Tell state regulators to do their job and protect working families by making energy affordable and clean
SDG&E Wants to Raise our Rates - AGAIN.
Join us to Fight Back!
SDG&E is asking state regulators to approve yet another series of steep rate hikes that San Diegans simply cannot afford. San Diegans consistently pay one of the highest electricity rates in the country. While more than one in five San Diego families are past due on their bills, SDG&E profits have skyrocketed, approaching a billion dollars annually in recent years.
But SDG&E still wants more. It’s asking for about $270 per year for the average customer in 2028, and over $900 more per year by 2031.
Join us to say no to the proposed increases, and help fix a system rigged to siphon our hard earned money into outrageous SDG&E investor profits.
For 2028 alone, SDG&E is asking for about $3.8 billion in revenue, $280 million more than 2027. For a typical household with both gas and electric service, this comes to about $23 more per month ($14 more for electricity and $8.45 more for gas). That’s an increase of 8.6%, roughly $270 a year.
SDG&E asks for additional increases of 8.7% in 2029, 5.5% in 2030, and 5.6% in 2031, meaning the average SDG&E customer could be paying over $900 more annually by 2031.
Every four years, SDG&E files a General Rate Case (GRC) to tell state regulators how much money it needs to run its system and to request rates to bring that money in. SDG&E recently filed its request for 2028 through 2031. The California Public Utilities Commission, composed of 5 commissioners appointed by the Governor, is responsible for overseeing SDG&E and deciding on what rates are fair.
1. SDG&E is a for-profit, investor-owned utility, a subsidiary of Sempra. So their primary responsibility is to its investors, not the public.
2. The more SDG&E spends, the more it earns. SDG&E earns a guaranteed return on everything it builds, so it’s incentivized to build more, and to build the most expensive version, whether or not it’s needed. We’ve seen it with transmission lines, undergrounding and wildfire prevention. Of course we’re on the hook for not just all the spending, but the guaranteed profits. Which brings us to …
3. The system is rigged. The CPUC is supposed to protect us, ensuring only necessary projects are funded at reasonable rates, but they’ve historically favored the utilities. Most of us are lucky to make 1% interest on our savings, while California guarantees SDG&E an outrageous 10% profit. Additionally, SDG&E has a war chest it spends on candidates, lobbying, and local organizations to keep its influence and its profits, while blocking anything that gets in their way, like rooftop solar.
Take action to stop the proposed rate hikes!
It’s important that the CPUC hear from as many people as possible before they rule on SDG&E’s proposed rate hikes. Here’s how you can make your voice heard:
- Highest impact: Come to an in-person hearing on Tuesday, November 10 at Santee City Hall. RSVP now:
- Everyone can do: Submit an online written comment to the CPUC. It takes 5 minutes and gets on the public record. Let’s flood the website!
- If you can’t come in person: Join an online hearing on Dec 9 or 10 – RSVP:
- Wednesday, Dec 9 @ 6 pm
- Thursday, Dec 10 @ 6 pm
- Call in information for all online hearings:
- Phone line to provide public comment:
Toll-Free: 1-800-857-1917 Passcode: 1673482# - Watch and listen online: https://www.adminmonitor.com/ca/cpuc/
- Phone line to provide public comment:
- Ask any organization to sign on to our coalition letter. Contact dre@sandiego350.org
- Volunteer with SanDiego350’s Affordable Clean Energy Team. Learn more.
- You can also join our art build to make signs for the hearings!
- Share this page with five friends or family members!
How we get to affordable energy
We need both immediate relief from SDG&E’s rates and long-term solutions to fix the rigged system that got us here. We’re working on three strategies to rein in out-of-control utility profits and reduce energy bills.
1) Pressure the Public Utilities Commission to do its job: Looking at how utility profits have skyrocketed in recent years, it’s clear the CPUC could be doing a better job overseeing utility programs and spending and looking out for us, the ratepayers. That means steeply reducing utility profits, changing the rules to prevent overspending, and ensuring utilities meet California’s energy efficiency and clean energy targets. Since PUC Commissioners are appointed by the Governor, that means pressuring the Governor too.
2) Pass state legislation: Because of rising energy costs, there have been a number of state bills seeking to rein in utility profits in recent years. While bills signed into law in 2026 will take some steps forward, we’re hoping to see bigger changes in the next session.
3) Municipalize our utility: Publicly-owned utilities (like in Los Angeles and Sacramento) charge less for energy than for-profit utilities like SDG&E and reinvest revenues into programs benefitting the community. San Diego has the ability to buy out SDG&E, and to own and maintain the poles and wires that bring energy to our homes, and a recent feasibility study showed it would save billions of dollars over time. Next step: a resolution committing the City to developing a public power implementation plan. Join us Thursday, November 12 (RSVP here).
Thank you for being part of the solution! SanDiego350 is proud to be working with the San Diego Energy Justice Coalition. Partners in that coalition include ACCE, Climate Action Campaign, Public Power San Diego, Sierra Club San Diego, and In Good Company.
