Thank you to everyone who called or wrote to the City Council in favor of a better franchise deal on Thursday! We also thank the City Council members who tried to advance a Resolution with better terms for new energy franchise agreements.
A motion by Council President Georgette Gomez with amendments from Monica Montgomery and Vivian Moreno would have 1) increased the minimum bid and required a cash payment payable by the utility shareholders; 2) required audits every two years; 3) retained utility employees at equal or better wages and benefits if the franchisee were to change; 4) created a climate equity fund; 5) required a 3rd party audit of assets; and 5) shortened the term to 10 years with an automatic renewal for 10 more years if the franchisee was meeting the terms of the agreement. That motion would have given us a better deal for San Diegans but unfortunately it failed on a vote of 3-6.
A second motion advanced by Jennifer Campbell would have 1) Required audits every 2 years; 2) retained utility employees at equal or better wages/benefits if the franchisee changed; 3) required full payment in cash up front; and 4) explored the creation of a climate equity fund. That motion also failed on a vote of 4-5.
The City Council is now on a legislative recess and will return September 9th. The Mayor may plan to take action while the Council is on recess. Stay tuned for the next steps and ways to be involved.
San Diegans pay high utility rates and much of our energy still comes from fossil fuels. We can do better.
The City’s electricity and gas franchise agreements are expiring. For the first time in 50-years we can get a better deal with our utilities to create a more sustainable clean energy future.
Coalition for Better Franchise Agreements
Learn more about the franchise agreements
- Coalition Flyer
- Explainer: San Diego’s Franchise Agreements / PDF
- Presentation to community groups
- Spread the Word — Reach out to your networks (toolkit)
Materials Shared by City for Environment Committee Meeting July 16 2020
- San Diego City Staff report
- Consultant report (JVJ Pacific Consulting)
- NewGen report on value of infrastructure and costs associated with different scenarios
- Consultant’s proposed terms
- Presentation at Enviro Comm by staff & consultant
News
- Commentary: San Diego is losing money on its franchise agreement with SDG&E. Here’s how to fix it. (Union Tribune, July 11 by Craig Rose)
- Two groups rap Faulconer’s recommendations for a new franchise utility agreement (Union Tribune, July 10)
- Faulconer’s 4-point plan for new agreement covering San Diego’s electric and gas services (Union Tribune, July 9)
- Opinion: Franchise Fee Deal Is a Chance for the City to Make Much-Needed Changes (Voice of San Diego, June 23 by Pia Piscitelli)
Coalition Partners:
