In 2017, the City Council received a staff report on the implementation of Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) for the City, a California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) program, that allows cities, counties, and Joint Power Authorities (JPA) to procure electricity for individual customers within a defined jurisdiction. Due to a tight timeline and uncertainty surrounding the program at the time, the City Council declined to join a newly forming CCA led by LA County and other local jurisdictions.
At the request of the City Council, staff returned with an update on implementing a CCA program in December 2022. Following subsequent presentations from Southern California Edison (SCE) and Clean Power Alliance (CPA), the City Council directed staff at the June 6, 2023, City Council meeting to take the initial step of seeking membership with CPA. CPA is the same JPA that the City Council considered joining in 2017; today, it serves over 3,000,000 customers in 35 communities throughout Los Angeles and Ventura Counties. It is the fifth largest electricity provider in the state and has the most customers in the nation receiving 100% renewable energy.
The initial step for CPA membership was an Applicant Impact Study—an analysis performed by CPA on the impact of the City’s potential membership on existing members. The Study was favorable for the City, and, on October 5, 2023, the CPA Board voted to invite La Cañada Flintridge to join as a member.
Should the City opt in as a CPA customer, the financial impact on the City’s electricity costs will ultimately be determined by the renewable tier rate selected. While there are no rate guarantees, CPA’s monthly rates, inclusive of SCE delivery charges, averaged +/- 5% of SCE’s rates over the last three years, depending on the tier rate.
Additionally, the City receives an annual franchise fee from SCE that has averaged $481,959 per year over the previous three calendar years. Implementing a CCA program is not expected to impact the amount of the fee to be paid by SCE; the California legislature has enacted statutory provisions intended to protect municipal revenues that were affected by unbundling electricity generation from delivery.
On November 21st, 2023 the City Council will consider the membership of La Canada Flintridge to the CPA.
Staff report for the November 21st, 2023 meeting will be available on or after Friday, 11/17/2023. Visit Agendas and Minutes Page.
