Our community needs the PCE Community Advisory Committee

By “sunsetting,” actually, eliminating the CAC, PCE drastically weakens a hard-earned, nationally renowned leadership role in community engagement and dialogue. This capability has created community tested, substantive change in the way we cook our food, heat our water, and heat and cool our homes, providing strong responses to the climate crisis.

Throughout the United States, PCE is known as a thought leader, innovator and organization serving the best interests of customers — all of us who live or work in San Mateo County and a portion of Merced County. Eliminating the CAC will not serve those interests.

PCE, aided by the thoughtful, passionate and dedicated work of the CAC, is an idea, a way of thinking, a direction toward an effective personal response to the climate crisis. It is about urgently and necessarily ending reliance on fossil fuels. It is about an equitable way to provide clean, efficient and cost-effective electricity.

CAC members, past and present, are engaged in their communities, building commitment through involvement. We are strong advocates working for, and with, members of the public. Many current CAC members lead local advocacy organizations. Because of eight-plus years of hard work by all of PCE, including the CAC, every resident and business in San Mateo County and Los Banos has an immediate, personal direct response to the climate crisis when they electrify their homes, commercial space and vehicles.

The CAC meaningfully contributed to PCE’s successfully becoming a thriving community energy provider of clean electricity at rates lower than Pacific Gas and Electric. Savings are reinvested back into the community — PCE funds whole home electrification for income qualified families, providing concierge services, rebates, and zero-interest loans. PCE has an emergency hot water heater replacement program. Actively engaged in vetting and strengthening these programs, the CAC provides formal, transparent, reliable support.

Although federal Inflation Reduction Act tax credits are no longer available Jan. 1, PCE’s rebates will continue, providing financial assistance for transitions to electric appliances like heat pumps, e-bikes and electric vehicles.

CAC members have been well-briefed by PCE staff about threats facing PCE from a hostile rate-making environment, possibly higher electricity prices and national regionalization of demand management. Darwin had it right, saying that survival belongs to those, like PCE, most fit to make changes and adapt. 

City and county elected bodies have collaborated with their residents and businesses, to eliminate greenhouse gases. CAC members have played a vital role supporting community change and adaptation.

At recent San Mateo City Council meetings on building codes for electrification — Reach Codes — it was pleasing to hear discussions focused on reducing GHGs. Critical data that informed council direction was provided by a GHG emissions tool spearheaded by the CAC and on which CAC and staff spent considerable time perfecting. 

We understand that the PCE Executive Committee will be hearing a proposal to replace the CAC with a community feedback forum. We also understand the new forum would likely convene less frequently than the monthly CAC meetings. This new forum must also include full community approval of policy development.  

The community feedback forum concept is conditionally supported by the CAC. However, there remains an opportunity for the CAC, with the dedication, passion and expertise that its membership provides, to continue to serve PCE on a meeting schedule that would mesh with the new forum’s meeting cadence. A combination of the CAC with the new forum, without an increase in the total number of annual meetings, provides a means for PCE to maintain a robust environment for dialogue, collaboration and community engagement.

PCE needs the CAC, and the CAC appreciates PCE. Personally, I have gained valuable expertise by being on the CAC, enabling me to be a better community advocate. I hope that the CAC’s support from the community has helped PCE grow and prosper.

While the CAC wholeheartedly supports the continued success of PCE, I believe that success is most assured with thoughtful, continued direction from the current CAC.

Robert Whitehair is a member of PCE’s Community Advisory Committee. He and his wife Teri were the winners of the 2023 PCE All-Electric Leader, Outstanding Residential Modernization Award. They have completely electrified their home, had the gas meter removed and have a net minus electricity bill.