MINUTES
Executive Committee of the
Clean Power Alliance of Southern California
Regular Meeting
Thursday, September 19, 2024
1:30 p.m.
Meeting videos are available on CPA's YouTube Channel.
http://www.youtube.com/@CPApublicmeetings
Committee Members participated in this meeting from the following locations:
Agoura Hills City Hall
Planning Conference Room
30001 Ladyface Court
Agoura Hills, CA 91301
Clean Power Alliance Office
Executive Conference Room
801 S. Grand Ave., Suite 400
Los Angeles, CA 90017
Sierra Madre City Hall
Council Chambers
232 W. Sierra Madre Blvd.
Sierra Madre, CA 91024
Camarillo City Hall
Office of the Mayor
601 Carmen Drive
Camarillo, CA 93010
Ventura County Government Center
CEO Point Mugu Room, 4th Floor
Hall of Administration
800 South Victoria Avenue
Ventura, CA 93009
Carson City Hall
Executive Conference Room
701 East Carson Street
Carson, CA 90745
Los Angeles County Hall of Administration
Sybil Brand Conference Room, Room 372
500 West Temple Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Ojai City Hall
Conference Room
401 S Ventura St.
Ojai, CA 93023
Beverly Hills City Hall
Council Office, 4th Floor
455 N. Rexford Drive
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
Alhambra City Hall
Conference Room
111 S. First St.
Alhambra, CA 91801
Hawthorne City Hall
Administrative Office
4455 W. 126th Street
Hawthorne, CA 90250
CALL TO ORDER & ROLL CALL
Chair Klein Lopez called the meeting to order at 1:30 p.m., and Gabriela Monzon, Clerk of the Board, conducted a roll call.
Roll Call
Agoura Hills Deborah Klein Lopez Chair Remote
Alhambra Jeff Maloney Committee Member Remote
Beverly Hills Julian Gold Immediate Past Chair Remote
Camarillo Susan Santangelo Committee Member Remote
Carson Cedric Hicks Committee Member Remote
Hawthorne Alex Monteiro Committee Member Absent
Los Angeles County Rita Kampalath Alternate Committee
Member Remote
Ojai Betsy Stix Committee Member Remote
Sierra Madre Robert Parkhurst Committee Member Remote
Ventura County Vianey Lopez Vice Chair Remote
All votes are unanimous unless otherwise stated.
GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT
There was no public comment.
CONSENT AGENDA
1. Approve Minutes from August 15, 2024, Executive Committee Meeting Motion: Committee Member Hicks, Carson
Second: Committee Member Parkhurst, Sierra Madre
Vote: The consent agenda was approved by a roll call vote
REGULAR AGENDA
2. Oral Update from the CEO on CPA Operations
Ted Bardacke, Chief Executive Officer, acknowledged Deborah Klein Lopez’s six-month anniversary as the Chair of the Board of Directors. SCE is expected to file its rate change for October, anticipating a significant decrease in generation rates and an increase in delivery rates, impacting CPA’s competitiveness. The October filing will determine the PCIA (Power Charge Indifference Adjustment) fee that will go into effect in 2025. Staff will provide the Executive Committee with an overview of next year’s rates at the next meeting. Additionally, Chief Financial Officer David McNeil will present the financial audit results from Fiscal Year 2023/2024 at the November Board meeting. Committee Member Parkhurst asked about the change in SCE’s rates, and staff said they expect the utility’s delivery rates to go up significantly in the next few years.
3. Review Draft Agenda for the October 11, 2024, Board of Directors Meeting Mr. Bardacke stated that the consent agenda includes an appointment to the Community Advisory Committee and an amendment to the SunZia agreement.
The regular agenda will include an item on the Energy Team customer program and a discussion of a collaboration with Los Angeles County to provide energy-efficient air conditioners to low-income residents. Eligible customers will receive a $300 point-of-sale credit with a barcode to be presented at a retailer or when ordering online. Staff has developed a marketing plan to reach member agencies’ low-income customers. Regarding the Energy Team, Director Gold suggested that CPA produce outreach materials that can be presented to the public via City Council meetings. Staff replied that marketing and government relations staff could work on that.
4. Receive Presentation on the Energized Communities Innovation Fund and Provide Input on the Selection Committee Structure that will Recommend Innovation Fund Projects to the Board of Directors
Sona Coffee, Senior Program Manager of Local Government Programs, presented information about the Energized Communities Program and Innovation Fund. Ms.
Coffee requested input from the Committee on the structure of the Innovation Fund’s Selection Committee. The fund will provide up to $250,000 to support decarbonization projects in member agencies’ communities, building electrification, electric fleet transition, and community Electric Vehicle charging.
The application period runs from October 1, 2024, to December 4, 2024, and CPA will provide proposal assistance. Member agencies can receive funding for one project per cycle. The Selection Committee will be required to spend two to three weeks reviewing the project applications and making recommendations to the full Board. Ms. Coffee presented three options for the proposed structure of the Selection Committee: CPA staff only; CPA staff and Community Advisory Committee (CAC) representatives; and CPA staff, CAC representatives, and/or local external experts. Ms. Coffee discussed the benefits and challenges of each option; for instance, having external experts would create more diversity in the panel but would take more time as those experts would need to be identified, vetted, and educated about CPA’s mission. Staff recommends option two. The Round 1 timeline has the Selection Committee recommendations completed by January 2025, the Board approving projects in February or March 2025, and funding agreements executed in April.
In response to Committee Member Gold’s inquiry about the completion of selected projects, staff stated that the details of the funding agreement are still being finalized, including addressing unexpected changes in project completion timelines; however, progress reports will be required for all projects. Staff clarified for Committee Member Santangelo that Board members were not considered for the Selection Committee to avoid potential conflicts of interest when final funding decisions are made. Committee Member Parkhurst asked about the compressed timeline. Staff noted that in discussions with city staff about the projects, the specific timeline question was asked, and no concerns were raised; however, the timeline could be adjusted as needed. The Committee agreed that this grant program would be appropriate for engagement with the Community Advisory Committee and directed staff to move forward with option two.
5. Review and Provide Input on the Proposed Amendments to CPA’s Non-Energy Public Contracting Policy
Scott Gropp, Strategic Sourcing Manager, stated that proposed changes include adding the CEO’s delegated signature authority to the policy to create a single non-energy procurement document, increasing the CEO’s delegated signing authority to $250,000 for any single contract in a 12-month period or for a single vendor within any single fiscal year period; replacing the CEO’s authority to increase Board-approved contract amounts by 10% with a $250,000 dollar limit; changing the name of an “Informal Bid” to a “Request for Quote” (RFQu) and formally establish requirements for the RFQu; and updating the dollar values that trigger certain types of solicitations. For services or a combination of goods and services, any contract with an anticipated value greater than $100,000 will require a Request for Proposal or a Request for Qualifications/Task Order Solicitation. Anything between $10,000 and $100,000 may be solicited through the RFQu process. A contract for goods with an anticipated value greater than $150,000 will require a Request for Bid process. Any contract with an anticipated value up to $75,000 will not require a solicitation and contracts with an anticipated value between $75,001 to $150,000 may use the RFQu process.
In response to Committee Members Parkhurst and Hicks' questions regarding the RFQu process, including the applicability and the number of quotes required, staff clarified that the CEO would make a final determination as to when it is applicable.
Still, it largely depends on the scope of work or goods being purchased. Staff added that a minimum of three quotes are required for an RFQu. The Committee supported staff changes and directed staff to place the item on the Board’s regular agenda to ensure that Board members could examine the changes thoroughly.
6. CONFERENCE WITH LEGAL COUNSEL—ANTICIPATED LITIGATION Significant exposure to litigation pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (d) of Section 54956.9: 1
Vice Chair Lopez reconvened the meeting. Nancy Whang, General Counsel, reported there was no reportable action on Item 6 and that the Committee provided direction.
COMMITTEE MEMBER COMMENTS
Committee Member Parkhurst reported that he met with the CEO of SCE, who told him SCE rates will not increase substantially in October. SCE has been hardening the grid system near Sierra Madre, which is vulnerable to wildfires.
ADJOURN
Vice Chair Lopez adjourned the meeting at 3:05 p.m.