At its meeting on December 1, the Clean Power Alliance Board of Directors officially voted to approve the City of Santa Paula’s membership in the Clean Power Alliance (CPA). Beginning in March 2024, the City of Santa Paula and its residents will have the freedom to choose their energy provider from a list of options.
Currently, residents can only use Southern California Edison (SCE) for their energy needs. By joining the CPA, residents will now have additional, green energy options beyond SCE with comparable pricing levels. Alternatively, community members may choose to stay with SCE for no additional cost.
CPA is the fifth largest electricity provider in California, providing power for 32 cities and other public agencies across Southern California. CPA is a public agency that is governed by its members, which will soon include the City of Santa Paula. In joining the CPA, the City of Santa Paula will be joining other Ventura County cities such as Ojai, Camarillo, Oxnard, Ventura, Thousand Oaks, Simi Valley and Moorpark.
“I am excited that the City of Santa Paula has joined the Clean Power Alliance (CPA). The transition to clean electricity is an important step in addressing climate change and promoting the use of clean, renewable energy,” said Mayor Andy Sobel. “Many residents reached out to the Council or attended public meetings to express their desire for the City to join the CPA, and we are delighted to support our residents in having more choices about where their energy comes from. By moving forward with the CPA, we are taking an important step toward reducing our carbon footprint in Santa Paula. I encourage all residents to learn more about the clean energy options that will become available in 2024.”
Over the past six months, the City has received letters of support from numerous residents and community based organizations. The Santa Barbara – Ventura Chapter of the Sierra Club, which includes 148 Santa Paula residents, voiced their support of the City joining the CPA. Additionally, the Central Coast nonprofit Community Environmental Council was accompanied by a number of residents at multiple Council meetings to express their gratitude for advancing the issue and proactively addressing the threat of climate change.
Following this grassroots effort, the Santa Paula City Council decided to move forward with a feasibility study to determine the City’s eligibility to join the CPA. The City received its official invitation to join the CPA in September, and the Santa Paula City Council voted unanimously to accept this invitation at its regular meeting on October 19.
As a member of the Clean Power Alliance, the City will have the opportunity to actively participate in CPA’s decision making process. In 2023, the City will appoint a City Council representative to serve on the Clean Power Alliance Board of Directors, which determines the CPA’s programs, rates and policies. Unlike other electricity providers, CPA is directly accountable to residents and their elected officials.
Throughout the year-long implementation process, the City will be working with CPA to educate residents and businesses about the changes to their electricity provider, the options available to them and the benefits of this switch to clean energy.
As the City moves through this process, more information related to customer options and price plans, which are anticipated to include cost-effective offerings, will be made available. To explore CPA’s range of programs, please visit their website.
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