Lodi Electric Utility director appointed
The City of Lodi has hired Jeffrey Berkheimer to serve as the new Lodi Electric Utility director after former utility director Liz Kirkley retired in December after serving as the LEU director for eight years.
Berkheimer, who is a native of Apple Hill, has 16 years of experience working at the Sacramento Municipal Utility District. He will start his LEU post on Aug. 12.
Berkheimer sat down with the News-Sentinel to discuss his hobbies and his goals for the City of Lodi.
Here’s a lightly edited version of the interview.
Q:How do you like Lodi?
A:I grew up in Apple Hill, which is similar to Lodi, in that it has a lot of agriculture. I was actually really drawn to Lodi for that reason. Lodi also holds a special place for me because my wife and I got married at Wine and Roses.
Q:What are some of your hobbies?
A:I like to play golf, but I need to get better at it. I am a big foodie; I like to try new restaurants. I like trying new wines and enjoy being out and around people. I like experiencing new things and once my daughter gets a little older, I would like start traveling again.
Q:What are your main goals for Lodi?
A:I am excited to step into this new role as a director and promote a culture of safety, as well as stable, low rates, while accepting the challenge of meeting legislative and federal regulations.
Q:What experience do you bring to the position of LEU director?
A:I worked at SMUD for 16 years. I served in different roles there and I have experience working with renewable energy, the electric grid and rooftop solar. Being at SMUD, I got to work on the different aspects of the electric utility, which is where my passion for it comes from.
Q:How do you feel your experience working at SMUD will help in your new role as LEU director?
A:SMUD has been known to pioneer many great new programs. It was one of the first companies that invested in the utilityscale solar sector. SMUD was an overall great company to work for. I value the business relationships I was able to build with leaders and I am hoping to take those relationships and build a connection between Lodi Electric Utility and SMUD.
Q:What is the toughest
part of this job?
A:Moving forward, the most difficult thing will be controlling and maintaining the level cost and increasing the customer experience. The other thing is making sure the electric utility can provide better reliability, which includes fewer outages, shorter outages and making sure restoration happens faster.
Q:What are your thoughts on renewable energy?
A:The cost for solar modules is great for consumers and critical for California, as it works to reduce its greenhouse gases. But there is a delicate balance on how we manage that, while sustaining the electric utility, because renewable energy can erode and there is a lot of environmental concerns and wanting to make sure that we are taking care of the environment until the future.
Q:Do you think Lodi is on the right path to meet state mandates?
A:I have not been able to dive deep into Lodi’s records but based on the information I have seen, Lodi is making a lot of smart decisions when it comes to its electric utility. A great example of that is its partnership with the Northern California Power Agency.
Q:How do you perceive Governor Gavin Newsom’s wildfire liability bill will affect Lodi’s electric utility?
A:It is a very complex issue, essentially a utility could be held liable for billions of dollars worth of damage following a wildfire. As utility agencies, we need to come together to discuss and determine the best ways to minimize the effects of wildfires.