In 2025, researchers from the Foundation for Renewable Energy & Environment (FREE)—Dr. Job Taminiau and Dr. John Byrne—published a peer-reviewed article in Energy Policy titled “California’s community choice movement and a future of public energy governance.” They argue that the electric power sector in the United States has treated us as little more than passive consumers. We pay our bills, flip our switches, and rarely think about who actually controls the flow of power into our homes. But that old story is starting to unravel—especially in California. In just a few years, the state has experienced a remarkable shift: local governments and communities are stepping up, turning electricity from a private commodity into a public good. Today, many Californians get their power from public or nonprofit providers, not private utilities. If current trends continue, public control could soon define two-thirds of California’s electricity market. The question is not just who keeps the lights on—it is who gets to decide how we power our future.
The Energy Landscape and Shake-Up
The U.S. electric power sector is in the midst of a pivotal transformation, as traditional, investor-owned utilities face growing challenges from new public governance models. For decades, investor-owned utilities have prioritized shareholder profits, often leaving communities with little say in how their energy is produced or distributed. About 70% of U.S. electric service customers are served by these investor-owned utilities (e.g., in California, Pacific Gas & Electric, San Diego Gas & Electric, Southern California Edison).
But now, spurred by social movements and local governments, a wave of decentralized, community-owned energy systems is gaining traction. Municipal utilities, electric cooperatives, and especially joint power authorities (also known as community choice aggregations or CCAs) are putting power—literally and figuratively—back in the hands of the people. With more than 1,800 local governments and 36 million Americans now participating in such joint power authorities, the push for local autonomy and sustainable energy is no longer a fringe movement—it is rapidly reshaping the future of electricity in the United States.
CCAs are programs that allow cities, counties, and other local governments to pool their residents’ electricity demand and purchase or generate power on their behalf—often with a focus on cleaner, locally controlled energy—while the existing utility continues to handle delivery, billing, and maintenance. In California, there are 25 CCA programs that serve more than 14 million customers (about twice the population of Arizona or 35% of California’s total population) and this number is set to grow. In California, you can use this tool to see if you are in a CCA service area.
Key Findings: The Rise of Community Control
To analyze this shift in decision-making power from investor-owned utilities to CCAs in California, Dr. Taminiau and Dr. Byrne review retail electricity sales data from 2011 to 2022 and policy documents. In their analysis, they find that there are several drivers of this transition towards public control of California’s electricity market: (1) CCAs offer competitive electricity rates; (2) rising investor-owned utilities’ electricity rates; (3) falling trust in investor-owned utilities; (4) accelerated climate action; (5) local control and democratic governance with CCAs; (6) community representation with CCAs; (7) CCAs learn from each other; (8) CCAs have expanded program offerings (e.g., community solar, low-income programs, energy efficiency programs, workforce development); (9) collaborative growth of CCAs; and (10) the broader transition is taking place across the U.S. and is not unique to California.
Following these ten drivers of the transition, they draw attention to several key findings:
- California’s electricity sector has undergone a dramatic shift from private to public control, with public entities now serving most of the retail electricity market in the state.
- CCA programs have grown rapidly, serving 25 % of California’s retail electricity market by 2022, up from just 2.5 % in 2015.
- This transition represents a fundamental shift in energy governance, from centralized private control to public decision-making models that prioritize local needs and climate goals.
- The state’s experience underscores a broader trend towards public control of energy that is visible domestically and internationally.
California’s electricity sector has undergone a remarkable shift—a transformation driven by incremental yet cumulative changes and enabled by supportive legislation. This case demonstrates that community-based, locally controlled governance models like CCAs can rapidly evolve from small-scale experiments to dominant systems, successfully challenging the centralized authority of private utilities.
The California experience, echoed by similar trends in states like Massachusetts, shows that swift and comprehensive public control of energy supply is possible and may inspire other regions to follow suit. Ultimately, CCAs have grown beyond their original purpose of consumer protection to become powerful vehicles for advancing climate goals, local economic development, and democratic decision-making in the energy sector.
The Road Ahead: Building a Democratic Energy Future
Looking ahead, the momentum behind public control in California’s electricity market shows no signs of slowing down. If current trends hold, public entities could be running nearly two-thirds of the state’s retail electricity market by 2030—a testament to the power of steady, incremental change. California’s story is not only a case study but also a playbook for how communities everywhere can reclaim their energy future, even one small win at a time. As we face the challenges of climate change and an evolving energy landscape, this shift toward more sustainable, democratically governed systems offers a hopeful path forward for states and cities ready to take charge.