(a) The electrical corporations and gas corporations that participate in the California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE) program, as established pursuant to Section 739.1, shall administer low-income energy efficiency and rate assistance programs described in Sections 382, 739.1, 739.2, and 2790, subject to commission oversight. In administering the programs described in Section 2790, the electrical corporations and gas corporations, to the extent practicable, shall do all of the following:
(1) Continue to leverage funds collected to fund the program described in subdivision (a) with funds available from state and federal sources.
(2) Work with state and local agencies, community-based organizations, and other entities to ensure efficient and effective delivery of programs.
(3) Encourage local employment and job skill development.
(4) Maximize the participation of eligible participants.
(5) Work to reduce consumers electric and gas consumption, and bills.
(6) For electrical corporations, target energy efficiency and solar programs to upper-tier and multifamily customers in a manner that will result in long-term permanent reductions in electricity usage at the dwelling units, and develop programs that specifically target nonprofit affordable housing providers, including programs that promote weatherization of existing dwelling units and replacement of inefficient appliances.
(7) For electrical corporations and for public utilities that are both electrical corporations and gas corporations, allocate the costs of the CARE program on an equal cents per kilowatthour or equal cents per therm basis to all classes of customers that were subject to the surcharge that funded the program on January 1, 2008.
(b) If the commission requires low-income energy efficiency programs to be subject to competitive bidding, the electrical and gas corporations described in subdivision (a), as part of their bid evaluation criteria, shall consider both cost-of-service criteria and quality-of-service criteria. The bidding criteria, at a minimum, shall recognize all of the following factors:
(1) The bidder’s experience in delivering programs and services, including, but not limited to, weatherization, appliance repair and maintenance, energy education, outreach and enrollment services, and bill payment assistance programs to targeted communities.
(2) The bidder’s knowledge of the targeted communities.
(3) The bidder’s ability to reach targeted communities.
(4) The bidder’s ability to utilize and employ people from the local area.
(5) The bidder’s general contractor’s license and evidence of good standing with the Contractors’ State License Board.
(6) The bidder’s performance quality as verified by the funding source.
(7) The bidder’s financial stability.
(8) The bidder’s ability to provide local job training.
(9) Other attributes that benefit local communities.
(c) Notwithstanding subdivision (b), the commission may modify the bid criteria based upon public input from a variety of sources, including representatives from low-income communities and the program administrators identified in subdivision (b), in order to ensure the effective and efficient delivery of high quality low-income energy efficiency programs.
(Amended by Stats. 2009, Ch. 337, Sec. 1. (SB 695) Effective October 11, 2009.)