Local Clean Energy Alliance of the Bay Area

Challenges, Victories, and Movement Building Highlights

In 2024, where one door closed, many more opened. The Local Clean Energy Alliance (LCEA) rose from mourning the loss of long-time LCEA Coordinator Al Weinrub to find itself reinvigorated with new staff and a firm footing in growing energy democracy. With your support, we advanced community driven resilience hubs, advocated for equity in electrification, challenged the state’s gutting of rooftop solar incentives and fought against false solutions like nuclear energy.

Karinuelle Krisdiva is a Research Analyst Intern at the Local Clean Energy Alliance. She holds a Master’s in International Relations from San Francisco State University, graduating summa cum laude and receiving the Distinguished Achievement Award for Excellence. Her academic focus has been on the intersections of international political economy and energy policy.

Kathy Liang is currently an undergraduate student at UC Berkeley. She is passionate about research, advocacy and community work around fostering an equitable clean energy transition. She joined LCEA in October, 2023 and has then worked on energy policy analysis, energy equity campaigns, home electrification education for underprivileged communities, and resilience hub planning. She enjoys gardening, reading, and playing tennis in her free time.

Jesse Gutierrez (he/him), is a returning LCEA intern who is now part of the Sustainability Leadership program at California State University (CSU) East Bay. He will assist us in advancing a program for resilience hubs in Ava Community Energy territory. He is a dedicated public health professional, passionate about protecting our planet's health by building a sustainable future, advocating for a just transition to renewable energy, and preserving nature.

Ava Board Majority Votes to Accept Nuclear From PG&E

On September 18th, the Ava Community Energy Board voted on whether to take nuclear power offered by PG&E from the Diablo Canyon Power Plant. This vote has been a long time coming, and Local Clean Energy Alliance (LCEA) and our key partners put up a good fight against accepting PG&E's nuclear power since 2019. Many people cited that this was the wrong step for Ava Community Energy and would lead to more dependence on Diablo Canyon as a power source, and would distract from Ava's commitment to truly clean energy.

Previously in May, the Community Advisory Committee voted against taking the nuclear power (5 against, 1 in favor, 2 abstentions). Sadly, the Board of Directors this September voted to accept the nuclear power and chose the option of Scenario 2 (accepting nuclear power, reducing their "unspecified" power sources, and offsetting that with hydroelectric power).

We were invited once again by our good friends at Mujeres Unidas y Activas (MUA) to provide an Energy & Electrification workshop at their new office location in Union City, CA. MUA is an organization of Latina and Indigenous immigrant women with the mission to grow personal and community power for social and economic justice.

 Ava Community Energy (formerly East Bay Community Energy) staff have confirmed its Board of Directors will be voting on Wednesday, September 18 at 6:00pm whether to accept PG&E’s Diablo Canyon nuclear energy into its power mix.

Can you join the Local Clean Energy Alliance in Opposing PG&E’s Nuclear in Ava Community Energy?

We need you to speak to the Board of Directors via Zoom or In-person on September 18!

The Sierra Club has been a longstanding opponent to nuclear power for environmental, social justice, safety, and health issues. Recently, the Sierra Club Grassroots Network Nuclear Free Team concluded their first Nuclear-Free film series with the incredible independent film “Atomic Bamboozle: The False Promise of a Nuclear Renaissance”. This documentary by Jan Haaken follows activists as they expose the true costs of newer, more “sustainable” nuclear reactor designs, and questions the case that nuclear power is a “clean” source of energy that will solve the U.S.’s net zero carbon goals.

For more information on the film, go to https://www.atomicbamboozle.com. It is also available on Eventive, free with registration from September 1-30th, 2024. You can find the film here.

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 The San Francisco Bay Chapter of Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR) invites our community to a virtual screening of Silent Fallout, narrated by Alec Baldwin. This powerful and award-winning documentary explores the stories of victims of nuclear testing in the United States, and uncovers the dangerous and untold consequences of radiation exposure.

Following the screening, join us for a virtual panel discussion featuring the film’s director, Hideaki Ito, and Mayela Gillan, a PhD student conducting community-based research on radiation exposure from mining on the Navajo Nation. We are extremely excited for this opportunity to watch the film, reflect, and engage in meaningful conversation among our communities.

The screening will be on October 3rd from 6 to 8pm via Zoom. Please RSVP here to receive the Zoom link.