The Latest on San Diego's Effort to Pick a Power Provider

It's been awhile since we've turned our attention to the very important process that's taking place right now in San Diego - the effort to decide who should hold the next utility franchise agreement in San Diego.

For the first time in 50 years, San Diego is renegotiating its franchise agreement with SDG&E. For those not familiar, this agreement has sweeping ramifications, giving the powerful utility exclusive rights to use the city's public right-of-ways for transmission and distribution as well as to install wires, poles, power lines, and underground gas and electric lines.

Originally signed in 1970, the expiration of 50-year-old franchise agreement presents San Diego residents with a historic opportunity to set the terms of our critically important transition to a renewable energy future. Conversely, if the terms of this agreement are not negotiated thoughtfully, and SDG&E is simply handed the renewal, we will be confronted with the risk of being stuck for the next quarter century with an agreement that preserves windfall profits for the investor-owned utility and slows our progress toward a carbon-neutral future.

The latest on this process: The city will either give a sweetheart deal to SDG&E for an uncompetitive long-term franchise renewal or it can offer a shorter term deal that provides time for the city to properly evaluate options including a public utility. Equally important in the progression of this process (as the Voice of San Diego recently reported  )

Mayor Todd Gloria needs a supermajority of the City Council (two-thirds, or six votes) in order to sign a new agreement with San Diego’s next electricity and gas provider....But memos obtained by Voice of San Diego show at least four Council members want very different things than the mayor, things that could doom contract negotiations before they even begin.