Report 2022-120 Recommendation 16 Responses

Report 2022-120: Orange County Power Authority: Increased Board Oversight Is Needed to Improve Its Operations (Release Date: February 2023)

Recommendation #16 To: Orange County Power Authority

To improve customer retention, OCPA should take steps to build trust with current and potential customers by communicating more clearly with them. For example, it should update its website as soon as feasible to provide additional useful information about its operations and communicate whether and how it has provided savings to customers and other relevant benefits to member communities.

6-Month Agency Response

To address this recommendation and to communicate more effectively and clearly with the public and OCPA customers, OCPA has expanded the scope of work with its main communications consultant, Reveille, Inc. (see new contract below).

Reveille is in the process of a major refresh of the OCPA website (see link below to the last board of directors meeting when an update was given. Also, the OCPA team is giving regular updates to the board on its efforts (see Marketing and Communications Update below). Additionally, OCPA formed a Marketing and Communications Committee, which meets on a quarterly basis.

https://www.figma.com/proto/VSmCmFY4sKgkWLAVRxPpsS/Orange-County-Power-Authority-Design-2023?page-id=3090%3A28359&type=design&node-id=3115-29337&viewport=-21881%2C1072%2C0.25&t=dlnpsgxKFC5MRCzP-1&scaling=min-zoom&starting-point-node-id=3115%3A41603

Orange County Power Authority Board Regular Meeting July 19, 2023 (vimeo.com). The conversation regarding the website refresh begins at 37:12.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 6-Month Status: Fully Implemented

OCPA has taken steps to enhance communication with current and potential customers, such as forming a marketing and communications committee and updating its website. The website provides additional information about OCPA's operations and some data on customers' savings. We consider this recommendation to be fully implemented because the steps OCPA has taken represent a clear improvement from its past practices. However, it is still difficult to find on OCPA's website certain information that other CCAs highlight in easy to find locations on their websites, such as descriptions of specifically how it promotes local renewable energy projects or programs, quantifying its accomplishments, and providing data on customers' participation rates. As OCPA produces or collects more information relevant to these important topics, it should look for ways to communicate them publicly.

60-Day Agency Response

OCPA has developed an Improvement Plan to address each recommendation. In accordance with the Improvement Plan, this recommendation will be completed as of July 2023. More specifically, OCPA formed an internal working group to focus on upgrading the OCPA website to deliver more information on who we are, what we do, the benefits of community choice energy, programs that are available to our customers, and our customers' clean energy choices. We are working with our web designer and creative team on this update. We are planning for a June unveiling before the Board of Directors and to be live with the upgrade by July.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 60-Day Status: Pending

OCPA has not yet submitted evidence demonstrating it has implemented this recommendation.

All Recommendations in 2022-120

Agency responses received are posted verbatim.