Sonoma Clean Power (SCP) representatives told the Lake County Board of Supervisors and the city councils of Lakeport and Clear Lake on Sept. 30 that joining the community choice aggregator could give local governments more control over energy procurement and community programs, while also creating a regional process to pursue new geothermal development.

"Joining a CCA gives you local control over finances in a way that is unusual," SCP Chief Executive Officer Jeff Sifers said, noting SCP has issued "$775,000,000 in municipal bonds" to prepay supply contracts and that the agency expects to use similar tools if Lake County joins. Sifers told the joint meeting that if Lake County were to join, SCP's board has offered two seats for the county region and a target timeline that would begin a regulatory process in October and could enable service to start in May 2027.

Why it matters: the proposal would change who negotiates long‑term power contracts for enrolled customers, create new local program funding streams and open a formal GeoZone process that SCP says could accelerate new geothermal projects in Sonoma, Mendocino and Lake counties. Supporters say that could bring local jobs, training and grants; critics worry about land use, environmental impacts, tribal consultation and limits on local permitting rights.

SCP staff described the customer side of the program and what residents would experience. "All residents and businesses will automatically be enrolled in May 2027 unless they proactively opt out of service," said Erica Torgerson, SCP managing director of customer service. Torgerson outlined SCP's enrollment outreach plan (beginning in 2026), the default product called "Clean Start" (described in the presentation as about 51% renewable) and an optional premium product, Evergreen, which SCP said costs about "$12 extra per month" for a household and is pitched as 100% locally produced renewable power.

Ryan Tracy, SCP director of planning and analytics, described the GeoZone initiative that SCP is promoting as a vehicle to attract geothermal industry partners and to set local expectations for projects. Tracy said the GeoZone is targeting roughly 600 megawatts of new geothermal capacity across the three counties and that new drilling and binary technologies have expanded where geothermal may be feasible.

SCP emphasized that it does not own distribution infrastructure and that Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) would continue to own and operate the poles, wires and outage responses. "We do not replace PG&E," Sifers said. SCP also highlighted its customer advocacy role before regulators: Neil Reardon, SCP director of regulatory affairs, said the agency fought a CPUC proposal to change solar credits and secured protections for customers, and that SCP successfully sponsored legislation referenced in the meeting (identified in the transcript as "80 13 59") to localize some permitting authority for geothermal exploration.

Local officials and residents asked detailed questions about rates, governance, opt‑out mechanics and GeoZone safeguards. Board and city members were told the SCP feasibility study found Lake County would likely see slightly lower overall rates at the time service would start because PG&E's customer fees assessed to new CCA customers are expected to be lower in the county than in parts of SCP's existing territory. Sifers told the meeting: "I don't think you'll see probably a better time to do it than now."

Participants pressed SCP on how savings are presented. Sifers and staff warned that savings cited for the generation portion of a bill are not the same as savings on a customer's total electric bill, noting the utility distribution and public purpose charges remain on a single bill from PG&E. SCP staff said their historical net customer impacts have varied (they described years when SCP was cheaper by as much as 7% on total bills and other years when SCP was more expensive) and that the agency manages reserves and balancing accounts to smooth rate changes.

On opt‑out mechanics, SCP said customers would be notified and have a free opt‑out window extending two months before the enrollment month, the enrollment month itself and two months after enrollment (a five‑month free window). After that window, SCP said an opt‑out fee would be $5 for residential accounts and $25 for commercial accounts if customers choose to switch later.

Geothermal and the GeoZone drew the most sustained public scrutiny. Tracy said the GeoZone is intended to coordinate public‑private cooperation agreements that require community engagement and said SCP would seek partners that offer financial benefits and first refusal on generated power for SCP customers. Tracy acknowledged the GeoZone concept is still in early planning and that details about where projects might be sited and which technologies would be used are not yet finalized.

Residents and elected officials raised multiple concerns: potential impacts to scenic and recreational lands, hydrogen sulfide or other emissions, seismicity tied to geothermal operations, protections for tribal governments and whether state laws cited by SCP could override local setback rules. Several public commenters urged postponing any October vote to allow more time for consultation with tribes and for a joint review with PG&E on grid impacts.

SCP representatives said the GeoZone process would include public meetings and opportunities for local governments to shape project criteria. On state law, speakers referenced several bills during the discussion (transcript references include "AB 117," "AB 5 31" and "AB 2 54" as well as the bill SCP identified as "80 13 59") and cautioned that certain legislative pathways can enable state‑level permitting or opt‑in processes. SCP staff said they would seek to respect local ordinances and that, in their view, the GeoZone offers a forum to influence which industry partners are invited and what standards govern projects.

Several supervisors and council members said they value the potential for local programs, workforce development and grants SCP has provided elsewhere — Torgerson and Sifers described examples including grants for nonprofits to purchase electric vehicles, trade education support and community giving programs — but asked for stronger written protections around local land‑use authority, tribal consultation before a final decision and clearer details on what a GeoZone partnership would require of Lake County.

Public commenters were split. Some urged approval so the county would have a governance seat at SCP; others urged delay to allow more study of the GeoZone map and to ensure tribes and PG&E are properly engaged. "We are looking for thoughtful consideration that ensures Lake County residents stay at the epicenter of decisions that involve Lake County resources," one Upper Lake resident said during public comment.

No formal vote was recorded at the workshop. SCP staff said the agency had offered the county two seats at the SCP board (one for the county and one shared for the cities) and that the board has signaled it would begin the regulatory process if local jurisdictions vote to join in October; SCP also said the county could appoint representatives earlier (January 2026) if it wishes to have representation during GeoZone planning.

Next steps discussed included additional outreach to tribal governments, more town‑hall style briefings, and an acknowledgement by multiple speakers that any formal decision to join SCP would be a policy choice for each jurisdiction. Several supervisors and council members said they want more written detail and tribal engagement before a final decision.

Ending: The meeting adjourned after public comment. Officials said packets and feasibility materials previously provided to the city councils remain available and that staff and SCP representatives plan follow‑up outreach to municipal advisory councils and tribal governments ahead of any October vote.

Speakers quoted in this article are drawn from the meeting transcript and identified in the meeting record.