Author: Franklin J. Lunding

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OCPA promised to deliver greener electricity at lower monthly rates, and to be fully transparent with the public. But, even before OCPA had officially launched, the agency had broken all three promises.

From day one, Irvine electricity customers have been charged higher monthly rates than we paid to Southern California Edison (SCE).

And, the agency refuses to release all records that show OCPA’s purchase of system power (dirty brown power); and OCPA’s resale of wind and solar power — demonstrating actual delivery of advertised renewables to OCPA ratepayers.

Promising to do a positive thing and then doing the exact opposite is called “bait-and-switch.”

One of the most important jobs of the Mayor is to make sure that the Council chamber is a safe space for varying points of view to be heard. We need a Mayor who encourages constructive dialogue, is able to accept feedback and criticism, and is not afraid to hear diverse perspectives. That’s how consensus is reached … through civil discourse.

Irvine’s representatives on the OCPA board — Councilmembers Tammy Kim and Kathleen Treseder — recently announced that OCPA has delivered  “100% renewable” electricity to its Irvine customers. That’s simply not true!

There is not a separate transmission line pumping 100% renewable electricity into the homes of OCPA customers. Everyone in the state receives power from the same source — the California electricity grid.

According to the California Energy Commission, the California electricity grid delivers 54.23% green energy from non-Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emitting sources and renewables.

The case against OCPA appears to be straight forward. Cities joining OPCA were promised cleaner electricity at lower monthly rates than those of Southern California Edison (SCE), a falsehood. OPCA also promised that the new agency would offer the community full transparency, another misrepresentation.