions
Revenues
• Increase to customer value proposition by
o Bright Choice from 3% to 5% discount to PG&E
o R100 from $0.0075 to $0.0025 above PG&E
o Estimated revenue reduction of $23.2MM
• $50 bill credit applied to all CARE & FERA customers
inQ1/Q2, totaling an estimated $6.6MM in one
time bill savings
• Assumes current rates and PCIA are unchanged
through 2023
• Rates and PCIA for 2024 are non-stressed, or as
forecasted, energy rates from May ERRA filing
• 1.5% uncollectable rate for 2023, then 1.0% for
2024
• No recognition of GASB 62 revenue ($15,814,000)
• Non-operating revenue assumes 2.5% interest
earned on treasury backed cash balance accounts
Energy Costs
• Costs are derived from a blend of contracted and open positions for all energy, attributes, and RA
o Open prices are non-stressed, mean forecasted
• Carbon free energy (which can include either RE or CO2- free) is above recent board approved targets by 10% above EBCEs
o 2023: CF 66% --> 71% (FY 22/23 5% increase) --> 76%
o 2024: CF 71% --> 81%
o Adds between $3.6 and $21MM to costs
o Each one 1% increases costs between $720,000 and
$4MM
Other Costs
• Adding incremental staff of 15 FTE
• $2.6MM increase in Marketing for re-branding campaign • $2MM increase in G&A to account for increased staff
requirements
• Significant Program funding of $25.9MM
5 Draft Budget: Carbon Free Procurement Options
Variation in the Renewable/Carbon Free targets
• Recommendation to increase the total carbon free target of the Bright Choice product by 10% for 2023 and 2024 above the annual targets set in 2022
o Current targets for both years are 71% retail load
• Staff is requesting flexibility to achieve the proposed increases by sourcing from either Renewable or carbon free/large hydro resources in light of a highly constrained and volatile market • Each increase of carbon free procurement of 5% has an expected cost impact of between $3.6-21MM depending on the product type
Calendar Year 2023 2024
Current Carbon Free Targets 71% 71%
Proposed Increases for FY 2024 5% 10%
Proposed Carbon Free Targets 76% 81%
6 Draft Budget: On-Bill Credit Average Allocations
• Current annual average savings and premiums paid at the 3% discount for Bright Choice and the 0.75c premium on Renewable 100 products for customers are shown above
• Savings for each 1% discount with Bright Choice or decrease of 0.25c in premium for Renewable 100 is also shown o Total EBCE wide customer savings per 1% discount with Bright Choice is about $6.6MM o Total EBCE wide customer savings per 0.25c decrease in Renewable 100 premium is about $4.9MM • With both the discount and the On-Bill credit at the end of the year, on average most customers would experience actual savings over PG&E rates
• Total Customer Savings = Adjustment to Value Proposition + On-Bill Credits = $23.2MM + $13.7MM = $36.9MM Base methodology for the On-Bill Credit: Dividend = Individual annual kWh x (Total Surplus)/(Total annual kWh) Average for Each Account
Bright Choice Renewable 100 Bright Choice Renewable 100 Bright Choice Renewable 100 Current Avg Savings (Premium) to PG&E $20.68 ($34.01) $262.73 ($427.23) $41.50 ($86.74) Each 1% BC or 0.25c R100 change 6.58 10.89 83.25 136.11 13.17 27.68 5% BC and 0.25c R100 33.83 (12.24) 429.23 (155.02) 67.85 (31.38) On Bill Credit 9.19 9.19 118.70 118.70 19.99 19.99
Total Annual Savings (Premium) 43.02 (3.05) 547.93 (36.32) 87.84 (11.39) Residential C&I Total EBCE Wide
7 Draft Budget: Value Proposition Alternatives
• Bright Choice/RE100 customer value proposition is
generally correlated where 0.75% change in BC equates
to a 0.25c change in RE100 at current procurement cost
levels
• A decrease in customer savings of one increment - where BC would be priced at a 4% discount to PG&E and RE100
priced at a 0.50c premium to PG&E) – would increase
expected Net Income by $11.5m, while
maintaining current value proposition (3% discount and

0.75% RE100 premium) would increase expected net
income to $23.2m
1 increment Change 2 Increment Change
Bright Choice $6.6m $13.2m
RE 100 $5m $10m
$11.5m $23.2m
Options for Use of Funds if Discount Reduced
CO-2 Free
energy options
$11.5m ~2.5% increase in CO2-
free energy content
Local
Development
options
EBCE staff has limited capacity to increase LD
funding beyond current levels. At most $3m could
be allocated to extend existing work.
-$1m - $2m to TE incentives
-$1m for Resilience project development
Residential C&I Total
Each 1% Change in Bright Choice $ 3,027,000 $ 3,607,000 $ 6,634,000 Each 0.25c Change in Renewable 100 1,684,000 3,260,000 4,944,000 Total 4,711,000 6,867,000 11,578,000
Customer Savings per Incremental Change in Product Rate 8 Draft Budget: Proposed Surplus Allocations
Net Position Estimated at $177.3MM*
Proposed Budget Surplus Waterfall Allocation:
1) Working Capital Needs: $50MM*
2) Reserve Account Funding: $100MM*
3) 50/50% split of any excess to:*
o Incremental Long-Term Renewable Energy/Clean Energy Storage Investments: ~$13.7MM o One-time On-Bill Credits to Customers: ~$13.7MM
*Assuming a budget surplus that is materially consistent with this forecast, staff would plan for an even allocation. Formal action would be brought forth to the board to formally adopt prior to, or in conjunction with, the presentation of the audit in October of 2024. This timing would allow for staff to have exact knowledge of available surplus.

Risk Management—Market Risk
9 • Historically, market prices have averaged in the $30- 50/MWh range, but currently estimated near $80/MWh
• Historically, volatility has ranged from 10-20% on a
regular basis, but currently ranging 50-60%
• In recent months, prices have softened for the Draft
Budget year, but volatility remains high
• This market volatility creates risk on working
capital requirements and basis between hedge costs and
retail rates.
• EBCE has approximately 60-80% of its budget year energy portfolio hedged against market prices with the balance effectively hedged via the PCIA - i.e. increase in market prices is offset somewhat by decrease in PCIA in future years
• When prices decrease, PCIA increases, which reduces
operating headroom
• Although the fiscal years of 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 were positive with net position, calendar year 2021 was
operationally negative in net position for EBCE with margins being squeezed from low 2020 prices setting PCIA and with rising 2021 market prices
DLAP = Default Load Aggregation Point—the hub price where EBCE serves its customers Risk Management—Additional Risks
10 • Uncollectables/Write-offs:
o EBCE increased uncollectables from 0.5% to 2.5% of revenues for COVID crisis in 2020-21 FY o For FY 2022-2023 Budget, this estimation is reduced to 2.0%, and 2023-24 Draft Budget reduced further to 1.5% and 1.0% to align with trending aging actuals
o Uncollectables are at the higher range than other CCA’s based on regional income demographics o To mitigate, pushing CARE/FERA enrollments, AMP, PIPP, and Connected Communities programs DAC-GT/CS-GT • Opt-Out Risk:
o No anticipated risk of increased opt-outs for established communities o New community enrollment opt-outs are estimated at 5%-10% of total accounts—current jurisdiction-wide rate is 4.9% o Changes to value proposition or change in product decisions may increase opt-outs but difficult to estimate. Many constituents have opted-up to Renewable 100 product, which carries a slight premium relative to PG&E rates • Financial Market & Economic Risk
 Recessionary risks may drive reductions in load or an increase in uncollectables - mitigated in part by limiting overhedging  Banking sector risk may impact cash, deposits, and credit availability – mitigated by cash collateral requirements on gov't deposits, FDIC insurance, and diversification of banking deposits • Wildfire Risk:
o EBCE does not own or maintain any transmission or distribution facilities. PSPS events cause decreased customer use during peak periods, this can reduce estimated revenues if a significant area of EBCE service territory is affected o 2019 wildfire PSPS events impacted nearly 46,000 customers, disrupting 6% of load for a full day o 2020 events impacted nearly 20,000 customers disrupting about 2% of load over 4 days 11 Draft Budget: Local Development Fund
• 2023-2024 Local Development Fund
allocation is set at $25.9MM
• Allocating budget for capital
intensive infrastructure
development projects
• Allocating EBCE capital to reduce
cost of ownership for building and
vehicle electrification
• Unspent Local Development
budget carries forward year to year Local Development Areas of Emphasis Budget Allocation Transportation Electrification $11.75M
Building Electrification $8.5M
Energy Efficiency No Direct EBCE Cost
Community Resilience/VPPs $4M
Community Grants $1.4M ($4.2M
allocated in FY'23)
Sponsorships/Memberships $250k

LOCAL DEVELOPMENT FUND
FY 2023-24 FY 2022-23 FY 2021-22 FY 2020-21 FY 2019-20
BEGINNING BALANCE 35,927,953 16,626,143 10,398,245 5,201,410 0

REVENUE & OTHER SOURCES
Transfer from Operating Fund 25,500,000 22,550,000 8,475,000 6,340,000 6,340,000 Grants/Interest - 1,200,405 335,460 395,000 219,673
Total Revenues & Other Sources 25,500,000 23,750,405 8,810,460 6,735,000 6,559,673

EXPENSES & OTHER USES
Actual Program Expenses - 3,235,594 2,582,563 1,538,165 1,358,263 Expected Remaing Expenses 61,427,953 1,213,000 - - -
Total Expenses & Other Uses 61,427,953 4,448,594 2,582,563 1,538,165 1,358,263 ENDING BALANCE - 35,927,953 16,626,143 10,398,245 5,201,410 Transportation Electrification
12 • Transportation is the largest source of emissions of GHG and particulate matter from Light, Medium and Heavy-duty vehicles
• EBCE is developing publicly available charging infrastructure tailored to renters and low-income communities to ensure these residents can transition to EVs (currently developing the first 3 charging hubs)
• Goods movement is particularly important with Port impacts to communities and access through the territory and into the Central Valley
• EBCE will continue assisting Cities to electrify fleets; providing fleet electrification technical assistance and offering to develop and operate charging infrastructure for Cities with "Charging as a Service" product
• With more vehicle models becoming available EBCE will develop programs to facilitate the buying process and make EVs accessible across all customer income levels • Partner with local agencies and local business to increase access to eMobility solutions • Provide capital to reduce cost of ownership through credit enhancements across multiple vehicle classes Transportation Electrification
13 • Publicly Available Fast Charging Hubs ($3.75M)
• Funds to support EBCEs efforts to build a network of public fast chargers across the communities we serve with an emphasis on siting these chargers close to high densities of multi-family housing where home charging is often not accessible. EBCE BOD approved $30M NTE over 10 years at 11/16/22 BOD meeting • Medium/Heavy duty project investment capital ($3M)
• Funds to support Medium/Heavy duty vehicle electrification projects in EBCE territory • EV adoption acceleration program with emphasis on access for low and moderate income consumers ($3M)
• Funds to support one or more projects to accelerate EV Adoption and enroll EV drivers in manage charging programs to manage new EV electricity load with an emphasis on low and moderate income consumers • EBCE Ride Electric Program ($2M)
• Funding for year 2 of EBCE e-bike Lending and Incentive Program Building Electrification
14 • Electrification installation network ($2M)
• Develop an installation network of electrical contractors to deliver reasonably priced electrification upgrades to customers
• Partner with 10-20 contractors across the territory so that customers can obtain multiple competitively priced proposals for electrical upgrades in a timely manner
• EBCE incentive enables contractors to offer standard pricing for electrical service panel upgrades that facilitate full electrification
Electrification Workforce Training Program ($1.5M)
• Increase qualified workforce for electrification
• Provide apprenticeship stipends to enable on the job training for graduates of workforce training organizations • Partner with electricians in the EBCE network to hire apprentices Health-e Communities
15 Budget Request: $5M for first year of $15M 3-year Program Program Summary:
- Replace 1000 – 2000+ gas stoves with induction ranges in households with children suffering from pulmonary disease (eg. asthma) and households with a newborn child with focus on low-income and disadvantaged communities
- EBCE to deliver and install induction cooktops, while partnering with health care research partner that can provide medical referrals and complete longitudinal health study Program Development Progress
EBCE has identified a Health Care Provider with research capabilities that we are working to secure - EBCE has secured a verbal agreement for $250k in funding to support health care partnership - EBCE has identified several non-profit partners who can manage the health-care partnership - EBCE is currently hiring a building electrification channel manager to develop EBCE’s installation partner network
Resilience and VPPs
Budget Request, $2M to expand Community Resilience
and Virtual Power Plant management capabilities
• Phase I: Berkeley, Hayward, San Leandro, Fremont
– Contracting for 2.7 MW solar PV + 4.8 MWh storage
across 29 sites ranging from fire stations to senior
centers, resulting in $25M in projects
– Largest procurement of its kind to date
– Received $2M in federal funds
• Phase 2: Emeryville, Livermore, Oakland, Pleasanton
– Developing additional ~50 resilience projects with

7.5 MW solar PV & 5.5 MWh storage, resulting in
$40M+ in projects
• Phase 3: Albany, Piedmont...open for additional Cities • Pursuing $35M in Federal funding to expand Resilience to school districts and other public service agencies
– Federal funding will enable facility upgrades
and electrification
• All projects will be aggregated into Virtual Power Plant to reduce EBCE procurement needs
Fremont Fire Station Microgrid
Resilience and VPPs – Resilience Hubs Technical
Assistance
EBCE proposes to enhance its Community Resilience and VPP management program by adding an additional $2M to fund technical assistance for community based organizations considering the development of microgrids and resilience hubs.

At this time, EBCE does not have the internal resources to directly support the inclusion of CBO sponsored projects in our community resilience program. But with significant local, state and federal available in the form of grants to support these projects, EBCE staff is able to provide technical assistance in the form of engineering and grant writing support.

EBCE staff proposes to allocate $2m over the next two years to provide CBOs with engineering reviews of potential host sites for solar and storage microgrids and grant writing support for CBOs seeking to apply for Resilience Hub grants.

EBCE will provide these funds in the form of direct, in-kind engineering and grant writing up to $15,000 per resilience hub site. Staff will develop a streamlined process for CBOs to bring forward projects to receive this technical assistance.

Community Grant (update)
18 Background:
- EBCE BOD approved $4.2M in FY'23-24 budget for 3-year Community Grant Program ($1.4M/year)
- EBCE proposes to add and additional $1.4m from this FY to fund a fourth round of grants in 2026
- EBCE staff have developed a list of grant priorities to support EBCE Programs - EBCE staff plans to issue first grant opportunity to increase education and awareness of induction cooking to start Summer 2023
- Staff and CAC Chair are collaborating to host a public workshop on June 7 to gather community feedback to develop additional grant funding cycles - Proposed Grant Solicitation timing:
- Round 1 - August 2023 / Round 2 - January 2024 / Round 3 - January 2025 / Round 4 – January 2026 19 Break Page
20 Draft Budget: Carbon Free Procurement
Variation in the Renewable/Carbon Free targets
• April 2022, the Board approved the “Path to Zero by
2030” for the Bright Choice product shown in the table
to the left
o Carbon Free percentages reflect renewable energy
and large hydro energy
• June 2022, the Board approved 5% increases to the
carbon free targets for calendar years 2022 and 2023,
effectively increasing both renewable and carbon free
targets
• This year, staff is proposing an additional increase in carbon free procurement that would result in an
additional 5% increase in 2023 and 10% in 2024 targets
o 2023: Carbon Free 66% --> 71% (22/23) --> 76%
o 2024: Carbon Free 71% --> 81%
21 Draft Budget: Operating Revenues
• Increase to value proposition
o Bright Choice from 3% to 5% discount to PG&E
o Renewable 100 from $0.0075 to $0.0025 above PG&E
o $50 bill credit to all CARE & FERA customers in July-Sept 2023, shown as Other Operations Revenue reduction
• Assumes current rates and PCIA are unchanged through 2023 • Rates and PCIA for 2024 are non-stressed, or as expected, energy rates from May ERRA filing • 1.5% uncollectable rate for rest of 2023 and 1.0% for 2024 • No recognition of GASB 62 revenue ($15,814,000)
• Current Year Other Operations Revenue is CARE & FERA on-bill credits plus damages received from counterparties
FY 2023-24 FY 2022-23 FY 2022-23
DRAFT BUDGET BUDGET YTD* + EST

REVENUE & OTHER SOURCES
GASB 62 Unrecognized Revenue Balance 15,814,000 15,814,000 15,814,000 Operating Revenue
Electricity Sales 957,762,000 792,009,000 870,993,000
Uncollectables (12,102,000) (15,840,000) (17,420,000)
Other Operations Revenue (6,642,000) (6,229,000) 10,146,000 Total Operating Revenue 939,018,000 769,940,000 863,719,000 22 Draft Budget: Overview of Expenses
• Expenses are divided into three overall cost
center categories:
• Energy Operations which includes all energy,
energy attributes, and ancillary related costs
and the services required to managing
energy and attributes, such as scheduling,
data management, and customer billing
o This category comprises more than
90% of EBCE’s total expenses
• Overhead Operations which includes all
personnel and staffing needs as well as work
function cost centers required to manage
the organization at large
• Non-Operating Expenses which are all
capital and capital transfer related costs
FY 2023-24
DRAFT BUDGET % Cost

EXPENSES & OTHER USES
Energy Operating Expenses
Cost of Energy 685,288,000 89.8%
Energy Operating Services 11,230,000 1.5%
Total Energy Operating Expenses 696,518,000 91.2%
Overhead Operating Expenses
Personnel 21,911,000 2.9%
Marketing & Communications 5,303,000 0.7%
Legal, Policy, & Regulatory Affairs 3,459,000 0.5%
Other Professional Services 2,555,000 0.3%
General & Administrative 5,711,000 0.7%
Depreciation 360,000 0.0%
Total Overhead Operating Expenses 39,299,000 5.1%

NON-OPERATING EXPENSES
Borrowing Interest 1,650,000 0.2%
Local Development Funding 25,500,000 3.3%
Grant 0
Capital Expenditures 500,000 0.1%
Total Non-Operating Expenses 27,650,000 3.6%
TOTAL EXPENSES 763,467,000 100.0%
23 Draft Budget: Energy Expenses
Energy Costs
• Costs are derived from a blend of contracted and
open positions for all energy, attributes, and RA
o Open prices are non-stressed, or as forecasted
o FY 23/24 overall price projections are about on
parr with FY 22/23 actuals on average
o Most materially significant increase for FY
23/24 is with RECs and capacity charges
• Carbon free energy is above recent board approved
targets by 5% for calendar 2023 and 10% for 2024
Bright Choice targets
o 2023: CF 66% --> 71% (22/23) --> 76%
o 2024: CF 71% --> 81%
o Adds up to $21MM costs
• Note: We are still in a period of historically high
energy pricing and significant uncertainty/volatility
o Forecasted market energy costs in 2023 and
2024 are approximately double the historical
10-year average and has persisted since 2021
FY 2023-24 FY 2022-23 FY 2022-23
DRAFT BUDGET BUDGET YTD* + EST

EXPENSES & OTHER USES
Energy Operating Expenses
Cost of Energy 685,288,000 523,996,000 657,730,000
Data Management/Customer Service 7,777,000 7,834,000 7,867,000 PG&E Service Fees (Billing/Metering) 2,722,000 2,715,000 2,712,000 CAISO Scheduling Coordinator 731,000 696,000 698,000
Total Energy Operating Expenses 696,518,000 535,241,000 669,007,000 24 Draft Budget: Overhead Expenses
Material Overhead Items for FY 23-24:
• Personnel costs will be discussed more in-depth on the next slide
• $2.5MM increase in Marketing costs is specifically driven by re-branding campaign
o Also includes approx. $1MM of Programs related
marketing costs
• $1.0MM increase in Legal, Policy, & Regulatory affairs is due to a couple of factors
o Membership expansion (Stockton)
o Additional volume of consulting/vendor agreements
and power contracts
• Larger staffing demand, from Personnel costs, increases in Professional Services with HR/recruiting and additional project support
• Increase to G&A is also directly related to increase in staffing with software subscriptions, membership dues, equipment, office space, insurance, and the like
• Depreciation increases due to new building
FY 2023-24 FY 2022-23 FY 2022-23
DRAFT BUDGET BUDGET YTD* + EST
Overhead Operating Expenses
Personnel 21,911,000 15,711,000 13,317,000
Marketing & Communications 5,303,000 2,824,000 2,073,000 Legal, Policy, & Regulatory Affairs 3,459,000 2,411,000 1,603,000 Other Professional Services 2,555,000 2,293,000 1,302,000 General & Administrative 5,711,000 4,007,000 3,563,000
Depreciation 360,000 180,000 158,000
Total Overhead Operating Expenses 39,299,000 27,426,000 22,016,000 25 Draft Budget: Overhead Expenses—Personnel
• FY 2021-22 Budget was initially approved at 43 FTE and expanded mid-year to 49 o 2.5% COLA and up to 5% merit-based/promotional compensation allotted o Currently at 45 FTE and interviewing for an additional 4 roles • FY 2022-23 Budget was increased to 68 FTE to accommodate additional work requirements in all areas.

Additional headcount will expand on internal expertise/skills, build more depth, and scale operations:
o 3.5% COLA and up to 10% merit-based/promotional compensation pool o 5 Marketing, 4 Local Programs, 3 Operations, 3 Technology, 2 Power Resources, 2 Legal • FY 2023-24 Budget seeks an additional 15 FTE to accommodate additional work requirements in all areas. Additional headcount will expand on internal expertise/skills, build more depth, and scale operations:
o 3.5% COLA and up to 10% merit-based/promotional compensation pool o 3 Marketing, 2 Local Programs, 2 Operations, 2 Technology, 3 Power Resources, 3 Legal FY 2023-24 FY 2022-23 FY 2022-23
DRAFT BUDGET BUDGET YTD* + EST

PERSONNEL
Salaries & Wages 16,587,000 11,598,000 9,747,000
Retirement 2,058,000 1,544,000 1,340,000
Health Care/Benefits 2,893,000 2,292,000 864,000
Payroll Expenses 373,000 277,000 169,000
Total 21,911,000 15,711,000 12,120,000
27 Draft Budget: Organization Chart
28 Draft Budget: Open Position Count
Team
# of New
Roles
Data & Tech 2
MAS 3
Operations, Admin &
Finance 2 +1
Power Resources 3
Programs 3 +1
Public Policy 2
Total New Roles: 15 + 2 (17)
● # of New Roles to budget for next FY: 15
○ Add 2 carry-over roles from FY 22-23, so 17 Total
29 Draft Budget: Personnel Demographics
• Open position average costs are below current staff averages, as position band for open positions is lower than average staff
• Loading rate for new positions is expected to be complete by the end of financial Q3 (March 31, 2024)
• The average position band being hired is under the manager level Quarter Positions Filled
Q1 9
Q2 3
Q3 5
Q4 0
Expected Loading Rate for Open Positions
Current Open
Salary 157,984.45 142,368.59
Merrit 22,117.82 19,931.60
Retirement 23,887.25 21,526.13
Health Care 24,000.00 24,000.00
PTO 9,114.49 8,213.57
Life Insurance 789.92 711.84
Other 12,553.33 12,553.33
Payroll Tax 4,096.98 3,735.41
Total 254,544.25 233,040.48
*C-list is not included
Average Personnel Costs by Category*
Open Count Title
1 Analyst
2 Associate
6 Sr. Associate
1 Manager
2 Sr. Manager
4 Director
1 Sr. Director
Open Position Banding
30 Draft Budget: New Positions
Team Position Title (Draft) Position Level Desired Start Comp Band $ Low (Base) $ High (Base) $ Mid (Base) Data & Tech IT HelpDesk Associate Associate Q2 (Oct - Dec 2023) 4 $117,597 $133,400 $125,498 Data & Tech Junior Data Engineer Analyst Q3 (Jan - Mar 2024) 3 $89,597 $117,596 $103,596 MAS Graphic Designer & Content Developer Associate Q1 (Jul - Sep 2023) 4 $117,597 $133,400 $125,498 MAS Copywriter Associate Q1 (Jul - Sep 2023) 4 $117,597 $133,400 $125,498 MAS Manager, Customer Experience Manager/Principal Q3 (Jan - Mar 2024) 6 $151,319 $167,170 $159,245 Operations, Admin &
Finance Sr. Mgr / Mgr, Structured Finance (TBD) Sr Manager/Sr Principal Q2 (Oct - Dec 2023) 7 $167,171 $190,393 $178,782 Operations, Admin &
Finance Finance Associate Associate Q2 (Oct - Dec 2023) 4 $117,597 $133,400 $125,498 Operations, Admin &
Finance
Coordinator, Ops & Admin
(Carry-over from last yr) Coordinator Q1 (Jul - Sep 2023) 2 $69,174 $89,596 $79,385 Power Resources Contract Manager Manager/Principal Q1 (Jul - Sep 2023) 7 $167,171 $190,393 $178,782 Power Resources "CAISO Day Ahead Manager" Level Manager/Principal Q1 (Jul - Sep 2023) 7 $167,171 $190,393 $178,782 Power Resources Settlements Manager Manager/Principal Q3 (Jan - Mar 2024) 7 $167,171 $190,393 $178,782 Programs Programs Director Role Director Q1 (Jul - Sep 2023) 8 $190,394 $219,052 $204,723 Programs Program Lead / Associate Associate Q3 (Jan - Mar 2024) 4 $117,597 $133,400 $125,498 Programs Solar & Storage Programs / Associate Associate Q3 (Jan - Mar 2024) 4 $117,597 $133,400 $125,498 Programs Project Manager (Carry-over from last yr) Sr Associate Q2 (Oct - Dec 2023) 5 $133,401 $151,318 $142,360 Public Policy Contract Management Manager/Principal Q1 (Jul - Sep 2023) 6 $151,319 $167,170 $159,245 Public Policy Regulatory Analyst Analyst Q2 (Oct - Dec 2023) 3 $89,597 $117,596 $103,596 31 Draft Budget: Overhead Expenses—Marketing &
Account Services
Next Year Material Items:
• Majority of increase is driven by $2.6MM allocation for our first major foray into customer facing program campaigns where we are trying to acquire customers to participate and/or use our equipment (e.g. e-Bike, DCFC stations, induction cooking and EV adoption). Additionally, EBCE’s rebranding campaign will carry incremental costs beyond past year marketing spends that will pull from this allocation Included in cost items is approximately $1.0MM dedicated to Programs related marketing costs
• Required Mailings: Joint Rate Mailer w/ PG&E, Power Content Label, New Account Noticing
• Advertising: Active community presence activities, sponsorships, local events, increase due to Stockton and rebranding campaigns • Promotional Items: Give away items
• Communications: Public relations, media, newsletters, consultants, minor software needs--Website development from rebranding is biggest cost item at $1MM
Current Year Material Items:

Marketing has lower cost with advertising and
communications consultant due to shifting in
Programs related needs with Resilient Home and
BlocPower campaigns
FY 2023-24 FY 2022-23 FY 2022-23
DRAFT BUDGET BUDGET YTD* + EST
Required Mailings 282,000 520,000 529,000
Advertising 2,044,000 986,000 629,000
Promotional Items 123,000 50,000 41,000
Communications 2,854,000 1,268,000 874,000
Total 5,303,000 2,824,000 2,073,000
32 Draft Budget: Overhead Expenses—Legal, Policy, &
Regulatory Affairs
Current year spending was less than budgeted this year due to a delay in expected litigation expenses and unused contingency set aside
Next Year:
• Legal Consultants: Outside general counsel for procurement, analysis, and general operations.

Increase is driven by:
o Multiple pending and on-going litigations expenses
o 2023 Large Clean Energy RFO
o Implementation of numerous local development initiatives o Additional volume of consulting/vendor agreements and power contracts • Legislative Consultants: Retainer for legislative advocacy. For this coming fiscal year, EBCE has added additional resources focused on federal affairs to support both funding and policy initiatives. • Other Consultants: Policy related advising and economic consulting FY 2023-24 FY 2022-23 FY 2022-23
DRAFT BUDGET BUDGET YTD* + EST

LEGAL AND POLICY
Legal Consultants 3,117,000 2,135,000 1,384,000
Legislative Consultants 237,000 177,000 180,000
Other Consultants 105,000 99,000 39,000
Total 3,459,000 2,411,000 1,603,000
33 Draft Budget: Overhead Expenses—Other Professional
Services
Next Year Material Items:
• Operations: Accounting and auditing for financial
compliance, general finance, and addition of new
project with treasury management consulting
• Human Resources Consulting: Support for additional
HR demand for increased staffing recruitment,
professional development, and training
• Tech Consulting: Technical network assistance
• Power Resources: Technical consulting for Power
Resources, operational compliance support and other
various tasks
Current Year Material Items:
• HR consulting was approximated as first year need
for consulting. Hiring of HR lead has led to reduced
costs with active management
• Technology Consulting is lower than expected with
reevaluation of timeline for cost-of-service
implementation
• Power Resources consulting lower than expected
with IRP below budget
FY 2023-24 FY 2022-23 FY 2022-23
DRAFT BUDGET BUDGET YTD* + EST
Operations 931,000 363,000 435,000
Human Resources Consulting 634,000 1,000,000 338,000
Tech Consulting 360,000 325,000 209,000
Power Resources 630,000 605,000 320,000
Total 2,555,000 2,293,000 1,302,000
34 Draft Budget: Overhead Expenses—General & Administrative Next Year Material Items:
• Operational Expenses: Increased staff costs related to insurance, service fees, supplies, membership dues,
operational services, building maintenance, and other
relevant G&A
• Software, Subscriptions, SaaS: Increase covers
additional software needs for Finance, Power
Resource, and Technology operations, as well as
essential subscriptions for ongoing operations with
expanded staff
• Rent & Utilities: Increases with office space needs
due to expanded staff
• Conferences & Professional Development: Trainings,
conferences, and related expenses
• Board & Director Fees: Monthly stipends and
transportation reimbursements for board members
Current Year Material Items:
• Operational Expenses were higher than expected primarily due to inflationary increases in insurance costs and industry memberships dues
• Software costs were lower with delay in implementing
customer portal development and battery optimization as well as data storage was under budget
FY 2023-24 FY 2022-23 FY 2022-23
DRAFT BUDGET BUDGET YTD* + EST

GENERAL OPERATIONS
Operational Expenses 1,523,000 1,039,000 1,133,000
Software, Subscriptions, SaaS 2,676,000 2,345,000 1,576,000 Small Equipment 510,000 210,000 113,000
Rent & Utilties 764,000 345,000 565,000
Conferences & Prof. Development 160,000 130,000 124,000 Board & Director Fees 78,000 50,000 52,000
Total 5,711,000 4,119,000 3,563,000
35 Draft Budget: Non-Operating Activity
• Non-Operational Revenue: Interest earned on Treasury backed cash account balances (estimated at 2.5%) and BlocPower loan (5.5% on $500k)
• Grants: Generally only recognized against qualifying expenses as incurred, thus not projected
• Other Non-Operational Revenue: Rent from AT&T tower on new building
• Borrowing Interest Expenses: Expected costs associated with expanded credit facility
• Local Development Funding: Capital transfer to Local
Development Fund
• Capital Expenditures: Moving and new equipment/furniture related to new office space
FY 2023-24 FY 2022-23 FY 2022-23
DRAFT BUDGET BUDGET YTD* + EST

NON-OPERATING REVENUE
Interest Income 1,680,000 261,000 1,837,000
Grants 0 0 1,272,000
Other Non-Operating Revenue 48,000 15,000 166,000
Total Non-Operating Revenue 1,728,000 276,000 3,275,000

NON-OPERATING EXPENSES
Borrowing Interest 1,650,000 1,440,000 570,000
Local Development Funding 25,500,000 22,550,000 22,550,000 Grant 0 0 0
Capital Expenditures 500,000 7,000,000 773,000
Total Non-Operating Expenses 27,650,000 30,990,000 23,893,000 NET NON-OPERATING ACTIVITY (25,922,000) (30,714,000) (20,618,000) Thank You!
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Staff Report Item 5
Staff Report Item 5
TO: East Bay Community Energy Executive Committee
FROM: Annie Henderson, Vice President of Marketing & Account Services; Theresa McDermit, Head of Brand
SUBJECT: New Brand Name Proposal
DATE: June 7, 2023
__________________________________________________________________ Recommendation
Provide feedback on the proposal of Ava Community Energy as the market-facing brand name for our agency.

Background and Discussion
In recent years, EBCE has dramatically increased its focus on actively promoting and enabling electrification, decarbonization, and efficiency initiatives while maintaining its ongoing commitment to the delivery of clean power at low prices. Since early 2022, staff have led an effort to define and articulate an updated brand strategy in support of this broadening mandate.

In December of 2022, an RFP was issued for a partner to support the evolution of our brand identity. And in February of this year, the Board approved the request to move forward with a preferred supplier. Since that time, we have worked swiftly to build out our evolved brand identity, beginning with the recommended brand name.

To arrive at this naming recommendation, we followed this detailed process:

Strategic Alignment and Naming Criteria: We established a framework for evaluating potential names to guide subsequent steps in the process. These guardrails helped ensure that an eventual name fulfill our objectives for a name change which broadly fall into two categories:

Staff Report Item 5
1) Ease of use, memorability; ability to support our expanded engagement efforts 2) Inclusivity; welcoming to all constituents including those outside of the “East Bay.”
Ideation: In the initial phase, over 150 names were generated and reviewed.

Promising candidates were screened for availability at a high level.

Feedback: In an iterative process, the most promising candidate names were shared with agency leadership, select staff, and members of the ad hoc committees of the Board of Directors and Community Advisory Committee. Several rounds of feedback and review yielded a small set of finalist names.

Clearance and Protection: We’ve taken care to ensure the appropriateness and availability of our recommended name with the following actions:
 A full trademark search was conducted by our counsel, DWT. They found no relevant competing claims on the name
 Native speakers of the most frequently spoken languages in our territory are reviewing the name to ensure there are no unintended linguistic or cultural associations
 Relevant URLs and social media handles were secured
 A placeholder trademark filing was prepared to signal our intent to use and protect the recommended name upon approval.

Fiscal Impact
Fiscal impact is driven by the need to communicate any changes to our brand identity and the creation / recreation of branded materials. Actual costs will be determined once the full extent and timing of changes are known. The funding for implementation and outreach on a new brand identity is included in the amount presented to the board for approval as part of the FY23/24 budget.

Committee Recommendation
Ad hoc committees of the Board of Directors and CAC have stated their support for adoption of the recommended name. The name proposal will be presented for feedback to the Marketing, Regulatory, and Legislative Committee on June 16th.

Attachments
A. New Name Proposal ppt.

New Name Proposal

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
JUNE 7, 2023
Attachment Staff Report Item 5A
Overview
2 ● Background & Rationale
● Insights
● Stakeholder Engagement & Timelines
● Process & Considerations
● New Name Proposal
Attachment Staff Report Item 5A
Background &
Rationale
3 Attachment Staff Report Item 5A
EBCE Brand Evolution
2020
Updates to Look & Feel
Website update to give a more modern
look and feel to the brand. Logo and key
messaging remain unchanged.

First customer program offering.
2022
Program Marketing with Calls to Action
Multiple programs launched or in
planning; specific calls to action,
expanding on an educational focus
2016
Original Brand and Logo Development
County hired Circlepoint to develop initial
website, collateral, and logos.
2018
Initial Enrollment and Launch of Service
Enrollment marketing and outreach
campaign including customer notifications
and key messaging.
4 Begin service to Stockton
2025
Attachment Staff Report Item 5A
5 In the Beginning…
When we launched EBCE, our primary
objective was to educate:
• What is a CCA?
• How does your bill work?
• EBCE is not a scam…
Attachment Staff Report Item 5A
Our brand expression is:
● Very literal; we have a highly
descriptive name and logo
● Self-referential; our messaging has
traditionally focused on what we
do (as opposed to what that
means for the consumer)
● Familiar; our “look” is similar to
many other CCAs or IOUs
A Brand Expression to Support Education and Trust
Attachment Staff Report Item 5A
$19 million annual
customer savings vs.
what would have been
paid for PG&E service
$21 million spent on
local programs like
battery energy
storage, induction
cooking, and electric
heat pump water
heaters 1,015 megawatts of
new wind, solar, and
battery storage,
including projects in
Alameda County
95% average
retention rate across
our service area
Steady expansion
of our service area;
Pleasanton, Newark +
Tracy 2022;
Stockton 2024
On track to implement
the strategy for
100% clean by 2030
2022 National Notable Achievement
Award for Land Revitalization Team
Excellence
We’ve Been Successful
Attachment Staff Report Item 5A
We Continue to Mature and Evolve to Better Serve our Communities ● We are moving from simply
filling demand to creating it
● Growing capacity and expertise
to stand up consumer- and
commercial-facing programs
that expose customers to
electric alternatives and speed
their adoption, accelerating
decarbonization
Attachment Staff Report Item 5A
Insights
9 Attachment Staff Report Item 5A
Our Name is a Barrier to Success in San Joaquin County* *n=400; 57.5% of sample from Stockton
Q12. Which one of these names is your least favorite?
East Bay Community Energy
EBCE
Placeholder Name
Placeholder Name
Placeholder Name
Placeholder Name
Placeholder Name
Q13: Why?
EBCE
• Acronyms are off-putting;
hard to remember
East Bay Community Energy
• San Joaquin County not part
of East Bay; East Bay too
expensive / doesn’t represent
my values
Attachment Staff Report Item 5A
Unaided Awareness
Question: PG&E manages the electricity system in your area. You also have an option for generation service (power plants). Is that…
11 May 2022

22.25%

46.5%
October 2022

46.5%
22%
Attachment Staff Report Item 5A
Stakeholder
Engagement &
Timelines
12 Attachment Staff Report Item 5A
• 4/1/22 - Presented brand refresh concept to
MRL Subcommittee
• 10/19/22 - BOD meeting CEO Report notes
hiring of Head of Brand
• 12/14/22 - BOD meeting CEO Report provides
update on brand efforts
• 12/15/22 - RFP posted for partner to support
Brand Identity Evolution
• 2/15/23 - BOD meeting consent agenda for
approval of contract for Brand & Visual Identity
Services
Meetings and Public Information
- 2022 to early 2023
Attachment Staff Report Item 5A
• February
○ Ad Hoc Committees of the Board and CAC
established; initial meetings
• March
○ Survey of stakeholders, customers, and staff
○ Presentation to MuniPals
• April
○ Ad Hoc Committee meetings
○ Presentation to Exec Comm, CAC, and Board
• May
○ Ad Hoc Committee meetings
○ Update in CEO Report to Board
○ Presentation on brand at Marketing &
Account Services Special Board Retreat
○ Special meeting of the MuniPals
Winter/Spring 2023
Attachment Staff Report Item 5A
• June 7
○ Executive Committee
• June 16
○ Marketing, Regulatory, & Legislative
Committee
• June 19
○ Community Advisory Committee
• June 21
○ Board of Directors Meeting
June 2023
Info and discussion
Discussion and vote
Attachment Staff Report Item 5A
16 Reference: Ad Hoc Committees
Name EBCE Role Jurisdiction Role
Elisa Márquez Current Chair Supervisor, Alameda County
Dan Kalb Former Chair Councilmember, Oakland
Jaime Patiño Former Chair of MRL Subcommittee Councilmember, Union City Matt Bedolla Director Councilmember, Tracy
Dan Wright Director Councilmember, Stockton
Anne-Olivia Eldred Chair of CAC Oakland resident
Ed Hernandez Vice Chair of CAC San Leandro resident
Jim Lutz At-Large Member of CAC Oakland resident
Attachment Staff Report Item 5A
Ahead: Implementing our Evolved Name & Brand (tentative schedule)

Plan, Prepare, Build
● Catalog / update all
branded assets
● Build launch plan x
audience
● Create toolkits x
audience (e.g. logo,
guidelines, FAQ,
messaging, social
posts, newsletter
content)
Now - Aug

Stakeholder Enablement
September

Soft Launch
● Notice customers
● Reskin website
● Apply brand to external
touchpoints
● Social media
campaign
● Outreach at events
Oct - Dec

Robust Comms
● Integrated campaign to
inform and build
excitement among our
constituents (e.g. radio,
buses, BART, OOH)
● Launch evolved
website
● Measure awareness
Jan - Mar

Transition to Steady
State*
● Begin messaging shift
from introduction to
steady state
● Continue elevated level
of outreach with
programs focus
● Integrate tracking data
and stakeholder input to
drive additional
activities
Apr - Jun
● Communications and
training for internal
and external
stakeholders (e.g. all
employees, MuniPals,
sponsored entities,
program partners)
* Timing influenced by results of tracking survey
Attachment Staff Report Item 5A
Process &
Considerations
18 Attachment Staff Report Item 5A
Attachment Staff Report Item 5A
Attachment Staff Report Item 5A
Naming Criteria 1. Signals energy, community, or progress

2. Evokes momentum, positivity, and togetherness

3. Flexible for business and service area expansion

4. Balances uniqueness with reliability

5. Based on easy-to-understand words

6. Sounds and looks interesting; ideally also wearable

7. Stands out from clean tech/smart home innovators

8. Works in connection with “Community Energy” but without creating negative acronyms

9. Ownable as URL and available as trademark
Attachment Staff Report Item 5A
Attachment Staff Report Item 5A
Attachment Staff Report Item 5A
Naming Process
Attachment Staff Report Item 5A
Name Proposal
25 Attachment Staff Report Item 5A
Considerations ● Legal check is complete and clear - name is available for use ○ Other top contenders did not pass initial legal review, presenting risk of litigation
● Trademark registration submitted
● Cultural / Linguistic search completed; no conflicts found ● Social media handles and URLs have been secured in
advance of revealing the name publicly
● Name proposal is the outcome of many months of working with the ad hoc committees, public engagement, consultant engagement, internal staff analysis, and legal review
Attachment Staff Report Item 5A
Ava
Ava Community Energy
Attachment Staff Report Item 5A
Ava Community Energy
Origin Coined from Alameda + Valley
Rationale Signals approachability
Evokes humanity and optimism
Short, warm, and memorable
Attachment Staff Report Item 5A
Ava Community Energy
Language “East Bay Community Energy is now Ava”
“We’d like to thank Ava Community Energy for
being the Climate Justice Sponsor of the
Oakland Roots.”
“The next speaker is from Ava Community Energy,
serving Alameda County to the Central Valley.”
Attachment Staff Report Item 5A
Attachment Staff Report Item 5A
31 We are Ava Community Energy
Attachment Staff Report Item 5A
Ava
Ava Community Energy
Attachment Staff Report Item 5A
Thank you for your consideration.

We welcome your feedback.
33 Attachment Staff Report Item 5A
Staff Report Item 6
Staff Report Item 6
TO: East Bay Community Energy Executive Committee
FROM: Alex DiGiorgio, Public Engagement Manager
SUBJECT: City of Stockton Community Advisory Committee (CAC) seat and term extension for current regional members
(Informational item)
DATE: June 7, 2023
__________________________________________________________________ Recommendation
1) Consider creating an interim CAC seat to represent the City of Stockton; 2) Consider a six-month term extension for current CAC members, extending their term through December 2023
Background and Discussion
On October 21, 2020, the Board of Directors approved updates to the CAC Guide and Appointment process. These updates were made to ensure proper representation and engagement of the CAC, particularly given the inclusion of EBCE’s new communities in the cities of Newark, Pleasanton, and Tracy. The updates included the following: The addition of three seats (increasing the size of the CAC to twelve active seats to address the voting shares); configuring the apportionment of CAC seats to EBCE Service Area Regions; appointing one Alternate Member for each EBCE Service Area Region, for a total of five; and engaging the Mayors’ Conference to appoint two at-large Members.

Since then, the CAC has been composed of twelve active seats (“Members”) and five alternate seats (“Alternates”).

As reflected in the table below, the CAC seat allocations approximate the voting shares percentage of each member jurisdiction:

Staff Report Item 6
EBCE Service Area Region JPA Vote Share CAC Seat Allocation Alternate Seat Allocation
NORTH
Albany, Berkeley, Oakland,
Emeryville, and Piedmont
30% 3 1
EAST
Dublin, Livermore, and Pleasanton
14% 1 1
SOUTH
Fremont, Union City and Newark
27% 3 1

CENTRAL
Hayward, San Leandro, and
Alameda County Unincorporated
23% 2 1

SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY
Tracy
6% 1 1
At-Large N/A 1 N/A
At-Large N/A 1 N/A
By assigning seats to EBCE Service Area Regions, EBCE can engage the city/county Board members for outreach and appointment nominations. This regional apportionment was also intended to ensure equitable representation of all EBCE communities on the CAC.

The CAC currently has eleven members serving (i.e., nine Regional members and two At-Large members) with two Member vacancies (one vacancy for the South region and one vacancy for the San Joaquin region). All five Alternate seats are currently vacant.

Below is a table with the current make-up of the CAC:

EBCE Service Area Region Current CAC Representation
NORTH
Albany, Berkeley, Oakland,
Emeryville, and Piedmont
Anne Olivia Eldred (Chair)
Cynthia Landry (Member)
Lisa Hu (Member)
[Alternate]
EAST
Dublin, Livermore, and Pleasanton
Joel Liu (Member);
[Alternate]
SOUTH
Fremont, Union City, and Newark
Shiva Swaminathan (Member)
Vijay Lakshman (Member)
Priya Talreja (Member)*
[Alternate]

CENTRAL
Hayward, San Leandro, and
Alameda County Unincorporated
Ernie Pacheco (Member)
Lorraine Souza (Member)
[Alternate]
SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY Harman Ratia (Member)
Staff Report Item 6
Tracy [Alternate]
At Large Ed Hernandez (Vice Chair)
At Large Jim Lutz (Member)
*CAC Member Talreja declined to continue serving on the CAC beyond June 2023.

All other Regional CAC members have communicated with staff to confirm their desire to remain on the Committee if a six-month extension is approved by the Board.

Recommendation: Consider the addition of a new, interim CAC seat to represent the City of Stockton via Resolution at the June 21 Board of Directors meeting In March 2023, EBCE received the California Public Utility Commission’s (CPUC) certification recognizing the City of Stockton (“Stockton”) as a member of EBCE’s Joint Powers Authority (“JPA”). This came in response to EBCE’s timely filing of an updated Implementation Plan to include Stockton within EBCE’s service area. Shortly thereafter, Stockton City Council Member Dan Wright was sworn in to represent Stockton among EBCE’s Board of Directors.

Per Sec.4.9 of EBCE’s Joint Powers Agreement, the Board is entitled to establish a Community Advisory Committee (CAC) to advise Board members on a wide range of subjects. As EBCE’s service area has expanded to include new jurisdictions, the CAC’s size and structure has been adjusted by the Board to accommodate appointments by incoming Board members representing these new communities.

In anticipation of EBCE's inclusion of Stockton, and since Stockton’s JPA membership became certified by the CPUC, Stockton’s elected officials and community members have requested that a seat be created on the CAC to represent Stockton’s interests and perspective (please refer to the attached 5/19/23 email from Councilmember Wright). In response, EBCE staff proposes the Board consider approving an additional, interim seat to be filled by a representative appointed by Stockton through whatever process Stockton’s staff and elected leaders deem appropriate.

The additional seat is proposed to be interim because current CAC members have previously been appointed on a regional basis (aside from the two At-Large members), rather than by individual jurisdictions. As discussed below, EBCE staff intend to consider proposing additional structural adjustments, and/or expansions of the CAC, in anticipation of future service area expansion (e.g., staff may recommend each individual EBCE jurisdiction is entitled to appointment a CAC member, instead of regional appointments). Any future adjustments to the size and/or structure of the CAC will regard the City of Stockton’s representation as a high priority and will be undertaken with the involvement of Stockton’s Board member/Alternate.

Recommendation: Consider a six-month term extension for the CAC’s current Regional members via Resolution at the June 21 Board of Directors meeting Staff Report Item 6
As mentioned above, staff also propose extending the terms of current Regional CAC members1 by at least six months (i.e., through December 2023). The terms of current Regional Members are set to end on June 30th. EBCE staff have communicated with the current CAC Chair and every Regional Member to confirm their desire to continue serving in their current capacities through December 2023. All but one of the current Regional members have expressed their desire to continue serving on the CAC should a six-month extension be approved by the Board of Directors.

As proposed, a six-month term extension would provide the following benefits:

1. Consistency and continuity during EBCE’s name change and rebrand exploration. In response to EBCE’s expanding service area and inclusion of new communities, EBCE is currently evaluating the possibility of changing EBCE’s name and updating its brand identity. The CAC has provided valuable feedback and insight throughout this process to date. To help ensure robust community input, staff recommends maintaining the same CAC representation until the rebranding exploration is complete.

2. Aligning the service terms of the CAC’s Regional members with At Large members. Unlike the CAC’s Regional members, the Committee's two At Large members are appointed by the Alameda County Mayors’ Conference. As a result, the timing of these appointments is currently misaligned by six months.

By approving a six-month term extension, all CAC members will have terms ending on the same term cycle. These terms can be staggered by future Board action along with any additional adjustments considered by the Board.

3. Providing more time to consider future adjustments to the CAC’s size and structure. By December 2023, EBCE staff anticipate having a clearer sense of what additional cities and/or counties (if any) intend to join EBCE’s JPA. This will help staff advise the Board on how best to restructure the CAC (if at all) so that it continues to effectively represent and accurately reflect the communities EBCE serves.

Fiscal Impact
The addition of one new interim seat for Stockton will increase the CAC stipend budget from $20,400 to $21,900. The additional stipend will be disbursed once the new interim CAC member is sworn-in and begins serving at regular monthly meetings.

Committee Recommendation
All current, Regional CAC members (with one exception noted above) have communicated to staff their desire to remain on the Committee if a six month term extension is approved by the Board.

1. All but one current CAC member communicated to staff their interest in serving an additional six months. If approved, a CAC term extension would not include the one CAC member that does not wish to continue serving on the CAC.

Staff Report Item 6
Attachments
A. May 19, 2023, email to EBCE staff from Stockton City Councilmember and EBCE Board Member Dan Wright requesting Stockton’s representation on the Community Advisory Committee (CAC)
5/31/23, 3:56 PM East Bay Community Energy Mail - CAC Representative https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ik=b186b7ca9f&view=pt&search=all&permthid=thread-f:1766360559111870456&simpl=msg-f:1766360559111870456&simpl=m… 1/2 Alex DiGiorgio <[email protected]>
CAC Representative
4 messages
Dan Wright <[email protected]> Fri, May 19, 2023 at 2:44 PM To: Alex DiGiorgio <[email protected]>
Cc: Adrian Bankhead <[email protected]>, Nick Chaset <[email protected]>, Eliza Garza <[email protected]>, Kevin Lincoln <[email protected]>, Kimberly Warmsley <[email protected]>
Alex,
It was great running into you at the Hydrogen event in Dublin on Wednesday. I'm excited about adding a Stockton representative to the EBCE Citizens Advisory Council. When you folks send the official request for a representative, please send it to our City Clerk, Eliza Garza ([email protected]) with a cc to Mayor Lincoln, Vice Mayor Warmsley, and me. She will be the person to organize the selection process that the Council will utilize to make the selection.

Thanks!
Dan Wright
Council Member, District 2
City of Stockton
[email protected]
(209) 937-8244
https://www.facebook.com/CouncilmemberDanWright
https://www.instagram.com/vicemayorwright/
https://twitter.com/danwrightca
Eliza Garza <[email protected]> Sat, May 20, 2023 at 3:52 PM To: Dan Wright <[email protected]>, Alex DiGiorgio <[email protected]> Cc: Adrian Bankhead <[email protected]>, Nick Chaset <[email protected]>, Kevin Lincoln <[email protected]>, Kimberly Warmsley <[email protected]> Received. I’ll be on the lookout.

Eliza
From: Dan Wright <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, May 19, 2023 2:44:54 PM
To: Alex DiGiorgio <[email protected]>
Cc: Adrian Bankhead <[email protected]>; Nick Chaset <[email protected]>; Eliza Garza <[email protected]>; Kevin Lincoln <[email protected]>; Kimberly Warmsley <[email protected]>
Subject: CAC Representative
[Quoted text hidden]
Alex DiGiorgio <[email protected]> Mon, May 22, 2023 at 4:28 PM To: Eliza Garza <[email protected]>
Cc: Dan Wright <[email protected]>, Adrian Bankhead <[email protected]>, Nick Chaset <[email protected]>, Kevin Lincoln <[email protected]>, Kimberly Warmsley <[email protected]>
Attachment Staff Report Item 6A
5/31/23, 3:56 PM East Bay Community Energy Mail - CAC Representative https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ik=b186b7ca9f&view=pt&search=all&permthid=thread-f:1766360559111870456&simpl=msg-f:1766360559111870456&simpl=m… 2/2 Thank you, Councilmember Wright! It was great to see you last week as well.

Re the City's CAC appointment: I'll be sure to proceed as you describe below.

Eliza, it's a pleasure to be connected with you. I'll be sure to reach out once EBCE's Board takes action and we're ready to coordinate Stockton's CAC appointment.

Many thanks again,
Alex
[Quoted text hidden]
--
Alex DiGiorgio, JD (he/him) | Public Engagement Manager East Bay Community Energy
[email protected] | 510-993-7562
Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | YouTube
EBCE respects your privacy. Please see EBCE's customer confidentiality policy at ebce.org/confidentiality.

Eliza Garza <[email protected]> Mon, May 22, 2023 at 8:43 PM To: Alex DiGiorgio <[email protected]>
Cc: Dan Wright <[email protected]>, Adrian Bankhead <[email protected]>, Nick Chaset <[email protected]>, Kevin Lincoln <[email protected]>, Kimberly Warmsley <[email protected]>
Sounds good. Thank you.

Eliza
From: Alex DiGiorgio <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, May 22, 2023 4:28:36 PM
To: Eliza Garza <[email protected]>
Cc: Dan Wright <[email protected]>; Adrian Bankhead <[email protected]>; Nick Chaset <[email protected]>; Kevin Lincoln <[email protected]>; Kimberly Warmsley <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: CAC Representative
CAUTION: This email originated from outside the City of Stockton. Do not click any links or open attachments if this is unsolicited email.
[Quoted text hidden]
Attachment Staff Report Item 6A

Ava Community Energy Executive CommitteeJune 7, 2023

Ava Community Energy Executive Committee
June 7, 2023