For Immediate Release
May 4, 2015
Contact: Katharine King [email protected] 310-396-0799
Co-Chair, Climate Action Santa Monica Steering Committee
Community Choice Aggregation
to be Focus of May 31 CASM Forum
What is CCA (Community Choice Aggregation)? Soon the answer will be the talk of the town. Towards
that end, Climate Action Santa Monica is offering the first opportunity for people to attend a public
forum on the subject and learn how Santa Monica in combination with other cities is working toward
creating a new power authority. The new authority will ensure power in Santa Monica is mostly or all
renewable at a price comparable or less than the existing power vendor. All this thanks to AB 117, a
California state law passed in 2002, which enables cities or groups of cities to legally create power
authorities allowing for local control and decision making around such issues as energy mix.
Marin County, Sonoma County and the City of Lancaster have already formed CCAs providing guidance
and a reality-based track record for new Community Choice programs coming online. Currently seven
southern California cities, including Santa Monica, with more on the verge, have passed resolutions to
participate in a CCA feasibility study, which is a first step in the CCA creation process. Giving a big boost
to the effort, Los Angeles County Supervisors Sheila Kuehl and Don Knabe co-sponsored a motion passed
in March by the Board of Supervisors authorizing $150,000 in funding for the study.
Featured speakers at the forum include Joe Galliani and Shawn Marshall, both heavily involved with
CCA’s. Shawn with Lean Energy USA was integral in the forming of Marin’s CCA and Joe is the lead
organizer of the South Bay Clean Power Working Group, the volunteer citizen group working on bringing
clean energy to Santa Monica and other Southern California cities.
Additionally, at the forum, UCLA Environment & Sustainability students will present their research and
conclusions as to ways in which Santa Monica can further reduce greenhouse gases. Their capstone
research project and presentation, initiated at the request of Santa Monica’s Office of Sustainability and
the Environment, will offer results of a Santa Monica UCLA Sustainability Audit.
The Climate Action forum is free and open to the public though registration at lightenuplearnaboutcca.eventbrite.com is suggested due to limited space. It will take place at the Church in Ocean
Park, the parent organization of CASM, located at 235 Hill Street, Santa Monica. Doors open at 1 PM,
program begins 1:30 PM, May 31. The Church in Ocean Park is an interfaith community dedicated to
social justice.
For more information, go to ClimateActionSantaMonica.org or call 424-259-3194.
c/o Church in Ocean Park • 235 Hill Street • Santa Monica • California • 90405
climateactionsantamonica.org • 424-259-3194