Lake Forest City Council Jumps Ship on New Regional Renewable Energy Agency
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Lake Forest officials have backed out of Orange County’s newly formed Power Authority and community choice energy program touted to lower costs for residents through investments in renewable energy.
For almost two hours on Tuesday night, officials heard residents and supporters urge them to “keep the Orange County Power Authority family together” and allow residents to choose their own energy at the meeting.
The City Council with a roll count vote of 4-1 decided on Tuesday to leave the authority despite residents’ calls to stay in the agency.
Two More Cities Join Regional Renewable Energy Agency a Day Before New Board Meets
Dec. 17, 2020
Power lines run through a Santa Ana neighborhood on Dec. 11, 2020. Credit: JULIE LEOPO, Voice of OC
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Lake Forest and Buena Park have signed on to a new Community Choice Energy program expected to lower costs for residents through investments in renewable energy.
Irvine has offered to pay $2.7 million to create the new agency singlehandedly, and has committed to offering collateral for a loan ranging from $8 million to $17 million for the initial capital.
Huntington Beach and Fullerton also voted to join the power authority recently, which now has five cities as members. Other cities in the county interested in joining next year include Santa Ana, Placentia, Stanton, Aliso Viejo and Villa Park.
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Lake Forest officials will decide today on whether their city should join a regional renewable energy agency, along with a host of others in Orange County that either recently took action or will do so this week.
But advocates for such a program are raising concerns about the Lake Forest City Council’s upcoming vote specifically around the mayor’s employment with a prominent natural gas company that some see as a major force standing against these efforts.
Because of this relationship, they argue, Mayor Neeki Moatazedi should recuse herself.
Moatazedi, on the other hand, argues her employer, the Southern California Gas Company, isn’t relevant or affected by the current energy debate and that she’s keeping an open mind.