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The State of California Initiates Audit of OCPA

In June, the City of Irvine initiated an audit of the scandal-ridden Orange County Power Authority (OCPA).

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.

We also know that the FBI is currently investigating the OCPA.

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Meet Irvine Teen Allison Wong: Making a Difference!

North Irvine teen Allison Wong is passionate about doing good! When she was just 11 years old, Allison self-published a novel, using the proceeds from her book to purchase toys for children at a local hospital. How many 11 year-olds do something like that?

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Orange County Board of Supervisors Order Audit of OCPA

Last week, the Orange County Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 to initiate an independent investigation into the embattled Orange County Power Authority (OCPA).

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.

In their vote, Orange County Supervisors said that it was wrong for OCPA to automatically switch residents to a 7% more expensive electricity plan than what they currently pay for electricity service provided by Southern California Edison (SCE).

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OCPA Rushes Ahead with October Residential Launch as Questions Mount about the Agency’s Viability

The embattled Orange County Power Authority (OCPA) continues to rush ahead with plans to begin residential electricity service in Irvine on October 1st, even as questions about the agency’s viability remain unanswered.

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.

As Irvine Community News & Views has reported, a Grand Jury investigation into OCPA revealed the following: OCPA is being led by a political insider with zero experience in the energy sector; OCPA bylaws and policies to promote transparency have not been properly implemented; there has been a lack of oversight of contractors with not enough checks and balances in place; and OCPA lacks the in-house staff to develop and implement strategic plans to mitigate economic risks.

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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.

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Irvine Residents to Begin Receiving Notices About Being Transferred from SCE into the New OCPA Plan

Throughout the month of August, all Irvine residents are scheduled to receive a notice that on October 1st they will be transferred from their current provider of electricity — Southern California Edison (SCE) — and automatically enrolled in the new Orange County Power Authority (OCPA), at a higher monthly rate.

OCPA was originally promoted by Mayor Khan and Councilmembers Kuo and Carroll with the promise that OCPA would provide all Irvine businesses and households with electricity from “cleaner” renewable sources at a lower cost than SCE provides.

However, rate schedules released by OCPA show that Irvine customers will be paying more for electricity under the new OCPA plan. In fact, Irvine business customers that were switched to OCPA last spring are now paying 5% to 12% more for their electricity.

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Irvine City Councilmember Tammy Kim Refuses to Allow Irvine Voters to Decide on District Elections

Irvine’s current “at-large” election system often precludes local neighborhood representation because multiple elected Councilmembers can live in the same area of the City, leaving other areas of the City unrepresented.

District elections would divide the City into geographic districts, allowing voters in each district to elect their own City Councilmember, who must also live in that district.

Councilmember Larry Agran has been the only member of the Council to publicly support both expanding the Council from five to seven members and going to district elections. Agran stated that he believes strongly in local democracy and that Irvine voters should determine how Councilmembers are elected, not the five-member Council. (Under Agran’s proposal, the Mayor would continue to be elected by all Irvine voters while six Councilmembers would be elected by district.)

Councilmember Tammy Kim voiced her strong opposition to district elections and attempted to introduce a separate motion, having the Council publicly state that Irvine will not move to district elections and will not allow Irvine voters to make the decision themselves.

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