We Did it! Big Wins!
First Electrification Ordinance in OC
Irvine Becomes First City to Transition Away From Fossil Fuels With Building Electrification🌎
The Irvine City Council Votes Unanimously
To Pass The First Building Electrification Ordinance In Orange County
Orange County, California — There have been some major wins for Orange County recently.
First, Irvine City Council voted to pass the first building electrification ordinance in Orange County on March 28, 2023. This is a major win for Orange County!
Irvine joins 70 cities across California with a similar mandate.
The Council worked together to pass an ordinance. Mayor Farrah Khan, Vice-Mayor Tammy Kim, Council Member Larry Agran, and Council Member Treseder all voted in favor of the ordinance. Dr. Treseder introduced the agenda item. Council Member Carroll was out of the Country, but gave his letter of support for staff to read.
All Council Members voted 'yes' to the measure that removed 3 of the original 6 exceptions.
Here is a recap of the exceptions from the office of Council Member Kathleen Tresender:
Council Member Treseder shared that “There is a sense of urgency here…”
We are thankful to the teams within both Climate Reality OC and Sierra Club for working hard to advocate for this ordinance. We are also grateful for all the local support in our community. Our members responded to this call to action in our pre-Earth Month newsletter! Our Climate Reality OC chapter chair shared the importance of this vote:
"It takes a village to get something like this done, especially when it's the first ordinance in the County. Continuing to share the positive news about the benefits of new building electrification will be essential. The doors are wide open for clean and innovative technologies and solutions. I hope other cities jump on board.”
Linda Kraemer, M.S. | Chapter Chair, The Climate Reality Project: Orange County, CA Chapter
This Sierra Club letter gave pertinent detail and pragmatic instructions for support of building electrification. Hoiyin Ip from Sierra Club California and Kim Orbe from Sierra Club Angeles Chapter spoke in support of the measure with no exceptions.
“It was a truly positive night for the community. We started pushing building electrification at Irvine in 2020, along with a variety of other climate actions. Community members don't always agree with each other on everything, but we're united on building electrification.”
-Hoiyin Ip | Sierra Club
Mayor Farrah Khan shared the importance of working with the community:
“Irvine looks forward to continuing its regional leadership on climate action," said Mayor Farrah N. Khan. "Becoming the first City in Orange County to develop a building electrification ordinance brings us one step closer towards achieving our climate action goals. We look forward to continuing to work with the community to create a climate-smart future for Irvine, while paving a sustainable path forward for the region.”
-Mayor Farrah Khan
Many Groups co-signed a letter in support started by Climate Action Campaign: Sunrise Orange County, Irvine University High Environmental Club, Irvine Valley College Green Team, Irvine Climate Coalition, Reform and Sustain, Citizens’ Climate Lobby, Sierra Club, AIA Orange County, OCEJ, Surfriders South Orange County, Stand.Earth, and many others.
Our Climate Reality OC chapter chair shared the importance of other cities joining the transition to cleaner and more affordable electricity.
"Irvine staff have been open to sharing the knowledge they've gained in crafting this first ordinance I hope other cities reach out and want to join the movement for cleaner electricity."
Linda Kraemer, M.S. | Chapter Chair, The Climate Reality Project: Orange County, CA Chapter
This is a first for Orange County and we are proud that the City of Irvine moved forward on this ordinance. It sets a strong precedent that waiting is not an option. It addresses one of the biggest emissions cities have with well upwards of 40% of energy emissions coming from buildings and construction.
Did you know? 40% of energy-related CO2 emissions in cities comes from buildings and construction. In Irvine, 33% of greenhouse gas emissions stem from buildings. Check out this report for more on how the U.S. building sector has the potential to reduce CO2 emissions 80% by 2050. Let’s continue to show our support for electrification!
Showing Support At Council Meetings
Climate Reality OC Chapter Member Margo Finlayson made a comment citing public health benefits of all-electric buildings.
Support from members like you made the difference in Irvine - THANK YOU!!
Another Big Win!
Fullerton stays with OCPA at 70% Renewables!
On April 4th, the City of Fullerton voted to stay with OC Power Authority (OCPA), Our Community Choice Clean Energy Provider, and maintain the 70% renewables default rate.
There were several community members who made a public comments in support of staying at the 70% renewables rate, including Hoiyin Ip from Sierra Club and Buena Park City Council Member Jose Trinidad Castanada.
At least a dozen, Climate Reality members and contacts wrote emails of support asking Fullerton to stay in the OCPA.
Fullerton Mayor Fred Jung shared an amazing stat:
“Prior to joining, there were five Fullerton residents on renewable energy. Five. There are over 43,000 now. This is a clear and positive step,” Jung said. “If we believe this is the existential threat of our time, we should be mindful of doing something about it.”
-Mayor Fred Jung
The number of Fullerton customers on 70% or 100% renewable energy in OCPA is currently 43,524 according to OCPA’s 4/4 Response to the Council.
Council Member Dr. Shana Charles shared that listening to public comments had led her to check out the OCPA website, but she wanted clarification, “They (OCPA) are presenting to the Board a list of this grid of dozens of contracts that they do have with wind and solar and all of these other farms and I just wanted to confirm that was accurate, what I was seeing there”. In response, Mayor Jung responded, “Indeed. The portfolio is pretty massive Council Woman.”
Chapter Chair Linda Kraemer reminded the Fullerton Council that the poor 100% Green Tariff track record for the investor utilities is available in their own reports on the CPUC website. Virtually none of the environmental justice portion of the program had been fulfilled after 6 years of programming.
Promoting Transparency within OCPA
In a bid to increase transparency within OCPA, Fullerton City Council also voted to sign a non-disclosure agreement in order to review energy contracts by the city. That's the best of both worlds - voting to stay with OCPA, and raising the bar of transparency.
Several council members said that they needed more time to examine the information and make a decision. Council Member Zahra wanted to hire a consultant to examine OCPA, but the rest of the council said they wanted to wait and see the contracts and other information themselves before making that move.
This is a major win for Orange County residents and businesses. Your emails of support and advocacy make a difference!
To learn more about Community Choice Energy and the OCPA check out this blog:
Community Choice Energy: Powering A Clean Affordable Future
On October 1st, 2022, Orange County’s first Community Choice Energy (CCE) Agency officially launched service to residents in four cities in Orange County: Irvine, Huntington Beach, Fullerton and Buena Park, joining over 200 cities and counties throughout California, and serving more than 11 million satisfied utility customers.
Click below to explore all the great programs Community Choice Energy (CCE) brings to California! Let’s continue to support the OCPA and CCEs!
CCE programs include extra incentives for new and used electric vehicles, rebates for solar and battery storage, low-income e-bike grants, workforce development training, cooling centers, and more.
Here are some of the types of amazing types of programs:
Want to know more about CCEs? Check out Powered by Community Video from CALCCA.org.
Big Win For California
California Took on Big Oil and Won
On March 28, 2023, Governor Newsom Signs Gas Price Gouging Law:!
According to the Governor’s office: “California Took on Big Oil and Won!” The Associated Press shared: “Tuesday, Newsom signed a new law that gives state regulators the power to penalize oil companies for making too much money, the first of its kind in the country. It's the type of legislation the oil industry might have crushed in the past.”
The bill passed the CA State Senate in an “Extraordinary Session” designed to fast-track action on the bill. We are thankful to SBX1-2 author Senator Nancy Skinner (D) (omit extra n), business leaders, elected officials, everyday residents, and groups like ours standing together to make it happen!
Climate Reality OC had met with the Governor’s Regional Office earlier this year to share some legislative priorities held by Climate Reality Project OC and learn about the bill. Deputy Regional Directors Zach Bunshaft and Maurice Lyles oriented our group with provisions such as:
Allowing the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commision to set a maximum “gross margin” for refining gas on all CA refineries, beyond which they will be penalized
Encouraging oil companies to exercise transparency so that instances of price gouging may be identified
Establishing the “Price Gouging Penalty Fund” within the State Treasury, where fines would be deposited
(References)
Climate Reality meets with the Governors Office to discuss key legislation for OC! We continue to be “respectful and relentless” as we come together to sup[ort the climate solutions that are already here!
Email us at climaterealityprojectoc@gmail.com to help lend your voice - it only takes minutes a week!
Check out more on this legislation!
Chapter Updates
Thanks to everyone who was able to make it to our Green Living Committee meeting on Monday, March 27th! It sure does spark hope and inspiration to see and hear about exciting progress being made by chapter members and eco-minded people like you! Some highlights from the meeting include:
Plenty of exciting opportunities to join in and/or volunteer for Earth Day - Tristan has since posted details and links on the Climate Reality OC website! 🌳
New Ocean Friendly Restaurant sign ups: Gracias Madre, Cafe Gratitude (all six locations!), Sea Birds Kitchen, Pacific Hideaway! 🎉
New Costa Mesa Businesses registered with the CA Green Business Network (GBN): Sea Birds Kitchen, Eco Now, Pilar’s Wellness Collective F45 Gym, and Orange Coast College! 🙌
Sandrine of the saying she had never seen such bold progress in Orange County in the ten years she has been working here! 📣
The power of the people demonstrated at the March 3rd Climate Strikes in Santa Ana and Huntington Beach! ✊
Some quick actions we can take, including signing Linda's petition to save our Clean Energy Future! ⏳
We are your neighbors and friends, and live in your local community. Join with us to make a world of difference now and for future generations!
Join our Chapter or email us at climaterealityprojectoc@gmail.com.