Legislative & Regulatory Committee of the
Clean Power Alliance of Southern California
Regular Meeting
Wednesday, October 29, 2025
10:00am
Visit CPA’s YouTube Channel to view a Live Stream of the Meeting www.youtube.com/@CPApublicmeetings
*There may be a streaming delay of up to 90 seconds. This is a view-only live stream.
Clean Power Alliance
Executive Conference Room
801 S. Grand Ave., Suite 400
Los Angeles, CA 90017
Members of the public may also participate in this meeting at the following locations:
City of West Hollywood
3rd Floor City Manager’s Conference Room
8300 Santa Monica Blvd.
West Hollywood, CA 90069
Carson City Hall
Executive Conference Room
701 East Carson Street
Carson, CA 90745
LA County Hall of Administration
Sybil Brand Conference Room, Room 372500
West Temple Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Santa Monica City Hall
Room CH-201
1685 Main Street
Santa Monica, CA 90401
PUBLIC COMMENT: Members of the public may submit their comments by one of the following options:
• Email Public Comment: Members of the public are encouraged to submit written comments on any agenda item to [email protected] up to four hours before the meeting. Written public comments will be announced at the meeting and become part of the meeting record. Public comments received in writing will not be read aloud at the meeting. • Provide Public Comment During the Meeting: The General Public Comment item is reserved for persons wishing to address the Committee on any Clean Power Alliance-related matters not on today’s agenda. Public comments on matters on today’s Consent Agenda and Regular Agenda shall be heard at the time the matter is called. Comments on items on the Consent Agenda are consolidated into one public comment period. Members of the public who wish to address the Committee at CPA’s Office are requested to complete a comment card and provide it to staff. If you are attending from a remote location, please identify yourself to a CPA representative when your item is called. Each speaker is limited to two (2) minutes (in whole-minute increments) per agenda item with a cumulative total of five 5 minutes to be allocated between the General Public Comment, the entire Consent Agenda, or individual items in the Regular Agenda. Please refer to Policy No. 8 – Public Comment for additional information.
Agenda Page 1
NAVIGATING OUR AGENDA PACKETS
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ACCESSIBILITY: 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 two (2) working days before the meeting at [email protected] or (213) 713- 5995. Notification in advance of the meeting, while not required, will enable us to make reasonable arrangements to ensure accessibility to this meeting and the materials related to it.
CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL
GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT
CONSENT AGENDA
1. Approve Minutes from the June 25, 2025, Legislative & Regulatory Committee Meeting
REGULAR AGENDA
2. Provide Input on CPA’s Draft 2026 Legislative & Regulatory Policy Platform and Recommend Approval to the CPA Board of Directors
COMMITTEE MEMBER COMMENTS
ADJOURN – NEXT MEETING DATE TO BE DETERMINED
Public Records: Public records that relate to any item on the open session agenda for a regular Board Meeting are available for public inspection. Those records that are distributed less than 72 hours prior to the meeting are available for public inspection at the same time they are distributed to all, or a majority of, the members of the Board. Those documents are available for inspection at CPA Offices, 801 S. Grand Ave, Suite 400, Los Angeles, CA 90017 or online at www.cleanpoweralliance.org/agendas.
Agenda Page 2
Staff Report – Agenda Item 1
To: Legislative & Regulatory Committee
Subject: Approve Minutes from the June 25, 2025, Legislative & Regulatory Committee Meeting
Date: October 29, 2025
RECOMMENDATION
Approve.
ATTACHMENT
1. Minutes
Agenda Page 3
MINUTES
Legislative & Regulatory Committee
of the Clean Power Alliance of Southern California
Regular Meeting
Wednesday, June 25, 2025, 10:00 a.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:
Carson City Hall
Executive Conference Room
701 East Carson Street
Carson, CA 90745
Clean Power Alliance Office
Executive Conference Room
801 S. Grand Ave., Suite 400
Los Angeles, CA 90017
LA County Hall of Administration
Sybil Brand Conference Room, Room 372
500 West Temple Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
West Hollywood City Hall
3 rd Floor City Manager’s Conference Room
8300 Santa Monica Blvd.
West Hollywood, CA 90069
CALL TO ORDER & ROLL CALL
Chair Hicks called the meeting to order at 10:11 a.m. and Gabby Monzon, Clerk of the Board, conducted roll call.
ROLL CALL
Carson Cedric Hicks Committee Chair Remote
Los Angeles
County
Lindsay Horvath Vice Chair Remote
Santa Monica Absent
West Hollywood John Erickson Committee Member Remote
All votes are unanimous, unless otherwise stated.
GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT
There was no public comment.
CONSENT AGENDA
1. Approve Minutes from the March 26, 2025, Legislative Committee Meeting Motion: Committee Member Erickson, West Hollywood
Second: Committee Member Horvath, Los Angeles County
Vote: The consent agenda was approved by a roll call vote.
REGULAR AGENDA
2. Receive a Presentation on the Power Charge Indifference Adjustment Reform Proceeding
CC Song, Senior Director, Regulatory Affairs, presented background information about the PCIA and Energy Resource Recovery Account (ERRA). The PCIA Legislative & Regulatory Committee Item 1
Agenda Page 4
recovers costs from customers that depart from an IOU to join a CCA by charging them the net costs of generation contracts procured on their behalf by the IOU while they were bundled customers. The PCIA can be positive or negative in any one year. ERRA is the CPUC proceeding in which the PCIA is determined.
Part of the PCIA calculation is the 2025 RA Market Price Benchmarks (MPBs).
The MPBs were much higher than in past years, which depressed the PCIA. SCE proposed a different calculation of MPBs in the ERRA proceeding. This change along with a dispute with SCE over the categorization of Local RA were decided by the CPUC in the ERRA proceeding. The CPUC sided with SCE, thus increasing the PCIA for CPA customers. The CPUC stated that it would consider broader PCIA issues in 2025. It issued the PCIA and ERRA Reform proceeding in February 2025. Track 1 adopts changes to RA MPBs on an expedited basis for implementation by October 2025, and Track 2 changes to the PCIA framework are on a longer timeline, completed by 2028.
Ms. Song noted that the main issue in dispute in the PCIA and ERRA Reform proceeding was whether the MPB should continue to be set based on 2 years of data versus all available data, currently five years. The IOUs supported using all data; CalCCA supported MPBs based on recent market data, not old transactions under different market circumstances. Alternatively, CalCCA supported a compromise of using 3 years of data. The PD adopted a 4-year standard and maintained the principle that MPBs should be based on timely market transactions rather than all recorded transactions.
The PD is slated to be voted on June 26, 2025. CalCCA Preliminary analysis indicates that competitive margins across all IOU territories will decrease. CPA staff will analyze the impact on CPA’s competitiveness with SCE when data is available and develop positions on Track 2 once the scope ruling has been issued, which is currently expected in Q4 2025. The PCIA issue may come to the Board in October.
In response to Chair Hicks’ question regarding the impact of the January wildfires, staff clarified that it will not cause direct changes in the PCIA. Committee Member Horvath asked about ongoing advocacy at the CPUC, and staff noted that the current decision cannot be influenced but for the next phase, staff will monitor and schedule ex parte meetings as needed. Committee Member Horvath suggested CPA staff continue exploring opportunities related to distributed energy investments.
3. Oral Update on 2025 Legislative Activities and Seek Committee Guidance on Priorities for the Rest of the Legislative Session
Gina Goodhill, Senior Director, Government Affairs, provided legislative updates on affordability measures, Self-Generation Incentive Program (SGIP) advocacy, and an update on AB 306. Ms. Goodhill discussed AB 825 and SB 254, which propose large scale changes to the traditional utility model. CPA is tracking two AB 825 proposals - one that would create a Public Transmission Financing Fund and another that would create a Statewide Demand Side Management Program Review Task Force. Although the bill includes language that preserves CCA autonomy, CPA and CalCCA are concerned that the task force could enable increased CPUC oversight of CCA programs. Chair Hicks urged continued efforts to prevent an additional regulatory layer on CPA operations.
Legislative & Regulatory Committee Item 1
Agenda Page 5
On SGIP, Ms. Goodhill noted that despite engagement efforts, the CPUC has yet to approve any CCA programs, while IOU DR programs received automatic approval. CPA and other CCAs have urged legislative action on the issue and request that the Board Chair and Committee Members send a letter to the CPUC requesting immediate approval of CPA programs.
Regarding AB 306, Ms. Goodhill explained the bill would impose a moratorium on adopting new or modified residential building codes, with limited exceptions. CPA has advocated for amendments limiting the moratorium to new construction and allowing local governments 180 days to adopt and update their codes. CPA, Los Angeles County, Santa Monica, West Hollywood and Ventura have taken official Oppose Unless Amended positions. The AB 306 bill language was incorporated into AB 130, the Housing Budget Trailer Bill, and is expected to pass. Staff will assist member agencies in meeting deadlines.
Regarding AB 825, Committee Member Horvath acknowledged CPA’s dedication to affordability and expressed support for CalCCA’s legislative efforts. In response to her questions, staff clarified that the proposed task force would review all IOU/CCA energy efficiency and DR programs; CPA can adopt an Oppose Unless Amended or Support if Amended position. Another option is for CPA to take a position as an individual entity. Ms. Goodhill noted that CPA supports the remainder of the affordability measures.
The Committee expressed support for sending a letter to the CPUC regarding SGIP.
In response to the AB 306 report, Chair Hicks asked about next steps following the bill’s adoption. Staff noted they are working with member agencies participating in CPA’s Reach Code Program. Committee Member Horvath suggested linking the issue to fire rebuilding and resiliency efforts and engaging allies to emphasize fire safety. Ms. Goodhill added that many communities affected by the January wildfires opposed the bill. Chair Hicks requested an information sheet for Reach Code participants and other interested member agencies.
COMMITTEE MEMBER COMMENTS
None.
ADJOURN
Chair Hicks adjourned the meeting at 10:56 a.m.
Legislative & Regulatory Committee Item 1
Agenda Page 6
Staff Report – Agenda Item 2
To: Legislative & Regulatory Committee
From: Gina Goodhill, Senior Director, Government Affairs CC Song, Senior Director, Regulatory Affairs
Approved By: Ted Bardacke, Chief Executive Officer
Subject: End of Legislative Session Update and Proposed 2026 Legislative & Regulatory Policy Platform
Date: October 29, 2025
RECOMMENDATION
Provide input on CPA’s draft 2026 Legislative & Regulatory Policy Platform and recommend approval to the CPA Board of Directors.
BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION
The 2025 Legislative year wrapped up on September 13th with the passage of a collection of bills meant to improve electricity affordability, maintain and expand grid reliability, and extend and improve California’s investments in climate protection. While CPA and the larger CCA community did not achieve everything it set out to, it was overall a successful year for CCAs and clean energy, especially in the face of current and pending federal cuts.
One of the highest profile bills of the year was AB 825 (Petrie-Norris, Becker, Rivas), the multiyear effort to create a regional energy market for California and other western states. Previous legislative efforts to expand CAISO operations across western states focused on creating a new governing entity for all CAISO functions, such as transmission, operations, markets, and other key components of the grid, which led to concerns and opposition from key stakeholder groups over threats to California’s autonomy.
Agenda Page 7
Legislative & Regulatory Committee Item 2
In contrast, AB 825 focused solely on the markets function of CAISO without touching other grid responsibilities and was the result of a multiyear effort – The West-Wide Governance Pathways Initiative – led by California regulators and stakeholders (including CalCCA) and regulators from Arizona, New Mexico, Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming.
The passage of AB 825 comes as other states volley for their own expanded energy market and compete for western state membership. This dynamic created a time-sensitivity to moving forward with a Western led energy market overseen by an independent regional organization (RO), especially as projections show it could save ratepayers up to $800 million a year, while reducing overall greenhouse gas emissions and increasing grid reliability. While the bill underwent many variations throughout the year, the final version was supported by CCAs (including CPA), labor, environmental and clean energy groups, and IOUs alike. CPA will continue to track this policy as the new independent regional organization is created.
Another high-profile energy bill, SB 254 (Becker), was the legislature's direct attempt to address electricity affordability. Sparked by analysis from a 2024 report by Net-Zero California and Clean Air Task Force that looked at utilizing public-private partnerships to bring down the costs of transmission, the bill established the California Transmission Infrastructure Accelerator to give public agencies a role in financing the roughly $156 billion worth of transmission that will need to be spent to meet the state’s 2045 clean energy goals. The new interest in public-private financing partnerships could be a good fit for CCAs to use their status as a public entity to bring down the cost of transmission financing, and CPA was engaged and supportive of this part of the legislation. CPA will continue to pursue this in the 2026 legislative year, following direction from CPA's Board Retreat, and reflected in the Proposed 2026 Policy Platform.
In addition to public financing, SB 254 also provided an additional $18 billion of funding for the California Wildfire Fund, half of which is paid for by IOU shareholders and the other half to be paid for by ratepayers through a decade-long extension (through 2045) of an Agenda Page 8
Legislative & Regulatory Committee Item 2
existing ~$3/month charge on electricity bills. Rules around how IOUs profit from grid hardening were also tightened in the bill.
Finally, California’s landmark Cap and Trade program was extended until 2045 through both SB 840 (Limon) and AB 1207 (Irwin). Since 2006, California’s Cap and Trade program has been responsible for regulating about 75 percent of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions, and for generating $3-4 billion a year for programs to support climate change adaptation and resilience. The program was set to expire in 2030 but was extended through 2045 and renamed “Cap and Invest”. Among other things, the extension increases the amount of funding for, and changes the timing of, The California Climate Credit. Under the new law, the credit would be applied to customers’ bills in the four highest billed months of the year, when customers most need bill assistance. CPA sponsored a bill that took a similar approach and supports shifting the credits to what are typically the hottest months of the year for CPA customers. The Governor signed all of these bills into law on September 19 and they will go into effect January 1, 2026.
Not all proposals were as successful. Efforts to create new demand management and load shifting requirements and promote Virtual Power Plants (some of which CPA supported), fared less well, with the Governor vetoing most bills on this issue and funding being cut in the state budget.
Increased load from data centers and the rise of artificial intelligence was another hot legislative and regulatory topic, though ultimately no substantive energy legislation on the issue moved forward. One proposal that was discussed and could resurface next year focused on how large non-residential customers should receive electricity service. Some proposals included language to change CCAs as the default provider, and to limit customer’s ability to change between a CCA and an IOU. Language has been added to the draft Policy Platform to address this proposal in case it resurfaces.
Agenda Page 9
Legislative & Regulatory Committee Item 2
DRAFT PLATFORM DISCUSSION
CPA’s Policy Platform serves as a framework for staff to pursue actions at legislative and regulatory levels with the understanding that they are taking actions in the best interest of the organization, member agencies, and customers. Every year, staff modifies the platform in response to various legislative and regulatory changes and presents a draft to the Legislative & Regulatory Committee.
For bills that fall outside the scope of the platform, bills that are likely to attract high-profile supporters and detractors, bills that would directly raise taxes, or bills that would knowingly and substantially put CPA at odds with its member agencies, CPA presents a proposed position to the CPA Board of Directors and its Legislative & Regulatory Committee before taking a position.
The 2026 Draft Legislative and Regulatory Platform responds to some of the energy topics that CPA anticipates arising in the 2026 legislative year, specifically around data centers and affordability in the face of wildfire hardening. Language was also amended to clarify and clean up several principles.
• Principle 1a was broken into two principles to focus more clearly on affordability in the face of rising costs resulting from fire resilience and grid hardening. • Principle 1e was added to address CCAs autonomy as the default service provider for all eligible customers in its service territory, including large load customers such as data centers.
• Principle 2d was absorbed into Principle 2b to streamline the platform and avoid duplication.
• Principle 4a was expanded to reflect the importance of getting timely and accurate customer data to procure enough power for the expected load from data centers. • Principle 5a was amended to clarify intention, and to emphasize elements of environmental justice.
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Legislative & Regulatory Committee Item 2
ATTACHMENTS
1. Draft 2026 Legislative & Regulatory Policy Platform (redline) Agenda Page 11
Draft 2026 Legislative and Regulatory Policy Platform
Overview and Purpose
The Clean Power Alliance (CPA) Legislative and Regulatory Policy Platform (Platform) serves as a guide to the CPA Board of Directors and CPA staff in their advocacy efforts and engagement on policy matters of interest to CPA. The Platform allows both members of the CPA Board of Directors and CPA staff to pursue actions at the regional, state and federal legislative and regulatory levels in a consistent manner and with the understanding that they are pursuing actions in the best interest of the organization and its mission, its member agencies, and its customers.
The Platform provides direction to CPA staff on positions that should be taken on regulatory matters and legislative bill proposals. The Platform also provides guidance to the Chief Executive Officer on positions that should be taken on legislative and regulatory matters that come before the California Community Choice Association (CalCCA) Board of Directors.
CPA staff report to the Board monthly on all positions taken on legislative bills. For bills that fall outside the scope of this platform; bills that are likely to attract high-profile supporters and detractors, including bills that would modify the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA); bills that would directly raise taxes; or bills that would knowingly put CPA at odds with positions that its member agencies have taken, CPA staff will seek approval of a proposed position to the Legislative & Regulatory Committee and Board of Directors before taking a position.
Policy Principles
The Legislative and Regulatory Policy Platform is centered around five basic principles:
1. Protecting CPA’s local control and competitive position, especially as it relates to rates, finances, power procurement and expansion of its service territory.
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2. Pursing power resource planning and procurement that promotes the growth in renewable energy capacity at the local, state, and regional level and reduces fossil fuel dependency, with the goal of combating climate change.
3. Developing and administering customer programs that encourage clean energy adoption by CPA customers and the use of that clean energy in an efficient and managed way to support cost reduction and grid reliability.
4. Ensuring fair access to data, particularly as it relates to energy usage, billing, and information needed to develop and administer customer programs.
5. Supporting CPA’s ability to set electric rates and offer programmatic services that are affordable and inclusive for all.
These principles are incorporated throughout the platform below.
Policy Platform
1. Affordability and Local Control
a. Fair rates and cCost allocation: CPA will pursue administrative and legislative initiatives that will ensure that non-bypassable charges for CPA customers, including any income-graduated based fixed charges, are assessed fairly compared to bundled customers and that CPA’s customers are not unnecessarily burdened by non-bypassable charges.
a.b. Fair rates: CPA will engage in legislative initiatives that seek to ensure that rates are reasonable and transparent, and that balance evolving grid hardening needs with affordability.
b.c. Finances: CPA will pursue administrative and legislative initiatives to ensure that CPA is eligible to apply and receive funding made available to the electricity sector for decarbonization, reliability, and affordability purposes, and that CPA’s financial health is not disparately impacted by new regulations. d. CCA Expansion: CPA will pursue administrative and legislative initiatives to protect CPA’s ability to expand its service to new member agencies. e. Customer Acquisition: CPA will pursue administrative and legislative initiatives that preserve the CCA model as the default service provider for all eligible customers in its service territory.
c.
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d.f. Local Control: CPA will pursue administrative and legislative initiatives to protect CPA Board’s authority over CPA’s procurement, rate-setting, governance, and customer program development activities.
e.g. Infrastructure Financing: CPA will pursue administrative and legislative initiatives that support alternative approaches to financing energy infrastructure that reduce costs for all customers.
2. Power Resources Planning and Procurement
a. Resource Adequacy and Reliability: CPA will pursue administrative and legislative initiatives that will enable CPA to secure capacity resources to meet its reliability obligations, such as initiatives that evaluate the supply of capacity resources available to load serving entities (LSEs), determine the appropriate market mechanisms for LSEs to procure capacity resources, and develop a durable policy framework that encourages all LSEs to construct their fair share of new capacity resources to maintain grid reliability while pursuing decarbonization efforts. b. Renewable and Carbon-Free Resources: CPA will pursue administrative and legislative initiatives that will maximize CPA’s ability to procure eligible Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) and carbon-free resources to meet the needs of CPA’s three product offerings and its long-term RPS procurement goal as required by SB 100 and other statutory or regulatory obligations, as well as providing CPA adequate and equal access to transmission capacity.
c. Integrated Resource Plan: CPA will pursue administrative and legislative initiatives that will maximize CPA’s ability to plan and procure resources to meet various environmental and reliability goals set by state laws and by its Board of Directors, while offering affordable products and programs to serve its customers, including disadvantaged communities.
d. Transmission: CPA will pursue administrative and legislative initiatives that will expedite new transmission infrastructure needed to meet California’s climate goals, as well as initiatives that will provide CPA adequate access to transmission capacity to maximize its procurement of RPS-eligible or carbon-free resources that meet various statutory and regulatory requirements.
e.d. Access to the Electrical GridCustomer Internconnection: CPA will pursue administrative and legislative initiatives that support reducing timelines in interconnection and service extensions for new construction, critical services, Agenda Page 14
renewable energy, building decarbonization, and other projects in CPA’s service territory.
f. e. Research & Development: CPA will pursue administrative and legislative initiatives that support the research and development of new energy resources that can be procured to meet the reliability and decarbonization goals set by the State and its Board of Directors.
g. f. Grid Reliability: CPA will pursue administrative and legislative initiatives that support the expansion of a regional Western energy grid that improves reliability; accelerates decarbonization; improves transmission planning; reduces costs for ratepayers and load serving entities; maintains California’s ability to set, meet and implement its own climate goals; and protects clean energy jobs within the State.
3. Customer Programs
a. Demand Response, Demand Flexibility and Energy Efficiency: CPA will pursue administrative and legislative initiatives that will enable CPA and its customers to develop and participate in programs that promote the use of clean energy in an efficient and managed way to support cost reduction, grid reliability, and lower greenhouse gas emissions.
b. Building and vehicle decarbonization: CPA will pursue administrative and legislative initiatives that support the ability of CPA to promote statewide building and vehicle decarbonization, primarily through electrification.
c. Local Grid Management and Resiliency: CPA will pursue administrative and legislative initiatives that supports the ability of CPA and its member agencies to offer local grid management and resiliency solutions to increase local reliability, and adaptability that could protect against power outages and extreme heat. d. Research and Development: CPA will pursue administrative and legislative initiatives that support the ability of CPA to explore new opportunities related to behind the- meter clean energy resources.
4. Data Access
a. Timely and Accurate Access to Customer Data: CPA will pursue administrative and legislative initiatives that will enable CPA to obtain timely and accurate access to its customers’ data to improve billing accuracy, and inform the development and implementation of customer programs, and properly plan for procurement needs.
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b. Fair Fees for Data Management Services: CPA will pursue administrative and legislative initiatives to ensure that the fees due to Southern California Edison for data access and management are fairly assessed based on data needs, and potential technological improvements, and other factors. c. Billing Transparency: CPA will pursue administrative and legislative initiatives that increase customer understanding of electricity bill components and display electricity charges in a clear and consistent manner for both bundled and unbundled customers.
5. Diversity, Equity, Inclusion
a. Customer ProtectionProtecting vulnerable customers: CPA will pursue administrative and legislative initiatives that support the protection ofhealthy communities all ratepayers, particularly environmentalparticularly environmental and social justice communities in CPA’s service territory. b. Supplier Diversity: CPA will pursue administrative and legislative initiatives that supports supplier diversity in CPA’s contracting activities and through women-owned, minority-owned, disabled-veteran-owned, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and/or transgender owned business enterprises.
c. Energy Equity: CPA will pursue administrative and legislative initiatives that support increased access to clean energy technologies, workforce development initiatives that support the clean energy industry, and clean energy opportunities for environmental and social justice communities in CPA’s service territory.
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