We Believe Power Belongs to Communities
California’s independent statewide alliance for energy justice.
Who We Are
The California Alliance for Community Energy (CACE) was founded in 2015 to give California communities real say over where their power comes from and who decides.
Our members have stayed in this fight, year after year. What was once a handful of advocates has grown into a statewide network that continues to welcome new voices.
One thing has stayed constant: CACE holds no financial interest in utilities, Community Choice programs, or any form of local energy development. That independence is what lets us call things honestly — then and now.
Our Mission & Vision
Our Members
CACE is made up of advocates and supporters committed to developing local renewable energy resources and clean energy jobs through locally-driven community energy programs.
Our Mission
We utilize the knowledge, expertise, and commitment of our members to promote a more equitable, affordable, reliable, and resilient clean energy future.
Our Vision
We envision a community-based and democratized energy system which promotes affordable, resilient, local renewable energy resources, prioritizing low-income communities that have historically suffered inequitable access to essentials such as affordable energy and a healthy community.
Our Values and Principles guide the practices we advocate for.
Partnering for Energy Justice
We join forces with organizations across California to champion clean, locally controlled energy solutions. Together, we educate the public on the environmental, economic, and social justice benefits of community-determined power.
Our collaborative efforts are dedicated to ensuring these benefits reach everyone, prioritizing neighborhoods and frontline communities whose needs have been historically disregarded and undermined.
Our Statewide Coalition Collaborators
Our Steering Committee
Barbara Stebbins
Local Clean Energy Alliance
Advocating for Community Choice energy programs in the East Bay that serve to spur equitable economic development.
Brett Garrett
Activist in Santa Cruz
Advocating for energy justice and resilience, including local renewable energy resources such as microgrids, in the Central Coast region and throughout California.
Chuck Rosselle
Retired Technology Industry Executive
With over 20 years of experience in the power industry, including 6 years as a Federal Energy Regulator, he is a contributing member of CACE, the Sierra Club, and the Utility Wildfire Prevention Taskforce.
Genaro Bugarin
The Energy Coalition
With an engineering and business background, concrete project experience, and a passionate commitment to communities, Genaro works to make locally-driven clean energy programs a day-to-day reality.
John Smigelski
SLO Climate Coalition
John is a member of the San Luis Obispo Climate Coalition Leadership Team and Uniting the Central Coast for Action, advocating for an effective community choice energy program that meets the needs of communities on the Central Coast.
Jose Torre-Bueno
Center for Community Energy
Jose is the founder of the Center for Community Energy, a San Diego-based grassroots group that advocates for distributed energy resources through research, education, and advocacy, particularly as intervenors before the CPUC.
Ronnie Lipschutz
Sustainable Systems Research Foundation
Ronnie and SSRF pursue the design, development, and deployment of community-owned and operated renewable microgrids.
Our Hardworking Team
Tekira Briscoe
Operations Coordinator
Tekira serves as CACE’s operational backbone, coordinating the Steering Committee, task forces, and coalition partners to keep the organization’s consensus-based model running smoothly. She manages the day-to-day work behind the scenes, from compliance and grants to communications and member support, so CACE can focus on advancing community energy and energy justice across California.
Tracy Flor-Figueroa
Membership & Engagement Coordinator
Tracy strengthens connections among members and creates meaningful opportunities for participation across CACE. With a background in environmental justice, community engagement, and public service, Tracy is passionate about making complex energy and climate issues more accessible and connecting people with opportunities to learn, collaborate, and take action.
Al Weinrub was an energy justice champion for over 50 years before he passed away in August 2023. He founded CACE in 2015 and drove our vision by initiating foundational written analyses and legislative position papers. Notably, he helped author CACE’s first published document, the influential Guide to Creating State of the Art Community Choice Programs.
Beyond CACE, Al helped shape the thinking behind sibling organizations across the movement, including the Local Clean Energy Alliance, the Reclaim Our Power Utility Justice Campaign, and the Energy Democracy Project. We honor his life and work, and carry his commitment to energy democracy forward in everything we do.
How CACE Was Formed
In 2002, activists and organizations from across the state came together and worked to pass Assembly Bill AB117, legislation that allowed California communities to create their own democratically governed energy providers, known as Community Choice Aggregations (CCAs). Early programs, like Marin Clean Energy, faced fierce, unfair attacks from monopoly utilities determined to crush local competition.
Recognizing that Community Choice would not survive without coordinated support, 13 dedicated advocates, our original steering committee, formed a statewide organization to protect, promote, and expand community-controlled energy against ongoing utility pushback. Out of this necessity, the California Alliance for Community Energy was born in 2015.
Stay Up To Date with CACE
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