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SFPUC approves Clean Power SF outreach contract with requirement to return after $100,000 initial task order
Summary
The commission authorized a not‑to‑exceed outreach contract to Davis and Associates for Clean Power SF but amended the award so staff must return with a detailed outreach plan before issuing task orders beyond an initial $100,000; commissioners and advocates debated opt‑out messaging, low‑income inclusion and timing for a January notification phase and a planned July launch.
Assistant General Manager Barbara Hale told the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission that the Board of Supervisors approved the Clean Power SF community choice aggregation program on Sept. 18 and that the program will purchase power under a proposed contract with Shell Energy North America. Hale said Clean Power SF is a premium, 100% renewable product and that staff intends a large customer education and notification effort so residents make an informed choice.
"I am happy to report that we completed our Board of Supervisor approval process September 18," Hale said, and emphasized that the board and mayor wanted robust customer notification and protections for low‑income customers.
The commission debated a proposed not‑to‑exceed $1,400,000 professional services agreement with Davis and Associates to design and implement outreach. Commissioners and public commenters urged that the outreach not effectively convert the legally opt‑out program into a de‑facto opt‑in; they also pressed for early engagement of low‑income and multilingual communities and for staff to show how internal resources such as Department of Environment’s Environment Now program would be used.
Advocates warned that overly selective pre‑enrollment could reduce the incumbency advantage the opt‑out structure provides and therefore harm the program’s viability. "We wanna, you know, do good study work and learn what we need to learn about these folks so that we can get them to be excited about it, but we still need that incumbency factor of getting them in the program and then informing them," said Eric Brooks of the San Francisco Green Party.
Staff proposed, and the commission adopted, an amendment: the contract may be awarded but staff must return to the commission for authorization before issuing any task orders beyond an initial task order with an expenditure not to exceed $100,000. Barbara Hale estimated the initial planning step would cost around $100,000 and suggested that additional survey or implementation work could be funded from the overall not‑to‑exceed amount if the plan supports it.
Key program parameters discussed included a Phase 1 target of roughly 90,000 residential account holders to reach up to 30 megawatts of supply, the need for CPUC confirmation of the CCA bond amount (staff noted they have met a $100,000 bond requirement), and the requirement that low‑income customers not be included in Phase 1 unless the rate impacts can be equalized.
Commissioners asked staff to return with a detailed rollout roadmap, updated financials and polling results so the commission can monitor implementation and make the remaining key decisions. The motion approving the outreach contract as amended carried.
