Executive Committee Meeting
Wednesday, December 3, 2025
3:00 pm
In Person:
Altamont Conference Room
Ava Community Energy
1999 Harrison St, Suite 2300
Oakland, CA 94612
Or from the following locations:
Hayward City Hall, Conference Room 4A, 777 B St, Hayward, CA 94541 Stockton City Hall, 425 N El Dorado St., Stockton CA 95202 City Council Office, Pleasanton City Hall, 123 Main St., Pleasanton, CA 94566 Via Zoom:
https://avaenergy-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 Ava Community Energy-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 Ava Community Energy
Executive Committee Page | 2
speaker.
3. Approval of Minutes from November 5, 2025
4. Value Proposition (Informational Item)
Review potential changes to value proposition for January 2026
5. Opt-Out Fee Removal (Informational Item)
Review proposal to remove fees for customers opting out of Ava service
6. Community Investment Grants (Informational Item)
Review Ava Community Investment grants and plans for future grantmaking
7. Committee Member and Staff Announcements including requests to place items on future Executive Committee Agendas
8. Adjourn
The next Executive Committee meeting will be held on Wednesday, January 14, 2026 at 3pm.
Board Meeting Access Instructions
If you need help finding or accessing the building, please call our Ava representative who is stationed in the building lobby: 510-393-0492.
Directions
Directions via BART
If you are taking BART: the 19th Street station is the closest stop to our office and is about a 5 minute walk away. Use the 20th St / Thomas L. Berkeley Way station exit.
Directions via Bike
Bike riders wanting to park their bike inside the parking garage can enter through the main building lobby. Bike parking is available on the parking garage first level right in front of the garage elevators.
Directions to Parking Garage via Car
The entrance to the building’s attached garage is located on Harrison Street. If you’re driving northbound on Harrison Street, as soon as you cross 19th St. the garage entrance is 3/4 down on your left-hand side. If you’re heading east on Thomas L Berkeley Way/20th St.
Continue East then make a right turn on Harrison
Street, and the garage entrance is a quarter block up
on your right-hand side.
When you arrive, enter via the gate labeled “Public
Parkers”. There are four floors of the parking garage,
and you will need to take the elevator in the parking
garage to the first floor. The parking attendant or
an Ava representative will provide access into the
building lobby.
The parking garage entry gate will be open until 8pm
for CAC and BOD meetings. Attendees can exit the
parking garage until 11pm.
Note that the garage’s parking fee is $30 per use.
Street parking is widely available near the building
and free after 6pm.
Check-in at Security Desk
When you arrive at our building, please check in with the security desk in the lobby to get access to the elevators.
If you have questions or need assistance, an Ava representative will be stationed and identifiable in the lobby. They can be reached at: 510-393-0492.
Public Parkers entrance
1999 Harrison Street, Suite 2300, Oakland, CA 94612
Draft Minutes
Executive Committee Meeting
Wednesday, November 5, 2025
3:00 pm
In Person:
Altamont Conference Room
Ava Community Energy
1999 Harrison St, Suite 2300
Oakland, CA 94612
Or from the following locations:
Hayward City Hall, Conference Room 4A, 777 B St, Hayward, CA 94541 Stockton City Hall, 425 N El Dorado St., Stockton CA 95202 City Council Office, Pleasanton City Hall, 123 Main St., Pleasanton, CA 94566 The Claremont Conference Room - 375 Beale St., San Francisco, CA 94105 Via Zoom:
https://avaenergy-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
Present: Members: Marquez (Alameda County), Balch (Pleasanton), Andersen (Piedmont), Vice-Chair Roche (Hayward) and Chair Gonzalez (San Leandro) Not Present: Members: Fugazi (Stockton)
Vice-Chair Roche served as chair for this meeting.
Ava Community Energy
Executive Committee Page | 2
2. (22:20) Public Comment
This item is reserved for persons wishing to address the Executive Committee on any Ava Community Energy-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.
(22:38) Public Comment: Daniela Suarez spoke about the CARE/FERA bill credits. (23:16) Public Comment: Jim Lutz spoke about the JPA’s requirement for operational audits to be conducted every other year.
3. (0:01) Approval of Minutes from October 1, 2025
There were no comments.
Chair Gonzalez motioned to approve the minutes. Member Andersen seconded the motion, which was approved 5/0/0/0/1 (yes, no, abstain, recuse, not present) Yes: Members: Marquez, Balch, Andersen, Vice-Chair Roche and Chair Gonzalez No: none
Abstain: none
Recuse: none
Not Present: Member Fugazi
4. (1:30) Proposed JPA Updates (Informational Item)
Miscellaneous proposed clarifications to the JPA
Legal Director John Perkins introduced this item and addressed questions from Board members.
Vice-Chair Roche opened the public comment period.
(17:50) Public Comment: Jim Lutz spoke regarding the Community Advisory Committee (CAC) Guide.
(18:47) Jessica Tovar spoke regarding changes to the CAC Guide’s description of the powers of the CAC Chair at Board meetings.
5. (25:54) SmartHome Battery Program (Informational Item) Update on SmartHome Battery and Resilience Hub Program budget and design Vice President of Local Development JP Ross introduced this item and addressed questions from Board members.
Vice-Chair Roche opened the public comment period.
Ava Community Energy
Executive Committee Page | 3
(53:20) Public Comment: Daniela Suarez spoke regarding the implementation of the SmartHome Battery Program.
(54:46) Public Comment: Dohee Kim spoke regarding the naming of the SmartHome Battery Program.
(57:04) Public Comment: Jessica Tovar spoke regarding the breakdown of the budget and the SmartHome Battery Program’s name.
(59:24) Public Comment: Bradley Cleveland provided suggestions regarding the implementation of the SmartHome Battery Program.
6. (1:19:32) Customer Programs Strategic Roadmap (Informational Item) Update on the RFP process
Chief Customer Officer Annie Hendersen introduced this item and addressed questions from Board members.
Vice-Chair Roche opened the public comment period.
(1:24:37) Public Comment: Dohee Kim spoke in support of the Community Advisory Committee as a conduit for public engagement.
(1:26:23) Public Comment: Jim Lutz spoke in support of the involvement of the Community Advisory Committee in the early evaluation of proposals.
7. (1:32:21) Committee Member and Staff Announcements including requests to place items on future Executive Committee Agendas
There were no committee member or staff announcements.
8. (1:32:46) Adjourn
Meeting was adjourned at 4:34pm.
The next Executive Committee meeting will be held on Wednesday, December 3, 2025 at 3pm.
Staff Report Item 4
Staff Report Item 4
To: Ava Community Energy Authority Executive Committee
From: Kelly B Brezovec, Sr. Director, Account Services
Subject: Providing an informational item regarding the proposed 2026 value proposition options
Date: December 3, 2025
__________________________________________________________________ Summary/Recommendation
This item both informs the Executive Committee on the public comment period and invites feedback on the proposed updates to the 2026 Ava value proposition.
Analysis and Context
At the May 18, 2022 Board of Directors meeting the Board adopted an update to the Rate Setting Protocol. The protocol identifies a series of public meetings and public workshops required prior to an update to the value proposition, including a presentation to the Executive Committee.
Staff presented a schedule at the November 19, 2025 Board of Directors meeting, including a schedule for public comment.
Staff Report Item 4
Figure 1: Value Proposition Update Schedule, taken from the November 19, 2025, Ava Board of Directors meeting
Staff began sharing information about the public process via Ava’s website, email, and social media on November 20, following the Board of Directors meeting. The first public webinar was on November 25, 2025. Ten customers registered, though none of them attended. The video recording of the webinar will be posted to the website so the public can access the information and educate themselves on the proposed changes. Customers can then participate at a future meeting, such as the December 4, 2025 public webinar, share written comments, or provide comment at the Community Advisory Committee or the December 17, 2025 Board of Directors meeting. Public comments shared prior to December 8, 2025 will be included in the Board documents regarding the value proposition update at the December 17, 2025 meeting.
The public webinar materials are included in the attached presentation.
Attachments
A. Power Point Presentation (PPT)
2026 Value Proposition
Update Proposal:
Discussion and Review of
Public Materials
Executive Committee Meeting
December 3, 2026
Kelly Birdwell Brezovec
1 Attachment Staff Report Item 4A
Context
• As part of the Rate Setting Protocol, most recently updated in 2022, Staff will provide at least two public webinars and a set time period for the public to respond to a proposed change to the Ava value proposition
• The webinar is intended to allow for customers to provide public comment on the value proposition change
▪ The following slides were presented to the public on November 25 and will be presented again on December 4
▪ Comments are recorded and will be included in the Board item regarding the value proposition in December
▪ Webinars are recorded and posted to the Ava website
▪ The public may also provide written comment to Staff, due Monday, December 8. Comments are also included in Board item
2 Attachment Staff Report Item 4A
Value Proposition Update Schedule
Protocol Event Schedule (approx)
Present to Full Board (Added step to the required protocol) 11/19 Present rates to Executive Committee 12/3
Two community webinars 11/24 - 12/5
Receive written comments. 11/20 - 12/8
Presentation to Community Advisory Committee 12/15
Present findings & feedback from Exec Committee, CAC, public webinar, and written comments to the Board prior to a decision 12/17
Protocol adopted on 5/18/2022
Ava follows the Board-adopted protocol in updating the Ava value proposition:
Attachment Staff Report Item 4A
January 2026
Ava Value Proposition:
Public Comment
Attachment Staff Report Item 4A
About Ava
5 Attachment Staff Report Item 4A
Public Meeting
Reminders
6 ● The video and audio from this meeting will be
posted on our website
● We will provide a brief introduction to the proposed
policy and then allow for your comments
● Everyone will be muted until the public comment
period
● Please be prepared to provide:
○ Your name
○ Organization, if applicable
○ City of residence or business location
○ Your comment
Thank you for participating in our public meeting!
Attachment Staff Report Item 4A
What is Ava Community Energy?
Ava Community Energy (Ava) is a local community choice
power supplier committed to providing Alameda County and the Cities of Lathrop, Stockton, and Tracy with clean, green electricity at competitive rates.
As a not-for-profit public agency, Ava reinvests revenue back into the community through local electrification programs, clean power projects, and community organizations.
7 Attachment Staff Report Item 4A
How It Works
Ava buys from, and is building,
clean power plants. Ava sells
the power to customers at
competitive rates.
8 1. Ava buys and generates
clean power
2. PG&E delivers the power
to homes and businesses
Ava’s power is delivered to
customers by PG&E.
Customers pay PG&E for
delivery as they always have.
3. Customers get the
power and local benefits
Customers benefit from
clean energy, local
governance, and innovative
programs.
Attachment Staff Report Item 4A
$174 million
Total customer savings
since 2018
$115 million
Reinvested in our
communities since 2018
through programs:
● Local infrastructure
● Programs
● Local sponsorships
● Community grants
● Local vendor spending
Ava Customer Savings and Value
$40 million
Paid for local generation,
driving economic
development, local union
jobs, and tax revenue:
● Scott Haggerty Wind
Energy Center
● Kola Battery Storage
System
Attachment Staff Report Item 4A
Definitions
10 Attachment Staff Report Item 4A
Current Service Plan Options
62% eligible renewable
energy priced at 5% below
PG&E rates.
11 Bright Choice Renewable 100
100% renewable energy
priced at 1/4 cent per kWh
above PG&E rates
vs.
PG&E
23%
renewable
Renewable:
■ Wind
■ Solar
■ Biomass & Biowaste, Eligible
Hydroelectric, Geothermal
Other:
■ Hydro
■ Nuclear
■ Other or Unspecified
Figures reflect our actual power mix from 2024 (most recently published). Power mixes are published annually each summer for the preceding year.
Attachment Staff Report Item 4A
Default Service Plan
12 Jurisdiction Residential Commercial CARE/FERA/
Medical Baseline
Albany, Berkeley, Dublin, Emeryville,
Hayward, Pleasanton, San Leandro Renewable 100 Renewable 100 Bright Choice Piedmont Renewable 100 Bright Choice Bright Choice
Lathrop, Livermore, Newark, Oakland,
Stockton, Tracy, Union City, and
Unincorporated Alameda County
Bright Choice Bright Choice Bright Choice
Fremont Renewable 100
Bright Choice
In August 2026:
Renewable 100
Bright Choice
Attachment Staff Report Item 4A
Rates and Value Proposition
Rates
● What Ava charges customers for electricity,
currently updated when PG&E changes their
generation rates or fees
(Rate) Value proposition
● The cost comparison to PG&E rates based on
Ava product
○ Ava brings additional value to our
community. This is only about the direct
financial value to our customers.
13 Ava has saved
customers over $174
million since 2018
through lower rates and
bill credits
Attachment Staff Report Item 4A
PCIA
Power Charge Indifference
Adjustment (PCIA): A per kilowatt-hour fee that PG&E assesses to a customer that allows PG&E to
recuperate costs for long-term above-market costs electricity generation contracts.
● Ava’s value proposition includes
the PCIA, since it is added as line
item on the PG&E page of the bill.
14 Total Rate
Attachment Staff Report Item 4A
2026 Context and Proposal
15 Attachment Staff Report Item 4A
Historic Generation Rates
● Ava is seeking to reduce its
2026 Bright Choice
generation rates by ~40-
50% from 2025 levels
● 2026 generation rates
(including PCIA) are
expected to decrease by
~32% from 2025 levels
● PG&E’s 2026 delivery rates
are projected to increase
~4% from 2025 levels
● 2026 overall electricity bills
are projected to decrease
by ~11% from 2025 levels
Ava value proposition July update
-32%
Note: Chart reflects 2018 PCIA vintage TOU-C
(Ava’s most common residential rate)
-49%
16 Attachment Staff Report Item 4A
2026 Value Proposition Proposals
● Historically, when rates are high, Ava’s Bright Choice discount has increased. When rates are low, the discount has decreased. ● 2026 rates are forecast to be 40–50% lower than 2025
○ 30% lower for customers, when PCIA is included
● Staff seeks to maintain a balanced budget for the agency through an updated value proposition, among other budget actions
● At the November Board meeting, staff recommended Option 1 17 Bright Choice Generation Rate
Discount to PG&E
Renewable 100 Generation Rate
Premium to PG&E, per kWh
Option 1 1% 1.25¢
Option 2 0% 1.5¢
Attachment Staff Report Item 4A
Sample Residential Customer Ava Bill
18 2025 Rates 2026 Proposed Rates
Bright Choice
discount: 5%
R100 premium:
0.25¢/kWh
Bright Choice
discount: 0%
R100 premium:
1.5¢/kWh
Percent
Difference from
2025 Rates
Bright Choice
discount: 1%
R100 premium:
1.25¢/kWh
Percent
Difference from
2025 Rates
Average Residential
Bright Choice
Generation Cost
$50 $35 -29% $35 -30%
Average Residential
Renewable 100
Generation Cost
$53 $41 -24% $40 -25%
Based on an average residential (ETOU-C) customer using 350 kWh per month Renewable 100 in 2026 is approximately 20% lower than Bright Choice in 2025.
Attachment Staff Report Item 4A
Value Proposition Proposals vs. 2025 Rates
Including this slide for the Executive Committee to highlight rate differences, in addition to bill differences
19 Average 2025
residential rate
(¢/kWh)
Proposed for 2026
BC discount: 0%
R100 premium: 1.5¢
BC discount: 1%
R100 premium: 1.25¢
BC discount: 0.5%
R100 premium: 1.5¢
Bright Choice
avg residential rate
(¢/kWh)
14.2 10.1 10.0 10.1
Renewable 100
avg residential rate
(¢/kWh)
15.2 11.6 11.4 11.6
BC % decrease
vs. avg 2025 rate - 29% 29% 29%
R100 % decrease
vs. avg 2025 rate - 24% 25% 24%
Added for Executive Committee
Attachment Staff Report Item 4A
Ava Value Proposition History
20 Historically, the value
proposition has been
inversely related to rates
● Relatively high rates
are correlated with an
ability to offer a
higher discount
● Lower rates typically
mean a lower
discount
Attachment Staff Report Item 4A
Public Comment Period
21 Attachment Staff Report Item 4A
Please note:
• Everyone on the call will see what you type into the chat box. • We will call on each speaker in the order we received the chat, we’ll then disable the mute feature for each speaker.
• Please be conscientious of the time. Every speaker will be allowed three minutes.
• This webinar is being recorded and will be posted to our website.
How to
Participate
Instructions
1. Click on the “Q&A” bubble to start
2. Enter your name, city, and organization into the text box
3. Click the "Send" button to Submit your request for comment 22 Attachment Staff Report Item 4A
Thank You for Participating
Ava staff’s next steps:
● Post this webinar, including the audio recording of your comments, on our website at:
AvaEnergy.org/your-energy-options/plans-and-rates/rates ● Summarize all public comments in the staff report to Board ● Present summary and value proposition recommendation
at Board of Directors meeting on December 17th, 2025 as part of the update to next year's budget.
Additional comment opportunities:
● Written comments may be emailed to:
[email protected]
23 All comments are due by
Monday, December 8th,
2025 at 8:00 AM
Attachment Staff Report Item 4A
24 3 Minute Countdown timer (Minimal)
This is a 3 minutes countdown timer with no extra stuff, suitable for professional use. 3-Minute Public
Comment Timer
Attachment Staff Report Item 4A
Online
Phone
Email
Social
AvaEnergy.org
833-699-3223
[email protected]
PoweredWithAva
Online
Phone
Email
Social
Comments Welcome at:
[email protected]
25 Thank you!
Attachment Staff Report Item 4A
Next Steps • Staff will compile comments on the
proposed value proposition from
▪ Executive Committee meeting,
▪ Comments made during webinars, and
▪ Written public comments received via email
through Monday, December 8
• Comments will be included in the staff report
for the December Board of Directors
regarding the value proposition and 2026
budget management
26 Attachment Staff Report Item 4A
Measures to Consider for 2026 Budget Management
Measure Approximate Value Cumulative Value
Rate Stabilization Fund (RSF) $149.5MM $149.5MM
Value Proposition Change in January 2026
Bright Choice: 5% → 1% and Renewable 100: 0.25¢ →1.25¢ per kWh $51.7MM $201.2MM
2024-25 Budget Surplus On-bill credits moved to RSF $13.0MM $214.2MM 2025-26 Local Development budget reduction (non
earmarked funding) $10.0MM $211.2MM
Reduce REC procurement $4-12MM $215.2MM to
$223.2MM
• As presented at the 11/19 board meeting, the projected deficit for July 2025 through Dec 2026 is ($247MM) • Additional measures and scenarios to offset the deficit will be presented at the 12/17 board meeting for discussion & action. Adjustments to the value proposition will be included in this board item.
Attachment Staff Report Item 4A
Adjustments to Value Proposition
Service Plan Start Service
2018
July 2020 July 2022 July 2023 -
Current
Bright Choice % below PG&E 1.5% 1% 3% 5%
Renewable 100 Premium 1¢ 0.75¢ 0.25¢
Ava has updated the value proposition three times. Bright Choice was at a 1% savings 2020-2022 years.
Generation
Rate Discount
to PG&E
2026 Revenue
Contribution - Bright
Choice ($MM)
4% 6.3
3% 12.6
2% 18.8
1% 25.1
0% 31.4
¢ per kWh
Adder to PG&E
2026 Revenue
Contribution -
Renewable 100 ($MM)
0.5 6.6
0.75 13.3
1.0 19.9
1.25 26.5
1.5 33.2
Bright Choice
Discount, Renewable
100 Adder
2026 Revenue
Contribution
($MM)
4%, 0.5¢ 12.9
3%, 0.75¢ 25.8
2%, 1.0¢ 38.7
1%, 1.25¢ 51.7
0%, 1.5¢ 64.6
Bright Choice and Renewable 100 value proposition adjustments scenarios Attachment Staff Report Item 4A
29 Attachment Staff Report Item 4A
Staff Report Item 5
Staff Report Item 5
To: Ava Community Energy Authority
From: Kelly Brezovec, Sr Director of Account Services
Subject:
Seeking feedback from the Executive Committee on a proposal to remove opt-out fees Date: December 3, 2025
__________________________________________________________________ Summary/Recommendation
Staff seeks feedback from the Executive Committee regarding a proposal to remove the customer opt-out fee of $5 for residential customer accounts and $25 for non-residential customer accounts. The opt-out fee is not a deterrent in a customer choosing to leave Ava’s service and appears to create customer confusion or distrust in the agency.
Financial Impact
Removing the opt-out fee will have a negligible impact on Ava’s finances.
Ava has a 95% participation rate, meaning few customers have left Ava service. Cumulatively, 60,000 customers have opted out. Of these customers that do depart, we have only collected opt out fees from 15,500 residential customers and 640 non-residential customers. The majority of opt outs happen during the first year of service to a new community, when Ava has historically not applied the opt-out fee during an initial grace period.
In the past seven years of service, Ava has collected less than $95,000 in opt-out fees, about $14,000 annually. As part of Ava's high level of customer service and to keep residents satisfied with the agency, Ava has also waived approximately $5,000 in opt out fees.
Staff Report Item 5
If fee removal is approved by the Board, staff will work with Ava’s billing agent, SMUD, to update the automated billing operations at a fee of less than $8,000. References to the fee will be removed in webforms, emails, and interactive voice recordings as part of regular work to maintain these services.
Analysis and Context
Since 2019, Ava has assessed customers an opt-out fee. The fee is charged only if the opt-out is requested after the first 60-days of service; the fee has also been waived for the first 12 months of service to a new community.
The opt-out fee assessment was common practice among CCAs when Ava implemented it in 2019, one year after Ava started providing service to customers. The opt-out fee is clearly stated in all methods of customer interaction (phone, automated voice, and webform) and in our Service Terms and Conditions on our website. The fee is applied to the final bill when a customer opts out of our service.
Based on customer interactions with Ava’s customer support center, there’s no clear evidence that an opt out fee of $5 to residential customers or $25 to non-residential customers (per meter) helps deter opt outs or aids customer retention. Instead, staff have concerns that customers’ distrust and frustration over opt-out fees harms customers’ perception of the agency and, in some cases, may encourage opt-outs.
During the April 2025 enrollment of Stockton and Lathrop, staff found multiple social media posts from residents that encouraged their peers to opt-out of Ava service, citing the opt-out fee both as a reason to leave Ava service early and as an indicator that Ava is a “scam.” Removing this fee removes the opportunity to be perceived as a bad actor in the energy industry.
Moreover, there are more effective and meaningful ways to retain customers than the opt-out fee. Ava’s customer service representatives provide the best means of deterring opt-outs. Since staff began tracking this figure in 2021, over 7,640 customers who had planned to opt-out have instead chosen to stay with Ava after having a conversation with a representative.
While staff does not have a means of verifying if the opt-out fee is a key factor in the decision to leave Ava service early, it is possible that removing the fee entirely may encourage customers to try Ava service for a number of months, during which time the customer may learn about Ava’s benefits and choose to stay.
Comparison to other CCAs
Staff reviewed the policies of 12 other agencies. CCA policy is split. Six CCAs do not assess an opt-out fee. Five CCAs follow the same policy as Ava. One Bay Area CCA does not assess a Staff Report Item 5
fee for the entire first year of service. Of the CCAs that do assess fees, the amounts are consistent with Ava’s current policy of $5 for residential and $25 per meter for non-residential customers.
Recommendation
Staff recommends removing the customer opt-out fee provision, with work to remove language about the fee and the automated billing operations set to begin following Board approval. Staff requests to implement the change in 2026 in advance of enrolling customers in unincorporated San Joaquin County to help provide a positive first customer experience with Ava.
Ava Community Investment
Grants
JP Ross | December 3, 2025
Why does Ava fund grants? – Purpose and Rationale
➔ Further organization and programmatic objectives and priorities by leveraging and supporting the work of other organizations and community groups
◆ These programmatic objectives and priorities are broken into Grant Strategic Priorities and Technical Focus Areas (Future Roadmap Priorities may adjust these) ➔ Foster trust, build strategic partnerships
◆ Seek trusted intermediaries that can accelerate customer participation and awareness of Ava and our programmatic priorities
➔ Key Factors in Grantmaking
◆ JPA delegated authority under Gov. Code §§ 6500–6539. ● must further the joint purpose stated in the JPA agreement — not the independent interests of a single member or a private party
◆ Under Article XVI, Section 6 of the California Constitution, a JPA—like any public agency—may not make a gift of public funds.
● must serve a clear and legitimate public purpose related to the joint powers authority agreement and the purposes for which it was formed.
◆ Ava does not issue grants for philanthropic purposes as donations to for-profit or non-profit entities ➔ 2019: Community Innovation Grants, six grants of $40,000 for CBOs across multiple programmatic objectives including education, workforce developments and clean energy pilots ➔ 2020-2022; shifted focus of grants to affordability program enrollment & community services support during COVID
◆ $2.2M for COVID support services that addressed food security, protective equipment, and other non-energy community support, membership Cities were given grants to deliver assistance through existing City programs
◆ $10,000 - $30,000 grants to local CBOs to support enrollment in bill assistance programs ➔ 2023-2027 - returned to Community Investment Grants that further LD program objectives based on feedback on 2019 Community Innovation Grants from grantees ◆ Multi-year grants of ~$300k to provide sufficient funds for CBO capacity and longer duration projects
◆ Outcome driven; aligned to objectives and priorities
➔ 2019-2025: Hyperlocal sponsorships capped at $2,500 each to support local organizations to raise awareness and build community relationships
◆ 150 sponsorships totaling $375k
How we’ve structured grants – Key Components and Design Existing Community Investment Grants
Organization Amount Term Description
Copper
$300,000
2 years
Community awareness raising at farmers markets and other cooking inspired events about the benefits of induction cooking. Parties agreed after the first year that Copper would not complete the second year of the grant Rising Sun Center for Opportunity
3 years
Ending
2027
Empowering young individuals through education and exposure to employment opportunities and hands-on training in clean energy technologies. This initiative seeks to bridge the gap between education and employment, fostering a skilled workforce for the ongoing energy transition.
This program is specifically designed to reach youth (ages 15–24) including recent high school graduates, college students, and young professionals.
AGAPE
Green the Church
Empowering local communities to develop and manage EV charging infrastructure to promote sustainability and electric mobility.
Interfaith Power and Light
Emerald Cities Collaborative
1.5 years
Ending
2026
ECC, along with with their sub LCEA, are engaging local community members, resilience hub experts, and community-based organizations by conducting outreach, organizing listening sessions, and hosting workshops to identify and understand the needs and opportunities for community-driven resilience hubs within Ava’s service area.
Technical Focus + Strategic Funding Priorities
Community
Empowerment
Education
&
Experiential
Learning
Research
& Innovation
Energy Efficiency
Building Electrification
Transportation Electrification
Resilience
Grant Strategic Priorities
Workforce
Development
Year Amount to be paid Each 6.1
Year
# of Concurrent
Grants
(@3 new/year)
2024 $150,000 1
2025 $550,000 5
2026 $850,000 8
2027 $1,000,000 10
2028 $900,000 9
2029 $900,000 9
2030 $900,000 9
2031 $900,000 9
2032 $600,000 6
2033 $ 300,000 3
Totals $ 7,050,000 24
Total Unique Grants
Annual Grants with
Remaining Grant Budget
● Assumes Ava issues three grants per
year and all future grants are $300,000
over 3 years
● Staff will manage public engagement
process to identify annual grant
opportunities
● All grants go through a competitive
solicitation process with grant specific
evaluation criteria
● All grants go to the board for
authorization prior to execution
7 Funding Mechanism & Implementation
Grantmaking Mechanism How It’s Applied at Ava
Multi-Year Structure ➔ Standard 3-Year Term: To enable deeper community investment and capacity building
Funding Approach
➔ Milestone-Based: For infrastructure/hardware projects ➔ Scheduled: For education, research, and outreach — typically $100K annually, disbursed in May
Strategic Lens ➔ Place-Based: Focus on Ava’s service area and priority geographies ➔ Issue-Based: 4 Focus Areas (EE, BE, ET, Resiliency)
Decision-Making Style ➔ Trust-Based: Grounded in collaboration, flexibility, and listening Funder-Grantee Relationship ➔ Partner-Centered: Ava is a facilitator and problem solver, not just a funder Implementation Flexibility ➔ Tailored Terms: Milestones or schedules defined collaboratively; not one-size-fits-all Internal Oversight ➔ Data: Salesforce used to track deliverables, disbursement type, and timeline status
Next Steps
Q1 2026: January-March: Grant Ideation
➔ Ava Staff Subject Matter Experts provide list of grant ideas ➔ CAC and City Munipals Workshops to solicit grant ideas Q2 2026: April-June: Develop/Issue Grant RFPS
➔ Identify top grant opportunities from stakeholder outreach ➔ Review proposed grant ideas with CAC and Board of Directors ➔ Develop and issue Grant Solicitations
Q3 2026: July-September
➔ Grant submissions due
➔ Ava staff subject matter experts evaluate grant proposals ➔ Identify grantees for recommendation to Board
Q4 2026: October-December
➔ Board Approval
➔ Execute Grant Agreements
➔ Grant project start/ kick-off
APPENDIX
Grants & Local Sponsorships: Total Funding
Description Budget Allocation
Grants & Sponsorships Total$11,675,000
Total amount Awarded ($4,615,000)
Total amount Remaining $7,060,000
Total 2019-2025 Budget Allocation* $101,530,000
Grants % of Total LD Budget ~11.5%
* Note: Ava’s Local Development Budget is accounted for as a separate fund. This allows for budget to allocated to Local Development efforts and maintained for future use. Any changes to the local development budget are brought forth to the board for action. *$1,575,000 of Grants and Local Sponsorships funding was allocated from outside of the historical Local Development budget
Examples of other CCA Grants (not exhaustive)
*CPA 2024 Impact Report, page 12
Community Benefit Grants Impact Grants Community Outreach Grants Calpine commits 3% of contract total to
fund grants in partnership with CCA*
Clean Power Alliance
● Started in 2021
● 23/24 issued $325k in 14 grants
for 1 year
● Focused on education, equity,
workforce development, advance
clean energy
SD Community Power
● Also partnered with SD
Foundation
● Nearly $2.5M since 2023
● Grants of $25k-100k for 2 years
● Focused on education, workforce,
health, resilience
Sonoma Clean Power
● Launching in Spring 2026
● $75k for grants of $5-$20k
● Focus on education, equity,
workforce development, research
& planning
Peninsula Clean Energy
(soon to be WestLight)
● Started in 2018 with grants of
$10k
● In 2026, grants will be $50k for 1
year
● 2025 issued $500k to 16 CBOs
● Focus on education and outreach
Community Grant Program and Resilience Grants
Silicon Valley Clean Energy
● Community Grant Program invested >$5 million to provide 13 member agencies with grant funds to identify, prioritize, and implement resilient energy strategies such as cool pavements, solar + storage, off-grid EV charging ● 2025 - $3M for 6 projects + $400k for those projects to offer engagement programming.
○ Funding for battery energy storage, solar, and EV charging projects ○ Grants to CBOs and municipal buildings (community centers, schools)