East Bay Clean Power Alliance (EBCPA) and supporting organizations listed below, call on the Board, Community Advisory Committee and Staff of East Bay Community Energy to reexamine the agency’s policy and programmatic priorities and commit the agency to bold action to set strong racial, social, and economic equity goals for EBCE and the Local Development Business Plan (LDBP).

In 2020, the inequities of life in America for black, indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) were exacerbated by the global pandemic. In the Bay Area, in addition to the disastrous consequences of Covid-19, these communities suffered additional deprivations due to PG&E-caused power shut-offs and wildfire related utility rate increases.

Addressing social justice is one of the goals of EBCE listed in its founding document, the Joint Powers Agreement. Social justice was a priority of the Alliance in its efforts to establish EBCE as a public alternative to PG&E. The LDBP, established through advocacy of the Alliance and Alameda Labor Council, was intended to be a roadmap to providing community benefits through local clean energy programs and policies, especially for frontline environmental justice communities within EBCE territory.

The recent report Building a Just Energy Future by the California Environmental Justice Alliance (CEJA) https://tinyurl.com/BuildingAJustEnergyFutureCEJA calls for Community Choice agencies to “prioritize the needs of EJ (environmental justice) communities in their program design” and to “evaluate EJ community priorities throughout the procurement process.” It contains many recommendations for how Community Choice agencies can work effectively with EJ communities and examples of programs and policies that can benefit.

The original Local Development Business Plan Document contains many ideas for policies and programs to benefit low income customers including:

-Energy efficiency retrofit programs for low income single and multi-family housing and that utilize on-bill repayment or pay for performance mechanisms.

-Solar plus storage programs for low income multi and single-family housing that utilize on-bill repayment and include specific benefits and protection for renters.

-Prioritization of electrification programs for public transportation, heavy-duty fleets, and school buses.

-Programs to develop community energy resilience hubs in people of color and low-income neighborhoods
Local hiring programs that promote diverse community representation for both the EBCE staff and in LDBP projects and operations.


Read and/or print the full letter here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1LyUOBLCeiLOYa6SJEyCkM0UMJOikjJjH/view?usp=sharing

An updated version of this letter will be submitted June 16 with sign-ons post April 19, 2021

If your organization approves a sign-on to this letter, please fill out the questions below and email me your organization logo jessica@localcleanenergy.org

Communities for a Better Environment (CBE)
SolidarityINFOService
Kehilla Community Synagogue
Sierra Club SF Bay Chapter
Movement Strategy Center (Climate Innovation)
People Power Solar Cooperative
Solar Rights Alliance
Friends of the Public Bank East Bay
Collective Power
Californians for Energy Choice
New Voices Are Rising
Sunflower Alliance
AFRICANS DESERVE REPARATIONS NOW!
Livermore Indivisible
PLACE for Sustainable Living
Allen Temple Health & Social Services Ministries
The Oakland Mind
The Ecology Center
Berkeley Climate Action Coalition (BCAC)
Emerald Cities Collaborative
Sunrise Bay Area
SEIU Local 1021
Arkin Tilt Architects
Electricity = Life
Planting Justice
Brower Dellums Institute For Sustainable Policy Studies
Real Food Real Stories
Food Shift
Wholly H2O
Earth Island Institute
Reclaim Our Power: Utility Justice Campaign