LAKEPORT >> An agreement for legal services regarding Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) programs was unanimously approved by the Board of Supervisors this week.
Sacramento-based law firm Ellison, Schneider & Harris L.L.P., will be hired to assist in preparing the RFP, as well as perform risk analysis and any legal questions regarding public benefit. The contract was proposed to total $30,000, but supervisors were weary of the cost.
“If we say $30,000 it is going to cost more than $30,000,” District 1 Supervisor Jim Comstock said. “We need to move forward very slowly and very cautiously.”
The board unanimously approved the contract with a total amount of $10,000.
During public comment, Gigi Stall of Hidden Valley Lake pleaded that the board proceed slowly and with community involvement throughout the process.
“I feel the board has been very responsive to the public’s concerns and input,” District 4 Supervisor Anthony Farrington said. “This is going to be a long and arduous process. It isn’t going to happen overnight.”
The topic was originally presented to the board during its Aug. 18 meeting, but was continued in order to allow time for the scope of the contract to be amended, as services provided would have only addressed an agreement between the county and California Clean Power — a company that offers full-service consultation and implementation of CCA programs.
In May, the board heard a presentation regarding the CCA program by California Clean Power. Resulting from the 2000 state energy crisis, the program was established to “give some competition and choice in the overall market which is dominated by utility companies such as PG&E,” Peter Rumble, CEO of California Clean Power, said.
The program would be on an opt-out basis, meaning residents would not have to participate in the program. Similar programs have been implemented in Sonoma and Marin.
At the behest of the public during the Aug. 18 meeting, the board decided to draft a request for proposals (RFP), which will allow other companies to potentially lead the program — as the county has only talked with California Clean Power about the program.
Because the CCA program is relatively new, many legal concerns have been raising. Among those concerns are the allowed uses of money saved by the county, which was originally estimated to be $2 million from California Clean Power. However, after the county requested more financial transparency, a revised proposal was submitted that did not guarantee such benefits.
“The shift from guaranteeing a fixed rate and a fixed revenue stream means those decisions are completely up to you,” Rumble explained. “So we provide those services to you at your direction.”
Any revenue brought to the county from the program could be used for distributed generation, roof-top solar panels or incentive programs for residents who install solar panels, according to Rumble.
Contact J. W. Burch, IV at 900-2022.
