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Port Hueneme council picks Clean Power Alliancetier, exempts streetlights and appoints representative
Summary
The Port Hueneme City Council voted unanimously Jan. 6 to join the Clean Power Alliance (CPA) with the Clean Power tier as the city efault, exempt streetlight accounts from CPA service to avoid a budget hit, and appointed Councilmember Liz Hernandez as the city—oard representative with Mayor Pro Tem Lopez as alternate.
The Port Hueneme City Council voted unanimously Jan. 6 to select the Clean Power tier as the city efault under the Clean Power Alliance and to exempt the city nd its streetlight accounts from CPA service, a move staff said would avoid a significant budget increase.
The decision follows a staff presentation and public Q&A on the CPA transition, in which city staff and CPA representatives explained options for default renewable-energy tiers, opt-out procedures for residents and differences in how streetlight accounts would be billed.
City Manager and Deputy City Manager Charles Peretz told the council the staff recommendation was the Clean Power tier, which the CPA describes as 50% renewable energy and offered at a rate comparable to Southern California Edison (SCE). Staff said rates for municipal streetlights are calculated differently and would raise the city—osts substantially if moved to CPA, so the council should keep streetlights with SCE.
Why this matters
Council members and residents asked how reliability, rates and future demand would be handled under CPA. Gina Goodhill and CPA CEO (on Zoom) answered questions about system reliability and resource adequacy, telling the council CPA is subject to the same California resource adequacy rules as SCE. The CPA CEO said, "We've met every resource adequacy requirement in the month and have never had a problem meeting those reliability needs," and added CPA has been competitive on rates since launching service across multiple jurisdictions.
CPA representatives also outlined outreach requirements tied to the transition: the California Public Utilities Commission requires CPA to send four written notices to customers before and after transition, and CPA staff said they would partner with the city on local outreach including community meetings, social media, utility bill inserts and front counter materials.
What the council decided
The council approved two separate, related actions by unanimous vote: (1) select the Clean Power tier as the default CPA tier for Port Hueneme customers and (2) authorize staff to exempt city streetlight accounts from CPA service to avoid higher municipal costs. After those approvals the council named its CPA board representative and alternate. Councilmember Liz Hernandez was appointed as the city representative; Mayor Pro Tem Lopez was appointed as the alternate.
Practical effects for residents
If the city becomes a CPA participant, residents will be automatically enrolled in the selected default tier and can opt out at any time. CPA staff said opt-out is simple (online, email or call center) and that customers remain eligible for existing SCE discounts such as CARE and medical baseline. CPA staff also said customers could change tiers after enrollment and that CPA offers additional incentives for solar and battery installations, including a rebate for home batteries.
What to watch next
Staff said CPA and the city will begin joint public outreach after the council decision, including at least two community meetings. CPA staff said sample social posts, press releases, FAQs and other materials would be provided to the city to address local questions and misinformation. Councilmembers asked staff to monitor neighborhood social channels and to work with CPA to correct inaccurate claims promptly.
Votes at a glance
- Select Clean Power tier as default (decision 1): unanimous approval (5-0). Approved on motion; city clerk recorded voice vote with all present councilmembers voting yes. - Exempt city streetlights from CPA (decision 2): unanimous approval (5-0). Approved on motion. - Appoint city representative and alternate to CPA board: Councilmember Liz Hernandez appointed representative and Mayor Pro Tem Lopez appointed alternate; unanimous approval (5-0).
Ending
Staff will begin coordinated outreach and provide a schedule of notices, community meetings and materials that CPA will use to inform residents. Council members said they wanted clear, shareable talking points to respond to neighborhood questions during the rollout.
