Opinion: Our Climate and Affordability Goals Demand Irvine Stays in OCPA
On September 9, the Irvine City Council will decide the fate of the city’s most important climate innovation: our membership in the Orange County Power Authority (OCPA). That single vote will determine whether Irvine continues on a path toward affordable, renewable energy or walks away from the very progress that has defined our leadership on climate. The City Council must vote to rescind a previous intent to withdraw notice and remain in OCPA.
As a Sustainability Commissioner for my hometown, I have had a front row seat to the steps our city is taking to address climate change. From drafting our Climate Action and Adaptation Plan (CAAP) and introducing the Irvine Connect bus system, to passing OC’s first Building Electrification ordinance, our city has shown real leadership in tackling the climate crisis.
The crown jewel of these efforts was the creation of Orange County’s first Community Choice Energy (CCE) program, the OC Power Authority (OCPA), which Irvine led. Its mission: to provide cleaner energy at lower rates than Irvine families were receiving through SoCal Edison (SCE). That mission is by all accounts succeeding.
OCPA represents hard-won progress that we must protect for future generations, and Irvine must commit to the innovative spirit that led to its creation.
No Climate Progress without OCPA
The importance of remaining in OCPA to our climate goals is impossible to overstate. There is simply no meeting our climate goals without the renewable energy Irvine receives from our community choice program. City staff confirmed as much to both the Sustainability Commission and City Council this Spring, when it was made clear that even at the lowest default tier, OCPA provides more renewable energy (47%) than SCE, which goes only so far as to offer the state minimum amount of renewables (38%).
March 25, 2025, Dept. of Public Works presentation Irvine Sustainability Commission comparing the difference in pace on CAAP emissions goals between OCPA and SCE.
This makes a significant difference when it comes to meeting the state’s 2045 carbon neutrality target. Irvine can meet our goals much sooner with the higher renewable mix through OCPA. That reality aligns with Irvine’s initial vision, which projected emissions cuts of 360,000 tons of CO2 per year just by creating OCPA. That vision has now become concrete policy, and it is working as intended.
There is no shortage of excitement to tackle climate change in Irvine, but there is only one energy provider that can match our residents’ appetite for action, and that is OCPA. One need only look to the business owners who have voluntarily opted for OCPA’s 100% clean energy option through the Green Business Program. By contrast, SCE will claim to provide all-clean power through its Green Rate program, but its waitlist is notoriously long. Too long to wait for the climate crisis. OCPA is providing Irvine with the means to meet our environmental goals today. Rescinding the withdrawal notice will allow this progress to continue without the threat of going back to dirty energy hanging over our climate goals.
Saving Working Families Money
Irvine’s leadership in creating OCPA created the added benefit of cheaper energy for working families in our city. For the first time in local history, residents are paying lower rates on their utility bills through OCPA’s Basic Choice option, which provides 3% savings per month when compared to SCE’s rates. These savings represent tangible relief for households paying for the already high cost of living in Irvine.
When it comes to energy rates, there is simply no comparison between the community focus of OCPA and what can only be referred to as price gouging by SCE. The monopoly utility has increased prices year after year for customers without providing any new benefits in return, and there is no end in sight. Just in the past decade, SCE has raised rates by 90% and plans to continue the trend until rates are 45% higher by 2030. As one can imagine, the impact on communities struggling to get by has been devastating. The CPUC estimates that almost 900,000 customers are at least $1,000 behind on their bills to SCE. The sheer level of financial burden SCE is forcing families to bear reveals the monopoly’s only real underlying motive – profit for their shareholders. On that front, business is booming; SCE raked in $1.7 billion in 2024, all on the backs of working people.
Remaining committed to OCPA protects Irvine residents from predatory price hikes by a Wall Street-owned corporation. Without the clean energy alternative that our CCE provides, homes and businesses would be at the mercy of a historic monopoly that offers customers no say in where their energy comes from or how much they pay for it. And this is the most concrete benefit that OCPA provides for Irvine: local control. Irvine residents can choose the energy plan that works best for themselves, with Board representatives who speak out for the city’s interests. Rescinding the withdrawal notice on Tuesday keeps that choice in Irvine’s hands.
The Way Forward
I am proud to have been born and raised in Irvine. Our reputation for innovation is a well-earned badge of honor for our city, which ranks among the 20 largest in the state. We have worn it proudly as our city tackles the twin challenges of our time: climate change and the affordability crisis. Irvine created a solution in OCPA that dares to take on both problems at once by providing clean energy at a lower cost to residents. For all intents and purposes, that solution is delivering tangible benefits for community members that the city must protect.
At the September 9th council meeting, the city council must chart one of two futures for Irvine. One where it reverts to a decadent reliance on fossil fuels from a monopoly indifferent to our residents’ struggles, or the path of innovating our way out of the climate crisis while making life more affordable in our city. Securing the brighter future starts with rescinding the notice of intent to withdraw from OCPA and committing to the path we choose for ourselves.
2 Comments
Crit
September 7, 2025 at 3:18 pmThank you for taking the time to explain this. To me, it seems pretty clear that OCPA’s lowest rate comes in below SCE’s—and that’s what matters most to Irvine residents. What isn’t clear, and what I think leaves many people confused, is why the City Council set up multiple rate choices in the first place, and why they are now considering pulling out of OCPA. That part still needs to be clarified.
While I understand the need to push back against monopolistic and near-monolithic enterprises, that perspective is often lost on the majority. With electricity demand projected to rise again—driven largely by data center growth reversing the downward trend achieved through efficiency gains—it’s critical that SCE continue to face at least some competition. Without it, residents lose any real leverage against unchecked rate increases.
An explanation and transparency by the City Council on this matter is needed.
edmondsmeyerson
September 7, 2025 at 5:18 pmJust saying it doesn’t make it so. If SCE has a waiting list for their Green Rate Program because the grid can’t handle more then how can OCPA handle more green sine they use the SCE grid? OCPA has no network or grid of their own. I am still waiting for some evidence that this actually helps the climate. I hear it does all the time by people who are paid to say these things. I have asked for evidence many times at Council meetings but I get no answers.
Comments are closed.