What are Local Government Partnerships and Regional Partners and why do they matter? In this episode of What's That, SJVCEO Executive Director Courtney Blore traces the origin story of both models, from the early days of the Valley Innovative Energy Watch to the Regional Partner structure operating today. She unpacks how LGPs became "the essence of a local program" in the eyes of the California Public Utilities Commission, and what's lost when that local layer disappears. From block walks in Kings County to toothbrushes printed with energy-saving tips, this episode is about the trust, relationships, and community knowledge that no statewide program can replicate and what's at stake when we let that infrastructure erode.

In this episode of Stakeholder Spotlight, host Courtney Blore sits down with Darren Hanway, a leader at Southern California Gas Company with over two decades of experience shaping California's energy efficiency landscape.

Darren's career started unexpectedly in 2001, opening rebate applications during California's energy crisis. That summer job turned into twenty years of learning from the people who built Edison's customer-first approach to efficiency. Now leading a team of over 100 at SoCalGas, Darren has helped make the utility one of only three in the country to win the Energy Star Partner of the Year award—all while achieving over 130% of their goals and becoming the most cost-effective utility in the state.

But what really drives Darren? His belief that energy efficiency is a customer service business first—not a math problem, not a regulatory exercise, but something built for people. He's an eternal optimist who thinks we've overcomplicated this work and that getting back to basics matters more than playing it safe.

This conversation explores leadership, innovation, and what it really takes to keep customers at the center of energy efficiency work.

Guest: Darren Hanway, Southern California Gas Company
Host: Courtney Blore, SJVCEO

What does a sister city program have to do with energy efficiency? Host Courtney Blore set out to answer that question after attending an event connecting the City of Fresno with its sister city, Münster, Germany. But when she sat down with Ann Kloose, Sustainability Division Manager for Fresno, the conversation took an unexpected turn.

Yes, they talk about Münster,but what really emerges is a behind-the-scenes look at how Fresno's sustainability team actually operates. With just two people managing millions of projects, Ann shares the playbook for getting things done without the drama. It's a conversation about partnerships, pragmatism, and making real progress in local government.

https://www.fresno.gov/publicworks/sustainability/

https://spurr.org/2025/11/20/how-fresno-turned-ambition-into-action-key-insights-from-the-citys-journey-to-zero-net-energy/

https://www.sjvceo.com/blogee/technology-tuesdays-cityoffresno

Thank you for joining us and Dave Bruder! Please find links and resources from this episode below:

- Cal Poly: https://www.calpoly.edu/

- Diablo Canyon Power Plant: https://www.pge.com/en/about/pge-systems/nuclear-power.html

- Parsons Corporation: https://www.parsons.com/

- SCE: https://www.sce.com/

- Lockheed Energy: https://www.lockheedmartin.com/en-us/capabilities/directed-energy.html

- CCR REN: https://www.ccrren.org/

For more content, please visit www.sjvceo.com or contact usat [email protected].

Thank you for listening to our inaugural episode featuring Jenny Berg! Please find links and resources from this episode below.

• BayREN 10 Year Report: https://www.bayren.org/sites/default/files/2023-05/BayREN%20AR%2011x17.pdf
• California Energy Efficiency Coordinating Committee (CAEECC): https://www.caeecc.org/
• Local Government Sustainable Energy Coalition (LGSEC): https://www.lgsec.org/
• Toxic Tort Attorney: https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/toxic_tort

• BayREN Bay Area Multifamily Building Enhancement Program (BAMBE) recognized by ACEEE, “Exemplary Program Award” https://www.bayren.org/news/bayren-multifamily-program-recognized-nationally-effectiveness-and-innovation
• American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA): https://www.transit.dot.gov/regulations-and-guidance/legislation/arra/american-recovery-and-reinvestment-act-arra

• BayREN Home Energy Score (HES) Program: https://www.bayren.org/home-learning-center/home-energy-score-hes
• Green and Healthy Home Initiative: https://www.greenandhealthyhomes.org/
• Rising Sun: https://risingsunopp.org/
• CalREN: https://californiaregionalenergynetworks.org/

For more content, please visit www.sjvceo.com or contact us at [email protected].

Welcome to Stakeholder Spotlight! Get a sneak peek into SJVCEO's newest podcast series- we are excited for you all to join us.

We’re talking about heat pump hot water heaters! Why? Because everyone is talking about heat pump water heaters! (#heatpumpnation) So let’s stop nodding along, pretending we know what they’re talking about, and do a quick crash course on the humble water heater. Courtney sat down with Patrick Burgess from Willdan to talk about HPHWH’s, what they are, where they work, what they cost, and why they’re such a smart choice to make now! 

Real and perceived barriers to building electrification, renewable generation, and advanced energy storage paint the outline to the next hit novel chronicling a dystopian future.  Imagine a world not so far off, perhaps only a few generations, where we have electrified communities, resilient to the escalating climate crisis. Who are they and will conflict emerge between those who have reliable access to resources and those who do not?

The goal is simple—to discuss how to keep this potential eventuality squarely in the fiction section of our collective future. Guests discuss how policy, energy code and programs intersect with building electrification and equitable access to resources and as well as barriers, community messaging and recommended actions to accelerate equitable change.

Recorded live on September 21st, 2022 at the California Climate and Energy Collaborative (CCEC) Forum in San Diego, California.  The conversation picks up immediately following the hugely successful “Building Electrification: Dystopian Novel or an Opportunity for Equitable Action?” panel.