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East County News Service
July 28, 2016 (La Mesa) – Should La Mesa give its residents an option to purchase power through a community choice energy program (also known as community choice aggregation) instead of from SDG&E?
On Wednesday, August 3rd at 7 p.m. the City Council will hear a presentation on the community choice energy program at a special joint meeting with the city’s Environmental Sustainability Commission and La Mesa Planning Commission.
The meeting will be held in the La Mesa City Council Chambers at 8130 Allison Avenue, La Mesa.
Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) is a program that permits cities, counties, and other authorized entities, called Community Choice Aggregators to purchase and/or generate electricity for residents and businesses located within the boundaries of their jurisdiction. Although cities sell the power, electricity still flows through the grid provided by the utility company, in this case, SDG&E.
Supporters say consumers in municipalities with CCAs can save money on their utility bills since the ventures are nonprofit--not corporate monopolies. Residents in the San Diego region currently pay among the highest utility rates in the nation.
Cities also have the option to secure more power from renewable energy sources.
Utilities have opposed CCAs, claiming that the set-up could jeopardize major investments that utilities have made through long-term power-generation contracts.
Typically, if a city adopts a CCA, consumers can opt out if they don’t wish to participate.
San Diego 350.org, a nonprofit dedicated to stopping climate change, calls CCA a"cool concept" adding that it "introduces competition into the electricity market and facilitates getting to 100% clean energy."
The City of La Mesa is looking into CCA in relation to its Climate Action Plan - which is currently under development. Climate Action Plans, spell out how a jurisdiction, its residents and businesses, achieve specific reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.
Find out more and RSVP for the CCA presentation here.
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