Citizens Advisory Committee
The Peninsula Clean Energy Board of Directors appoints up to fifteen people to serve as members of the Citizens Advisory Committee. The Citizens Advisory Committee usually meets two Thursdays in advance of the scheduled Board of Directors meeting, at 6:30 pm.
| Name | City | Selected Background | Term Ends |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daniel Baerwaldt | Los Banos | Student and Researcher at UC Merced, UC Merced Solar Energy Association, dedicated to working on and understanding climate issues that our communities face through research and community outreach, a lifelong resident of Los Banos. | 2024 |
| Diane Bailey | Belmont | Director of Menlo Spark. Deep professional experience in environmental advocacy, environmental justice, and climate policy. Committed PCE champion from formation. | 2024 |
| Steven Booker | Half Moon Bay | Political Director and Community Affairs Liaison with IBEW 617. Has experience working with SMC city councils. Also helps young people in high school and Adult continuation schools find construction industry opportunities. Was an electrician for 20+ years and worked with Building Management Systems to reduce energy consumption. | 2022 |
| Allen Brown | Unincorporated – Montara | Solar Consultant with Intraspark Consulting Services. Resident of San Mateo County for 30+ years. Over 15 years of experience with solar and energy efficiency program management. Has experience helping local schools with solar projects (530 kW at Burlingame School District and 2 MW at Sequoia Union High School District). Studied solar engineering at Stanford University. | 2022 |
| Tim Bussiek | Belmont | CEO of Hi-flier, started Green New Deal San Mateo initiative in September 2019. Passionate about climate action. Has a background in economics and marketing. | 2023 |
| Morgan Chaknova | Redwood City | Business Development Manager at Hewlett Packard Enterprise. Top priority to address the climate crisis in systemic ways, looking to drive societal change based in scientific reality across sectors. Passionate about community building, involved with employee networks, various professional and personal associations, and local grassroots movements. Extensive nonprofit and advocacy experience. | 2022 |
| Michael Closson | Menlo Park | Former CAC Chair. Advocated for CCA in San Mateo County through Sierra Club, San Mateo Community Choice, and Menlo Spark. Served on original PCE formation committee. Former ED of Acterra, developed Green@Home residential energy efficiency program. | 2023 |
| Janet Creech | Millbrae | Deeply involved in PCE outreach and political support through San Mateo Community Choice and Sierra Club. Served on CAC during PCE’s formative stage. Appointed member of Millbrae Community Enhancement Committee. Former science teacher. | 2022 |
| Joe Fullerton | Half Moon Bay | Energy and Sustainability Manager, San Mateo Community College District, installed major solar, battery storage, and EV charging systems. Experience in green building, utility rates, demand reduction, on-bill financing. | 2024 |
| Teri Givens | Unincorporated Menlo Park | CEO and Founder at the Center for Higher Education Leadership. Has been a member of many local community nonprofit boards including Boys and Girls Club and advises organizations on education issues. Has worked for Sierra Club Foundation. | 2023 |
| Kathryn Green | San Mateo | Research Analyst for DNV GL. Has experience evaluating energy efficiency programs for utilities and conducting market research on demand response, policy, EV accessibility, and other energy related issues. Is a volunteer Adult Literacy tutor with San Mateo’s Project Read, and has experience lobbying and advocating on behalf of an environmental non-profit in Sacramento. | 2023 |
| Ray Larios | Burlingame | Current Vice Chair. Extensive community outreach experience, including in managing low-income housing programs with the County of San Mateo. Experience in the solar industry. Currently employed with the US State Department | 2022 |
| Janelle London | Menlo Park | Active PCE outreach volunteer. Chair of Menlo Park Environmental Quality Commission, Technical Advisory Committee for Peninsula Advanced Energy Community CEC grant. Experience in designing grassroots legislative advocacy campaigns. | 2022 |
| Alex Melendrez | San Bruno | Community Organizer focusing on low-income housing in San Mateo County. He is very active in the community and has served on a number of local commissions including the San Bruno Parks and Recreation and the San Mateo County Commission on Aging. | 2023 |
| Jason Mendelson | Redwood City | Active in developing Woodside’s Climate Action plan and city sustainability ordinances, organizing Earth Day celebrations in Portola Valley/Woodside, owns TV and film production studio. | 2022 |
| Cheryl Oliver Schaff | Menlo Park | Dedicated activist as a Climate Reality Project Leader, Bay Area Chapter, and member of Extinction Rebellion San Mateo; working on Menlo Park City Team, in conjunction with 350 Silicon Valley; deep experience in marketing communications, PR. 30-year resident of Menlo Park. | 2024 |
| Desiree Thayer | Burlingame | Current CAC Chair. Active in Burlingame Citizens Environmental Council youth leadership programs with San Mateo County Department of Education. Volunteered on PCE business outreach. Extensive outreach and legislative volunteer experience through Oxfam. | 2023 |
Objectives for the Citizens Advisory Committee
The goal of Peninsula Clean Energy is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by providing cleaner power to County residents and businesses at competitive rates. We also develop new renewable energy sources, including within San Mateo County, and implement programs to further reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
To further this mission, the Citizens Advisory Committee will:
- Act as a liaison to the community.
- Provide feedback on policy and operational objectives.
- Engage in outreach to the community, including encouraging ratepayers to upgrade to ECO100 (100% renewable energy product offering) and implement other carbon reducing practices.
- Assist with legislative advocacy in conjunction with staff and board.
- Provide a forum for community discussions on a wide variety of strategies to reduce carbon emissions in conjunction with staff and board.
- Form working groups, as determined by the CAC membership, to assist Peninsula Clean Energy’s staff and Board with projects of importance to the organization.
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Meetings
The Citizens Advisory Committee usually meets on the second Thursday of every month at 6:30 p.m. Please check the posted Meeting Schedule for specifics. Please note that the meeting location (address or teleconference options) will be announced in the Agenda. All meeting agendas will be posted here at least 72 hours prior to each meeting.
How to join the meeting
Our meetings are currently being held remotely. You will be prompted to download RingCentral. Alternatively you can join by telephone.
