CITY OF POMONA
COUNCIL REPORT
March 16, 2026
To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: Anita D. Scott, City Manager
Submitted By: Ata Khan, Deputy Director of Economic and Business Affairs SUBJECT: APPROVAL OF FINDINGS UNDER GOVERNMENT CODE SECTIONS 4217.10-4217.18 FOR COMMUNITY RESILIENCE CENTER AT PALOMARES PARK SENIOR CENTER AND ENTERING INTO AN ENERGY SERVICES CONTRACT WITH PARTICIPATE ENERGY, LLC RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the City Council take the following actions:
Conduct a public hearing on the approval of findings under Government Code Sections 4217.10-4217.18 for a Community Resilience Center at the Senior Center at Palomares Park.
After receiving public comments and testimony, close the public hearing and approve the following Resolution (Attachment No. 1):
RESOLUTION NO 2026-30 - A Resolution OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF POMONA, california, APPROVING FINDINGS UNDER GOVERNMENT CODE SECTIONS 4217.10-4217.18 FOR A SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAIC (PV) AND BATTERY ENERGY STORAGE SYSTEM (BESS) FOR THE PALOMARES PARK SENIOR CENTER AND APPROVE ENTERING INTO AN ENERGY SERVICES CONTRACT WITH PARTICIPATE ENERGY, LLC EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
In January 2024, the Pomona Activated for Community Sustainability and Transformation (ACTS) program was awarded a $22 Million grant from the California Strategic Growth Council for the Transformative Climate Communities grant. One part of the Pomona ACTS program is a Community Resilience Center at the Senior Center at Palomares Park, which would maximize energy resilience to enable community services on site during power outages and other emergencies. As part of the execution of this project, the installation of solar and battery energy infrastructure is required. California Government Code enables cities to expedite procurement for such work when it can make certain findings related to cost-benefit of utilities. Staff has analyzed these findings and concluded that the anticipated cost to the City of Pomona for electrical energy provided by the Community Resilience Center will be less than the anticipated marginal cost of electricity the City would have otherwise consumed in the absence of the system. Upon completion of this action, the City would enter into an Energy Services Contract with Participate Energy, LLC to execute the resilience system; the cost to install the infrastructure will be fully borne by the Pomona ACTS grant award.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The creation of the Community Resilience Center has the potential to save the City $133,045 over a 25-year period in utility costs. The installation of the infrastructure for the Community Resilience Center, which is estimated at $800,000, and would not impact the General Fund and will be paid for through the grant proceeds from the Pomona ACTS program.
PUBLIC NOTICING:
As required by Government Code Section 4217.10, the City posted a public hearing notice for the proposed action on February 27, 2026 at City Hall, in the lobby and on the exterior of Council Chambers (Attachment No. 2). At the time of writing, Staff has not received any public comments.
DISCUSSION:
The City is pursuing the development of a Community Resilience Center at the Senior Center at Palomares Park. This project was identified in the Pomona Activated for Community Transformation and Sustainability (Pomona ACTS) program, a $22 Million grant initiative launched in January 2024 and funded by the California Strategic Growth Council’s Transformative Climate Communities (TCC) program. The goal of Pomona ACTS is to develop a resilient, vibrant, and equitable Pomona, addressing climate challenges while enhancing public health, shared prosperity, and community identity. The eight other projects include: complete streets pedestrian and bicycle improvements, LA Metro transit pass program, e-bike library and rebates, electric vehicle chargers, resilient and healthy homes, residential cool roofs, tree planting, and urban farming, along with community engagement and displacement avoidance planning.
The Community Resilience Center will install solar, battery storage, and energy efficiency upgrades at the Senior Center at Palomares Park to establish a location for ongoing availability of community services and indoor space in the event of power outage, emergencies, and natural disasters. The cost to develop the infrastructure is approximately $800,000, which will be funded through the Pomona ACTS grant proceeds.
California Government Code enables cities to expedite procurement for such work when it can make certain findings related to cost-benefit of utilities. The City’s Office of Economic and Business Affairs (OEBA), serving as the City’s coordinator for Pomona ACTS, consulted with The Energy Coalition, the grant lead, to analyze the findings required for this procurement strategy.
Analysis and Required Findings
The solar photovoltaic (PV) and battery energy storage system (BESS) proposed includes a 52.8 kW solar PV array and a 30 kW / 120 kWh battery. Currently, the Senior Center relies entirely upon utility grid electricity. Under this “business-as-usual” scenario, the City incurs an average annual utility electricity cost of $35,507, based on a range calculation from May 6, 2022 to May 4, 2023, with projected lifecycle costs totaling $385,566 (a ten year period). The facility currently does not produce on-site renewable energy.
With the proposed solar and storage system in place, the facility is estimated to:
Reduce annual grid electricity consumption by approximately 99 percent, from 82,936 kwH to 5 kWh on a net basis.
Lower Year 1 annual utility electricity costs by 60 percent to $20,377.
Reduce utility spending by $133,045 over the project’s lifetime of 25 years.
The system would generate approximately 82,594.4 kWh of solar energy annually, accounting for 100 percent of the facility’s total electric consumption.
Over the analysis period, the system is expected to avoid 456 metric tons of CO2e, which is equivalent to taking approximately four passenger vehicles off Pomona roads for one year. These reductions contribute to improved air quality and public health outcomes while advancing the City’s sustainability goals.
This analysis confirms that the anticipated cost to the City of Pomona for electrical energy provided by the solar PV and BESS will be less than the anticipated marginal cost of electricity the City would have otherwise consumed in the absence of the system. The proposed solar PV and BESS is projected to significantly reduce utility costs and emissions over its lifecycle, improve energy resilience, and increase the facility’s use of renewable energy.
Next Steps and Permitting
Upon approval of the findings (Attachment No. 1), OEBA will facilitate the execution of an Energy Services Contract with Participate Energy, LLC for power purchase. Participate Energy, LLC is an existing partner in the City’s Pomona Choice Energy program.
The proposed action does not itself formally permit or approve the proposed PV and BESS infrastructure, which would be subject to all applicable local and State regulations and ministerial permit approval, including clearance from the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
Prepared by:
Ata Khan
Deputy Director of Economic and Business Affairs
ATTACHMENT(S):
Attachment No. 1 – Resolution 2026-30
Attachment No. 2 – Copy of Public Hearing Notice Posting Community Resilience Center Government Code Findings