People’s Clean Power Alliance
339 15th Street Suite 208
Oakland, CA 94612
[email protected]
December 15, 2025
Dear Ava Community Energy Board of Directors, Community Advisors and Alternates, We applaud Ava Community Energy (Ava’s) recent decision to reject contracting with Deloitte, a firm that maintains contracts with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). By choosing not to align with an entity whose work contributes to the criminalization, harassment, detention and the disappearance of immigrant communities, you have taken a meaningful step toward ensuring that public resources do not reinforce systems that target immigrants and subject people to violent treatment without due process. Your action demonstrates a commendable commitment to transparency, accountability, well-being, and the solidarity of communities served by Ava Community Energy – who operates using public funds from electricity revenues.
We thank the agency for responding to community concerns and recognizing the importance of not investing public funds to operations and practices that undermine human rights. Our community’s values are rooted in dignity, fairness, and inclusion.
Based on the recommendations of Ava’s Legal Counsel and Board Member Elisa Márquez on November 19, we urge the agency to build on this leadership by developing a clear and forward-looking procurement policy that:
1. Prohibits contracts and purchases with firms engaged in activities that contribute to the criminalization, detention, surveillance, and disappearance of immigrants. In addition, prohibit contracts that make community–customer data, personal information, and gatherings vulnerable to such surveillance, criminalization, and other harmful uses.
2. Prioritize contracting with small, local, and emerging businesses and organizations rooted in Ava Community Energy cities and counties.
Such a policy would not only safeguard against future misalignment of ethical standards, adhere to Ava member cities who have committed to being sanctuary cities, but also strengthen the local economy by uplifting businesses that reflect and serve our community. It would embody an investment in equitable growth, shared prosperity, and humane public governance.
Thank you again for your thoughtful action and continued dedication to ethical stewardship of public funds. We look forward to seeing the agency continue to lead with integrity and compassion.
Sincerely,
Daniela Suarez
Local Clean Energy Alliance