• Provided a supporting role to education about CC Agregation

The AB 2145 saga that arose the summer of 2014 represented the ultimate David and Goliath Story. This bill would have gutted Community Electricity Choice by removing a core provision — the ability to start a CCA with all community members enrolled.  Without this provision, a CCA cannot reach the scale needed to launch successfully.

Throughout the summer, many amendments were offered.  Several of these attempted to further restrict the ability of communities to form community choice districts.  Each amendment had to be evaluated, prior to collective action.  In each case, the statewide coalition  prevailed. 

Success was secured because an informed group of dedicated Californians took on AB 2145 sponsor Assembly Member Bradford, his supporters in the Assembly and in the utilities PG&E, SDG&E, and SCE, and his shills pulled in from far and wide. It took vigilance and perseverance.  How did we do it? One dedicated day at a time.

• In 2015 California’s landmark climate action bill SB350 did not start out supportive of Community Choice; rather, it contained several IOU-supported elements that would have severely curtailed local choice.  Like its partners statewide, SDED took action.

• In 2017, SDED prioritized Outreach and Education.  This Initiative consisted of three headline events and two related activities: “San Diego 2017 Community Choice Forum”, “Electricity Storage and  Community Choice: A Discussion Paper”, “The Business of Local Energy Symposium 2017”, Revitalizing the “Ambassadors” program, and “Energy Storage North America”

• Launch of CCAs in San Diego

• Energy Futures Academy (EFA)

A major 2018 initiative, EFA resulted from SDED’s participation in the University of San Diego’s Non-Profit Institute of Leadership’s Catalyst Challenge, a course in innovation and “outside the box” program design.  The challenge:  to develop leadership artistry as exemplified by an innovative stretch project designed to catapult SDED to the next level of excellence and success.

SDED pioneered the Energy Futures Academy in late 2018 through its “beta” offering, to test content and program format. The beta focused largely on the fundamentals of Community Choice Energy, structures, risks and benefits, impacts and rewards, and examined how Community Choice will continue to alter the energy landscape.