MINUTES
Executive Committee of the
Clean Power Alliance of Southern California
Regular Meeting
Thursday, October 24, 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 Annie Mendoza, Deputy Clerk of the Board, conducted roll call.
Roll Call
Agoura Hills Deborah Klein Lopez Chair Remote
Alhambra Jeff Maloney Committee Member Remote
Beverly Hills Julian Gold Immediate Past Chair Absent
Camarillo Susan Santangelo Committee Member Remote
Carson Cedric Hicks Committee Member Remote
Hawthorne Alex Monteiro Committee Member Remote
Los Angeles County Rita Kampalath Alternate 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 September 19, 2024, Executive Committee Meeting Motion: Committee Member Parkhurst, Sierra Madre
Second: Committee Member Santangelo, Camarillo
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, informed the Committee that Deputy Clerk of the Board Annie Mendoza will perform clerk duties while Clerk of the Board Gabby Monzon is on leave. Mr. Bardacke also thanked Directors Parkhurst and Maloney for their extra time on the RFO Review Team and regular committee obligations to review energy contract proposals.
3. Review Draft Agenda for the November 7, 2024, Board of Directors Meeting Mr. Bardacke reported that CPA had to terminate a contract with a vendor that provides communication and marketing services. A contract amendment for an existing contractor who will be able to take on additional tasks will be presented to the Board. Mr. Bardacke also discussed possible regular agenda items for power purchase agreements and a low-income solar and storage program.
Under informational items, Mr. Bardacke reported that the Finance Committee would be meeting with an auditor to review financial results for the Fiscal Year 2023-2024, noting that CPA’s reserves have increased to 37 percent of annual operating expenses, exceeding the minimum board target of 30 percent; days liquidity on hand is at 158 days, exceeding the minimum of 120 days; and CPA has transferred $135 million for the Fiscal Stabilization Fund, which had been at zero for the past several years. The Board will also receive information about the 2024-2025 Rates Outlook.
Regarding the Executive Committee, Mr. Bardacke shared that Director Stix of Ojai will not be running for re-election and, therefore, cannot continue serving on CPA’s Executive Committee. Director Stix thanked CPA staff and expressed confidence that the person taking her place will contribute to CPA’s success. Mr. Bardacke thanked her for her high level of engagement as a CPA Board member. Chair Klein Lopez added that the City of Ojai is a model of sustainable living and effective environmental policy-making.
4. Receive Presentation on Workforce Development and Provide Feedback on Funding Pre-Apprenticeship Programs and Expanding Voyager Scholarships Mr. Bardacke gave a brief background of CPA’s workforce development efforts, explaining that staff consulted with IBEW and discovered the electrician’s union needed support recruiting people into apprenticeship programs. Other research found that community college scholarships were not being distributed at the expected level because they did not cover all fees and it was unclear if they would last beyond one year.
Xico Manarolla, Program Manager of Electrification, stated that staff put together a plan to expand workforce development offerings and to update CPA’s Voyager scholarship program for community colleges. The Board's 2020 direction was to provide training resources to facilitate building and transportation electrification and support union apprenticeships. Mr. Manarolla noted that CPA has provided $779,900 in funding to date and that there is still $2,570,010 available from the workforce funding volunteered by developers like Voyager. This amount includes $750,000 in 2026 from SunZia.
Staff recommended that CPA work with the Flintridge Center, which has run workforce development programs since 2007 and uses the MC3 curriculum. A three-year MOU with the center costs $435,000 and provides stipends for 30 students per year, 90 in total. Women in Non-Traditional Employment Roles (WINTER) is also recommended as a partner to serve women ages 18 to 45, with a focus on those who are low-income, formerly incarcerated, aging out of foster care, and of color. Located in the City of Commerce, WINTER places 84 percent of students in apprenticeship programs within six months. This MOU costs $558,000 for three years and stipends 20 students per year, 60 in total.
For the Voyager scholarships, staff recommended increasing incentives for students enrolling in energy-related courses from $1,000 to $3,000 for full-time students and $1,500 for part-time students. The proposal is to add Mt. San Antonio and Cerritos community colleges to the program and to spend $270,000 in total for two-year agreements with nine colleges altogether, starting in 2026. The seven schools already under contract must exhaust current funding to receive new funding. Mr. Manarolla described the funding allocation broken down over the next three years and explained there is $1.3 million remaining for new programs or expanding the current ones.
Committee Member Hicks suggested adding Los Angeles Harbor College to the program and that students be provided with transportation assistance. Staff responded that transportation and other obstacles, such as childcare and attaining a driver’s license, were being addressed. In response to Chair Klein Lopez’s question about the promotion of the program, staff stated that the schools and the training centers primarily do the marketing and that referrals come from probation and parole officers, foster care, and social services agencies but that CPA would work with the program implementers to find ways to collaborate on marketing within CPA communities.
5. Receive Presentation on FY 2024-25 Rates Outlook
Matt Langer, Chief Operating Officer, provided information on SCEs proposed rate changes and impacts to CPA customers. Staff recommended that the Board wait until February, when rates are finalized, to adjust CPAs rates before the normal 2025-2026 rate-setting cycle. The overall concern is that lower rates from SCE will make CPA less competitive. Staff expect a favorable 2025 PCIA to result in competitive rate offers to the three new CPA member agencies during enrollment.
SCE’s generation rate reduction is temporary for 12 months and will increase by 18 percent in October 2025. The delivery rate increase of $5 per month results from wildfire and vegetation management and is paid by both SCE and CPA customers on the delivery side.
Mr. Langer described the implications of SCE’s 2025 Energy Resource Recovery Account (ERRA) generation rate-setting process and stated that different methodologies will affect how the PCIA rates may increase. CPA, CalCCA, and other CCAs in SCE territory are responding to SCE’s ERRA filing and advocating for the original RA accounting on both procedural and technical grounds.
Staff clarified for Chair Klein Lopez that CPA will be filing a brief in response to SCE’s filing. In response to Committee Member Parkhurst’s question about the timing of the judgment and response time, staff clarified that the CPUC will likely decide in December and that SCE will need until March to implement the rate changes. He also asked about PCIA rates for different cities, and staff responded that 98 percent of CPA’s customers came on board in 2018 and have the same PCIA rate.
Committee members came to a consensus that no interim rate action was needed at least until CPUC issues were sorted out and final PCIA and SCE rates for 2025 were determined.
COMMITTEE MEMBER COMMENTS
None
ADJOURN
Vice Chair Lopez adjourned the meeting at 2:53 p.m.