MINUTES
Board of Directors of the
Clean Power Alliance of Southern California
Regular Meeting
Thursday, September 5, 2024, 2:00 p.m.
Meeting videos are available on CPA's YouTube Channel.
http://www.youtube.com/@CPApublicmeetings
Board members participated from the following locations:
Calabasas City Hall
Council Conference Room
100 Civic Center Way
Calabasas, CA 91301
Clean Power Alliance
Diana Mahmud Board Room
801 S. Grand Ave., Suite 400
Los Angeles, CA 90017
Whittier City Hall
Admin Conference Room
13230 Penn Street
Whittier, CA 90602
Ventura County Government Center
Point Mugu Conference Room, 4th Floor
Hall of Administration
800 South Victoria Avenue
Ventura, CA 93009
South Bay Cities Council of Governments
Conference Room
2355 Crenshaw Blvd., Suite 125
Torrance, CA 90501
CALL TO ORDER & ROLL CALL
Chair Klein Lopez called the meeting to order at 2:00 p.m. and Gabriela Monzon, Clerk of the Board, conducted roll call.
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
Director Crosswhite led the pledge of allegiance.
Roll Call
1 Agoura Hills Deborah Klein Lopez Chair Present
2 Alhambra Jeff Maloney Director Present
3 Arcadia Michael Cao Alternate Present
4 Beverly Hills Julian Gold Alternate Present
5 Calabasas Ed Albrecht Director Remote
6 Camarillo Susan Santangelo Director Remote
7 Carson Cedric Hicks Director Remote
8 Claremont Corey Calaycay Director Present
9 Culver City Joe Susca Alternate Remote
10 Downey Horacio Ortiz Director Remote
11 Hawaiian Gardens Absent
12 Hawthorne Alex Monteiro Director Present
13 Hermosa Beach Doug Krauss Alternate Present
14 Los Angeles County Lindsey Horvath Vice Chair Present 15 Malibu Marianne Riggins Director Remote
16 Manhattan Beach Amy Howorth Director Remote
17 Monrovia Edward Belden Director Present
18 Moorpark Renee Delgado Director Remote
19 Ojai Michelle Ellison Alternate Remote
20 Oxnard Bert Perello Director Remote
21 Paramount Michelle Muller Alternate Remote
22 Redondo Beach Absent
23 Rolling Hills Estates Debby Stegura Director Remote
24 Santa Monica Gleam Davis Director Present
25 Santa Paula Jenny Crosswhite Director Present
26 Sierra Madre Absent
27 Simi Valley Rocky Rhodes Director Present
28 South Pasadena Jon Primuth Director Present
29 Temple City Ed Chen Director Present
30 Thousand Oaks David Newman Director Remote
31 City of Ventura Liz Campos Director Remote
32 Ventura County Vianey Lopez Vice Chair Present
33 West Hollywood Absent
34 Westlake Village Absent
35 Whittier Mary Ann Pacheco Director Remote
All votes are unanimous unless otherwise stated.
GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT
There was no public comment.
CONSENT AGENDA
1. Approve Minutes from the June 21, 2024 Board of Directors Special Meeting
2. Approve Minutes from the July 11, 2024 Board of Directors Regular Meeting
3. Appoint One New Member to the Community Advisory Committee for the Open Position in West/Unincorporated Ventura County Region for a May 2024-April 2026 Term
4. Approve and Authorize the Chief Executive Officer to Execute a Professional Services Agreement with Arup US Inc. for Consulting Engineering Services for the Power Ready Programs with a Total Not-to-Exceed Amount of $974,770 for a Two-Year Initial Term with the Option to Renew for Two Successive One Year Terms for a Maximum of Two Additional Years
5. Adopt Resolution 24-09-072 to Approve Amendments to the Records Retention Policy No. 2019-11
6. Adopt Resolution 24-09-073 Authorizing an Increase of the $1,500,000,000 Single Transaction Limitation of Aggregate Principal Amount of Clean Energy Project Revenue Bonds to $1,524,280,000 and a Related Amendment of the Clean Energy Purchase Contract entered into in Connection with the August 2024 Energy Prepayment Transaction
7. Receive and File Calendar Year Q2 Risk Management Team Report
8. Receive and File Calendar Year Q3 Communications Report
9. Receive and File Calendar Year Q3 Member Agency Program Report
10. Receive and File Annual Electricity Usage by Jurisdiction
11. Receive and File Bill Positions July 2024 Monthly Report
12. Receive and File Monthly Community Advisory Committee Report Director Rhodes pulled Item 11 from the consent agenda.
Motion: Director Gold, Beverly Hills
Second: Director Davis, Santa Monica
Vote: The consent agenda, with the exception of Item 11, was approved by roll call vote.
Director Rhodes expressed concern about support on SB 1221 and AB 1176, noting he believes the legislation burdens member agencies without providing tangible benefits.
Motion: Vice Chair Horvath, Los Angeles County
Second: Director Gold, Beverly Hills
Vote: Item 11 was approved by roll call vote with No votes from Directors Calaycay, Rhodes, and Delgado.
REGULAR AGENDA
13. Adopt Resolution No. 24-09-074 Approving the Amended Power Share Community Solar Tariff and Power Share Tariff and Approve Proposed Power Share Auto-Enrollment Criteria
Alex Ricklefs, Program Manager, Community Solar, presented an overview of the Power Share program, which provides participating customers with a 20% bill discount and 100% renewable energy generated locally. The CPUC has directed CPA to auto-enroll customers rather than have customers opt-in. Mr. Ricklefs provided a breakdown of customers by member agency, then reviewed CPUC requirements. CPA’s clean energy capacity is expanded by 6.1 MW for a total program capacity of 18.3 MW, which expands the customer base from 6,500 to 10,000. Current customers will remain in the program. A large one-time auto-enrollment will take place in January of 2025, aiming to enroll about 4,000 new customers, focusing on CARE or FERA customers, customers in disadvantaged communities, and/or customers at high risk of disconnection. After that, CPA will do a monthly auto-enrollment of about 25 to 50 customers. Mr. Ricklefs noted that staff will review accounts that are on payment plans, in arrears, and/or located in disadvantaged communities census tracts. Customers who meet multiple criteria will be identified as most in need. Staff will submit tariffs to the CPUC via a Tier Advice Letter, implement auto-enrollment in January of 2025, and release the RFO for new Power Share projects in the first half of 2025. Chair Klein Lopez praised staff for fulfilling the Executive Committee’s request to develop a method identifying at-risk customers from all eligible communities within CPA’s service area.
In response to Director questions, staff explained that there are about 200,000 total CARE/FERA customers in CPA territory and about 90,000 of those are in the 75th percentile of disadvantaged communities. Staff also clarified that the CPUC provides subsidies to CPA for the 20% customer bill discount and the reimbursement of above market procurement costs of the local solar projects that supply the program, including the new additional capacity for the program.
Additionally, based on the prioritization method proposed, customers who will be enrolled in the program will already be on some sort of payment plan and that the CPUC may consider the expansion of the program in the future, barring any funding challenges. Lastly, staff addressed questions relating to assisting customers with financial hardships. CPA offers several programs to assist customers experiencing financial duress and may prioritize such customers for auto-enrollment as needed. Regarding the City of Whittier’s high levels of customer participation, staff noted that the California Energy Commission (CEC) funded a regional Advanced Energy Community program in the area with that increased outreach and customer participation in the city.
Motion: Vice Chair Horvath, Los Angeles County
Second: Director Monteiro, Hawthorne
Vote: Item 13 was approved by a roll call vote.
14. Approve and Authorize the Chief Executive Officer to Execute a Professional Services Agreement with ev.energy to Develop and Implement a Managed Electric Vehicle Charging Program for CPA Residential Customers for a One Year Initial Term with Successive One Year Terms, with a Three-Year Total Not-to-Exceed Amount of $1,734,091 Joanne O'Neill, Director of Customer Programs, provided program information, stating that the goal is to encourage customers to charge during low-cost hours.
CPA is projecting ten-fold growth in electric vehicle ownership by 2045. Ms. O’Neill described the managed charging program, which offers customer incentives to charge vehicles at times that are financially beneficial to the customer and enhance grid reliability. Staff has a goal of enrolling at least 6,600 customers each year, representing approximately 5% of EV drivers in CPA’s service area. The program will provide more than 2.8 MW of managed load annually and promote retention through customer satisfaction surveys. Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) are the programs’ primary target, and Plug-in Hybrid Vehicles (PHEVs), and EV chargers (EVSEs) will also be eligible. Ms. O’Neill explained the customer experience, including onboarding, charging methods, app engagement, and rewards.
Customers will receive reports on savings, emissions, and incentives/rewards. The selected vendor has experience operating programs for other CCAs and will aim to enroll 19,800 customers over the three-year contract. The vendor is able to leverage funds from the CEC to offset up to 50% of customer incentive payments, which are calculated at just under $1.5 million.
Director Crosswhite inquired about the charging mechanism and how CPA would ensure this type of charging does not harm customer equipment. Staff noted that devices can charge adaptively and explained charging cycles; staff will follow up with the vendor to clarify. In response to Director Maloney’s question about electric vehicle brands, staff noted that some manufacturers are more challenging to work with as they want full control their data and telematics. On the subject of data, the vendor is prohibited from collecting information on customers’ personal driving habits. Director Stegura asked about marketing and outreach; staff will conduct outreach through the automakers, and the Department of Motor Vehicles will also provide CPA with information about drivers of electric vehicles. There are agreements in place to protect customer data. Director Perello pointed to issues relating to EV charging in homeowner and community associations for staff awareness.
Motion: Vice Chair Horvath, Los Angeles County
Second: Director Gold, Beverly Hills
Vote: Item 14 was approved by a roll call vote.
15. Approve a Support Position on Proposition 4 – the Safe Drinking Water, Wildlife Presentation, Drought Preparedness and Clean Air Bond Act of 2024, as Supported by the Legislative & Regulatory Committee
Gina Goodhill, Senior Director of Government Affairs, explained that the bond would authorize use of $10 billion for various elements, including clean energy issues, safe drinking water, wildlife and open space protection, and drought preparedness. A little more than $1 billion would support transmission, battery storage, utility infrastructure enhancement, extreme heat response and offshore wind. The Legislative and Regulatory Committee recommended a support position, and Committee Chair Hicks added that a key component of the proposition is that it requires 40% of the projects to benefit disadvantaged communities.
Vice Chair Horvath expressed support for the measure, stating that it would help Los Angeles County meet their climate change response goals. Chair Klein Lopez agreed with the support position, noting that the proposition is consistent with CPA’s policy platform. In response to Director Perello’s concerns about support of the legislation, Nancy Whang, General Counsel, clarified that Board Members can vote yes, no, or abstain and that a vote does not create personal liability for a Board member. Ms. Whang explained that the agency is prohibited from spending agency funds on advocacy in support of the proposition. If the CPA Board votes to support, that position is only from the Joint Powers Authority and not individual member agencies.
Motion: Director Monteiro, Hawthorne
Second: Director Davis, Santa Monica
Vote: Item 15 was approved by a roll call vote with abstentions from Directors Calaycay, Perello, Rhodes, and Chen.
COMMITTEE CHAIR UPDATES
Director Hicks, Chair of the Legislative Committee, reported on the South Coast Air Quality Management District’s consideration of new requirements to electrify water heaters and furnaces by 2027 and 2028, respectively, when older appliances need replacing. The Committee will report back to the Board of Directors on the financial impact to customers.
MANAGEMENT REPORT
Mr. Bardacke reported that CPA will sunset the Reach Code Program by the end of 2025; encouraged Board members to review the member agency report for the status of Power Ready projects in their respective jurisdictions. As part of the Energized Communities program, CPA will launch the Innovation Grant program, and staff has been meeting with city managers regarding the initiative that will fund $250,000 for sustainability projects.
Applications are due at the beginning of December.
Responding to Director Rhodes’ inquiry about Southern California Edison (SCE) rates, Mr.
Bardacke explained that SCE will inform the CPUC of its generation rate reduction by September 20th, which will impact CPA’s competitiveness levels beginning in October but will not impact CPA customer bills. More information about potential changes to the Power Charge Indifference Adjustment (PCIA) will be known later in October; changes to the PCIA would impact CPA customer bills, which would be discussed at the November Board meeting. Regarding the member agency programs dashboard, Mr. Bardacke also clarified that staff will reach out to Board members if there are any significant issues with projects in their jurisdictions.
BOARD MEMBER COMMENTS
Director Monteiro reported that he attended a presentation at the U.S. Hybrid plant in Torrance regarding plans to build hydrogen-powered buses, trucks, and minivans.
REPORT FROM THE CHAIR
Chair Klein noted that the state is experiencing a severe heat wave and thanked CPA staff and Board members for their leadership during times of stress on the grid.
ADJOURN
Chair Klein Lopez adjourned the meeting at 3:53 p.m.