General Manager Randy S. Howard. Photo courtesy of Northern California Power Agency

ROCKLIN, CA (MPG) - General Manager Randy S. Howard announced on Aug. 15 his intention to retire from the Northern California Power Agency (NCPA) in the first quarter of 2026. Following a 40+ year career, serving most of those years with the largest public power system in the country, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP), Howard concludes his career in public service as General Manager for Northern California Power Agency.

"Randy has dedicated his career to advancing public power and serving our communities with integrity," Northern California Power Agency Commission Chair James "Bo" Sheppard said. "His vision for innovation, coupled with his deep respect for our members and member communities, has left a legacy we will continue to build on for years to come.”

Howard brought immense value to Northern California Power Agency, overseeing the agency in serving its sixteen members and over 700,000 electricity customers, as well as providing contractual power management support for three community choice aggregators and three water agencies across Northern California. 

Prior to joining Northern California Power Agency, Howard was the Senior Assistant General Manager of the Power System for Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. During his time at Northern California Power Agency, Howard represented publicly owned utilities (POUs) on the Western Energy Imbalance Market (EIM) Nominating Committee and has been a key public power representative on the launch committee for the influential West-Wide Governance Pathways Initiative, which is charting the course for the development of a regional transmission organization in the West. He is a Board Member of the California Municipal Utilities Association (CMUA), Board Chair for Hometown Connections Inc., Chair of the Central Valley Project Corporation, Co-Chair of the Electricity Sub-Sector Coordinating Council (ESCC) Wildfire Working Group, past Board Member of the Transmission Agency of Northern California (TANC) and a frequent subject matter expert, testifying on Capitol Hill, before FERC, and in the State Legislature.

Howard's outstanding vision can also be seen in the direction he set, and the achievements made in the effort to transition the Lodi Energy Center (LEC) from natural gas to green hydrogen. Seeing the potential risk that state policies present to the future of operations, jobs and public investment at the Lodi Energy Center, he skillfully worked to marshal available federal funding to reduce carbon emissions through hydrogen integration at the facility and provided significant benefits to member participants in navigating the future of the plant.

Howard's deep knowledge of the industry from an operational and market perspective, combined with his broad experience and understanding of the policy and technological changes throughout the energy sector, allowed him to be an effective and strong advocate and emissary on behalf of Northern California Power Agency and its members. And, it enabled him to shape a future for Northern California Power Agency that anticipates the landscape that will take shape ahead of us, assuring that public power can continue to effectively navigate and thrive in a rapidly changing and increasingly complex industry, both here in California and at the national level. 

"Randy’s remarkable career in public power speaks for itself, leading a significant transition toward clean energy in California and serving as a highly influential and impactful voice on behalf of electricity consumers in the state and federal policy arenas,” said Sheppard. “On behalf of our members, I thank him for his dedication to community-owned utilities and their customers throughout the state, and the passion he brings to the purpose of public power. We wish him the very best in his retirement.”

The Northern California Power Agency’s Executive Committee has expressed its profound gratitude to Randy for his exceptional service and will work closely with him to prepare for a smooth transition in leadership.

Headquartered in Roseville, California, Northern California Power Agency is a California joint powers agency established in 1968 to construct and operate electric generation facilities and assist in meeting the wholesale energy supply needs of its 16 members: the Cities of Alameda, Biggs, Gridley, Healdsburg, Lodi, Lompoc, Palo Alto, Redding, Roseville, Santa Clara, Shasta Lake and Ukiah, Plumas-Sierra Rural Electric Cooperative, the Port of Oakland, San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) and Truckee Donner Public Utility District—collectively serving over 700,000 electricity consumers in Central and Northern California. Northern California Power Agency was founded on the principle of environmental stewardship and is a recognized national leader in the areas of renewable generation, energy efficiency and carbon reduction.