PIONEER COMMUNITY ENERGY
GOVERNING BOARD
REGULAR MEETING and PUBLIC HEARING
June 18, 2026
MINUTES
Entry No. 1
Heard General Administrative Functions – Part I
Call to Order
Pioneer Community Energy Governing Board met in open session at 3:07 PM on June 18, 2026. The Members convened in person and the meeting was accessible to the public at Pioneer Community Energy, 2510 Warren Drive, Suite B, Rocklin, California 95677; remote location at Nevada City – City Hall, Wetherall Conference Room, 317 Broad Street, Nevada City, California 95959; the meeting was accessible for viewer participation on the Zoom platform at the following link:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89020017279; and, was live streamed for viewing on the Pioneer website: https://pioneercommunityenergy.org/about-us/meetings-and-agendas/.
Director Janda and Director Jones arrived prior to the Regular Meeting.
Roll Call
Present: City of Auburn (Dowdin Calvillo), County of El Dorado (Parlin), City of Grass Valley (Ivy), Town of Loomis (Ring), Nevada City (Petersen), County of Placer (DeMattei), County of Placer (Jones), City of Placerville (Carter), City of Rocklin (Bass).
Absent: City of Colfax (Lomen), City of Lincoln (Pearl).
Director Petersen participated by teleconferencing from a remote location (Zoom); the remote location was noticed on the meeting agenda as Nevada City – City Hall, Wetherall Conference Room, 317 Broad Street, Nevada City, California 95959; and, was open to the public.
Chair Dowdin Calvillo presided over the meeting.
Public Report of Closed Session
Conference with Labor Negotiators (GC §54957.6)
Name of Agency Negotiator to Attend Closed Session: Don Eckert, Chief Executive Officer; Brad Koehn, Director of Finance & Administration.
Unrepresented Employee: All Employees
No reportable action was taken in the matter of Conference with Labor Negotiators (Government Code §54957.6).
Agenda Review
Reviewed and made no revision to the meeting agenda for June 18, 2026.
Entry No. 2
Acted on the Consent Agenda as follows:
Approved the minutes of the May 21, 2026 regular meeting as presented.
Received Fiscal Year 2025-26 Draft Monthly Financial Reports through April 2026.
Adopted Resolution 2026-16 authorizing and approving the Chief Executive Officer to execute an agreement with Maher Accountancy for accounting services for a contract amount of $220,400 not to exceed $250,400 as a contingency for potential additional services for a one-year term.
Adopted Resolution 2026-17 authorizing the Chief Executive Officer to execute an agreement with Alive Media for the acquisition of audiovisual equipment, relocation of existing audiovisual equipment, and expansion of the boardroom audiovisual system to accommodate Pioneer’s expanded Board, in an amount not to exceed $194,210.
MOTION: Jones/Ring. Vote: 9:0:2
ROLL CALL: Carter, DeMattei, Dowdin Calvillo, Ivy, Janda, Jones, Parlin, Petersen, Ring.
No/Abstain: None.
Absent: Lomen, Pearl.
Entry No. 3
California Independent System Operator - Summer Readiness and Grid Regionalization Update Received a presentation from Juan Buitrago and Melissa Skelton of California Independent System Operator (CAISO) on Summer Readiness and updates on Grid Regionalization.
Directors expressed appreciation for the presentation; discussed points regarding excess power storage (negative generation) and possibility of calling an inverted “power alert” for consumers to utilize surplus at a lower rate; and, how this would relate to Pioneer’s procurement of buying and selling when the transmission system is not as congested.
Entry No. 4
Prepay Bond Transaction Update
Don Eckert, Chief Executive Officer, provided an update on the Prepay Bond Transaction and noted that the market was calm and there was interest due to involvement from Alphabet, the parent company of Google.
CEO Eckert informed the Board that Pioneer’s first prepay bond transaction in 2023 was $2 million and that this transaction was at $8 million. Pioneer realized a 14% discount on power prepay agreements. This will be frontloaded for greater savings and help to stabilize the budget.
With a celebratory toast, CEO Eckert expressed appreciation to Sam Kang, Chief Operating Officer, for securing the power purchase agreements; Gina Stassi-Vanacore, Director of Communications, for media and communications; Brad Koehn, Director of Finance & Administration, for financial support; and, to the Board of Directors for their support of Pioneer.
The Board expressed their appreciation for staff.
Entry No. 5
Conduct Public Hearing on the Status of Vacancies and Recruitment and Retention Efforts at Pioneer under Assembly Bill 2561 Conducted a Public Hearing on the status of vacancies and recruitment and retention efforts in compliance with Assembly Bill 2561 (Government Code § 3502.3) with no written or verbal comments received.
Per Government Code Section 3502.3(a)(1), at least once each fiscal year, at a public hearing before the Governing Board, Pioneer shall present information regarding the status of vacancies and recruitment and retention efforts; and, per Government Code Section 3502.3(a)(3), identify any necessary changes to policies, procedures, and recruitment activities that may lead to obstacles in the hiring process.
Although Pioneer does not have any recognized employee organizations or bargaining units, that could change in the future. The procedures for an Assembly Bill 2561 Public Hearing anticipate and details the protocol and engagement with employee organization if and when Pioneer employees are in a recognized organization.
The status of Pioneer’s vacancies, recruitment and retention efforts were disclosed by stating that Fiscal Year 2025-26 began with 22 filled positions and four newly authorized positions for a total of 26 full time authorized positions; that Pioneer posts each position recruitment brochure on Pioneer’s Career Opportunities page and also contracts with a human resources firm to widely advertise the opportunity and find qualified applicants; and, that as of June 4, 2026, the status of the 26 authorized positions is: 24 positions filled, one position with a start date of June 22, 2026, and one active recruitment.
The Board has provided employee cost-of-living adjustments, adjusted salary ranges based on a 2025 Compensation Study to ensure Pioneer’s compensation package is competitive and provided enhanced employer contributions to employee 401a retirement accounts. These actions have been significant factors in attracting qualified candidates and retaining highly performing employees.
There are no recommended modifications to policies, procedures, or recruitment activities in Pioneer’s hiring process.
Entry No. 6
Adopt Resolution Approving the Recommended Fiscal Year 2026-27 Budget Brad Koehn, Director of Finance & Administration, presented the Recommended Fiscal Year 2026-27 Budget, noting that since the Board of Directors met on May 21, 2026, favorable pricing from Pioneer’s second Prepay Bond will realize a frontloaded power supply cost savings of $23 million for FY 2026-27; and, comparing non-energy costs relative to both load and total operating budget, Pioneer ranks as more cost-effective compared to other CCAs, especially when considering expansion growth.
Director Koehn also discussed potential deficit mitigation efforts concerning the Fiscal Year 2027 budget currently assumes flat rates, though annual rate discussions in December may result in adjustments that could help offset deficit; and, an extreme weather contingency provides flexibility to help address potential impacts from unforeseen weather events, if unused, would help offset a portion of deficit.
The Board discussed possibility of establishing a “hedge reserve” regarding PCIA and rate-setting with a policy on how and when it would be used; focusing on establishing lower rates; and, number of full-time employees and if number of consultants could be reduced.
Director Ring moved approval for the recommended Fiscal Year 2026-27 Budget.
Director Parlin seconded the motion.
Adopted Resolution 2026-18 approving the recommended Fiscal Year 2026-27 Budget.
MOTION: Ring/Parlin. Vote: 9:0:2
ROLL CALL: Carter, DeMattei, Dowdin Calvillo, Ivy, Janda, Jones, Parlin, Petersen, Ring.
No/Abstain: None.
Absent: Lomen, Pearl.
Entry No. 7
Adopt Resolutions Authorizing the Chief Executive Officer to Execute Agreements with Amperon Holdings, Inc. for Meter-Demand Forecasting and with cQuant.IO, Inc. Amendment No. 3 to Consultant Services Agreement for Portfolio Optimization and Slice-of-Day Compliance Requirements Support Nick Yurashku, Quantitative Analysis & Modeling Manager, presented benefits of an integrated portfolio optimization framework as Pioneer operates in an increasingly complex energy market shaped by regulatory compliance requirements, hourly resource adequacy obligations, evolving customer load patterns, and growing exposure to Day-Ahead and Real-Time market volatility. In addition, the CPUC has issued several decisions intended to improve grid reliability and prevent rolling blackouts, including mid-term reliability procurement requirements and the implementation of the 24-hour Slice-of-Day resource adequacy framework.
Staff recommended continuing the use of two complementary platforms: cQuant for portfolio optimization, valuation, risk analytics, and Slice-of-Day compliance support; and, Amperon for meter-level demand forecasting. Together, these tools provide the data, forecasting, simulation, and optimization capabilities needed to support Pioneer’s modern portfolio management function.
Expected outcomes include: Improved hourly forecast accuracy and reduced market exposure, Stronger Day-Ahead and Real-Time bidding support, Better valuation of renewable, storage, biomass, geothermal, and other contracts, Enhanced Slice-of-Day compliance visibility, and more analytics and procurement rigor brought in-house.
Staff confirmed length of term for cQuant was three years with one-year prior to that to test software; and, that the upfront customization and implementation takes about two to three months.
Director Ring moved approval for both resolutions.
Director Janda seconded the motion.
Adopted Resolution 2026-19 Approving and Authorizing the Chief Executive Officer to Execute Amendment No. 3 to Consultant Services Agreement with cQuant.IO Inc., Authorizing an Additional $740,645, with a Total Amount Not to Exceed $1,195,520.20, for Portfolio Optimization and Slice-of-Day Compliance Requirements Support.
And, adopted Resolution 2026-20 Approving and Authorizing the Chief Executive Officer to Execute an Agreement with Amperon Holdings, Inc., for Meter-Demand Forecasting in an Amount Not to Exceed $82,650.00.
MOTION: Ring/Janda. Vote: 9:0:2
ROLL CALL: Carter, DeMattei, Dowdin Calvillo, Ivy, Janda, Jones, Parlin, Petersen, Ring.
No/Abstain: None.
Absent: Lomen, Pearl.
Entry No. 8
Information Technology and Security Audit Presentation
Eric Ponce, Information Technology Analyst, provided a presentation on the Information Technology (IT) and Security Audit results.
The Audit confirmed a strong and well-managed security posture with no critical or high-risk findings, no history of security incidents, and a clear plan in place to continue strengthening Pioneer’s environment, building on the progress made with Board-approved IT policies. As cybersecurity is never static, Pioneer will continue to monitor, strengthen, and adapt defenses to stay ahead of evolving threats.
The Board expressed appreciation for staff’s diligence and proactive efforts in this area.
Entry No. 9
Heard General Administrative Function – Part II
Board Member Communications
Committee Chair Dowdin Calvillo reported that the Governance Committee convened with all members present on June 15, 2026, adjourned to Closed Session regarding labor negotiations, then reconvened open session, provided the public report of the Closed Session, and approved the meeting minutes of the December 17, 2025 Committee meeting as presented. The Committee discussed governance related to expansion and impacts to the JPA; and, Chief Executive Officer Eckert reported on a meeting with Liberty Utilities regarding power supply issues for City of South Lake Tahoe. The Committee will be meeting again in late July for further discussion related to administration of Board meetings.
Chief Executive Officer Communications
CEO Eckert introduced Elliott Sherman, Programs Manager, experience in commercial and industrial programs; provided an update on meeting with Liberty Utilities; and informed the Board that Pioneer will be participating in the El Dorado County Fair this weekend and in the Placer County Fair the following weekend.
Items for Information
Received the Glossary of Terms.
Adjournment
The meeting adjourned at 4:37 PM.
ATTEST: Minutes approved as presented by a majority vote of the Governing Board on July 23, 2026.Teresa Willock, Board SecretaryATTEST: Minutes approved as presented by a majority vote of the Governing Board on July 23, 2026.Teresa Willock, Board Secretary ATTEST:
Minutes approved as presented by a majority vote of the Governing Board on July 23, 2026.
Teresa Willock, Board Secretary
ATTEST:
Minutes approved as presented by a majority vote of the Governing Board on July 23, 2026.
Teresa Willock, Board Secretary
June 18, 2026 – page 2