LIHEAP | News

A California energy success story

Christine Kehoe; Kehoe represents the 76th Assembly District in San Diego.
The San Diego Union-Tribune
April 5, 2002

Last year's energy crisis affected all of us. Everyone -- from small family-owned businesses to multimillion-dollar manufacturing companies, hospitals to public schools -- suddenly faced skyrocketing bills. Nowhere did we feel the sting of the energy crisis greater than in San Diego, the first part of the state to experience the devastating effects of deregulation. But, thanks to millions of Californians who conserved at unimagined levels, agreeable weather, and (despite what you may have heard) some hard and creative work by those of us in Sacramento, we weathered the storm.

In the midst of the crisis, my colleagues and I crafted the most aggressive state conservation and renewable energy bill in the nation's history. As a result, The California Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (CAL LIHEAP) was created to increase energy conservation, reduce the demand for energy in low-income households, and make sure that people had help in dealing with their high energy bills. The program received $120 million to help with the crisis.

When drafting the law, legislators included a very important requirement: we demanded accountability from the agency in charge of the assistance program. We made sure that the state agency that spent our money would report back to the Legislature on how they spent and how they saved.

Well, the report is in -- and the results are outstanding. The findings demonstrate that with the right policy in place, Californians can work together to solve tough problems.
Not only did we meet our goals -- we exceeded them.

[] More than 3.6 million kilowatt hours were saved. That's enough to light a medium-sized city.
[] Nearly 19,000 homes were made more energy efficient.
[] We installed nearly 94,000 energy saving devices, replacing inefficient water heaters, energy-guzzling refrigerators, air-conditioners and even light bulbs.
[] Nearly 70,000 Californians were helped, including nearly 14,000 people (many of whom were elderly and disabled) who were in jeopardy of having their utilities shut off because they could not pay their bills.
[] And we helped an additional 25,000 Californians, who, although they had yet to receive a shut-off notice, were in peril of losing their power.

The good news doesn't stop there. Every single energy-saving device we provided through this program will help us conserve energy and save kilowatts for years to come.

Of course, our work isn't done. We reached only a fraction of those who needed help. There is always more we can do to ensure that all Californians have the power they need at costs they can afford.

I was not in the Legislature when deregulation was approved, but my constituents have the right to expect me to help solve Californians' problems, inherited or otherwise.

Our work last year demonstrated that government can, when committed and motivated, come to the aid of Californians in need.