Southern California Regional Energy Network 2024 Q1 Update

SoCalREN Quarterly Update

April 2024

Bringing even more education, engagement, and impact to our communities

2024 is off to a powerful start, thanks to our wide network of dedicated professionals, gracious partners, and committed community members. While we remain proud of SoCalREN’s meaningful accomplishments to date, including hitting a pivotal 10-year milestone, this new year has brought a renewed sense of energy. We’re looking forward to doing great things together this year!

Workforce Education and Training

Building a diverse workforce for jobs now and in the future

The SoCalREN Workforce, Education & Training (WE&T) Team is proud to report that 2024 is off to a productive start. We are in the final stages of a sector-wide marketing overhaul and we are excited to be able to represent each of our program offerings with updated marketing material, current flyers, and a revised 2024 web presence. Individually, each program has its own success to share from this first quarter.

Spring session is underway for our Architecture, Construction, Engineering Students (ACES) Pathway program. This year ACES welcomed Tehachapi High School and Cerro Coso Community College to its roster of participating schools in STEM dual-enrollment. With the addition of these schools, ACES proudly welcomes Kern County to the program and sets off on a 2024 initiative to expand its reach and recruit schools in diverse and rural counties.

On February 23, 2024 the 34th Lunar New Year Banquet, hosted by the Asian American Association, raised money for student scholarships. Alhambra Unified School District (AUSD) 2023 internship ACES students were in attendance.

On March 4, 2024, the Green Paths Careers (GPC) program launched its first cohort of the year offering the Sustainability 101 Training. GPC is also gearing up to offer CalCERTS HERS Rater Training to an eager group of career-seeking participants later this month.

This first quarter, the E-Contractor Program proudly launched the E-Contractor License Assistance Pilot Program and we are excited to sponsor and support three future contractors on the path to state licensing and business start up. E-Contractor also executed its first workshop of 2024, “Write Your Change Order Story” on February 28, 2024 and has a robust workshop schedule outlined for the rest of the year.

The Regional Workforce Alliance (RWA) has welcomed several new and impactful members to its group. The Q1 meeting is set for April 22nd, 2024, and we look forward to bringing together leaders in the industry to continue the important conversations around inclusive green workforce. This quarter we are excited to welcome a panel of USC Business of Sustainability experts to lead the discussion.

Lastly, just this month the WE&T team confirmed the date of October 24th, 2024 for our 2nd Annual Future Green Leaders Summit. Once again, we will be calling on our industry partners to join us as we plant the seed of STEM learning for LAUSD middle school students. This year’s event will serve our San Fernando Valley schools.

Public Agency

Energy Efficiency Win: City of Pomona saves over $212,000 with SoCalREN

We’re excited to celebrate the City of Pomona’s latest energy efficiency win: $212,000 in lifetime electricity cost savings due to several upgrades at their Palomares Park Community Center! Pomona is a valued, long-time enrolled agency that has been with SoCalREN since its inception back in 2013. Throughout their time with SoCalREN, they have continued to prioritize sustainability for their community.

In 2023, they installed indoor and outdoor LED lighting, modernized an HVAC unit, and built an energy management system at their Community Center. This was possible thanks to collaboration with the City of Pomona's Environmental Compliance Supervisor, Julie Carver, who leveraged SoCalREN’s Revolving Savings Fund. Read more about the project highlights and funding sources that Pomona used on our blog.

Residential

Rialto Unified School District Earns $53,000 for participating in SoCalREN’s Kits for Kids Program

For the Rialto Unified School District (RUSD) in San Bernadino County, it pays to teach tomorrow’s leaders about saving energy. RUSD recently received a $53,000 incentive for participating in SoCalREN’s Kits for Kids Program.

Since October 2023, 1,773 fourth-grade students at 20 elementary schools throughout the district took part in the energy efficiency curriculum. As part of the program, the students learned how saving energy can help their families save money and improve comfort and safety at home.

Participating students completed an interactive scavenger hunt and received energy-efficient items like LEDs and water-saving products at no cost. They also took a field trip to visit a facility specializing in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math at the Rialto Adult School.

According to Juanita Chan-Roden, a Science and Career Programs Agent for RUSD, the district aims to help its students be active, responsible stewards of the land, water, and air we all share.

“Our mission is to be the bridge that connects students to their future aspirations within a global society,” says Chan-Roden. “We are dedicated to ensuring our students have the skills and technical knowledge they need to develop climate resiliency, so they can be strong advocates for the health and wellness of their current and future families.”

Lujuana Medina, Environmental Initiatives Manager from LA County, says she hopes the program piques the students’ interest in considering innovative careers for the future.

“Being in the green industry means so many different things, from being a scientist to being an app developer,” says Medina. “We want to ensure that all our students keep thinking about ways to help our communities and help the earth.”

Through SoCalREN’s Kits for Kids Program, participating classrooms can earn a $1,000 incentive when at least 65% of students complete the energy-saving activities. Learn more at socalren.org/about/kits-for-kids/overview.

News and Updates

Social Media

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The Southern California Regional Energy Network is administered by the County of Los Angeles and funded by California utility ratepayers under the auspices of the California Public Utilities Commission.