TO:
Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THROUGH:
Talyn Mirzakhanian, City Manager
FROM:
Masa Alkire, Community Development Director
Ted Semaan, Interim Public Works Director
Britny Coker-Moen, Environmental Programs Administrator
Jeffrey Page, Utilities Manager
SUBJECT:Title
Consideration of a Resolution Formally Authorizing the Submittal of an Application for the Clean Power Alliance Innovation Fund Round 2 Grant for up to $250,000 for Energy and Resilience Upgrades at the Public Works Facility (Not Budgeted) (Community Development Director Alkire).
ADOPT RESOLUTION NO. 25-0115
Body
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Recommended Action
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the City Council adopt Resolution No. 25-0115, formally authorizing the Community Development Department to submit an application for the Clean Power Alliance Innovation Fund Round 2 grant for up to $250,000 for energy and resilience upgrades at the Public Works Facility.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
There are no fiscal implications associated with the City submitting a funding application to Clean Power Alliance (CPA) for a $250,000 grant through the Innovation Fund. There are no matching funds required for this grant; however, it is a reimbursable grant. If awarded, staff will return to City Council to request a fund appropriation, corresponding grant funds revenue adjustment, and authorization to enter into a participation agreement with CPA.
BACKGROUND:
The City of Manhattan Beach joined Clean Power Alliance (CPA) in 2017 to bring clean energy, local control, and local benefits to the City. CPA is a Community Choice Aggregation Joint Powers Authority that works with Southern California Edison (SCE) to provide renewable energy to its members. CPA is comprised of 36 member cities and unincorporated county areas in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties. As a non-profit organization, CPA reinvests in their member’s communities through no-cost programs, rebates, and grants to, among other things, create resiliency projects that strengthen critical infrastructure.
In 2024, SCE conducted a circuit reliability review (Attachment 2) for the City of Manhattan Beach. A circuit is a network of power lines that transport electricity to customers. There are 16 circuits that serve the City of Manhattan Beach. The 2024 circuit reliability review reported on the average duration and frequency of sustained power interruptions in Manhattan Beach for the years 2020 through 2023. A sustained interruption is any power outage lasting more than five minutes. According to the circuit reliability review, sustained interruptions in Manhattan Beach averaged 110 minutes between 2020 and 2023. The Salmon Circuit, which serves the Public Works Facility and more than 4,000 Manhattan Beach customers, experienced more sustained power interruptions from 2020 to 2023 than the City as a whole. From 2020 to 2023, the Salmon Circuit experienced an average of four sustained power interruptions per year lasting an average of 267 minutes, compared to the citywide average of only one sustained outage per year, of which the average duration was 110 minutes.
On April 1, 2025, City Council adopted the City’s Climate Action and Adaptation Plan (CAAP), which established goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve energy efficiency, and increase community resilience. The CAAP set 2030 and 2045 greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets for the City, consistent with statewide goals and mandates, such as Senate Bill 32, which requires California to reduce statewide GHG emissions to 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030, and Assembly Bill 1279, which requires California to reduce statewide GHG emissions by 85 percent compared to 1990 levels and net-zero GHG emissions no later than 2045.
Energy and resilience upgrades will help the City meet the following goals and strategies outlined in the CAAP as follows:
• A reduced dependency on fossil fuels (Goal 2);
• A community with clean air (Goal 3);
• Buildings and infrastructure that support human health and emissions reduction (Goal 4);
• Sustainable production and consumption of resources (Goal 6);
• Procure zero-carbon electricity (Strategy E1);
• Increase local solar energy generation (Strategy E2);
• Develop energy storage (Strategy E3);
• Improve efficiency of existing buildings (Strategy B1);
• Net-zero buildings (Strategy B2); and
• Transition City equipment to electric (Strategy V2).
DISCUSSION:
In August 2025, CPA released the Innovation Fund (Attachment 3) grant application making up to $2,000,000 available to CPA member cities to support projects that enhance resilience through investments in grid reliability and local clean energy procurement. CPA member cities may submit grant applications for up to $250,000 each.
Staff has determined that the Public Works Facility building is a strong candidate for energy and resilience upgrades, given the higher-than-average frequency and duration of sustained power outages and the essential services the Public Works Department delivers to the community. Public Works is one of the City’s largest departments, responsible for the operation and maintenance of City properties and all public infrastructure located in the public right-of-way. The Public Works Department is essential to the quality of life experienced by the Manhattan Beach community.
If approved, the grant funds would be used to offset the cost of upgrades at the Public Works Facility that will improve grid reliability, increase energy resilience, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The proposed upgrades include:
1. The replacement of small gasoline- and diesel-powered equipment, such as portable generators and hand tools, with battery-electric alternatives;
2. The installation of a rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) system; and
3. The addition of a battery energy storage system.
Staff anticipates that the grant will cover the costs of the project, including planning, design, and construction.
In the event of a power outage or interruption, the Public Works Facility currently relies solely on backup power provided by a diesel-powered generator. The addition of solar PV and battery energy storage will not only increase the City’s capability to respond to and recover from energy disruptions but also reduce the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the operation of the on-site generator by providing a zero-emission source of backup power as a first option prior to utilizing the generator in the event of a power outage. Additionally, the replacement of gasoline- and diesel-powered small equipment and tools with battery-electric alternatives will reduce the greenhouse gas emissions associated with operating the tools and equipment.
Clean Power Alliance will announce the selected grant recipients in early 2026. If the City Council approves the submittal of the grant application, and, if awarded funds, Staff’s goal is to have the solar PV and battery energy storage system design phase completed by mid- to late-2026, which then would be presented to City Council for approval.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW:
The City has reviewed the proposed activity for compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and has determined that the activity is not a “Project” as defined under Section 15378 of the State CEQA Guidelines; therefore, pursuant to Section 15060(c)(3) of the State CEQA Guidelines the activity is not subject to CEQA. The proposed activity is limited to a request for funding. Should the city be awarded funding, any future project utilizing grant funds would be subject to review for compliance with CEQA.
LEGAL REVIEW:
The City Attorney has reviewed this report and determined that no additional legal analysis is necessary.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Resolution No. 25-0115
2. SCE Circuit Reliability Review
3. Innovation Fund Overview