MEETING MINUTES
BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2026
9:00 A.M.
___________________________________________________________
CALL TO ORDER
(9:01 a.m. - Video Time Stamp: 00:00:08)
Chair Barnacle called the meeting to order.
Board Members present: Chair Barnacle, Vice Chair Elward, Directors Laskey, Lemus, Stapp, Carter, Farrar-Rivas, Potter, Haschak, Hopkins.
Director Albin-Smith joined remotely under AB2449.
Staff present: Geof Syphers, Chief Executive Officer; Michael Koszalka, Chief Operating Officer; Garth Salisbury, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer; Kimberly Beltran, Technical Programs Manager; Neal Reardon, Director of Regulatory Affairs; Miles Horton, Legislative Policy & Community Engagement Manager; and Karen Flores, Clerk of the Board.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS CONSENT CALENDAR
(9:04 a.m. - Video Time Stamp: 00:02:44)
1. Approve January 8, 2026, Draft Board of Directors Meeting Minutes
2. Receive Monthly Financial Report
3. Ratify Generation Rates Effective February 1, 2026, Consistent with Prior Board Direction
Motion to approve January 8, 2026, Board of Directors Consent Calendar by Director Farrar-Rivas
Second: Potter
Motion passed by roll call vote
AYES: Laskey, Lemus, Albin-Smith, Barnacle, Elward, Stapp, Carter, Farrar-Rivas, Potter, Haschak Director Hopkins abstained from the vote on Item 1 but voted Yes on Items 2 and 3
BOARD OF DIRECTORS REGULAR CALENDAR
4. Receive Internal Operations Report and Provide Direction as Appropriate (9:05 a.m. - Video Time Stamp: 00:04:22)
Geof Syphers, Chief Executive Officer, provided updates on what’s to come in future meetings including the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP), budget adjustments and a draft budget for the next fiscal year.
Michael Koszalka, Chief Operating Officer, introduced Kimberly Beltran, Technical Programs Manager, who presented on the results of SCP’s 2025 event season for GridSavvy Rewards.
Public Comment: None
5. Receive Legislative and Regulatory Updates, Approve Legislative Positions, and Provide Direction as Appropriate
(9:23 a.m. - Video Time Stamp: 00:22:12)
Neal Reardon, Director of Regulatory Affairs, provided some background on the proposed procurement order from the California Public Utilities Commission. The discussion focused on how state procurement mandates interact with Sonoma Clean Power’s long-term resource planning.
Miles Horton, Legislative Policy & Community Engagement Manager, provided updates on the three bills that SCP is sponsoring in 2026:
1. Another attempt to exempt geothermal exploration wells meeting a high standard of environmental and labor protections from review under the California Environmental Quality Act.
2. Securing approximately $50 million from the state’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund to support geothermal exploration wells in high potential areas like Sonoma and Mendocino Counties, with the goal of improving geological data, reducing development risk, and catalyzing next-generation geothermal projects similar to the federal Utah FORGE initiative.
3. Legislation to modernize California’s transmission planning process to create a more flexible and cost-effective system that accelerates renewable energy interconnection, drawing on research sponsored by Sonoma Clean Power and Peninsula Clean Energy through Princeton University’s ZERO Lab.
Public Comment: None
6. Appoint Chair and Vice Chair for Calendar Year 2026 and Potentially Calendar Year 2027
(9:51 a.m. - Video Time Stamp: 00:50:00)
The Board chose to vote on Chair and Vice Chair appointments for 2026 and 2027 and nominated Director Barnacle as Chair of the Board for 2026 and Director Elward as Vice Chair for 2026. Director Elward was nominated as Chair of the Board for 2027 and Director Lemus as Vice Chair for 2027.
Public Comment: None
Motion to reappoint Director Barnacle as Chair and Director Elward as Vice Chair for 2026, and appoint Director Elward as Chair and Director Lemus as Vice Chair for 2027 by Director Hopkins
Second: Albin-Smith
Motion passed by roll call vote
AYES: Laskey, Lemus, Albin-Smith, Barnacle, Elward, Stapp, Carter, Farrar-Rivas, Potter, Haschak, Hopkins
BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEMBER ANNOUNCEMENTS
(9:58 a.m. - Video Time Stamp: 00:57:30)
Director Stapp thanked the SCP employees who showed up for the Transit Equity Day in Santa Rosa. Director Lemus shared that she will be presenting at the Los Cien event on February 13th and Cotati Chamber will also be hosting their annual awards dinner on February 13th. Director Farrar-Rivas shared about the city of Sonoma’s goal setting meeting where climate adaptation and mitigation continue to be on their list of top five priorities. Director Haschak shared that the Mendocino Council of Governments started participation in the Northern Rural Energy Network training contractors about working with heat pumps. Vice Chair Elward shared that The Petaluma Blacks are hosting various events for Black History Month including an event on February 13th, all other events can be found on The Petaluma Blacks’ website. Director Carter shared Sebastopol’s downtown study on how to manage traffic congestion and asked for any suggestions. Chair Barnacle shared about an installation in the Petaluma Historic Museum for Black History Month.
PUBLIC COMMENT ON MATTERS NOT LISTED ON THE AGENDA
(10:03 a.m. - Video Time Stamp: 01:02:35)
Public Comment: None
ADJOURN
(10:04 a.m. - Video Time Stamp: 01:02:53)
The meeting was adjourned by unanimous consent.
Respectfully Submitted,
Karen Flores
Clerk of the Board