Draft Minutes
Board of Directors Meeting
Wednesday, July 15, 2026
6:00 pm
In Person:
Board Room
Ava Community Energy
1999 Harrison St, Ste 2300
Oakland, CA 94612
Or from the following locations:
Lounge Room, 3 Commodore Drive, Emeryville, CA 94608
4917 Knowlson Terrace, Fremont, CA 94555
35653 Scarborough Dr., Newark, CA 94560
1100 Webster St, 2nd Floor Conference Room, Oakland, CA 94607 501 W Weber Ave Building 1, Stockton CA 95203
Via Zoom:
https://avaenergy-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.
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Public comment letters received for Ava Community Energy meetings are posted at https://app.box.com/v/avapubliccomment.
1. Welcome & Roll Call
Present: Members: Marquez (Alameda County), Lopez (Albany), Tregub (Berkeley), Morada (Dublin), Kaur (Emeryville), Keng (Fremont), Roche (Hayward), Barrientos (Livermore), Del Catancio (Newark), Brown (Oakland), Balch (Pleasanton), Blower (Stockton), Nygard (Tracy), Sakakihara (Union City), CAC Chair Souza (Community Advisory Committee), Vice-Chair Gonzalez (San Leandro) and Chair Andersen (Piedmont) Alternate Member Blower served as representative for the City of Stockton (Fugazi).
Not Present: Members: Diallo (Lathrop) and Rickman (San Joaquin County) For time-management purposes, Item 12, Chair and Vice-Chair Appointment, was moved to follow Item 17, San Leandro Default Service Plan Transition from Renewable 100 to Bright Choice.
2. Pledge of Allegiance
3. (4:38) 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. (6:10) Public Comment – Jim Lutz urged the Board to take an active role in Ava’s long-term local development planning and to involve the CAC and the local community early and transparently in the process.
(8:10) Public Comment – Avi Wong commented that Ava’s public meetings can be difficult for newcomers to understand because of the extensive use of technical terminology and acronyms. Wong recommended creating accessible educational materials explaining topics such as California’s energy market and Ava’s procurement process. (10:17) Public Comment – Dohee Kim provided an update on the Community Resilience Hub initiative, highlighting a successful June 25 workshop that brought together community members, environmental justice organizations, faith-based groups, and Ava representatives to explore connections between community resilience and clean energy.
Kim praised Ava and its community partners for supporting locally led clean energy solutions and urged continued funding for the program beyond 2027.
4. (12:11) Closed Session Public Comment
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No public comments were received for this item.
5. (12:37) Closed Session
a. PUBLIC EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE EVALUATION Pursuant to Government Code Section 54957. Title: Chief Executive Officer
b. CONFERENCE WITH LABOR NEGOTIATORS Pursuant to Government Code Section 54957.6. Agency Representatives: Inder Khalsa, Jonathan Tedesco, Betsy Andersen, and Juan González. Unrepresented employee: Chief Executive Officer.
6. (53:29) Report Out of Closed Session
There were no items to report out of Closed Session.
CONSENT AGENDA
7. (53:37) Approval of Minutes from June 17, 2026
8. Contracts Entered Into (Informational Item)
9. Legal Services Agreement Approval (Action Item) R-2026-15 Approving contracts for FY26/27 legal services in accordance with the approved budget
10.Joint Powers Agreement Exhibits B and C Update (Informational Item) Reviewing revised Exhibits B and C to the Ava Community Energy Joint Powers Agreement to update Annual Energy Use and Voting Shares based on 2024 load data
11.EcoBlock Grant (Action Item) R-2026-16
Approving a Resolution Authorizing Funding for the EcoBlock Neighborhood Electrification Project
(54:56) Public Comment – Jessica Tovar
Public Comment – Avi Wong
Public Comment – Dohee Kim
Jessica Tovar, Avi Wong, and Dohee Kim spoke in support for EcoBlock and its efforts to advance community-level decarbonization, particularly in underserved communities.
They raised concerns about providing funding outside Ava’s established public grant process and urged the agency to use transparent application procedures, objective criteria, community and Board/CAC participation, and clear public notice when allocating Local Development Fund resources.
Alternate Member Blower motioned to approve the Consent Agenda. Vice-Chair Gonzalez seconded the motion, which was approved 16/0/0/0/2 (yes/no/abstain/recuse/not present):
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Yes: Members: Marquez, Lopez, Tregub, Morada, Kaur, Keng, Roche, Barrientos, Del Catancio, Brown, Balch, Blower, Nygard, Sakakihara, Vice-Chair Gonzalez and Chair Andersen
No: none
Abstain: none
Recuse: none
Not Present: Members: Diallo and Rickman
REGULAR AGENDA
Pursuant to Board direction, any agenda item not started by 9:00 p.m. will be continued to a future meeting unless the Board, by majority vote, elects to hear the item that evening.
The Board may also determine an alternate disposition of the item at its discretion.
12.(1:10:22) CEO Report
Howard Chang, CEO, presented the CEO Report and answered questions from the Board. A written version of the report is available in the July 15, 2026 agenda packet. (1:27:50) Public Comment – Jessica Tovar reflected on the passing of former Alameda County Supervisor Scott Haggerty, describing him as a strong supporter of community choice energy and an important ally in the establishment of what is now Ava Community Energy.
13.(1:31:18) CAC Report
CAC Chair Souza presented the CAC Chair Report. A written version of this report is available in the July 15, 2026 agenda packet.
There were no comments for this item.
14.(1:40:52) 2026 IRP Compliance Analysis & Filing (Action Item) R-2026-17 Overview of compliance analysis and filing materials
Marie Fontenot, Senior Vice President of Power Resources, and John Newton, Director of Regulatory Affairs, presented the 2026 IRP Compliance Analysis and Filing and answered questions from the board.
Public Comment – Jim Lutz expressed appreciation for the complexity of the modeling work and observed that regulatory requirements appear to limit how flexibly Ava can use the modeling tool for compliance purposes. He asked whether there are opportunities to improve or challenge CPUC modeling assumptions and requirements over time, and whether the tool could also be useful for Ava’s internal planning outside the required regulatory templates.
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Vice-Chair Gonzalez motioned to approve the staff recommendation. Member Tregub seconded the motion, which was approved 16/0/0/0/2 (yes/no/abstain/recuse/not present):
Yes: Members: Marquez, Lopez, Tregub, Morada, Kaur, Keng, Roche, Barrientos, Del Catancio, Brown, Balch, Blower, Nygard, Sakakihara, Vice-Chair Gonzalez and Chair Andersen
No: none
Abstain: none
Recuse: none
Not Present: Members: Diallo and Rickman
15.(2:38:58) Ava Bike Electric Extension (Action Item) R-2026-18 Approving a Resolution to add funding and extend the e-bike rebate program for one additional year
Brett Wiley, Transportation Electrification Manager, presented the Ava Bike Electric Extension item and answered questions from the board.
(3:05:33) Public Comment – Dan Gallagher
(3:06:08) Public Comment – Jill Holloway
(3:07:18) Public Comment – Kansas Waugh
Dan Gallagher, Jill Holloway, and Kansas Waugh expressed strong support for extending the Ava Bike Electric program and approving additional funding. Speakers highlighted the program’s high demand, role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and importance as a major e-bike incentive program for Alameda County residents, while also noting its positive impact on local businesses and the regional economy. They also emphasized the program’s practical benefits for participants, including helping residents replace car trips with e-bikes and improving affordable transportation options for families.
Member Barrientos motioned to approve the staff recommendation. Member Tregub offered a friendly amendment to increase funding from $2 million to $3 million for FY 2026. Member Barrientos accepted the friendly amendment, and the motion was approved 15/1/0/0/2 (yes/no/abstain/recuse/not present):
Yes: Members: Marquez, Lopez, Tregub, Kaur, Keng, Roche, Barrientos, Del Catancio, Brown, Balch, Blower, Nygard, Sakakihara, Vice-Chair Gonzalez and Chair Andersen
No: Member Morada
Abstain: none
Recuse: none
Not Present: Members: Diallo and Rickman
(3:18:17) Motion to extend the meeting until 9:30 pm
Member Barrientos motioned to extend the meeting until 9:30pm. Member Balch clarified that no additional agenda items would be started after 9:30pm. Member Ava Community Energy
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Barrientos accepted the clarification, and Member Balch seconded the motion. The motion was not approved 7/8/0/0/3 (yes/no/abstain/recuse/not present) Yes: Members: Lopez, Tregub, Barrientos, Del Catancio, Balch, Sakakihara, Vice-Chair Gonzalez No: Members: Marquez, Morada, Kaur, Keng, Roche, Blower, Nygard and Chair Andersen
Abstain: none
Recuse: none
Not Present: Members: Diallo, Brown and Rickman
16.San Leandro Default Service Plan Transition from Renewable 100 to Bright Choice (Action Item)
Approving a Resolution to accommodate the City’s request to change its default from R100 to BC according to a schedule TBD by the CEO and the City Due to time constraints, this item was continued to the September 16, 2026 Board meeting.
17.Chair and Vice-Chair Appointment (Action Item)
Due to time constraints, this item was continued to the September 16, 2026 Board meeting.
18.(3:21:26) Board Member and Staff Announcements including requests to place items on future Board of Directors Meeting Agendas
No announcements or requests to agendize future items were made.
19.(3:21:42) Adjourn
Chair Andersen adjourned the meeting in memory of former Alameda County District 1 Supervisor Scott Haggerty.
The meeting was adjourned at 9:22pm.
The next Ava Board of Directors meeting will be held on Wednesday, September 16, 2026 at 6:00 pm.