AD-80's Garcia withdraws bill to create new power company

Assemblywoman Bonnie GarciaAvoiding a scheduled government hearing today to allow the eventual creation of a new Coachella Valley utility company, Assemblywoman Bonnie Garcia on Tuesday hammered out a deal with her 80th District’s power provider, the Imperial Irrigation District.

Just as water is critical for much of California, power bills are a central concern to Inland Empire and desert voters who must endure long, very hot summers and this high air-conditioning bills. Power in Garcia’s district is covered by either the IID or California Edison depending on where one lives and it’s a thorny political issue in Garcia’s stronghold, the Coachella Valley.

One major local artery is Washington Street south of Interstate between Palm Desert and Bermuda Dunes and it is a power bill dividing line. Some residents west of Washington pay much less for Edison-generated power than most electricity bills of those east of Washington, where IID has about two-thirds of its estimated 140,000 utility customers. Yet Coachella residents are not represented on the IID’s board, a central complaint of Garcia and her constituents.

On Tuesday, the moderate Republican Garcia said she was withdrawing her bill, AB 2564, set for a hearing Wednesday before the Assembly’s Local Government Committee. It ultimately could have allowed the IID’s Coachella Valley customers to form their own, utility company. Instead, Garcia and IID general manager Bryan Brady announced a six-point “action plan” to include more Riverside County/Coachella Valley voices on the IID board, with more joint planning by the IID and local residents for the valley’s expected expansion.

“Given the district’s projected growth and the increasing demand for reliable service,” the soon-to-be-termed-out Garcia saud in a statement, “I believe each and every measure contained in the action plan will allow elected officials