Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Energy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Clean Power Alliance moves into "direct access" market; Claremont Colleges contract approved
Summary
The regional Clean Power Alliance board voted to enter the direct access market and approved a first direct-access contract with the Claremont Colleges, a move Mayor Pro Tem Klein Lopez said will help retain large institutional customers and expand 100% clean energy procurement options.
The Clean Power Alliance board this month voted to allow the agency to participate in the direct access market and approved its first contract under that program with the Claremont Colleges, Agoura Hills Mayor Pro Tem Deborah Klein Lopez told the council on July 8.
"Direct access is you can think of it as a wholesale market," Klein Lopez said, describing the program as an option for large customers such as school districts, hospitals or college campuses to purchase electricity outside standard retail offerings. She said the board approved "dipping our toe into the direct access market" to avoid losing large institutional customers and that the Claremont Colleges contract will allow that campus group to buy 100% clean energy at wholesale rates.
Klein Lopez told the council the change is aimed at retaining big customers whose purchasing needs differ from households and small businesses. "We're almost 40 cities," she said, and the CPA’s actions affect the wider region, not just Agoura Hills.
The council's remarks were part of a largely ceremonial July meeting in which the city also recognized local volunteers and community organizations. No local ordinance or regulatory action related to the CPA update was taken by the Agoura Hills council during the meeting.
What Klein Lopez described is a procurement pathway that lets very large electricity users contract for power on terms similar to wholesale purchases; the councilmember framed the decision as a regional competitiveness and climate step, noting the Claremont Colleges negotiated a deal to secure 100% clean supply for its campuses. The CPA director referenced the program’s potential to keep large loads within the agency’s portfolio rather than losing them to private-market alternatives.
The council did not take action on any energy policy locally; the update was delivered for information. The item was presented during the council’s regular meeting on July 8, 2026, after county and community recognitions.
