CEA to continue virtual meetings

The Clean Energy Alliance Board of Directors voted May 19 to continue holding virtual meetings.

Elected officials across the state are slowly beginning to return to in-person meetings, but many are remaining virtual due to the threat of COVID-19. Last fall, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill that makes it easier to hold virtual meetings over the next two years while complying with the Brown Act, a state transparency law that guarantees public access to government meetings.

Barbara Boswell, the CEO of the Clean Energy Alliance, mentioned in a report to the board of directors that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continues to warn that COVID-19 spreads more easily indoors and that people are more likely to be exposed to the virus when they are within six feet of each other.

“Based on this advice and as a result of the emergency, the Board determined that meeting in person presents imminent risks to the health or safety of attendees,” Boswell said in the report.

In addition to the board of directors, the continued virtual meetings will also apply to the Community Advisory Committee.

“We’re still managing things and I think it’s really important we keep an eye on cases and on safety,” said Carlsbad City Councilmember Teresa Acosta, who serves on the five-member CEA board of directors.