Governance
Ava is a public agency based in Oakland with a staff of about 85, governed by a Board of local elected officials and advised by a Community Advisory Committee. Our Board meets once a month and all meetings are open to the public.
Board of Directors
The Ava Board of Directors is made up of an elected official from each of the participating jurisdictions and one representative (non-voting) from the Community Advisory Committee (CAC). The Board sets rates, approves the annual budget, and determines the mix of power sources. You can view a copy of the final Joint Powers Authority agreement here.
Ava’s Board of Directors Subcommittees are:
- Executive Committee meets monthly. Members of the Executive Committee are: Balch, Hu, Kalb, Márquez, Tiedemann.
- Marketing, Regulatory and Legislative Subcommittee meets every other month (even months). Members of the Subcommittee are: Barrientos, Jorgens, Patiño, Roche (Chair), Tregub, and Wright.
- Financial, Administrative and Procurement Subcommittee meets every other month (even months). Members of the Subcommittee are: Andersen, Bedolla, Cox (Chair), Gonzalez and Kaur.
| Jurisdiction | Member | Alternate |
|---|---|---|
| Alameda County | Supervisor Elisa Márquez | Supervisor Lena Tam |
| Albany | Councilmember Aaron Tiedemann (Vice Chair) | Vice Mayor Robin López |
| Berkeley | Councilmember Igor Tregub | Councilmember Cecilia Lunaparra |
| Dublin | Vice Mayor Sherry Hu | Councilmember Kashef Qaadri |
| Emeryville | Councilmember Sukhdeep Kaur | Councilmember John Bauters |
| Fremont | Councilmember Teresa Cox | Mayor Lily Mei |
| Hayward | Councilmember Julie Roche | Councilmember Daniel Goldstein |
| Lathrop | Vice Mayor Minnie Diallo | Councilmember Jennifer Torres-O’Callaghan |
| Livermore | Councilmember Ben Barrientos | Councilmember Evan Branning |
| Newark | Councilmember Matthew Jorgens | Mayor Mike Hannon |
| Oakland | Councilmember Dan Kalb | Vice Mayor Rebecca Kaplan |
| Piedmont | Vice Mayor Betsy Andersen | Councilmember Conna McCarthy |
| Pleasanton | Councilmember Jack Balch (Chair) | Councilmember Jeff Nibert |
| San Leandro | Mayor Juan González III | Vice Mayor Fred Simon |
| Stockton | Councilmember Dan Wright | Vice Mayor Kimberly Warmsley |
| Tracy | Councilmember Mateo Bedolla | Councilmember Dan Arriola |
| Union City | Councilmember Jaime Patiño | Councilmember Scott Sakakihara |
| Community Advisory Committee (non-voting) | Ed Hernandez, Chair | Lorraine Souza, Vice Chair |
Community Advisory Committee
The Community Advisory Committee (CAC) consists of twelve members (ten appointed by the Board of Directors to represent five service area regions, and two At Large members appointed by the Alameda County Mayors’ Conference) plus five Alternates. The committee acts as a liaison between key stakeholders and our Board, holding regular public committee meetings.
About the Community Advisory Committee
The Community Advisory Committee was formed in 2016 as part of the Ava Community Energy Joint Powers Authority and appointed by the Board of Directors to advise the Board on all subjects related to the operations of the Community Choice Aggregation program. The CAC gives the community a voice in its choice of electricity services, clean energy resource investments, and local energy projects.
Ava strives to ensure a diversity of members and alternates based on location, population, work experience, and community interest.
View the Community Advisory Committee Work Plan.
| Name | Region | Appointment | City of Residence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cynthia Landry | North | Member | Oakland |
| Indira Balkissoon | North | Member | Piedmont |
| Peter Weiner | North | Alternate Member | Berkeley |
| Pete Stephenson | East | Member | Livermore |
| Jill Gile | East | Alternate Member | Livermore |
| Vijay Lakshman | South | Member | Fremont |
| Shiva Swaminathan | South | Member | Fremont |
| Ernesto Pacheco | Central | Member | Hayward |
| Lorraine “Mickey” Souza, Vice Chair | Central | Member | Hayward |
| Rachel DiFranco | Central | Alternate Member | Cherryland – Unincorporated Alameda County |
| Harman Ratia | San Joaquin County | Member | Tracy |
| Davis Harper | San Joaquin County | Member | Stockton |
| Jim Lutz | At Large | Member | Oakland |
| Ed Hernandez, Chair | At Large | Member | San Leandro |