“When one can save money, there's more for the family,” said Mr. Gomez, who has lived in Pomona for over 35 years and became the first homeowner to receive no-cost solar through GRID’s partnership with Pomona ACTS.
Since 1991, the year Mr. Gomez and his family moved to Pomona, a diverse array of neighbors have settled into the community: “Many of us come from different places, and everyone says hi to one another. It is very nice,” he said.
Much like the rest of Los Angeles County, the summer brings higher temperatures for residents, especially in more inland communities, such as the San Gabriel Valley, which includes Pomona. “We only have a small air conditioner in the living room,” Mr. Gomez said. In hotter months, Pomona can easily exceed 100°F during heat waves, making climate-adaptive home improvements all the more essential in the event of extreme weather.
Pomona Activated for Community Transformation and Sustainability (Pomona ACTS) is designed to address climate change and public health challenges while improving shared prosperity and community identity across the city. Pomona ACTS is a collaboration of numerous community-based organizations and local public agencies and is funded by the California Strategic Growth Council.
To help alleviate the rising cost of utilities in Southern California, Mr. Gomez joined an energy-saving program with SCE. Through this service, he first learned about GRID’s no-cost solar program.
“Programs like this are very urgently needed in our communities. It's rare for a city, local, or state government to put in the funds that can actually make this happen,” said Selena Pacheco, Senior Outreach Coordinator for GRID SoCal at the installation showcase.
In addition to going solar, the Gomez family’s home received a cool roof to make their home solar-ready and help weatherize it against the steady California sunshine.
Jaime Alonso, Executive Director of GRID Alternatives Southern California, was in attendance at the event and remarked, “This installation reflects what community-driven climate investment should deliver—equitable energy access, bill savings, and lasting resilience. Through Pomona ACTS, we are not only helping families lower their energy bills, but also bringing cleaner energy, healthier homes, and long-term resilience to the community. We are proud to celebrate this first installation with the Gomez family and excited to continue delivering these transformative resources to more Pomona residents.”
The Pomona ACTS project area.
In order to bring clean energy upgrades to Pomona residents, the Pomona ACTS grant is implementing the following climate-adaptive improvements through their Pomona Power Up project in the next four years:
- ~320 kW of solar for about 90 homes
- ~70 battery storage systems
- ~80 cool roofs
- ~45 home electrification upgrades
On the final day of his installation, Mr. Gomez prepared a heartfelt speech to express his family’s gratitude to the GRID and Pomona ACTS staff members, who gathered at the Gomez family home to celebrate the historic installation. “I wanted to be a participant, not just someone who receives this,” shared Mr. Gomez, who was committed to being present and available throughout his home’s entire solar process.
“We’ve done energy improvements inside the home, but I could never really get a chance to do the work on the outside of the home that would make a bigger impact. These services were the best solutions that I could have imagined. Thank you, GRID and Pomona ACTS,” said Mr. Gomez to the assembled crowd.
The triumphant day included another major milestone for GRID’s team. For the first time, construction crew members from two different offices worked together. The SoCal Construction Director, Dan Glasow, was able to witness the Los Angeles and Riverside crews join forces on the site: “We all do the same quality work, but it might be a different process. Today is a first step towards cross collaboration, sharing best practices, and building a stronger team together,” said Dan. As GRID takes on more and more solar projects across the Southern California region, having a unified Construction crew reduces team constraints and provides more training opportunities for other GRID programs such as IBT 200.
Among those who spoke at Mr. Gomez’s installation was Selena Pacheco, the Senior Outreach Coordinator who played a pivotal role in overseeing every step of Mr. Gomez’s project. As the lead staff member for GRID’s Outreach efforts in Pomona, Selena is determined to help residents access resources to lower their energy bills and connect them with other useful resources, like a new roof that was long overdue, an upgraded main service panel, or a tankless water heater. "These are the resources that will help Pomona households in the long run and help the environment at the same time,” she shared.
Over the next four years of the Pomona ACTS program, Selena hopes to organize more events that allow Pomona community members to see GRID in action, get curious about the program, and take full advantage of the great resources now available to them in their city. Pomona, we’re excited to continue building this clean-energy future together!
The GRID Alternatives Southern California team, the homeowner Mr.Gomez, and representatives from Pomona ACTs, celebrating a successful installation!
Are you a resident of Pomona? Stop by City Hall on Thursdays, or the Pomona Public Library on Wednesdays to get your questions answered and see if you qualify for the programs provided by Pomona ACTS.
Pomona Public Library
Wednesdays, 3-5 pm
625 S Garey Ave
City Hall (2nd Floor)
Thursdays, 1-3 pm
505 S Garey Ave
Can’t make it? Contact Selena directly to see if you qualify for clean energy upgrades in Pomona. Email spacheco@gridalternatives.org, or call 213.378.1188
SIGN UP HERE FOR POMONA POWER UP SERVICES FOR YOUR HOME!