CITY OF SAN MATEO
CITY OF SAN MATEO
Agenda Report
City Hall
330 W. 20th Avenue
San Mateo CA 94403
www.cityofsanmateo.org
Agenda Number: 14 Section Name: NEW BUSINESS Account Number: 10-1311 File ID: 26-11074 TO: City Council
FROM: Alex Khojikian, City Manager
PREPARED BY: City Manager's Office
MEETING DATE: May 04, 2026
SUBJECT:
Peninsula Clean Energy Name Change to Westlight Energy — Ordinance Introduction RECOMMENDATION:
Introduce an Ordinance to amend San Mateo Uncodified Ordinance No. 2016-1 Authorizing the Implementation of Community Choice Aggregation Program to address the name change; and adopt a Resolution approving an amendment to the Joint Powers Agreement with Peninsula Clean Energy to reflect the name change of Peninsula Clean Energy Authority to WestLight Energy.
BACKGROUND:
On January 4, 2016, the San Mateo City Council adopted a Resolution to join the Joint Powers Authority, approve the Joint Powers Agreement to establish Peninsula Clean Energy Authority in San Mateo County, and introduced an Ordinance to authorize implementation of a Community Choice Aggregation program as required pursuant to Public Utilities Code Section 366.2. A community Choice Aggregation (CCA), which is also commonly referred to as Community Choice Energy (CCE), is a program that allows local municipalities to pool, or aggregate, their energy demand to purchase electricity separate from their investor-owned utility. Under this model, the County of San Mateo and participating cities entered into a Joint Powers Authority (JPA) that procured electricity on behalf of residents while PG&E continued to provide transmission and billing services. In 2015, the San Mateo County’s CCA was branded as “Peninsula Clean Energy.” On October 23, 2025, the Peninsula Clean Energy Authority Board of Directors voted to adopt “WestLight Energy” as its new legal name following extensive research and a lengthy stakeholder engagement process. The name was selected in part to address several challenges that limit the effectiveness of the name Peninsula Clean Energy with deeper decarbonization goals across Peninsula Clean Energy’s service territory, including ongoing confusion with PG&E. The acronym “PCE” is often mistaken for PG&E, causing persistent confusion. Further, Peninsula Clean Energy reflects a geographic limitation given that the word “Peninsula” no longer reflects the totality of PCE’s service territory. The Peninsula Clean Energy Board of Directors’ October 23, 2025, action included direction to amend the Joint Powers Agreement (JPA) to formally reflect the new name.
The action before the City Council is not a reconsideration of the name itself. The Peninsula Clean Energy Board of Directors has already approved the name change. Member agencies are now required to approve an amendment to Paragraph 2.2 of the JPA to formally update the agency’s legal name in that paragraph and throughout the JPA document.
Approval of the Resolution ensures the City of San Mateo remains aligned with the governing documents of the Joint Powers Authority and allows Peninsula Clean Energy the opportunity to implement the name transition in coordination with its 10-year anniversary and broader brand rollout. Introduction of the Ordinance amending San Mateo Ordinance 2016-1 amends sections referencing “Peninsula Clean Energy” and updates the Ordinance to remove references to the name of the CCA program in the event a name change occurs again in the future.
CITY OF SAN MATEO
BUDGET IMPACT:
There is no fiscal impact. Costs associated with the rebranding effort are borne by the Peninsula Clean Energy Authority and were included in its adopted budget.
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION:
This name change is not a project subject to CEQA, because it is an organizational or administrative activity that will not result in direct or indirect physical changes in the environment. (CEQA Guidelines Section 15378(b)(5).)
NOTICE PROVIDED
All meeting noticing requirements were met.
ATTACHMENTS
Att 1 – Proposed Ordinance
Att 2 – Proposed Resolution
STAFF CONTACT
Andrea Chow, Sustainability Analyst
[email protected]
(650) 522-7007