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Residents urge Laguna Beach not to join OCPA, cite financial and privacy risks
Summary
Public commenters warned the council that the Orange County Power Authority (OCPA) could raise rates over SCE, cited alleged reserve losses and called for an independent financial and legal review; commenters also raised concerns about sharing customer data with consultants.
Two members of the public urged Laguna Beach officials to proceed cautiously about any move toward the Orange County Power Authority.
Mike Ralph told the council that OCPA could result in higher costs for Laguna Beach residents and alleged that the city previously authorized sharing of confidential electricity customer data with OCPA consultants. Ralph said some cities and committees had recommended not joining OCPA and alleged the Climate Action Campaign had received $80,000 from OCPA, which he said could create conflicts of interest in feasibility studies.
Vicky Johnson presented a video and urged a thorough independent financial and legal review of OCPA. She summarized what she described as OCPA’s financial risks, citing volatile energy costs, declining reserves (an alleged $45 million loss in 2025), and projections that could result in higher rates and long‑term deficits. She recommended independent review and said joint powers agreements could make ratepayers liable.
City council received the comments; no council action was taken on OCPA during the meeting.
Note: The statements above reflect assertions made during public comment; they have not been independently verified and are reported as claims made by the speakers.
