Hermosa Beach households could save about $212 a year on electricity if the City Council changes the default power plan it chose for them in 2022.

The council took up the issue this week after Councilmember Rob Saemann asked on Sept. 8 to reconsider the city's enrollment in Clean Power Alliance's (CPA) priciest tier, 100% Green Power, the Hermosa Review reported. Mayor Pro Tem Michael Keegan and Councilmember Dean Francois agreed to bring the matter back for discussion.

Hermosa Beach’s CPA participation rate is 91.6%, according to city staff cited by the Hermosa Review.

How Hermosa got here

The council voted on Oct. 11, 2022 to join Clean Power Alliance, a public agency that buys electricity for 38 member agencies across Los Angeles and Ventura counties. It picked 100% Green Power, the most expensive of CPA's three tiers, as the default for every Hermosa Beach account. In March 2024, all customers who had not opted out were switched automatically. State law makes these programs opt-out, so doing nothing counted as a yes.

CPA offers three tiers, according to the city's Clean Power Alliance page: Lean Power at 40% renewable energy, Clean Power at 50% and 100% Green Power at full renewable content.

What it costs

The generation portion of a bill on 100% Green Power runs about 22% higher than on the cheaper tiers, the Hermosa Review reported. A typical household on the default pays roughly 7% more overall than a Southern California Edison (SCE) customer and about $212 a year more than on CPA's cheapest plan, according to the joint SCE and CPA rate comparison for Hermosa Beach.

Switching a standard home from 100% Green Power to Clean Power would cut the bill by about $165 a year, the Hermosa Review reported. The city's 6% utility users tax on electricity means higher bills also generate more tax revenue. The city would lose about $10 per home in tax for every household that moves down a tier.

The debate

Supporters of the current default say it helps Hermosa Beach meet self-imposed climate goals and that defaults work precisely because people keep them. Manhattan Beach and Redondo Beach use the same 100% Green Power default, the Hermosa Review reported.

Critics counter that residents are paying a premium they never knowingly accepted. Cheaper tiers still cost the same as or less than Edison while leaving 100% renewable power available to anyone who wants it, the Hermosa Review reported.

The Hermosa Review first reported on resident confusion over the switch in October 2025. The premium has grown since then, the outlet reported.

Customers who want to change their plan can do so through Clean Power Alliance. Opting out entirely returns a customer to SCE, but a 12-month waiting period applies before they can rejoin CPA, according to the city's website. Residents can contact Doug Krauss, the city's environmental programs manager, at (310) 750-3603 for more information.