Draft Minutes
Board of Directors Meeting
Wednesday, January 15, 2025
6:00 pm
In Person:
The Lake Merritt Room
Cal State East Bay - the Oakland Center
In the Transpacific Centre
1000 Broadway, Suite 109
Oakland, CA 94607
Or from the following locations:
• Albany Community Center - 1249 Marin Ave, Albany, CA 94706 • ALM First Headquarters, 3800 Maple Avenue, Ste. 600, Dallas, TX 75219 • Clipper Club - 5 Captain Dr. Emeryville, CA 94608
• 35653 Scarborough Dr., Newark CA 94560
• City Hall - 425 N El Dorado St., Stockton CA 95202
Via Zoom:
https://ebce-org.zoom.us/j/87023071843
Or join by phone:
Dial(for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location): US: +1 669 900 6833 or +1 346 248 7799 or +1 253 215 8782 or +1 929 205 6099 or +1 301 715 8592 or 888 475 4499 (Toll Free) or 877 853 5257 (Toll Free)
Webinar ID: 870 2307 1843
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 Board of Directors, please email it to the clerk by 5:00 pm the day prior to the meeting.
A. Oath of Office
The following Members were sworn in:
Councilmember John Morada (Dublin)
Councilmember Julie Del Catancio (Newark)
Mayor Christina Fugazi (Stockton)
Ava Community Energy
Board of Directors Page | 2
Councilmember Dotty Nygard (Tracy)
1. Welcome & Roll Call
Present: Members: Marquez (Alameda County), Lopez (Albany), Tregub (Berkeley), Morada (Dublin), Kaur (Emeryville), Roche (Hayward), Del Catancio (Newark), Andersen (Piedmont), Gonzalez (San Leandro), Fugazi (Stockton), Nygard (Tracy), Sakakihara (Union City), CAC Chair Hernandez (Community Advisory Committee), Chair Balch (Pleasanton)
Not Present:, TBD (Fremont), Member Diallo (Lathrop), Barrientos (Livermore), TBD (Oakland), TBD (San Joaquin County),
Member Nygard joined the meeting at 6:18pm.
2. Pledge of Allegiance
Member Andersen led the body in the Pledge of Allegiance.
3. Public Comment
This item is reserved for persons wishing to address the Board on any Ava-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 Board are customarily limited to two minutes per speaker and must complete an electronic speaker slip. The Board Chair may increase or decrease the time allotted to each speaker. 6:51 – Public Comment – Jessica Tovar spoke in support of investing in distributed energy resources, such as microgrids and battery storage, to build community resilience against climate-driven grid failures and wildfires, particularly to protect vulnerable populations.
CONSENT AGENDA
4. Approval of Minutes from December 18, 2024
5. Contracts Entered Into (Informational Item)
6. 2025 Sponsorship of Oakland Roots Sports Club
Renewal of annual sponsorship
7. Ava Bike Electric Safety Voucher Adjustment
Increase in Safety voucher amount for low-income participants
8. Lunar MSA Contract Amendment
Amendment to the Lunar Energy MSA
9. Energy Efficiency Program Funding
Ava Community Energy
Board of Directors Page | 3
Shifting unused local development funds to Ava’s Building Efficiency Accelerator program
10.Treasurer’s Report
Receive report on Ava’s cash position.
(9:18) Member Gonzalez motioned to approve the Consent Agenda. Member Andersen seconded the motion, which was approved 12/0/0/0/6. (yes/no/abstain/recuse/not present).
Yes: Members: Marquez, Lopez, Tregub, Morada, Kaur, Roche, Del Catancio, Andersen, Gonzalez, Fugazi, Sakakihara and Chair Balch
No: none
Abstain: none
Recuse: none
Not Present: TBD (Fremont), Member Diallo, TBD (Oakland), TBD (San Joachin County), Member Barrientos and Member Nygard
REGULAR AGENDA
11.(18:00) CEO Report
• Howard Chang summarized recent subcommittee meetings covering air district regulations, building efficiency funding, and preparations for service expansion to Stockton and Lathrop.
• He noted that nine out of eighteen members are new, and detailed efforts to onboard them, including orientation sessions, subcommittee assignments, and individual meetings to discuss priorities and logistics. • Finally, CEO Chang also announced his recent appointment to the board of Veloz, an organization focused on advancing transportation electrification. (30:02) Public Comment – Tom Kelly urged new board members to carefully review the Joint Powers Agreement and called for immediate action to reduce emissions to zero. Mr.
Kelly also suggested that CARE/FERA customers in cities with 100% renewable energy should be automatically opted into cleaner energy options.
12.(34:26) CAC Report
CAC Chair Hernandez reported that the committee revisited the Local Development Business Plan, with a presentation summarizing its accomplishments over the past five years and discussions on potential future opportunities. The CAC’s two active ad hoc committees provided updates: the Energy Affordability Committee is reviewing PG&E bills to improve public understanding, while the Local Development Business Plan Committee is exploring new stakeholder engagement and evaluating what additional initiatives may now be feasible. Lastly, while there is interest in forming a Resilience Hub ad hoc committee, its launch is delayed until the Emerald Cities Collaborative completes community meetings to gather insights on the concept.
Ava Community Energy
Board of Directors Page | 4
13.(38:05) Chair and Vice-Chair Elections (Action Item) Member Gonzalez nominated Chair Balch for Chair, and for Member Andersen for Vice-Chair. Member Marquez seconded the motion. Chair Balch and Member Member Andersen accepted the nomination, which was approved 13/0/0/0/4. (yes/no/abstain/recuse/not present):
Yes: Members: Marquez, Lopez, Tregub, Morada, Kaur, Roche, Del Catancio, Andersen, Gonzalez, Fugazi, Nygard, Sakakihara and Chair Balch No: none
Abstain: none
Recuse: none
Not Present: Members: TBD (Fremont), Diallo, TBD (Oakland), TBD (San Joachin County) and Barrientos
14. (42:47) Board Member and Staff Announcements including requests to place items on future Board of Directors Meeting Agendas
• Chair Balch announced that subcommittee appointments will be addressed at the February 19th meeting and reminded members to express their interest in advance.
• Member Tregub requested that the legislative update include discussion on potential implications of the Governor’s recent executive order on energy affordability, particularly its impact on renewable energy and efficiency programs and any effects on Community Choice Aggregators.. • Member Marquez asked for an update on resiliency hubs and microgrids. • Howard Chang made the following announcements:
o He will reach out to new board members regarding subcommittee interest.
o Ava’s meeting location will change in April as the lease at the current space expires in March, with 1999 Harrison Street as the likely new venue.
o Board members are invited to attend the 2025 CalCCA Annual Conference from April 28-30 in Irvine, CA..
• Member Roche suggested that board members and staff define acronyms more frequently to assist new members in learning Ava’s terminology.
15.Adjourn at 6:55pm.
The next Ava Board of Directors meeting will be held on Wednesday, February 19, 2025 at 6pm.
The Lake Merritt Room
Cal State East Bay - the Oakland Center
In the Transpacific Centre
Ava Community Energy
Board of Directors Page | 5
1000 Broadway, Suite 109
Oakland, CA 94607