San Diego Is Flexing Its Big City Energy

We’ve been in the trenches for San Diego’s gas and electric Franchise Agreements for months now and... we finally have good news to share!

At last week’s Environment Committee meeting, Councilmembers Elo-Rivera, von Wilpert, and LaCava all called for a short-term deal (no longer than 5 years)—leaders who are ALL IN for agreements that put community interests and outcomes first, and help the City meet its climate, public health, and equity goals.

What This Means

This Council is flexing its big city energy and showing that San Diego is no longer okay with paying our energy utility some of the highest rates in the United States in exchange for the bare minimum.

It’s hard to overstate how HUGE this is for San Diego. When this campaign kicked off under our previous Council and Mayor, nobody would commit to a timeline shorter than 20 years. We knew that we couldn’t reach our climate or community goals by giving SDG&E the keys to the city again, so we went to work with our allies.

Thank You For Powering Our Campaigns

Now, the possibility of a 5-year deal with a study of public power is on the table in a BIG way and you made this happen! Whether you signed onto our community letter, emailed your councilmember, submitted written public comment, or called in to one of the marathon meetings—thank you!

You’ve elevated this issue. Most importantly, you’ve made what could’ve been another backroom deal into a community-wide campaign for cleaner, more reliable, and more affordable energy.

We’ll need your help to get this across the finish line, but, in the meantime, check out this op-ed that I co-wrote with Mikey Knab of Business For Good about how the City can continue to show its leadership on this issue.