IRVINE, Calif. (KNX) - The city of Irvine voted Tuesday to remain a part of the Orange County Power Authority, a green energy provider that’s been mired in controversy.
The decision comes just a week after Huntington Beach pulled out of OCPA, with one councilmember calling the agency a “total disaster.” Orange County withdrew in December, before OCPA had even begun providing power in the county’s unincorporated communities.
OCPA’s former CEO Brian Probolsky was let go by the board in April after the agency faced criticism for its pricing strategies and transparency failures. OCPA has failed four audits since its creation in 2020.
In recent months, OCPA has taken steps to rebuild trust by addressing concerns raised by the failed audits. But Huntington Beach Mayor Tony Strickland, who is also a member of the power authority's board, wasn’t swayed.
“The fact of the matter is, they don’t know what they’re doing,” he told KNX News. “They tell the public one thing, but they do something else.”
The O.C. Register reports that the city of Irvine’s decision to remain in OCPA came after almost two hours of debate, with Mayor Farrah Khan saying that Huntington Beach and Orange County will “pay” for pulling out of the agency.
But Strickland says that Irvine, which represents about 40% of OCPA’s customers, will be the one on the hook.
“Irvine’s gonna be holding the bag, because they’re the biggest city, and this is an agency that’s not gonna sustain itself,” he said.
In addition to Irvine, Buena Park and Fullerton are still serviced by OCPA, but both cities are floating the possibility of pulling out.
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