Commentary Orange County Power Authority (OCPA), an energy provider claiming to focus on “green power” as an alternative to Southern California Edison (Edison), recently announced a new rate reduction for its Basic Choice product that is 2 percent lower than Edison pricing, now in effect. The rate reduction is timely considering public distrust and whispers of…

The Huntington Beach City Council voted Jan. 17 to change the city’s energy plan option for all the city’s customers with the Orange County Power Authority—a non-profit public agency that offers energy to Southern California cities—from the 100 percent renewable plan to one at 38 percent. The vote—motioned by Councilman Casey McKeon—was approved 4–3, with…

The Orange County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Jan. 10 to look into joining a new green energy agency, after abandoning the controversial Orange County Power Authority (OCPA) last month. Such agencies are community choice aggregations, of CCAs, which allow local governments to procure power and sell it to residents and businesses, promising greener energy…

The Irvine City Council voted 3–2 Dec. 29 to remain with the Orange County Power Authority (OCPA) following the Orange County Board of Supervisors’ decision to withdraw from the agency Dec. 20. The vote came in a special meeting agendized by councilmembers Mike Carroll, Larry Agran, and Kathleen Treseder. Agran and Carroll were the dissenting…

The Irvine City Council will consider withdrawing from the Orange County Power Authority (OCPA) Dec. 29. The special meeting was agendized by City Councilors Mike Carroll, Larry Agran, and Kathleen Treseder and comes shortly after the Orange County Board of Supervisors’ decision to withdraw from the agency Dec. 20. The OCPA has faced scrutiny since…

The newly elected conservative majority on the Huntington Beach, California, City Council—Mayor Tony Strickland, Mayor Pro Tem Gracie Van Der Mark, and councilmen Casey McKeon and Pat Burns—hit the ground running during their first meeting on Dec. 20. In a nearly  four-hour meeting, the seven-member council granted a pay raise for its city attorney, approved a…

The Orange County Board of Supervisors Dec. 20 voted 3–2—with Board Vice Chairman Don Wagner and Supervisor Andrew Do dissenting—to withdraw the county’s unincorporated areas from the Orange County Power Authority (OCPA), a local energy provider embroiled in controversy and accused of lacking transparency. The agency also serves residents and businesses in the cities of…

The recently-formed Orange County Power Authority (OCPA) announced it will reduce its rates following the last week’s county-led audit which revealed several issues with the agency. The energy provider—which services Huntington Beach, Buena Park, Irvine, and Fullerton— was formed in 2020 as an energy provider emphasizing “green power,” as an alternative to Southern California Edison….

Commentary Orange County Power Authority (OCPA) arrived on the scene promising to out-green and underprice Southern California Edison (Edison) with a new way of serving Orange County’s electricity consumers. The agency immediately engaged in what many have called personnel miscues, financial shell games, and energy green-washing. OCPA now faces audits from the City of Irvine,…

California’s Joint Legislative Audit Committee has agreed to audit the Orange County Power Authority (OCPA), a recently formed energy provider embroiled in a whistleblower complaint. State Sen. Tom Umberg (D-Santa Ana) announced the upcoming audit as the agency deals with allegations of mismanagement, inaction, and lack of transparency. “It’s clear that OCPA has had little oversight,”…