City Council Rejects Petition to Put Municipal Utility on November Ballot

The San Diego City Council unanimously voted Monday against placing an initiative on the November ballot that would let voters decide if a nonprofit municipal electric utility should replace San Diego Gas & Electric within city limits.

The council was required to take action after Power San Diego, a campaign made up of customers, union supporters, environmental and community groups, collected enough registered voter signatures to make a determination on the utility alternative.

“I believe strongly that public services like electricity should be provided by public entities, which is why I worked with my colleagues to fund a public power feasibility study,” Council President Sean Elo-Rivera said. “However, I continue to have significant concerns with this proposal. There are far too many questions left unaddressed.”

SDG&E’s rates are consistently highest in the state and often the most expensive in the U.S., according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

“This was a lost opportunity for the city council to support the needs of San Diegans over those of the corporate giant,” Power San Diego Campaign Chair Bill Powers said.