California Clean Power consulting firm sold to Pilot Power Group of San Diego

California Clean Power, a business that helped cities and counties in starting their own power programs, announced Tuesday that its key assets have been acquired by a San Diego company that provides a range of energy services.

The Windsor company, which formed in late 2014, had its assets purchased by Pilot Power Group, said California Clean Power CEO Peter Rumble.

“I think it’s an indication of the value that we created,” Rumble said of the acquisition.

He described Pilot as a company that helps large businesses and institutions such as universities procure power directly rather than purchase it from local utilities such as Pacific Gas & Electric Company.

The acquisition of California Clean Power will further enhance Pilot’s ability to help local governments seeking to begin programs like Sonoma Clean Power, a public program that supplies electricity to local homes and businesses.

Of Pilot, Rumble said, “They’re truly a one-stop shop for communities that want to do community choice.”

Terms of the purchase were not disclosed. Representatives for Pilot were unavailable Tuesday evening.

The local company formed after the county launched Sonoma Clean Power two years ago. The community choice program seeks to provide local customers with less polluting forms of electricity than those available via PG&E.

Rumble left his job as a deputy county administrator in order to form California Clean Power with four other owners: Bill Gallaher, managing director of Oakmont Senior Living; former North Coast congressman Doug Bosco, a principal investor in Sonoma Media Investments, which owns The Press Democrat; Komron Shahhosseini, a county planning commissioner and a partner in Oakmont Senior Living; and Jonathan Kathrein, a law clerk for Bosco who had served on the steering committee for Sonoma Clean Power.

California Clean Power had the equivalent of about 10 full-time employees. Rumble said some staff will continue with Pilot, but he could not provide further details.

He said he won’t be working for Pilot.

During its time in operation, the local business helped Mendocino, Lake and Humboldt counties to draft ordinances to authorize programs like Sonoma Clean Power, Rumble said.

Late Tuesday afternoon, California Clean Power announced the acquisition on its website and said its business “has ceased operations.” It recommended former clients directly contact Pilot and said that the San Diego company “will seamlessly transfer ongoing or outstanding projects.”

You can reach Staff Writer Robert Digitale at 521-5285 or robert.digitale@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @rdigit