O.C. Power Authority hopes interim CEO can course-correct troubled agency
Members of the Orange County Power Authority announced Monday the agency’s director of communications and external affairs has been selected to temporarily helm the power authority while a nationwide search is conducted for a permanent chief executive officer.
Joe Mosca, whose interim CEO contract will come for a vote at a May 17 board meeting, is anticipated to start effective June 1.
He will replace outgoing chief executive Brian Probolsky, terminated last month in the wake of criticism from state auditors and a grand jury report about a perceived lack of transparency at the community choice energy provider.
“The board just wanted a change in direction, in terms of management, so [Probolsky’s] contract was terminated,” OCPA Chair and Fullerton Mayor Fred Jung said Tuesday. “Director Mosca was unanimously appointed interim chief executive officer by the board, and we are moving forward with that accordingly.”
Mosca came to his current position in December, having previously served as mayor of Sierra Madre and deputy mayor of Encinitas and chairing the Board of Directors for San Diego Community Power, the second largest community choice aggregation in the state.
A 20-year member of the California Bar Assn., Mosca formerly worked for San Diego Gas & Electric and Southern California Gas Company.
Jung clarified the board will soon submit a request for proposals for an executive search firm to conduct a nationwide search for Probolsky’s permanent replacement. He said Mosca, who may choose to be considered for the role, is anticipated to serve until a new CEO is found.
Outgoing CEO Brian Probolsky formally leaves his position at the end of May. The Orange County Power Authority hopes to appoint an interim CEO by June 1.
“The hope is there is next to no hiccup in the transition, that it seamlessly goes from one chief executive officer to the interim,” he said.
Since its formation in 2019, the fledgling agency has attempted to grow its residential and commercial customer base by seeking participation from member cities in a nonprofit joint powers authority capable of purchasing and selling electricity.
The idea behind a utility cooperative model is that members can provide power at a lower cost than Southern California Edison, stabilizing rates and using cost savings to fund local green energy projects.
But controversy has marred the progress of the power authority, including criticism from the State Auditor’s Office, county government and an Orange County grand jury about the agency’s management, transparency and pricing.
The Orange County Board of Supervisors in December voted 3-2 to keep unincorporated areas from moving forward with an agreement to participate in OCPA.
An agency spokeswoman explained Tuesday withdrawing from the power authority is a six-month process and said supervisors have until June to decide whether to stay or shift 35,000 customers to another provider.
City officials in Huntington Beach, one of the original OCPA member cities alongside Irvine, Fullerton and Buena Park, are still pondering whether to remain in the network.
Meanwhile the overall participation rate among the four member cities, which comprise some 240,000 customers, average 86% for commercial program participants and 74% for residents.
Controversial CEO files a whistleblower complaint as OCPA board members attempt to review his future leadership at the agency.
Jung acknowledged OCPA is still in its infancy but expressed hope Mosca would continue to capably steer the agency as it complies with auditors’ recommendations, a process that should be completed this summer.
“Within six months, we’ll have righted a ship that is very difficult to turn,” he said Tuesday. “Our opt-out rates have slowed to a crawl, and we continue to operate as judiciously as we can.
“I would expect those in the public who advocated for changes that have now been made by the power authority would be just as vocal in advocating for the authority as they were advocating for change.”
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