By Angie Hacker, CCEC Statewide Best Practices Coordinator

7/16/25

I’m home and energized, albeit exhausted, after a huge week in San Jose with many of the brightest minds and best hearts pushing place-based energy and climate progress across California. I’m sitting in gratitude and reflection, looking ahead with even stronger resolve about the collective force and impact of this statewide community we’ve woven. Here is what I’m taking with me. 

We broke records and sold out spaces

We strengthened bridges and made the most of togetherness

Everywhere I looked was proof that we truly made the most of the space and time to be together. From tours, to adjacent workshops and networking events, we were grateful to have the time to be off camera and in community to both relate and ideate. Some of the most powerful moments for me, and I’m sure others, were in side conversations in between sessions where a simple catch-up can mean finding just the thought partner you need to take an idea into action. I witnessed the spark of new initiatives more times than I can count, broadening typical alliances to meaningfully partner with philanthropy, state agencies, CBOs and private service or capital providers, knowing this work takes a village. This week wasn’t just a set of meetings, it was a reunion of friends and kindred spirits, old and new. That we genuinely enjoy being together makes the heaviness of the work a little lighter. At CCEC, we are honored to curate and hold these spaces for our growing family of practice to gather. 

“CCEC was transformative  for the Village Solutions Foundation team. The Forum’s timing was truly perfect, allowing us to gain immense knowledge. The ability to scope our projects in real-time, coupled with direct input from facilitators, insightful workshops, dynamic breakouts, and invaluable networking opportunities, was an absolute blessing. The diversity of attendees fostered rich discussions and new connections. The palpable high energy level instilled a profound confidence that California’s Clean EnergyFuture is indeed in good hands.” Reverend Jackson, Village Solutions Foundation

We identified the priorities of the moment

Of course, one of the best things about bringing the hive mind together is to coalesce around priorities of the moment, from climate resilience to building electrification, energy efficiency, and zero-emission transportation. We faced the setbacks head-on, but didn’t dwell on them, and instead stayed future-forward. Below are some themes that emerged:

“After participating for over 10 years, I continue to appreciate how responsive and reflective this Forum is to the latest, greatest, and most impactful energy initiatives and policies” – Tyler Masters, IREN/WRCOG

“CCEC is a great place to connect with local government leaders and learn about cutting-edge projects and programs happening across the state!” – Lauren Seymour, The Energy Coalition

State-local Coordination

The network is keenly aware that the work to advance the best local practices in energy efficiency and climate action does not happen in a vacuum. Our success on the ground is inextricably linked to the broader policy landscape including administrative, regulatory and legislative changes at the state and federal level. For example, top of mind this week was the inclusion of AB 306/130 into recently enacted budget trailer bills, which limits local reach codes, a longstanding tool to meet local and state energy and climate targets. Similarly, the need to effectively address the core drivers of energy affordability was a key topic. Locals note that it’s hard to ask communities to embrace electrification (e.g. heat pumps and electric vehicles) when their electricity bills are already crushing, further hindering our shared carbon neutrality goals. Some state leaders are considering reductions in investments to energy efficiency programs, which have not increased in costs, despite their role in lowering customer costs and meeting the state’s emission reduction goals. Attendees are eager to work hand-in-hand with the state to help find more tactical statewide solutions to problems getting in the way of our state’s priorities. 

Fortunately, we’ve made great progress both in educating our network about relevant policy changes that affect your work, helping you access available resources, and  improving coordination with state agency leaders on our mutual energy and climate goals.. The State and Local Energy & Climate Coordination initiative is one way to systematically elevate the priorities and nuanced ideas of local voices by sharing information through administrative and other channels. We’re writing the 2025 SLECC report now, which will capture what we’ve learned by convening you alongside agencies over the last two years in regional and statewide spaces and will serve as one of many needed coordination tools. The Forum also showcased how amazing our cross-pollinating network is at talking to each other,  through increasingly formalized coalitions that are trying to more effectively guide solutions in CA.   

Get creative and collaborative to fund sustained action

Our conversations often land on a key main barrier to faster and better local action: dollars. More of them and with less capacity extracted to get them and use them. However, several long-standing or new place-based energy efficiency and emission reduction funding sources are at risk. While our network is hopeful about Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund reauthorization and deployment of the Prop 4 Climate Bond in the adopted budget, both of these sources have experienced some cuts to backfill revenue deficits in this year’s budget, another tough blow to the network’s progress amid federal funding clawbacks and cuts. 

In reflecting on the last few years, the live-polled audience at the Forum wished we had the ability to move faster with the funds that were available, a nod to some of the process issues at all levels of government that need attention, including grantmaking processes. Fortunately, regions are already working on leveraging dollars and capacity from local governments, Regional Energy Networks (REN), MPOs, CCAs, philanthropy, private capital and more. In many conversations, these partners share that building and sustaining this self- reliant mutual aid model would benefit from state support, which is why we’re building our REACH CA initiative, to create a statewide mechanism to streamline coordination with hubs of key regional stakeholders. It seems our statewide community fully understands the need to generate more outcomes with what remains, and will be looking both internally and externally at ways to reduce barriers to energy and climate implementation and costs. Amazing speakers like Kate Gordon, Executive Director of California Forward, encouraged us to be creative in finding alternative revenue streams as public subsidies become less reliable, such as community benefit agreements. Other strategies mentioned were parcel taxes, resilience districts, CDFI partnerships, and Climate Funding Strategies to ensure council commitment to action. We also need to do a better job of communicating the realities of why local general fund allocations are so often a non-starter. I don’t have to tell you all that very little of the local capacity that exists throughout the state would have been possible without external funding.  

Achieving equity and speed

There is discussion across the State around cutting red tape and getting things done faster. Some note that the risk-averse nature of government (political, financial, and legal) has sometimes resulted in stacking too many requirements and steps in the way of action over the years. At the same time, local practitioners are trying to retain their commitments to and recent progress on inclusion, equity, and participatory government to inform their energy, climate, and land use work, despite federal orders. Many attendees are working through how to streamline unnecessary processes and cut red tape without leaving the people and households we serve out of decisions that could help or harm communities, especially those most vulnerable or historically unrepresented.

Don’t forget to celebrate the wins

While there are plenty of legitimate concerns and complaints in 2025, we helped remind each other of the enormous progress that has been made at the local, regional and state levels towards our ambitious energy efficiency and climate goals. Among the long list of things that are working that I heard raised include: program structures like Regional Energy Networks, CCAs, climate collaboratives, and green empowerment zones, the early achievement of Renewable Portfolio Standard goals, and efforts to streamline decarbonization projects. Oftentimes, we are so busy tackling obstacles, these stories don’t get shared. We should take a moment to celebrate them and appreciate the folks who worked hard to make them happen.  

We showcased female leadership

It wasn’t intentional, but female voices were naturally prevalent at all of these events! I was honored to help facilitate constructive discussions at the SF Bay Area Catalyst Convening that took place the day before CCEC alongside Hannah Jackson with UC Berkeley’s Possibilities Lab, and moderator Julia Kim with Farallon Strategies. The opening plenary I moderated at the Forum featured four female powerhouses: Kate Gordon (CA Forward), Commissioner Noemi Gallardo (CEC), Rachel Peterson (CPUC) and, Erin Curtis (SGC). Day 2’s morning plenary featured strong regional panelists: Jane Elias (BayREN), Violet Saena (Climate Resilient Communities) and Jasneet Sharma (San Mateo County)). In fact over 65% of registrants at the Forum were female. We love seeing so many women leading the charge into a clean energy and climate resilient future!

We refreshed our hope

The forum’s theme was “Hope in Action” to spotlight the critical role of local leadership in shaping a sustainable future amidst an uncertain climate landscape. With over 20 attendee-led, knowledge-building sessions, we heard about the most promising practices being implemented across the state such as: data-driven reach codes, climate plans, and energy policies, strategies to fund implementation of climate action plans, home energy rating systems, the state’s first multi-site community solar system, and practices for engaging frontline communities. State leaders in our opening plenary reminded us that CA is still leading the charge and there is much energy and climate progress to appreciate, build upon, and believe in. And that now is a great time to plan and prepare for the pendulum to swing back our way. The arc of our energy and climate success is long, my friends, but we are just the dedicated people to get there, especially when we stick together.

“This was my first time at CCEC and it was truly inspiring. Hundreds of like-minded individuals collaborating and working together to make progress solving some of our biggest challenges. I’m inspired and will be back next year!” – Charlie Benzyk, eMobility Specialist, SPURR

In my opening remarks, I encouraged us to think about ourselves in these tough times not as individual puddles of despair but, together, as the ocean: steadfast and relentless, and always able to surge ahead after the tide pulls back. As we go back to our individual home towns and continue the work for CA communities alongside over 3,000 other practitioners in our network, I want us to remember you’re not isolated or alone. We remain connected, like a network of rivers, streams, and tributaries touching all parts of this state. On behalf of CCEC, as you go home to serve your communities, know that you are our community and we’ll keep working for you so you can work for them.  

With love and solidarity with each of you continuing the flow from home,

Angie Hacker

I’d love to hear what you’re taking home with you. Comment below or email ahacker@civicwell.org.