To San Diego City Council re: 5/25 Franchise Agreement Vote

Sent by email to each member 5/23

To the president, president pro tem, and members of the San Diego City Council,

On Tuesday, May 25, you will cast your votes on the proposed energy and gas franchise agreements with SDG&E, shepherded by Mayor Todd Gloria. As we have requested in communications across multiple media and as you’ve heard from hundreds of our members, the Democratic Socialists of America San Diego chapter urges you to vote no. Those of you who have already committed to vote against the agreement – we respect and appreciate your conviction. To those who are not yet decided, we urge you to consider the inescapable contradictions posed by signing a 10-20 year binding agreement with an […]

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Tell City Council to vote NO on 20 more years of fossil fuel control of our energy grid!

The Mayor’s office is pushing forward a plan that would mean 20 more years of SDG&E – a subsidiary of Sempra Energy, a multinational fossil fuel conglomerate – as the utility with exclusive rights to provide San Diego’s electric and gas services.

Under SDG&E, San Diegans pay the highest rates for electricity in the continental US, while SDG&E rakes in hundreds of millions in profit per year. With SDG&E as our utility, there is no chance of San Diego taking the decisive action required to prevent the worst effects of climate change.

Thankfully, City Council can put a stop to this deal. This is where you come in – we need YOU to send a message to your council member, […]

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Tell City Council: San Diego Deserves a Public Energy Utility

The City of San Diego’s 50-year franchise agreement with SDG&E for electric and gas services  is set to expire in June. This is a once-in-a-century opportunity to change the direction of San Diego’s energy future, to turn away from a private company owned by a fossil fuel conglomerate, towards a publicly owned and operated utility responsive to the people’s demands for lower utility bills, climate justice, and clean energy.

We don’t want a new franchise agreement with any private company – so we need our City Council members to vote NO on any bids, and to start working on establishing a public energy utility immediately!

For more information on how to take action, visit https://dsasandiego.org/energy-democracy

Call in for Public Power: Thursday, Dec 17, 10 am

This Thursday, December 17 at 10 am newly elected Council President Jennifer Campbell has called a special meeting to open the electricity and gas franchise agreement bids that her predecessor refused to docket due to a deeply flawed process. We encourage all members and supporters of our public power fight to please call in to offer your public comment.

Phone in Testimony
After the meeting begins at 10 am, when the Clerk introduces either the item you would like to comment on or the comment period for, Non-Agenda Public Comment or Closed Session Public Comment, follow the instructions within the  “Public Comment Instructions” by dialing the number below to be placed in the queue.

  1. DIAL 619-541-6310
  2. Enter the Access Code: 877861
[…]

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City Council Environment Committee public comment guide

Thursday, July 16, 2020, San Diego City Council’s Environment Committee will hold a public comment meeting regarding San Diego’s energy franchise agreement with utility grid operators. Below you can find background information and recommended comments for the event:

City Council, Environment Committee meeting

Thursday, July 16th at

[…]

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Demanding Better Accountability for San Diego’s Energy Future

DSA San Diego’s Energy Democracy Campaign Committee sent the below letter to the San Diego City Council and city attorney on Sunday, July 12th, 2020.

Dear Council President Gomez and members of San Diego City Council,

As the coordinating committee of DSA San Diego’s Energy Democracy campaign, we write with great frustration over the unfolding process for the City to ratify a new franchise agreement for operation of the City of San Diego’s energy utility(ies). It is unclear how thoroughly each council member has been briefed on the process, as the Environment Committee has not convened since the last official milestone, publication of expressions of interest in utility operation. At that time, DSA San Diego submitted a letter describing our […]

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Energy Democracy Campaign Update

In May, our Energy Democracy campaign was designated a priority campaign by the chapter. The timing couldn’t be better. Energy Democracy is a movement across the country to convert privately owned energy utilities into public management and ownership, and to bring greater transparency and accountability to municipal utilities and rural energy cooperatives. The need to transition to renewables is too urgent to let corporate shareholders and fossil fuel lobbyists call the shots – public power is a public good, essential for climate justice.

SDG&E is owned by Sempra Energy, whose primary business is storing and shipping fracked natural gas. Sempra operates massive operations in Ensenada and Louisiana, and is building a new terminal on Texas’ gulf coast. Our Energy Democracy […]

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DSA San Diego Calls for a Publicly Owned Gas and Electric Utility in San Diego

This week, DSA San Diego submitted the below letter to the City of San Diego in response to their Request for Expressions of Interest in the city’s Franchise for Electric and Gas Services, calling for a publicly owned utility for gas and electric services in San Diego.

This letter was submitted as a part of DSA San Diego’s campaign for energy democracy in San Diego County.

Re: Request for Expressions of Interest for Gas & Electric Services (1/21/20)

Dear Mr. Lee Friedman, Mayor Kevin Faulconer, Council President Gomez, and Members of the San Diego City Council,

While most Americans receive power from private companies, most utility companies in the United States are publicly owned. The largest is the Los Angeles […]

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