Author: ICNV Staff

News of the audit comes on the heels of two years of allegations of mismanagement, cronyism, inaction, hidden rate hikes, and a lack of transparency on the part of OCPA.

Beginning in October, all Irvine residents will be transferred from their current provider of electricity — Southern California Edison (SCE) — and enrolled in the new OCPA electricity plan, at a significantly higher monthly rate.

According to Umberg, the State legislators have heightened concerns of corruption, Brown Act violations, and questionable electricity procurement practices.

That same month, the Orange County Grand Jury issued a scathing report outlining the incompetence, cronyism, and corruption at OCPA.

By August, two of the four OCPA member cities (Huntington Beach and Buena Park) passed a vote of “no confidence” in OCPA … and the Orange County Board of Supervisors initiated their own audit of the Power Authority.

Now, the State of California has initiated an emergency audit of OCPA, just two weeks before all Irvine residents are scheduled to begin being transferred from their current provider of electricity — Southern California Edison (SCE) — and enrolled in the more expensive OCPA plan.

The only County Supervisor to vote against the investigation was former Irvine Mayor Don Wagner. It should be noted that Wagner sits on the 6-member OCPA board, along with Irvine Mayor Farrah Khan and Irvine Councilmember Mike Carroll.

This year, all electricity customers in Irvine (residential and business) are being transferred from their current provider — Southern California Edison  (SCE) — and automatically enrolled in a new OCPA electricity plan at a higher monthly rate.