Fillmore council delays decision on joining Clean Power Alliance, directs staff to seek Edison data and presentations

The Fillmore City Council on Tuesday stopped short of committing to a Clean Power Alliance feasibility study and instead directed staff to request customer data from Southern California Edison and invite an Edison representative to present so councilors can hear both sides before deciding whether Fillmore should join the community choice aggregator.

Clean Power Alliance (CPA) representative Karen told the council CPA is a publicly owned electricity provider and community choice aggregator that purchases cleaner energy while Southern California Edison (SCE) continues to deliver it. Karen said CPA offers three product tiers — 100% green, a 50% clean option and a 40% lean option — and that customers may opt out at any time. She also described CPA programs, including solar-plus-storage rebates, a $300 room air-conditioner rebate for low-income customers and community benefits grants.

The feasibility-study request on the agenda would have asked Fillmore to pay a $10,000 fee to have CPA evaluate the local impacts of joining. Karen said the study mainly looks at the impact to existing CPA customers, greenhouse-gas reductions, and a city’s own electricity accounts; she noted the fee is refunded if CPA’s board decides not to invite a city to join. Karen summarized the hypothetical timetable: a board decision in September, two ordinance readings by the city council, a CPUC addendum, and a CPUC review the following March, with service starting the year after CPUC approval.

Public comment was strongly in favor. Faviola Gomez, who identified herself as a Santa Paula resident representing local community groups, urged Fillmore to “seize the opportunity” and move toward cleaner, renewable energy to protect public health and the local economy. Brooke Walthaser of the advocacy group Sea Frog said joining CPA would be “one of the biggest actions that a city can take to reduce greenhouse gas emissions” and highlighted potential benefits such as resilience programs, EV charging and workforce development. Several other residents and local leaders — including Pedro Chavez, mayor of neighboring Santa Paula — urged the council to pursue the CPA option.

Councilmembers repeatedly asked technical questions about how CPA service would work with SCE service interruptions. Karen responded directly to a question about public-safety power shutoffs: “That is correct. SCE still owns, maintains, operates the lines and wires,” meaning CPA service would not change SCE’s operational control of distribution and PSPS decisions. On rate comparisons she said CPA aims to set stable annual rates and that relative comparisons with SCE can fluctuate during the year because Edison changes rates more often.

Council debate focused on process and information needs rather than the policy merits of community choice. Several councilmembers said they favored fuller information before spending city funds: the $10,000 fee is intended both to cover some study costs and to demonstrate the city’s commitment, Karen said, adding the fee does not cover the entire study expense. Councilmembers asked staff to obtain SCE account-level data for Fillmore, to invite SCE to present its programs and constraints, and to contact several similar-sized cities that have joined CPA for their experience.

Outcome and next steps: councilmembers did not vote to enter CPA or to pay the $10,000 study fee tonight. Instead they directed staff to submit a formal data request to SCE (a process Karen said typically takes several weeks), invite Southern California Edison to give a presentation to council, and gather experience statements from several comparable cities; the council also asked CPA to remain available for follow-up. Any formal decision to proceed with the feasibility study or to join CPA would return to council for later action.

Why it matters: joining a community choice aggregator would change who supplies the electricity generation portion of local utility bills, potentially increasing renewable generation and enabling locally tailored programs. It would not alter SCE’s ownership or operation of distribution lines, and customers would retain the ability to opt out.

Public-source notes: CPA described its three-product structure, its program investments and the mechanics of opt-out windows; members of the public and neighboring elected officials urged the council to move forward; council asked staff to collect SCE usage and assistance-program data and to invite SCE to brief the council before any commitment.