The Clearlake City Council has rejected for now joining Sonoma Clean Power, a public electricity provider that serves Sonoma and Mendocino counties and is seeking to expand into Lake County.
The council voted 3-2 Thursday night against the proposal. Mayor Russ Cremer and Vice Mayor Dirk Slooten voted in favor, and council members Tara Downey, Jessica Hooten and Mary Wilson voted against.
The decision came after more than an hour of presentation, public comment and council deliberation. And it came two days after a joint presentation Tuesday to the Lake County Board of Supervisors and the city councils of Clearlake and Lakeport. Sonoma Clean Power CEO Geof Sypher told the Journal that agency officials had been giving presentations at citizen advisory councils around Clear Lake for the past few months.
Supporters of joining Sonoma Clean Power pointed to potential cost savings and local control over energy sources.
“I, for one, am very much in favor of this opportunity, and I think we would be missing out if we chose not to take it,” Cremer said.
However, a majority of the council expressed concerns about the lack of clarity regarding forthcoming projects in Sonoma Clean Power’s geothermal opportunity zone (GeoZone) and the need for more community input on the rate differences and opt-out processes, particularly from local tribes. And some said the decision came too quickly after the joint presentation.
“We have to commit, but yet commit to what? We don’t know. The future is unknown with Sonoma Clean Power, and that doesn’t sit well with me,” Downey said.
Syphers addressed concerns about the agency’s motives.
“We’re a local government. We’re not a for-profit entity. So there were some concerns that we’re here for the profit. It’s actually easier for us if we don’t serve Lake County,” Syphers told the council.
Sonoma Clean Power said the door remains open for future consideration, but the timeline for doing so is rapidly approaching. The Board of Supervisors and Lakeport City Council are set to decide on Oct. 21. The power agency has been hoping to take the decisions to its board for final approval Nov. 6, as state rules would delay start of service for 18 months, or until May 2027.
Jeff Quackenbush joined North Bay Business Journal in May 1999. He covers primarily wine, construction and real estate. Reach him at jeff@nbbj.news or 707-521-4256.