Silicon Valley Clean Energy
Executive Committee Special Meeting
Friday, March 25, 2022
9:00 a.m.
Pursuant to State of California Gov’t Code Section 54953 (e) the meeting was conducted via teleconference.
MEETING MINUTES
Call to Order
Chair Tyson called the meeting to order at 9:02 a.m.
Roll Call
Present:
Chair George Tyson, Town of Los Altos Hills
Vice Chair Neysa Fligor, City of Los Altos
Director Liz Gibbons, City of Campbell
Director Javed Ellahie, City of Monte Sereno
Director Yvonne Martinez Beltran, City of Morgan Hill
Absent:
None.
All present committee members participated via teleconference.
Public Comment on Matters Not Listed on the Agenda
No speakers.
Consent Calendar
MOTION: Director Gibbons moved and Director Martinez Beltran seconded the motion to approve the Consent Calendar.
The motion carried unanimously by verbal roll call vote. 1) Approve Minutes of the February 25, 2022, Executive Committee Meeting Regular Calendar
2) CEO Report (Discussion)
CEO Girish Balachandran provided a report which included:
DocuSign Envelope ID: 18BD0DA8-E65D-4A15-87AA-A6C6991F4664 • Information on SVCE’s fifth anniversary celebration in association with the City of Cupertino’s Earth and Arbor Day Festival on April 23, 2022, which would be followed by a reception for board members and several others involved in the formation and support of SVCE; and • SVCE’s realignment and reorganization information.
3) Update on Potential Plans for Return to In-Person Board/Committee Meetings (Discussion) Kevin Armstrong, Administrative Services Manager, introduced the item and presented a PowerPoint presentation on plans for the potential return to in-person meetings and preparations for hybrid meetings. The presentation included a summary of the current state of in-person Brown-Act meetings, the status of meetings without a State of Emergency in place, pending legislation, options for hybrid Brown Act meetings in the event stricter requirements return, remote location assistance, and a draft schedule for hybrid meetings.
Administrative Services Manager Armstrong responded to committee member questions regarding staff assistance for virtual meetings, and offering the SVCE office as a location for meeting attendance.
The committee discussed the potential for stricter Brown Act requirements in the future and the possible need to participate remotely in an accessible noticed location.
Bena Chang, Senior Government Affairs Manager, stated as long as the Governor’s State of Emergency is in place, the current practices could continue until January 1, 2024. If the Governor were to rescind the State of Emergency, and pending legislation on public meetings had not gone into effect, the previous guidelines for public meetings would need to be followed. Senior Government Affairs Manager Chang responded to committee member questions.
Chair Tyson summarized comments from the discussion which included:
• There was no distinction between board and committee meetings, • SVCE staff is willing to offer additional support for meetings, • It is advisable that members connect remotely from a public location in the event stricter Brown-Act requirements return, for example a City facility, and
• Having an option to attend in person was a positive.
CEO Balachandran summarized there are several uncertainties, but Staff is preparing for support, and noted the item would be brought to the Board of Director’s April meeting; there were no objections from the committee.
Chair Tyson opened public comment.
No speakers.
Chair Tyson closed public comment.
4) Member Agency Energy Resilience Grant Update (Discussion) Zoe Elizabeth, Manager of Energy Services, provided a status update on the Community Energy Resilience Grants program via a presentation to the committee.
Manager of Energy Services Elizabeth responded to questions regarding Capex projects, the budget allotted to the grant program, member agency unspent funds, deadlines, and project identification.
Director Gibbons suggested staff provide a list of primary contacts within each member agency and project forms for the Board of Directors.
DocuSign Envelope ID: 18BD0DA8-E65D-4A15-87AA-A6C6991F4664 Chair Tyson opened public comment.
Bruce Karney responded to a comment from Director Martinez Beltran regarding the possibility that there was a worthy project identified for a grant, but the grant funds were not sufficient to build it. Karney suggested in terms of battery storage systems, install a fraction of the batteries you ultimately want and what the system could handle, then as more funds are available in future months or years, you could then procure additional batteries until you have developed the resilience system to its full capacity.
Tony Eulo, Senior Manager of Public Sector Services, concurred with Bruce Karney’s comments and noted the City of Morgan Hill’s core grant project is going to build the switching structure and introductory batteries, with an eye toward future funding providing additional batteries.
Chair Tyson closed public comment.
Vice Chair Fligor endorsed her support for a grace period prior to redistribution of unused grant funds.
Committee/Staff Remarks
Chair Tyson thanked committee members for accommodating an earlier meeting time.
Adjournment
Chair Tyson adjourned the meeting at 10:07 a.m.
ATTEST:
_____________________________
Andrea Pizano, Board Secretary
DocuSign Envelope ID: 18BD0DA8-E65D-4A15-87AA-A6C6991F4664