The California Choice Energy Authority (CalChoice) is celebrating its four-year anniversary this year. Since its inception, CalChoice has remained a leader in helping local governments throughout Southern California implement community choice aggregation (CCA) programs for their communities.

“CalChoice has been an asset for several municipalities that have decided to move forward with CCA programs,” said Executive Director Jason Caudle. “We are helping cities accomplish their sustainability and environmental goals and are excited to continue that work with current and future CalChoice members.” 

The City of Lancaster and the City of San Jacinto formed CalChoice as a hybrid joint powers authority (JPA) to help cities in Southern California Edison territory participate in CCA programs without having to sacrifice control or any of the benefits associated with a traditional JPA.

CalChoice is governed by the Lancaster City Council with individual cities joining as associate members of the hybrid JPA. Each associate member’s City Council is responsible for setting rates for their City’s CCA, purchasing their energy and contracting their services through existing CalChoice contracts, which help keep costs low and maximize revenues for each member.

Associate members of CalChoice include the cities of Lancaster, Pico Rivera, San Jacinto,  Rancho Mirage, Commerce, Pomona, Palmdale, Baldwin Park and Santa Barbara and the Town of Apple Valley. Several municipalities have also engaged CalChoice to complete their feasibility studies, a key element of the CCA implementation process that determines whether a CCA program would be feasible for a city. 

By joining together, CalChoice helps cut costs for associate members through the benefits of economy of scale. As more members join, each City’s share of the fixed costs decreases, allowing smaller cities the opportunity to start a CCA who otherwise might have been too small to successfully operate one on their own.

“Establishing and running a CCA can be complex,” said CalChoice Board Member and Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Parris. “We’re proud to offer cities flexibility when it comes to launching and operating their CCA programs. Through CalChoice, members have access to experienced staff who have been through the process, allowing each City to avoid common pitfalls and operate their CCA as efficiently as possible. 

Pomona Choice Energy and Baldwin Park Resident-Owned Utility District, which both launched in October 2020, are the most recent CalChoice associate members to launch their CCA programs. Santa Barbara Clean Energy is the next member scheduled to launch in October 2021. 

Learn more about CalChoice at californiachoiceenergyauthority.com.