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LAFCO presses SFPUC for CCA outreach budget as SFPUC delays contractor interviews
Summary
LAFCO members asked SFPUC staff for a clearer budget and outreach plan for a Community Choice Aggregation rollout after SFPUC moved oral interviews from April 29 to May 16; commissioners asked bidders to include outreach plans and tiered pricing so LAFCO can decide how much to invest amid expected opposition from investor-owned utilities.
At a meeting of the San Francisco Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO), SFPUC staff said oral interviews for Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) contractors have been moved from April 29 to May 16, and the PUC is aiming to notice a contract award in June. "We're slipping that to May 16," said Barbara Hale, assistant general manager for power at the PUC, describing a change in the interview schedule.
Commissioners pressed staff for the outreach and marketing budget that will support a citywide CCA launch, noting that the MECA allocation for CCA was $5,000,000 and that $3,200,000 of that amount has been placed on reserve. PUC staff said roughly $1.8 million remained available for immediate work. Commissioners asked what steps are required to move funds off reserve and whether part of the $3.2 million could be used for outreach once reserves are lifted.
The request for a more detailed outreach plan focused on the scale and character of the public-education campaign. One commissioner said the city must prepare for organized opposition by investor-owned utilities and requested a budget that covers both basic outreach and a larger, more aggressive response if needed. PUC staff offered to consult with the PUC—s communications office and bring back cost estimates; they also said bidders identified through the RFQ could be asked to include outreach scopes and price proposals.
Public commenters and community groups urged a harmonized approach to CCA implementation. Eric Brooks, cofounder of the Community Choice Energy Alliance and a member of the San Francisco Green Party, told the commission the rollout needs to be "harmonized with each other and happening at once," and urged staff to solicit contractor views on coordination and opposition strategies.
What happens next: SFPUC staff will complete the oral interviews on May 16, post ranking information and public materials, and LAFCO agreed to schedule a meeting shortly after May 16 to review results and potential outreach budgets. Commissioners requested that bidders be asked to submit tiered outreach proposals (minimal to ambitious) so the commission can choose among options when allocating funds.
