05/22/2026
California Energy · Call to Action
Your June 2nd vote will reshape California energy.
The Democratic primary for Governor is two weeks out. The candidate who wins decides the next decade of distributed energy in this state — and whether your solar, your batteries, and your electric bill keep working for you or against you.
Deadline
June 2
Utilities Spent
$10M+
Candidate
Tom Steyer
$10M+ figure: reported PG&E lobbying spend against Steyer.
Hi Alexander,
I'm writing to every Californian who has a stake in our energy future — homeowners, solar and battery customers, anyone watching their utility bill keep climbing — because the June 2nd Democratic primary for Governor is the most consequential energy election this state has faced in years.
Here's the situation in plain terms. Governor Newsom's tenure has been brutal for distributed solar and storage. Net metering was gutted. The CPUC was stacked with utility-friendly commissioners. The state has sided with the utilities on virtually every major decision affecting your home and your bill. That damage didn't stay in California — when our state pulled back on rooftop solar, other states followed.
On June 2nd, whichever Democrat wins the primary effectively wins the governorship. So this vote is the election. And we need a governor who is adamantly, publicly, and structurally opposed to the utility status quo.
The utility grip on Sacramento
Xavier Becerra is the frontrunner, and he is also backed by the utilities. The Energy & Policy Institute has documented at least $150,000 in contributions from California utility interests to his political operation — and that figure is the floor, not the ceiling.
The bigger picture is the influence those dollars buy. Utility lobbyists fill Sacramento offices. PG&E, Edison, and SDG&E spend millions every cycle shaping legislation, regulators, and rate cases that determine what you pay each month and how much value you get from your own solar panels.
A Becerra win is the status quo with a new face. Read the breakdown →
Who's funding the attacks on Steyer
$10M+
PG&E alone has reportedly spent over $10 million lobbying against Tom Steyer. When you add Edison, SDG&E, and their trade groups, that number climbs considerably higher.
Every attack ad you've seen running against Steyer traces back to the utilities or their affiliates. They are spending tens of millions of dollars to keep him out of office because they know exactly what his platform would cost them — and exactly what it would mean for your bill.
The pro-homeowner candidate
Tom Steyer is the only candidate running on a platform that puts power — and money — back in your hands.
Steyer is proposing the most aggressive pro-distributed-energy platform of any major candidate in America. Direct rewards for households that have already invested in solar and storage. New incentives for the next wave of clean energy adopters. A reset on the policies that have been squeezing rooftop solar.
What this means for your home
● Up to $1,000 / year in VPP incentives for homeowners with batteries who share stored power back to the grid
● More value from the system you already own — Steyer's platform reverses the squeeze NEM 3.0 put on rooftop solar economics
● Real downward pressure on utility rates — distributed energy at scale is the most effective tool we have against runaway PG&E and Edison bills
● A clean-energy boom in our communities — more installs, more jobs, more local investment, more tax revenue for California cities
● A governor not on the utilities' payroll — the only candidate the utilities are afraid of
Steyer is also the only major candidate with a serious, self-funded climate track record — hundreds of millions of his own dollars over the last decade pushing clean energy and sustainability policy. This isn't a campaign pivot. It's his life's work.
Why this matters beyond California
When California cut rooftop solar, dozens of states followed. The reverse is also true. If Steyer wins and resets the playbook — restoring net metering, funding VPPs, rewarding distributed energy — every other state has a model to copy. This one race quietly shapes residential energy policy nationwide.
Exactly how to vote for Steyer.
The race between Becerra and Steyer is expected to be tight, and primary turnout in California typically runs under 35%. Every ballot moves the dial. Here's exactly what to do:
1. Confirm your voter registration. Check at https://zurl.co/5doVK. If you're not registered, you can do same-day conditional registration at any vote center through June 2.
2. Make sure you can vote in the Democratic primary. You can if you're registered Democratic or No Party Preference (NPP). If you're registered Republican, Green, or another party and want to vote in this race, re-register as Democratic or NPP before June 2.
3. If you're NPP, request a Democratic crossover ballot. Call your county elections office or request one online. Without this, NPP voters don't get a Governor race on their ballot.
4. Mark Tom Steyer for Governor. Sign and date the ballot envelope.
5. Return it by June 2. Mail it (postmarked by June 2), drop it at any official drop box, or hand-deliver to a vote center. Find drop locations and vote centers at https://zurl.co/M67wu.
Check My Voter Status:https://zurl.co/mnnIC
Then tell every Californian in your life — neighbors, family, your installer, your customers — to do the same. Forward this email. Post it. Text it. This race is decided on margins of thousands of votes, not millions.
We've watched the utilities spend a decade pushing our industry, our homeowners, and our communities around. They are spending tens of millions of dollars right now trying to keep Tom Steyer out of office because they are terrified of what a pro-distributed-energy governor would do to their business model. June 2nd is our chance to push back — no money required, just a ballot and twenty minutes.
This is power to the people. Distributed resources. Distributed energy. Let's go.
The below links include information about voter registration eligibility, how to register to vote, and how to check your voter registration status, and more.
