Meet Portola High School Student Kalynne Abraham: A Terrific Basketball Player
Kalynne Abraham is a junior at Portola High School. When she isn’t focused on her studies,...
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Orange County State Legislators Initiate Emergency Audit of OCPA … Just As Residential Service in Irvine is Set to Begin
California State Senator Tom Umberg has announced that — at the request of six members of the Orange County State Legislative Delegation — the Joint Legislative Audit Committee (JLAC) has agreed to conduct an emergency audit of the Orange County Power Authority (OCPA).
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.
Senator Umberg issued the following statement: “It’s clear that OCPA has had little oversight. With the federal investigations in Anaheim and Irvine concerning public corruption, we owe it to the taxpayers to explain why their energy costs are going up — and who or what is responsible.”
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.
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).
Three Irvine Students Compete in U.S. Women’s Amateur Golf Championship
Recently, three Irvine residents — Alice Ziyi Zhao, Angela (Yilin) Liu, and Leigh Chien — competed in the United States Golf Association’s (USGA) Women’s Championship tournament held at the Chambers Bay Golf Club in Washington state.
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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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Sign Up for SCE’s Summer Discount Plan
In October, all Irvine residents will be transferred from their current provider of electricity —...
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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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Check Out the Latest Art Exhibit at City Hall
A new art exhibit is on display at City Hall (located at 1 Civic Center Plaza). The exhibition...
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