TO:Andrew P. Powers, City Manager
FROM:Nader Heydari, Public Works Director
DATE:June 9, 2026
SUBJECT: Clean Power Alliance Innovation Grant
RECOMMENDATION:
1. Accept Clean Power Alliance (CPA) Innovation Fund Grant of $168,450 and approve CPA Innovation Fund Participation Agreement.
2. Authorize City Manager to execute all other future related agreements, amendments, and administrative documents necessary to implement the grant, in a form approved by the City Attorney.
3. Adopt resolution authorizing implementation of a residential induction stove rebate program.
4. Award contract to Behavioral Insights (US) Inc. (BIT) of Brooklyn, New York for community-based social marketing (CBSM) services, supporting residential building electrification and Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) participation, in an amount not-to-exceed $181,611 for a three-year period beginning June 9, 2026, and ending June 9, 2029.
5. Approve budget appropriation and authorize expenditure in FY 2026-27 in an amount of $301,611 as follows: $120,000 from A/C #001-0000-437-9900 (General Fund – Revenue from Agency) to A/C #001-5060-612-5920 (General Fund – Contractual / Grants, CPAI26), $48,450 from A/C #001-0000-437-9900 (General Fund – Revenue from Agency) to A/C #001-5060-612-5699 (General Fund – Contracted Services/Other, CPAI26), $33,425 from A/C #001-0000-311-1000 (General Fund – Fund Balance) to A/C #001-5060-612-5699 (General Fund – Contracted Services/Other), and $99,736 from A/C #631-0000-341-9900 (Solid Waste Fund – Net Position) to A/C #631-8430-682-5699 (Solid Waste Fund – Contractual Services).
6. Find that this action is not a project as defined under the California Environmental Quality Act.
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LEVINE ACT ITEM: Yes
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
$201,875 Increase to Adopted FY 2026-27 General Fund Expenditure Budget, partially offset by a $168,450 increase to Adopted FY 2026-27 General Fund Revenue Budget. $99,736 Increase to Adopted FY 2026-27 Solid Waste Fund Expenditure Budget. Accepting the CPA Innovation Fund Grant provides up to $168,450 in reimbursement for eligible costs under the Participation Agreement, including $120,000 in rebates and $48,450 for consultant services supporting the rebate program. The remaining $33,425 for the rebate program consultant services is funded by the General Fund. The HHW outreach work included in the BIT agreement totals $99,736 and is funded by the Solid Waste Fund.
BACKGROUND:
CPA is the Community Choice Aggregator that provides electricity procurement for many cities and counties across Southern California, including the City of Thousand Oaks. As a member agency, the City participates in this regional partnership to help expand customer access to cleaner power options, greater local control over energy choices, and programs that support greenhouse gas reduction and broader sustainability goals.
CBSM is a research-based behavior-change framework that identifies barriers and motivators, tests targeted strategies, and scales the most effective approaches to achieve a desired outcome. This approach is well-suited for residential electrification, where cost, awareness, perceived risk, and contractor navigation can suppress adoption.
CPA offers an Innovation Fund Program that provides reimbursement and technical collaboration to member agencies implementing electrification and resiliency projects. The City applied for CPA Innovation Funds in 2025 to launch a Residential Induction Stove Rebate Program that pairs customer incentives with CBSM to overcome barriers to electrification and accelerate adoption of induction cooking in existing homes.
Gas stoves emit nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, and fine particulate matter inside the home, which are pollutants linked to respiratory illness, asthma, and cardiovascular harm, particularly in children, the elderly, and those with pre- existing conditions. Gas stoves also release methane and CO₂ which contribute to emissions and greenhouse gases. Switching indoor cooking from gas stoves to induction eliminates these emissions at the source and improves both indoor and outdoor air quality.
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The City is also seeking to increase participation in the City’s HHW drop-off program. The requested additional budget will support activities aimed at increasing the annual percentage of households using the HHW Program, with a target of 15 percent and a focus on underserved communities.
DISCUSSION/ANALYSIS:
Clean Power Alliance Innovation Grant
Staff recommend acceptance of the CPA Innovation Fund Grant, and authorization to execute the CPA Participation Agreement (Attachment #1). The Agreement requires mutually agreed project scope and budget, periodic coordination, status reporting, reimbursement documentation, continued CPA customer eligibility, and project data sharing. Staff recommend approval of this model because of its unique combination of outside grant funding with specialized behavioral science expertise to advance two City priorities – waste minimization and electrification, while building internal capacity for future sustainability outreach.
Staff also recommend approval of the attached resolution authorizing staff to develop an induction stove rebate program as generally described herein (Attachment #2). The rebate structure is envisioned to be $2,500 for 25 single- family households requiring electrical panel upgrades, $1,500 for 15 single-family households that do not require electrical panel upgrades, and $3,500 for 10 single- family households that are income-qualified through California Alternate Rates for Energy for Family Electric Rate Assistance (CARE/FERA), for a total rebate budget of $120,000.
The specific rebate amounts may be modified based upon final research and recommendations by the consultant to determine the minimum incentive level needed to attract participants. Changes in the specific rebate amounts would also be pre-authorized by CPA to meet the grant terms.
Consulting Agreement
In accordance with Government Code section 4526 and Thousand Oaks Municipal Code section 3-10.401, staff solicited a formal Request for Proposal (RFP) for the CBSM consultant scope of work on January 30, 2026. Five proposals listed below were received on March 3, 2026.
1. Action Research, Inc.
2. Behavioral Insights (US) Inc.
3. HelpGood, LLC
4. S Groner Associates, Inc.
5. WeUsThem, Inc.
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A panel of staff from the Public Works Sustainability Division and the Strategic Communications and Public Affairs Department evaluated the proposals. BIT was determined to best meet the City’s needs as outlined in the RFP. BIT’s proposal demonstrates relevant public-sector experience, bilingual outreach capacity, and prior research on electrification. BIT’s relevant experience includes a previous partnership with Rewiring America and conducting an online randomized controlled trial of 6,000 U.S. adults across income levels to test messages about motivation and knowledge related to electrification actions. Their background also makes them a good candidate to provide a plan for increased HHW participation.
Staff recommend approval of the Professional Services Agreement with BIT in the amount of $181,611 to implement a CBSM program addressing residential building electrification and HHW participation (Attachment #3). The scope of work is structured to meet CPA grant requirements while also establishing a baseline for the City’s broader electrification outreach strategy.
For residential electrification, BIT proposes a phased approach that begins with project initiation, baseline benchmarking, stakeholder mapping, and market research to identify barriers and motivators related to induction stove adoption and broader electrification pathways. A key part of that work will be testing how residents understand and respond to the revised tiered rebate structure before full campaign rollout.
The proposed rebate structure includes $2,500 rebates for 25 households that need an electrical panel upgrade , $1,500 rebates for 15 homes that do not require panel upgrades, and $3,500 rebates for 10 income-qualified CARE/FERA households that need a panel upgrade. This structure maintains a targeted equity component and will enable the City to develop a single-family electrification pilot.
The rebates are intended to function as part of an intervention strategy, not just a funding source. In addition to reducing upfront cost barriers, the incentives will be framed and tested as behavior-change tools that reduce perceived risk, encourage early action, and make the electrification pathway easier for homeowners to navigate. BIT will evaluate where residents drop off in the process and refine communications and program design accordingly.
For HHW participation, BIT would apply the same CBSM approach to identify barriers and develop targeted strategies to increase participation, with attention to inclusive outreach and Spanish-language accessibility.
This project meets City Council Top Priority #8 “Environmental Sustainability”.
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LEVINE ACT (California Government Code § 84308):
This item is subject to the Levine Act. City Councilmembers who have received a campaign contribution of more than $500 (aggregated) within the preceding 12 months from a party or their agent/representative, or a financially-interested participant involved in this proceeding may do either of the following: (1) disclose the contribution on the record and recuse themselves from this proceeding; or if applicable (2) return the portion of the contribution that exceeds $500 within 30 days from the time the official knew or should have known about the contribution, and participate in the proceeding.
All parties and their agents/representatives must disclose on the record of this proceeding any aggregated contribution of more than $500 made to any Councilmember within the preceding 12 months. Councilmembers are prohibited from accepting, soliciting, or directing a campaign contribution of more than $500 (aggregated) from a party, their agent/representative, or a financially-interested participant during a proceeding and for 12 months following the date a final decision is made. In addition, a party, their agent/representative, or a financially- interested participant is prohibited from contributing more than $500 (aggregated) to a Councilmember during a proceeding and for 12 months following the date a final decision is made.
COUNCIL GOAL COMPLIANCE:
Meets the following City Council goals:
A. Create a more equitable, accessible, safe, welcoming, and inclusive government and community regardless of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, physical or mental ability, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, age, language, education, and/or socio-economic status.
C. Operate City government in a fiscally and managerially responsible and prudent manner to ensure that the City of Thousand Oaks remains one of California's most desirable places to live, work, visit, recreate, and raise a family.
F. Provide and enhance essential infrastructure to ensure that the goals and policies of the Thousand Oaks General Plan are carried out and the City retains its role and reputation as a leader in protecting the environment and preserving limited natural resources.
PREPARED BY: John Brooks, Sr. Analyst
Attachments:
Attachment #1 – CPA Innovation Fund Participation Agreement Attachment #2 – Resolution
Attachment #3 – Professional Services Agreement with BIT DPW:482-10;810-30;810-60\ev\Council\2026\060926\Clean Power Alliance Innovation Grant staff report.docx