Senator Anthony Portantino Honored by CalCCA with Champion Award for Clean Energy Leadership

For Immediate Release: December 2, 2021

Contact: Lerna Shirinian, (818) 409-0400

Senator Anthony Portantino Honored by CalCCA with Champion Award for Clean Energy Leadership

Glendale, California – Senator Anthony J. Portantino (D – La Cañada Flintridge) received the California Community Choice Association (CalCCA) Champion Award this week for his steadfast efforts and leadership to combat climate change, support of long-term sustainable clean energy, and his authorship of Senate Bill 612.

“I want to thank CalCCA for this honor and for the important work they do,” stated Senator Portantino.  “As we collectively step up our efforts to position California as a world leader in fighting climate change, it’s important to continue reshaping the energy landscape. Local governments through CCAs and innovation are driving much of the changes we need to reach our climate goals.” he added.

Launched in 2016, the California Community Choice Association’s mission is to create a legislative and regulatory environment that supports the development and long-term sustainability of locally run Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) electricity providers in California. There are currently 23 operational CCA programs in California serving more than 11 million customers. The CCA Champion Award recognizes a leader who has worked to ensure the long-term success and viability of CCAs in California.

“Senator Portantino is an unwavering advocate and relentless protector of local choice and demonstrated that with his authorship and work on SB 612,” stated Beth Vaughan, Executive Director of CalCCA. “The Senator fought tirelessly to advance important customer fairness legislation for the more than 200 communities across California that have chosen community choice aggregation to advance local energy decisions and taken the lead in confronting our climate crisis. We are honored to have him as a partner and to award him the CCA Champion award.”

Earlier this year, Senator Portantino authored SB 612 – a measure that provides fair and equal access to the benefits of legacy resources and contracts for all ratepayers and ensures that IOU portfolios are managed to maximize value and reduce unnecessary costs for all customers. The bill is currently in the Assembly Utilities and Energy Committee and has received bipartisan support.

Many of California’s electricity policies were adopted years ago when investor-owned utilities were the predominant provider of energy and no longer reflect California’s current landscape. Over the last decade, more than 11 million people in more than 200 cities and counties across the state have transitioned to CCA.

While CCA customers must pay their fair share of the contracts, they do not have fair access to the full range of beneficial resources these contracts provide. As a result, CCA customers must turn to increasingly scarce markets to procure resources to serve their customers while IOU customers have a full portfolio of resources at their disposal – resources that are subsidized by CCA customers.

“SB 612 is policy that was based on market fairness, on treating customers equally, regardless of who their energy provider was, and was simply the right thing to do - particularly for stakeholders in an industry that is so incredibly vital in our effort to fight climate change,” stated Senator Portantino.

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