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City Light: Community Conversation with Univisión Seattle

Univisión Seattle (KUNS-TV) hosts Teresa Gonzalez (left) and Jaime Méndez (middle) sat down with Jorge Carrasco (right), CEO and General Manager of Seattle City Light for a discussion of the Strategic Plan Update.

Univisión Seattle hosts Teresa Gonzalez (left) and Jaime Méndez (middle) sat down with Jorge Carrasco (right), CEO and General Manager of Seattle City Light for a discussion of the Strategic Plan Update.

City Light CEO and General Manager Jorge Carrasco met with Teresa Gonzalez and Jaime Méndez of Univisión Seattle (KUNS-TV) for a Community Conversation, or Conversación con la Comunidad. The 30-minute segment originally aired last Saturday, March 29.  The Community Conversation will re-air on Univisión Seattle on Channel 51 this Saturday, April 5 at 11 p.m.

The Spanish-language Community Conversation marks Carrasco’s first appearance on Univisión and represents City Light’s commitment to community involvement, a founding element of the Strategic Plan. As a special guest, Carrasco reached out to Spanish-speaking customers and shared important information about our programs and future goals.

The Strategic Plan is City Light’s guide for making informed decisions to meet the current and future needs of its customers.  The utility is including stakeholders from diverse communities across its service area in direct town hall conversations to gather community input, reflect current issues and incorporate any necessary adjustments to the plan.

Questions from the Univisión audience demonstrated the broad spectrum of interests in the Seattle Latino community. Audience members asked about City Light resources, how the utility is planning for the future and its commitment to sustainable energy. The audience listened carefully to what it means to have a hydroelectric-based utility with more than 90 percent of its energy coming from renewable sources. A young student in the audience also asked what young people can do to make a difference in reducing their electric bills.

Carrasco took the opportunity to highlight specific projects being undertaken to improve customer service. He also shared information about the Utility Discount Program, which can save income-eligible customers up to 60 percent on their electric bill. City Light also created a Spanish-language Utility Discount Program website for customers.

In its second year of the six-year Strategic Plan, City Light exceeded expectations and is ambitiously raising the bar for the years to come. By 2018 City Light plans to reduce baseline costs by an ongoing $18 million per year, aggressively improving its safety record, expanding community engagement and environmental leadership, and strengthening its ability to meet the growing electricity needs of the customers it serves.

Town hall sessions such as this one with Univisión lead to greater engagement and input from our community members and customers. City Light is currently planning additional outreach through Seattle’s Azteca America network. The utility also recently reached out through a number of meetings in various languages to discuss our Strategic Plan Update and get feedback from the community.

“Seattle City Light, the Nation’s Greenest Utility, is committed to responsible stewardship of our natural resources and our rate-payer dollars, and doing that successfully demands transparency and accountability,” said Carrasco. “This blueprint outlines our path forward and is also our report card to the community on how we are doing.”

To learn more, please visit the Seattle City Light Strategic Plan website.