About the LGSEC

The Local Government Sustainable Energy Coalition (LGSEC) is a statewide membership network representing local government interests related to clean energy and climate resilience to state regulatory agencies. Together, LGSEC members advance sustainable energy and climate solutions to meet California’s decarbonization goals through knowledge exchange, targeted learning opportunities, and statewide collaboration.

LGSEC has built the blueprint for California’s energy strategy through the formation of Local Government Partnerships (LGPs), Regional Energy Networks (RENs), and Community Choice Aggregations (CCAs). LGSEC members pool their resources to make sustainable energy and resilience achievable for all California’s local governments. Read more about LGSEC’s priorities in our 2022-2023 Policy Platform.

Join our coalition of over 35 city, county, and regional leaders that represent nearly two-thirds of the state’s electricity demand to make your jurisdiction’s energy resilience needs heard at state today!

VISION

Local governments are a leading and innovative force in achieving energy and climate goals to create resilient and environmentally responsible communities across California.

MISSION

LGSEC advances local government leadership on clean energy and climate resilience through regulatory action, policies, and programs.

LGSEC unites California cities and counties to:

Reduce energy costs
Shape policy
Leverage best practices
Stay informed and educated
Speak with one voice on energy efficiency and climate change issues
Develop long-term strategies
Bring more sustainable energy to their communities

Member Testimonials

“LGSEC has been invaluable in helping our team keep up with the latest State & Federal proceedings that could impact our jurisdiction. As a small City, this coalition has helped us leverage collective power to get our needs heard at the State level, which we would not have been able to otherwise do due to capacity constraints.”

- City of Goleta

“The LGSEC is a valuable resource for keeping up with the fluid energy regulatory landscape in California. Their board, staff and consultants condense this information into clear and relevant summaries, relieving members of this onerous task.”

- High Sierra Energy Foundation

“LGSEC helps to demystify the regulatory process for local governments and provides critical information on energy and climate policies and implementation.”

- StopWaste

“LGSEC has historically been and continues to be the most important and influential organization in California to advocate for policies, legislation, and regulatory decisions that empower public agencies and their communities to achieve a sustainable and equitable energy future.”

- The Energy Coalition

Structure & Governance

Formed in 2007, the LGSEC is structured as an unincorporated association of local public entities whose membership, benefits and responsibilities are governed by the terms of a Memorandum of Understanding and a set of Bylaws.

LGSEC’s History

In 2002, CivicWell (formerly the Local Government Commission) received foundation funding to convene local governments interested in energy issues through quarterly networking meetings. At the same time CivicWell was assisting 12 cities— including many of the same leaders—to produce Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) feasibility studies with funding from the California Energy Commission. This project helped get the first CCA started in Marin. The leaders involved in the quarterly meetings and the CCA feasibility studies began weighing in on CCA and other regulatory proceedings that impacted local governments.
After the passage of AB 117, which authorized CCA, a number of local governments decided to intervene in the early phases of the CPUC’s implementation proceedings. Realizing the power of statewide collaboration, information sharing, and how expensive and time consuming it could be to undertake this work alone, a number of jurisdictions (including the County of Los Angeles, the City of San Jose, the City of Santa Monica, and Association of Bay Area Governments) formed the Local Government Sustainable Energy Coalition (LGSEC) in 2007—in partnership with CivicWell as the fiscal agent and staff support—to speak with a coordinated local government voice in regulatory proceedings.
Since then, the LGSEC has been active in the energy and climate change policy arena, elevating the important role local governments play in achieving state targets. To date the organization has helped local governments secure nearly $800 million in funding for local governments for energy efficiency partnerships and regional energy networks; established a 20-year timeframe for net energy metering systems; and influenced key policy documents, including the Energy Action Plan, the Long Term Energy Efficiency Strategic Plan, and an update to the AB 32 Scoping Plan.
CivicWell’s extensive experience with energy and climate change issues played a key role in the success of LGSEC’s accomplishments as well. Aside from the CCA feasibility studies and quarterly networking meetings that led to the formation of the LGSEC, the efforts of CivicWell to create regional energy offices in Humboldt (RCEA) and Ventura (VCREA) counties in 2001 laid a foundation for regional energy networks in the Bay Area (BayREN), Southern California (SoCalREN), and Central Coast (3C-REN).
Currently, LGSEC represents nine cities, ten Counties, four Council/Association of Governments, four Regional Agencies, one Local Education Agency, one Academia, and five Nonprofits. Collectively, LGSEC members govern 65% of California’s population and 62% of California’s electrical energy demand. LGSEC members serve as administrators, designers and lead implementers of a host of energy efficiency, demand response, building decarbonization, transportation electrification and other energy management programs.