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California's Sutter County could soon get cheaper electric provider

Not for profit utility company looking to expand service in Northern California
Not for profit utility company looking to expand service in Northern California 03:21

YUBA CITY — Lower-cost electricity could be heading your way if you live in California's Sutter or Nevada counties. 

Pioneer Community Energy, a not-for-profit electricity provider, is looking to expand its service. The company is locally owned and already serves approximately 800,000 customers. 

"Initially, we were created to provide a choice for folks in Placer County, and since then, we've expanded to El Dorado County and also to Nevada City and Grass Valley as well," said Alice Dowdin Calvillo, the chair of the Pioneer Community Energy Board of Directors. 

Pioneer Community Energy wants to expand its power services into 13 territories. Each jurisdiction will have to come up with its own resolution to be part of the agreement that will go in front of the California Public Utilities Commission for approval. 

Yuba City, which is pushing for this separately from Sutter County, has already given the green light to pursue it. 

"We're trying to do what's best for our residents. This is a win-win because, potentially, we can save some money on our utility costs as a municipality and, at the same time, open a doorway for our residents to where they can be part of this and get their power and save money," Yuba City Mayor Dave Shaw said. 

If people want to stay with the current electrical provider, Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E), they can. The whole idea behind this is to give people the power of choice to make a decision that best works for them. 

"We're a non-profit entity. We're not a utility like PG&E or San Diego Gas and Electric. We're a completely different kind of entity," Dowdin Calvillo said. "We also don't own any infrastructure, so we transmit the electricity that we purchase over PG&E's lines." 

Since Pioneer Community Energy was established in 2018, it has saved customers a total of $108 million. Dowdin Calvillo said the company is able to purchase power at lower rates because they don't have corporate overhead or shareholders. 

"We are truly in our communities because our board of directors are the elected officials. We know our constituents. We know the programs they want because we're boots on the ground," she explained. 

Sutter County has many people on low or fixed incomes, including 97-year-old Yuba City resident Keith Churchill, who has been paying his power bill to PG&E for 79 years. He says he's ready for something new. 

"Just living on social security, it doesn't go far enough," Churchill said. 

Mayor Shaw said Yuba City is home to plenty of seniors and retirees on fixed incomes. 

"We have to give them options because the cost of electricity and such is really high these days," the mayor said. 

Yuba City plans to finalize its resolution at next week's city council meeting. From there, it will be up to the CPUC. The city's goal for service is by the end of 2027. 

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