Speak Out on October 4th: Big Vote on Community Choice

On Tuesday, October 4th, the Alameda County Board of Supervisors is scheduled to vote to move forward on the County’s Community Choice Energy program. Supervisors will vote on approving a Joint Powers Authority agreement to propose to cities that wish to participate in the County’s Community Choice energy program and funding the next phases of establishing the program. 
 
Join the East Bay Clean Power Alliance on Tuesday, October 4th to call for a Community Choice program that puts our communities first! 
 
Time:          8:30am Community Press Conference 
9:30am - 11:30am Board of Supervisors Meeting
Date:           Tuesday, October 4th 
Location:  County of Alameda Administration Building, Board Chambers
1221 Oak Street, 5th Floor (off Lake Merritt BART)
Oakland, 94612
 

 
The vote, previously scheduled on August 2nd, was cancelled with less than 24 hours notice when several supervisors requested more information about the program and what was being proposed. In response, the County held a Board of Supervisors Retreat on September 20th to discuss the program in more detail. 
 
Nine members of the East Bay Clean Power Alliance, an advocacy group that includes the Local Clean Energy Alliance, utilized the public comment period to speak to the need to plan for the building of local renewable energy resources. Speakers specifically referenced the points raised in How to Meet Four Challenges in Building Out Local Renewable Energy Resources, a set of briefing papers prepared by the Alliance. The briefing papers address the need for business planning, the importance of demand reduction, the competitiveness of local solar power, and the opportunities to finance local renewable resources.
 
Members of the East Bay Clean Power Alliance also called for inclusion of additional language into the Joint Powers Authority (JPA) agreement, developed in collaboration with labor groups. The language strengthens the call for creating a business plan, which will describe how the program will meet its stated community benefit goals. 
 
Supervisor Haggerty called for a special meeting on Wednesday, September 28th to consider the language in advance of the October 4th vote. 
 
Stay tuned for more details, and be sure to mark your calendars to show up on October 4th!