Citizen Advisory Committee
Role of Citizens Advisory Committees
Working Group
Deliverable Report
DATE: May 12, 2023
BOARD MEETING DATE: May 25, 2023
BACKGROUND
In 2022 the Peninsula Clean Energy Board of Directors approved a work plan for its Citizens Advisory Committee. This work plan detailed specific tasks to be undertaken on a voluntary basis by ad hoc working groups of Citizens Advisory Committee members.
The work plan also describes deliverables for these tasks, usually a report to the Board on working group activities.
The specified task for this working group was to research the roles, objectives, basic functioning and impact to date of citizen advisory committees at other CCAs and similar public agencies in California.
The deliverable: This brief memo summarizing research on citizen advisory committees and any resulting recommendations for Peninsula Clean Energy, provided between June 2022 and April 2023, delivered to staff prior to the April 2023 CAC meeting.
DISCUSSION
● This working group met for an hour every other Monday. We investigated the practices and formation of other advisory groups and the role of advisors to various California Community Choice Aggregators (CCAs) that are similar to Peninsula Clean Energy (PCE). The working group prepared two surveys, after carefully evaluating how to best gather information on other advisory groups. We created one survey for staff members at CCAs, who may work with the advisors, and one survey for advisory participants themselves.
● Kirsten Andrews-Schwind was the staff liaison to our working group and sent surveys to her counterparts at CCAs that work with advisory groups—one survey for them to complete themselves and one to forward to their advisory group’s members to complete.
● The CCAs invited to participate were CCAs active in CalCCA. Both surveys are below.
● The summary of survey results is also below.
● As of the original response date, we received five “Advisor” responses and five “Staff Liaison” responses.
● We plan to extend the time for participants to respond by sending a follow-up message to previous survey recipients highlighting initial results and asking again for their cooperation.
● The working group also carefully reviewed the PCE CAC satisfaction surveys from the start of 2023.
● Overall results indicated that our CAC members were more satisfied than ever before, and, in particular, appreciate and enjoy working with Kirsten and Vanessa Shin. Results also indicated areas for improvement.
● This working group prepared, in conjunction with staff, suggested changes to the mission statement for the CAC.
● We also developed recommendations for the PCE Board to make changes to the mission statement for the CAC (sent separately).
Signed, Jason Mendelson, Cheryl Schaff, Michael Closson and Brandon Chan Advisor and CCA Staff Survey Responses Summary
Winter 2023
We received few responses, but found incredible information in them.
We promised to keep all responses anonymous, in order to gather the most candid information.
We plan to extend the survey for another month after providing a summary of initial responses to original invited participants. (Survey attached) We produced one survey for staff and one for advisors.
ADVISOR RESULTS: Advisors from Peninsula Clean Energy and San Diego Community Power (5 in all) responded to the advisor survey:
Some highlights:
● Some CCAs do not have formal groups, some do.
● Some have task-specific groups.
● Many function as Brown Act bodies, like PCE’s CAC.
● There can be tension between the advocacy interests of individual advisory group members and furthering the mission of the CCA, its staff(s) and board(s). ● Most of the advisory groups and their CCAs expressed a need and desire to focus on diversity and inclusion.
STAFF RESULTS: 5 Staff members from Pioneer Community Energy (Placer and El Dorado Counties), San Jose Clean Energy, San Diego Community Power, Marin Clean Energy, and Redwood Coast Energy Authority (Yurok Tribe; the County of Humboldt; the Cities of Arcata, Blue Lake, Eureka, Ferndale, Fortuna, Rio Dell, and Trinidad; the Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District) responded.
Interesting thoughts included:
● Giving a stipend to advisors, to help offset some costs of participation and meetings
● Tensions exist between advisory group members’ advocacy interests and staff priorities
● Keeping advisors focused on programs and plans can be challenging. ● Discussions on micro-bonds continue to resurface.
● It has been challenging at times to balance member passion with agency priorities and work goals. A CAC member may strongly feel that agency resources should be used toward addressing a pressing problem in a particular way, while not understanding where the agency may already be engaging relative to that problem.
● Some advisors are Brown Act groups like CAC; some are not and function as ad hoc groups. Some meet every other month, some every month. ● Some groups just do reports on specific projects requested by staff or the board, some give detailed advice in specific areas, and some act as liaisons to the community.
● One group is considering making a jurisdiction commission and may transform with that process.
● Some do strategic planning, some advise their Boards directly. ● All do some work to support underserved and underrepresented people. ● Some of the advisors only advise and never take on projects. Some are project-focused.
Some of the most successful aspects of advisory groups (according to staff) include:
● Using advisory group reports as a tool to support the funding of programs ● Getting materials to advisors before meetings allowing them time to review and become informed in advance
● Conducting community outreach to counter social media misinformation and promote enrollment in the Community Choice Aggregator’s programs ● Creating working groups with well-defined tasks that use the expertise of volunteer advisors
Some challenges include:
● Getting participation in advisory group meetings
● Getting focus, as there are many different goals
● Creating a broader commission with broader demographic representation ● Satisfying advocates’ desires, being nimble to a pressing problem or convincing advisors that certain work is already being undertaken
Survey Responses of Community Advisory Groups
In 2022, Peninsula Clean Energy’s Community Advisory Committee formed a working group to research the roles and objectives of advisory committees at other Community Choice Aggregators (CCA). As part of this effort, the working group invited staff at other CCAs to describe their approach to community advisory groups.
We received responses from 5 CCAs: MCE, Pioneer Community Energy, Redwood Coast Energy Authority, San Diego Community Power, and San Jose Clean Energy.
Responses related to committee structure and role are included below.
Do you have a formal advisory group? If not, how do you solicit input from interested community members?
• We have a community power coalition which consists of local CBOs. They're not necessarily a "formal advisory group" but we do use their feedback as one method for receiving feedback from the community. We also work directly with our board members and city staff, and have advocates that are not part of the coalition that share feedback.
• We have a formal advisory commission but also collect feedback from community-based organizations through separate processes/engagement • The Community Advisory Committee is our formal advisory group. We also hold community outreach meetings on important issues or when updating important documents such as our strategic plan or our Integrated Resource Plan.
If you have a formal advisory group, does it operate under the Brown Act? Is it a permanent standing or time-limited committee?
• No, it's not under the brown act and CBOs can participate or not as they see fit • Yes, it operates under Brown Act. It is a permanent standing. • Our CAC is a standing committee and a Brown Act body. • yes
• It is permanent and has two smaller temporary committees within it.
What are your advisory group’s mission, vision, and/or goals? Have the group’s goals and objectives or mode of operation changed over time and how? • MCE’s Community Power Coalition is a group of organizations that works to address the challenges faced by historically marginalized communities in our service area. Members include social, racial, and environmental justice organizations that are tackling the inequities of climate change and the use of fossil fuels. The Coalition focuses on:
o Expanding access to renewable energy services,
o Accelerating the transition to a clean energy future through workforce development training, and
o Developing inclusive programs and policies at MCE.
• Advise and make recommendations to the City Council and the City Manager, or designee, on all aspects of San José Clean Energy start-up and operations; o Provide feedback and input on the development of clean energy program strategy and operating principles or models;
o Inform the prioritization and development of energy programs; o Identify areas of concerns and innovative opportunities for reducing carbon emissions;
o Monitor best practices of other community choice energy programs, legislative and regulatory issues, and new energy developments; and o Be liaisons to the community for purposes of advocacy and outreach.
The CECAC hears updates from SJCE and provides input on operations and programs. Specifically, CECAC provides input on rates, programs, integrated resource plans, outreach and legislative strategies, etc. Their feedback is passed to City Council and Council Committees through a recommendation and/or statement that is included in a memo (memos = San Jose's staff reports/recommendations to City Council/Council Committees). We're going through a process now to fold the CECAC into a Citywide Climate Commission that will provide feedback on a wider range of climate policies in San Jose. • The role of the Community Advisory Committee is to support RCEA public engagement efforts and to provide decision-making support and input to the RCEA Board. The group was originally formed to help conduct community meetings to educate and get input from the public prior to the launch of RCEA's CCA program.
• To provide a venue for ongoing citizen support and engagement in the strategic direction, goals, and programs of SDCP.
• develop a report with recommendations for customer programs In what ways has your advisory group been most successful, including best practices that you have discerned from staffing your group? • I would recommend sending reading materials and background info ahead of a meeting. I would also recommend making sure your commission receives newsletters, press releases, and other marketing/outreach to keep them connected outside of meetings.
• CAC working groups have been a successful way of making productive use of the committee members' time. These work groups do best when the tasks are well-defined, achievable and matched to the expertise of volunteer members. • Our CAC has been most successful with our enrollment outreach and by promoting SDCP in a positive light on social media when there's misinformation. • The programs report is a tool being used to support the idea of funding of programs.
Are there structural elements of your advisory group that contribute to its success? • We like that we aren't restricted by the Brown Act or any specific policies, and are able to pivot and change the group's structure or focus depending on what's effective
• N/A
• Active staff liaison participation has been helpful in guiding and informing the CAC on tasks. For example, staff shares knowledge of existing programs, which can prevent CAC committees from reinventing the wheel.
• We have two committees. We have an Executive Ad-Hoc Committee and Work Plan Ad-Hoc Committee. Both are made up of smaller than a quorum. Executive Ad-Hoc asks us questions before the meeting and subject matter experts meet with them to answer any questions or concerns. Work Plan Ad-Hoc creates the Work Plan for the following year.
• Staff liaison has to be more than just a quiet observer.
Survey of Community Advisory Groups at Community Choice Aggregators In 2022, Peninsula Clean Energy’s Community Advisory Committee formed a working group to research the roles and objectives of advisory committees at other Community Choice Aggregators (CCA). As part of this effort, the working group invited staff at other CCAs to describe their approach to community advisory groups.
We received responses from 5 CCAs: MCE, Pioneer Community Energy, Redwood Coast Energy Authority, San Diego Community Power, and San Jose Clean Energy.
Responses related to committee structure and role are included below.
Do you have a formal advisory group? If not, how do you solicit input from interested community members?
• We have a community power coalition which consists of local CBOs. They're not necessarily a "formal advisory group" but we do use their feedback as one method for receiving feedback from the community. We also work directly with our board members and city staff, and have advocates that are not part of the coalition that share feedback.
• We have a formal advisory commission but also collect feedback from community-based organizations through separate processes/engagement • The Community Advisory Committee is our formal advisory group. We also hold community outreach meetings on important issues or when updating important documents such as our strategic plan or our Integrated Resource Plan.
If you have a formal advisory group, does it operate under the Brown Act? Is it a permanent standing or time-limited committee?
• No, it's not under the brown act and CBOs can participate or not as they see fit • Yes, it operates under Brown Act. It is a permanent standing. • Our CAC is a standing committee and a Brown Act body. • yes
• It is permanent and has two smaller temporary committees within it.
What are your advisory group’s mission, vision, and/or goals? Have the group’s goals and objectives or mode of operation changed over time and how? • MCE’s Community Power Coalition is a group of organizations that works to address the challenges faced by historically marginalized communities in our service area. Members include social, racial, and environmental justice organizations that are tackling the inequities of climate change and the use of fossil fuels. The Coalition focuses on:
o Expanding access to renewable energy services,
o Accelerating the transition to a clean energy future through workforce development training, and
o Developing inclusive programs and policies at MCE.
• Advise and make recommendations to the City Council and the City Manager, or designee, on all aspects of San José Clean Energy start-up and operations; o Provide feedback and input on the development of clean energy program strategy and operating principles or models;
o Inform the prioritization and development of energy programs; o Identify areas of concerns and innovative opportunities for reducing carbon emissions;
o Monitor best practices of other community choice energy programs, legislative and regulatory issues, and new energy developments; and o Be liaisons to the community for purposes of advocacy and outreach.
The CECAC hears updates from SJCE and provides input on operations and programs. Specifically, CECAC provides input on rates, programs, integrated resource plans, outreach and legislative strategies, etc. Their feedback is passed to City Council and Council Committees through a recommendation and/or statement that is included in a memo (memos = San Jose's staff reports/recommendations to City Council/Council Committees). We're going through a process now to fold the CECAC into a Citywide Climate Commission that will provide feedback on a wider range of climate policies in San Jose. • The role of the Community Advisory Committee is to support RCEA public engagement efforts and to provide decision-making support and input to the RCEA Board. The group was originally formed to help conduct community meetings to educate and get input from the public prior to the launch of RCEA's CCA program.
• To provide a venue for ongoing citizen support and engagement in the strategic direction, goals, and programs of SDCP.
• develop a report with recommendations for customer programs In what ways has your advisory group been most successful, including best practices that you have discerned from staffing your group? • I would recommend sending reading materials and background info ahead of a meeting. I would also recommend making sure your commission receives newsletters, press releases, and other marketing/outreach to keep them connected outside of meetings.
• CAC working groups have been a successful way of making productive use of the committee members' time. These work groups do best when the tasks are well-defined, achievable and matched to the expertise of volunteer members. • Our CAC has been most successful with our enrollment outreach and by promoting SDCP in a positive light on social media when there's misinformation. • The programs report is a tool being used to support the idea of funding of programs.
Are there structural elements of your advisory group that contribute to its success? • We like that we aren't restricted by the Brown Act or any specific policies, and are able to pivot and change the group's structure or focus depending on what's effective
• N/A
• Active staff liaison participation has been helpful in guiding and informing the CAC on tasks. For example, staff shares knowledge of existing programs, which can prevent CAC committees from reinventing the wheel.
• We have two committees. We have an Executive Ad-Hoc Committee and Work Plan Ad-Hoc Committee. Both are made up of smaller than a quorum. Executive Ad-Hoc asks us questions before the meeting and subject matter experts meet with them to answer any questions or concerns. Work Plan Ad-Hoc creates the Work Plan for the following year.
• Staff liaison has to be more than just a quiet observer.