MINUTES
Executive Committee of the
Clean Power Alliance of Southern California
Regular Meeting
February 19, 2026
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:
Beverly Hills City Hall
Council Office, 4th Floor
455 N. Rexford Drive
Beverly Hills, 90210
Clean Power Alliance
Executive Conference Room
801 S. Grand Ave., Suite 400
Los Angeles, CA 90017
Agoura Hills City Hall
Planning Conference Room
30001 Ladyface Court
Agoura Hills, CA 91301
Camarillo City Hall
Council Office
601 Carmen Drive
Camarillo, CA 93010
Hawthorne City Hall
Administrative Office
4455 W. 126th Street
Hawthorne, CA 90250
Carson City Hall
Executive Conference Room
701 East Carson Street
Carson, CA 90745
Santa Paula City Hall
Councilmember Office
970 E. Ventura Street
Santa Paula, CA 93060
Ventura County Government Center
CEO Point Mugu Room
Hall of Administration
800 South Victoria Avenue
Ventura, CA 93009
Alhambra City Hall
Conference Room
111 S. First St.
Alhambra, CA 91801
Los Angeles County Hall of Administration
Sybil Brand Conference Room, Room 372
500 West Temple Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Holiday Inn Express & Suites
15586 County Road B
Hayward, WI 54843
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 roll call.
Roll Call
Agoura Hills Deborah Klein Lopez Chair Remote
Alhambra Jeff Maloney Committee Member Absent
Beverly Hills Julian Gold Immediate Past Chair Remote
Camarillo Susan Santangelo Committee Member Absent
Carson Cedric Hicks Committee Member Remote
Hawthorne Alex Monteiro Committee Member Remote
Los Angeles County Lindsey Horvath Vice Chair Remote
Santa Paula Jenny Crosswhite 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 the January 15, 2026, Executive Committee Meeting Motion: Committee Member Hicks, Carson
Second: Vice Chair Horvath, Los Angeles County
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, thanked Committee members for their commitment to the upcoming Lobby Day and provided details about the activities.
Mr. Bardacke noted that there will be ribbon-cutting ceremony in Carson for a community rooftop solar project and announced September 18 as the date for this year’s annual Board Retreat.
3. Review Draft Agenda for the March 5, 2026, Board of Directors Meeting Mr. Bardacke described items proposed for the consent agenda and the regular agenda, including amendments to CPA’s Reserves and Fiscal Stabilization Fund policies, the TOU-Smart Pilot, the Contract Pricing program, and the nomination period for a new Board Chair.
Mr. Bardacke clarified for Committee Member Parkhurst that future CPA employees would be in the Social Security system, and that the retirement option is a one-time individual choice for current employees. Vice Chair Horvath asked about the Fiscal Stabilization Fund, and staff responded that the proposal is to increase the maximum balance of the fund from 10% of annual revenues to 20% but not to target a particular amount in the FSF at any one time.
4. Receive Presentation on TOU-Smart Pilot and Provide Feedback and Recommendation to the Board of Directors
Karen Schmidt, Senior Director of Rates and Strategy, described staff’s proposal for a default TOU-SMART pilot to test the impact of lower daytime electricity rates on customer behavior and CPA energy costs. The proposed pilot will help CPA better understand how price signals, customer education, and messaging can influence beneficial load shifting behavior among customers with high levels of electrification and/or electric vehicles. The pilot would default between 4,200 and 6,300 customers into TOU-SMART for two years. Customers who defaulted to TOU-SMART would be able to switch back to TOU-D-PRIME at any time and would receive bill protection for the duration of the pilot. Ms. Schmidt stated that the updated pilot proposal incorporates Board suggestions from its September meeting. If the Executive Committee recommends the pilot move forward, staff would present it to the full Board at its March meeting. Staff requested feedback and a consensus on one of the options presented.
Chair Klein Lopez encouraged staff to emphasize that the program provides zero-cost energy, rather than emphasizing cost savings; suggested that for the Board presentation, staff should include hypothetical customer profiles. Committee Member Gold inquired about revenue neutrality. Staff responded that when customers shift energy use to daytime, it can reduce procurement costs while offering net revenue neutrality. Chair Klein Lopez clarified that customers not benefitting from the program will be disenrolled and receive bill protection.
Staff clarified for Committee Member Parkhurst that the pilot will allow CPA’s customers to take advantage of solar energy that will lower both their and CPA’s costs. The pilot is the first of its kind in the U.S.; Dr. Delmas from UCLA will be involved in the analysis of large data sets as it relates to behavioral and psychological impacts and ensuring the pilot design reflects the highest peer review standards. Committee Member Crosswhite inquired further about scenarios in which customers who are not benefitting from the program would be disenrolled and be made whole; asked when and how messaging will be measured for efficiency. Staff clarified that they would compare customer energy usage before the pilot to set a baseline. Bill protection would apply to the difference, if any, between the TOU-SMART and TOU-PRIME rates, based on a customer’s usage.
Bill protections would not apply to higher usage for other reasons. Regarding messaging, it makes sense to keep the messaging in place for the entire testing timeframe as some outreach takes time to impact and analyze customer behavior.
Customers would need to experience significant bill increases at about 20-30% to be disenrolled from the pilot after year 1.
Vice Chair Horvath expressed support for the UCLA partnership; inquired about communications with the CPUC and the news media regarding the program; suggested the newsletter of independent columnist Sammy Roth. Staff noted marketing will begin at the launch of the program. CPA will share program data with the CPUC at the completion of the pilot. Committee Member Monteiro commented on SCE’s commercial rates and its three-tier system. Chair Klein Lopez suggested staff prepare Board talking points about SCE’s commercial rates.
Committee Member Hicks stated support for the pilot and suggested consideration of the one-cent option. Committee Member Gold noted support of the program and that CPA should aim to collect as much data possible for UCLA researchers.
Motion: Chair Klein Lopez, Agoura Hills
Second: Committee Member Hicks, Carson
Vote: Item 4 was approved by a roll call vote.
5. Receive Presentation and provide Feedback on a Potential Contract Pricing Program
Matt Langer, Chief Operating Officer, explained that CPA faces increasing opt-out risk from commercial customers seeking to enroll in Direct Access (DA), which allows non-residential customers to purchase electricity from Energy Service Providers (ESPs) instead of a local utility. In 2026, CPA could lose up to 2,000 customer accounts, as large commercial customers seek higher levels of renewable energy at predictable or fixed rates for terms of 3 to 10 years. Some commercial customers would like to pursue sustainability goals through Virtual PPAs. DA contracts are typically customized based on load profile, allowing flexibility in pricing, risk tolerance, and energy mix. Customers can switch among ESPs or migrate back to a CCA or IOU after their contracts expire.
To address these trends, staff is exploring a contract pricing program to retain and attract customers while ensuring financial viability. Mr. Langer provided background information on DAs and outlined program parameters, such as eligibility, contract term, and rate product. There are three rate options under consideration: Fixed Rate, Fixed Comparison with SCE Base for the entire term, and Annual Rate Escalation with Total Bill Comparison Collar. Mr. Langer requested Committee feedback; if the Committee supports development of the program, staff will present a refined framework to the Board at its March meeting.
He noted that CPA is currently in discussions with a large load customer may be interested in participating in the program.
Committee Member Parkhurst asked about managing delivery rates, since CPA generally does not control those; requested clarification on virtual PPAs. Mr.
Langer explained that CPA will rely on rate forecasts; volatility related to delivery rates or PCIA would resolve during the long contract period. Additionally, customers bringing their own power under a Virtual PPA would require individualized handling as to the energy assets. In response to Committee Member Parkhurst’s comment about 100% Green Power, staff noted that it also needs to consider customers who, due to budgeting constraints, would like to incrementally reach the 100% Green Power product content. Committee Member Ordower expressed support for the proposal and asked if CPA staff could launch more than one rate option to initiate the program and asked about customer incentives. Mr.
Langer responded that staff wants to have as many ‘tools in the toolbox’ as possible to offer something attractive to the customer. Staff expects to work with a handful of customers to begin with and has regular contact with prospective customers to assess needs. Committee Member Gold asked if the proposed margin could be adjusted as needed. Mr. Langer stated that the financial modeling considers CPA’s margins over the next five years, but that margins could be adjusted as needed. Staff will take this question into consideration as the proposal is developed. Committee Member Hicks asked about targeted customers, and staff stated they would focus on current CPA customers who have received a spot in the DA lottery. The Committee expressed consensus support for moving forward with staff's further development of the program.
COMMITTEE MEMBER COMMENTS
None
ADJOURN
Chair Klein Lopez adjourned the meeting at 3:22 p.m.