MINUTES
MEETING of the Executive Committee of the
Clean Power Alliance of Southern California
Wednesday, January 19, 2022, 1:30 p.m.
Pursuant to the Proclamation of the State of Emergency by Governor Newsom on March 4, 2020, AB 361, and enacting Resolutions, and as a response to mitigating the spread of COVID19, the Executive Committee conducted this meeting remotely.
CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL
Chair Mahmud called the meeting to order at 1:30 p.m. and Raynette Tom, Interim Board Clerk, conducted roll call.
Roll Call
Agoura Hills Deborah Klein Lopez Committee Member Remote Beverly Hills Julian Gold Committee Member Remote
Camarillo Susan Santangelo Committee Member Remote
Los Angeles County Sheila Kuehl Vice Chair Remote
Rolling Hills Estates Steve Zuckerman Committee Member Remote Sierra Madre Robert Parkhurst Committee Member Remote
South Pasadena Diana Mahmud Chair Remote
Ventura County Linda Parks Vice Chair Remote
West Hollywood Robyn Eason
Alternate Committee
Member Remote
All items are unanimously approved unless otherwise stated.
GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT
None.
CONSENT AGENDA
1. Approve Minutes from November 17, 2021, Executive Committee Meeting Vote: Item 1 was approved by a roll call vote.
REGULAR AGENDA
2. Oral Update from the Chief Executive Officer on CPA Operations Ted Bardacke, CEO, discussed the departure of Sr. Director of External Affairs, Sherita Coffelt from CPA, and the rehiring of Gabby Monzon as the Clerk of the Board. Mr. Bardacke informed the Committee of several upcoming items for Board consideration, including budgeting, rate setting, program developments, and power purchase agreements.
Clean Power Alliance Executive Committee Meeting Page 2 of 3 January 19, 2022 Minutes
3. Review Draft Agenda for February 3, 2022, Board of Directors Meeting Mr. Bardacke reviewed the consent and regular agenda items and discussed the memorandum of understanding with the Los Angeles Electrical Training Institute for the workforce development program.
4. Review Draft Amendments to CPA By-laws
Mr. Bardacke provided a brief explanation of the need for amendments to the bylaws; the current Chair and Vice-Chairs will not be able to hold officer positions after 2022, due to either term expiration or choosing not to run for local elective office. Thus, the two current Vice-Chairs would have to leave their CPA leadership positions in June 2022. At the same time, if a newly appointed Supervisor wanted to run for Vice-Chair, that Supervisor must have attended 50% of Regular Meetings in the prior 12 months, in accordance with the bylaws. Additionally, approximately half of CPA’s Board members are also up for reelection or will be termed out. This will cause a shift in the eligibility of Regular Directors to hold a leadership position.
The proposed changes to the bylaws are to set the County Supervisors for each county Member Agency as Vice Chairs automatically, rather than elected; a process is delineated for the election of a Vice Chair in the event that a Vice Chair seeks to run for Chair and wins; a minor edit to allow an immediate past Chair to also be an Alternate Director; and other minor edits for internal consistency.
In response to Vice Chair Kuehl’s question regarding the eligibility criteria, Nancy Whang, General Counsel, clarified that all Executive Committee members must have attended at least 50% of CPA’s RegPular Meetings in the 12 months before the election; the proposed change would eliminate this requirement for Vice-Chairs.
Vice Chair Kuehl expressed some concern that in Los Angeles County the next appointed representative might not be well versed or involved in CPA’s activities and encouraged discussion on any potential downsides of making the change for Vice Chairs. Vice Chair Parks expressed support for the proposed changes and noted the significance of appointing experienced and knowledgeable County representatives. Committee Member Parkhurst echoed the importance of having educational resources to ensure new members become knowledgeable in CPA activities. Committee Member Eason suggested the possibility of staggering Vice Chair terms. Committee Members Lopez, Santangelo, and Zuckerman also supported the Vice Chair automatic appointment from the respective Boards of Supervisors. In response to Committee Member Gold’s question regarding removal, Ms. Whang explained that the currently bylaws contain a mechanism for removal of Board officers even without cause. Responding to Committee Member Zuckerman’s suggestion, Mr. Bardacke noted that CPA staff has not been involved in the appointment process of member agencies.
The Executive Committee agreed with the proposed changes and staff indicated that it would proceed with the amendment process.
CLOSED SESSSION
5. CONFERENCE WITH LEGAL COUNSEL—ANTICIPATED LITIGATION Clean Power Alliance Executive Committee Meeting Page 3 of 3 January 19, 2022 Minutes
Significant exposure to litigation pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (d) of Section 54956.9: 1
Ms. Whang reported that no reportable action was taken and direction was provided to staff.
COMMITTEE MEMBER COMMENTS
Vice Chair Kuehl announced upcoming meetings hosted by the Chief Sustainability Office for both city staff in Los Angeles County cities and for elected officials.
Committee Member Parkhurst reported that a meeting was held to evaluate projects for the Reliability RFO. Committee Member Zuckerman inquired about the CPUC proceeding on Resource Adequacy and the position of CPA on net energy metering (NEM). Matt Langer, Chief Operating Officer, explained that the RA proceeding is very complex, but staff will provide an update to the Energy Committee; Mr. Bardacke clarified there is a proceeding at the CPUC for NEM, however, that decision does not determine what CPA can do with regard to NEM; briefly listed CPA’s NEM principles. Vice Chair Parks shared that she may request that the Ventura County Board of Supervisors send an opposition letter to the Governor and the CPUC opposing efforts that will increase costs for solar rooftop.
ADJOURN
Chair Mahmud adjourned the meeting at 3:04.