SFPUC presents Clean Power SF timeline aiming for January 2016 customer service; commissioners push to accelerate rate-setting

Barbara Hale, assistant general manager for power at the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, told the Local Agency Formation Commission that the SFPUC’s current schedule aims to begin serving San Francisco customers through Clean Power SF in January 2016. "We will be serving San Francisco customers through a Clean Power S.F. program in January of 2016 under this schedule," Hale said, describing a timeline that sets not-to-exceed rates early and final program rates in October after wholesale resources are procured.

The presentation walked the commission through the opt-out and enrollment process (two statutory notifications before service and two after, with the enrollment phase continuing into March) and explained that staff will set not-to-exceed rates early and finalize rates only after evaluating market responses to procurements. Jason Fried, LAFCO’s executive officer, told the commission staff had presented a realistic schedule but argued one element could be accelerated: the Board of Supervisors review typically assumed as a 90-day window could be prepared to move in 60 days. "I do believe that the Board of Supervisors, if it wishes to, could expedite that process and potentially cut a month off," Fried said, urging parallel drafting of the request for offers (RFO) so procurement can begin immediately after legislative approvals and potentially shave weeks off the schedule.

Public commenters, including Jed Holtzman and other Clean Power SF supporters, pressed SFPUC staff to move the not-to-exceed rate to the Rate Fairness Board sooner than planned so advocates can share a written rate with the public. "It’s on paper. This is the rate," Holtzman said, urging staff to send the not-to-exceed rate to the Rate Fairness Board "right now, not in May." Speakers also raised workforce and low-income customer concerns and asked the commission to accelerate program outreach and build-out planning so community groups and labor unions have clear information well ahead of PG&E filings.

Hale said staff had incorporated feedback from the January 30 joint LAFCO–SFPUC meeting and that some acceleration opportunities could be pursued if legal and procedural waivers or preplanning allow steps to move in parallel. She cautioned against drafting—and then redrafting—an RFO before legislative changes are sufficiently certain. The SFPUC will also refresh multilingual communications and collateral materials and indicated that more robust public education typically follows final rate-setting and program design.

The commission treated the presentation as an information item; no vote or formal policy change was taken at the meeting. Commissioners requested continued coordination between SFPUC staff, LAFCO staff and Board of Supervisors offices to explore expediting the board review and RFO process.