Item 5
1 VALLEY CLEAN ENERGY ALLIANCE
Staff Report – Item 5
TO: Board of Directors
FROM: Alisa Lembke, Board Clerk / Administrative Analyst SUBJECT: Approval December 11, 2025 Board meeting Minutes DATE: February 12, 2026
RECOMMENDATION
Receive, review and approve the attached December 11, 2025 meeting Minutes.
Attachment: December 11, 2025 Board meeting Minutes
VCEA Minutes December 11, 2025 Regular Board Meeting Page 1 of 3
MINUTES OF THE VALLEY CLEAN ENERGY ALLIANCE
BOARD OF DIRECTORS REGULAR MEETING
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2025
The Board of Directors of the Valley Clean Energy Alliance duly noticed their regular meeting for Thursday, December 11, 2025 at 5:30 p.m. to be held at City of Davis Community Chambers located at 23 Russell Boulevard, Davis, California 95616. Board Chair Bapu Vaitla established that there was a quorum present and began the meeting at 5:32 p.m.
Board Members Present: Bapu Vaitla (Chair), Jesse Loren (Vice Chair), Tom Stallard, Lucas Frerichs, Donna Neville, Richard Casavecchia, Tania Garcia-Cadena, Sheila Allen Members Absent:
Welcome and
Approval of the
Agenda
Chair Vaitla welcomed everyone. Director Garcia-Cadena made a motion to approve the December 11, 2025 Agenda, seconded by Vice Chair Loren. Motion passed unanimously.
Public Comment –
General and
Consent Items
Chair Vaitla opened the public comment period on general and consent items. There were no written or verbal public comments.
Approval of the
Agenda and
Consent Agenda
Items / Resolutions
2025-012 and
2025-013
Motion made by Director Garcia-Cadena to approve the Consent agenda items, seconded by Director Casavecchia. Motion passed unanimously.
The following items were:
3. approved November 13, 2025 Board Special meeting Minutes;
4. received 2025 and 2026 long range calendars;
5. received legislative update provided by Pacific Policy Group;
6. received November 2025 regulatory update dated December 3, 2025 provided by Keyes & Fox;
7. received Community Advisory Committee November 20, 2025 meeting summary;
8. received summary of VCE Grant activity;
9. approved Amendment Two (2) to the REACH Strategies Agreement as Resolution 2025-012; and
10. approved Amendment Three (3) to Task Order 8 of the Sacramento Municipal Utility District Consultant Agreement for Concierge Services as Resolution 2025-013.
VCEA Minutes December 11, 2025 Regular Board Meeting Page 2 of 3 Item 11: Approve
2026 Operating
Budget and 2026
Customer Rates
(Discussion/Action)
Resolution 2025-
014
VCE Executive Officer Mitch Sears introduced Edward Burnham, Chief Financial Officer who provided a brief overview of the background on 2026 rates and budget development. He reviewed Staff’s
recommended 2026 Customer rates. There were no written or verbal public comment.
Director Stallard made a motion to:
1. Approve 2026 VCE Customer Rates:
1. Standard Green Rates with a 5% discount to PG&E’s 2026 generation rates
i. Additional 5% discount (10% combined) to PG&E 2026 Rates for CARE/FERA and Medical Baseline customers; and,
2. Base Green Rate discount of 2.5% to PG&E 2026 generation rates.
This motion was seconded by Director Casavecchia. Motion passed by the following vote:
AYES: Loren, Stallard, Frerichs, Neville, Casavecchia, Garcia-Cadena, Allen, Vaitla
NOES: None
ABSENT: None
ABSTAIN: None
Mr. Burnham reviewed the key factors of the 2026 proposed budget and multi-year forecast.
Motion made by Vice Chair Loren to approve the 2026 Budget with $46.5 Million of operating revenues and $62.3 Million of operating expenses for a net loss of $15.8 M, seconded by Director Garcia-Cadena.
Motion passed by the following vote:
AYES: Loren, Stallard, Frerichs, Neville, Casavecchia, Garcia-Cadena, Allen, Vaitla
NOES: None
ABSENT: None
ABSTAIN: None
Item 12. Approve
Greenhouse gas
(GHG) Free
Attributes for 2026
accepting large
Mr. Sears introduced this item. VCE Staff Chad Curran, Director of Power Servies and Sierra Huffman, Senior Financial Analyst – Rates and Power Costs. Mr. Huffman provided a brief background and reviewed site locations, hydropower reform, VCE’s history of taking PG&E’s GHG free attributes, benefits of accepting the GHG free attributes, key points and Staff’s recommendation.
VCEA Minutes December 11, 2025 Regular Board Meeting Page 3 of 3 hydro and nuclear.
(Discussion/Action) The Board and Staff briefly discussed: the effects, if any, of large load Customers; if there were any negatives to not taking the GHG free attributes; current litigation over large hydro; and, possible ecological issues of large hydro resources. There were no written public comments.
Verbal public comment: Christine Shewmaker, former Community Advisory Committee (CAC) member, commented that as in the past she opposes VCE taking nuclear allocations. She also commented that she likes Staff’s power content information – past, current and future resources, which supports VCE’s goal of 100% carbon-free resources.
She stated that she encourages VCE to plan beyond 2030 in obtaining carbon-free resources.
Director Frerichs made a motion to:
1. Accept the 2026 allocation of large hydro GHG-free attributes;
2. Accept the 2026 allocation of nuclear power GHG-free attributes; and,
3. Authorize the Chief Executive Officer to enter into an agreement(s) with PG&E to accept the 2026 Large Hydro and Nuclear GHG-free allocations
This motion was seconded by Vice Chair Loren. Motion passed by the following vote:
AYES: Loren, Stallard, Frerichs, Neville, Casavecchia, Garcia-Cadena, Allen, Vaitla
NOES: None
ABSENT: None
ABSTAIN: None
Item 13: Board
Member and Staff
Announcements.
Mr. Sears informed those present that VCE is recruiting a vacant Yolo County seat and a recently vacant City of Winters seat on the CAC. Staff plan on bringing applicants for consideration to the Board at their next meeting. Mr. Sears announced that the Board’s January 8, 2026 regular meeting has been cancelled, and the next regular meeting is scheduled for Thursday, February 12, 2026.
Mr. Sears informed those present that the VCE Board Chair and Vice Chair positions rotate year to year. The Chair is scheduled to be held by VCEA Minutes December 11, 2025 Regular Board Meeting Page 4 of 3 a Board Member from the City of Winters and the Vice Chair position is scheduled to be held by a Board Member from the City of Woodland.
There were no announcements from the Board Members.
One Board Member expressed concern about the decision to move forward with the “Charge Your Ride”, Phase 2 of the Electric Vehicle program, and requested possibly that this be revisited by Staff and the Board.
Item 14:
Announcement /
Adjournment
Chair Vaitla announced that the Board has cancelled their regular meeting scheduled for Thursday, January 8, 2026. The Board’s next regular meeting is scheduled for Thursday, February 12, 2026 at the City of Davis Community Chambers located at 23 Russell Boulevard, Davis, California 95616. Chair Vaitla adjourned the meeting at 6:23p.m. to the February 12, 2026 regular Board meeting.
Alisa M. Lembke
VCEA Board Secretary