2022 - Irvine Community News and Views

OCPA Provides Little Information to Ratepayers and City Officials

With the Orange County Power Authority (OCPA) preparing to begin residential electricity service on October 1st, required notices are being sent out to Irvine residents.

However, the notices contain no understandable rate information and include scant mention of the right of ratepayers to “opt-out” of the new OCPA plan.

OCPA was originally billed by proponents — Irvine Mayor Farrah Khan and Councilmembers Mike Carroll and Anthony Kuo — as being a cleaner and cheaper alternative to Southern California Edison (SCE), the utility that supplies power to the region. However, a rate structure unveiled by OCPA in January showed its customers will pay more than SCE ratepayers for the same percentages of clean power.

All Irvine ratepayers are going to be automatically switched to OCPA’s highest-paying rate plan in October, unless they exercise their right to opt for cheaper plans or “out-out” of OCPA altogether and remain with SCE.

Irvine Residents Sound Off on OCPA

Irvine Mayor Farrah Khan and Councilmember Mike Carroll led the effort to establish the Orange County Power Authority (OCPA) and to have Irvine taxpayers fund the Power Authority through 2022, with no City oversight.

On April 1st, all businesses operating in the City of Irvine were transferred out of their current electricity provider — Southern California Edison (SCE) — and automatically enrolled in OCPA, at a higher monthly rate.

In October, all Irvine households will be transferred from SCE and enrolled in OCPA, also at a higher rate.

Our latest Irvine Community Poll asks readers if you support Councilmember Larry Agran’s call for a forensic financial audit of OCPA.

Within a week of releasing the poll, hundreds and hundreds of Irvine residents weighed in, with 98% (yes, you read that right!) firmly behind Agran. And, scores of readers felt strongly enough about the matter to include a comment.