Gloria is mayor of San Diego and lives in Mission Hills.
In 2021, we have a rare opportunity to chart a course to a safe and secure energy supply, sustainable economic development and environmental justice. I have already begun working with residents, community groups and businesses to reach our ambitious goals.
This chance comes as two critically important, long-term agreements — exclusive franchises for the delivery of gas and electricity services — will soon expire.
These franchise agreements — under which a single service provider pays for the right to install equipment on public land in exchange for the exclusive right to deliver energy to homes and businesses throughout the city — have been held by San Diego Gas & Electric for 100 years. It’s been 50 years since the last agreements were signed.
They had been set to expire Jan. 17, but due to a flawed competitive bidding process created by my predecessor, and because the only bid submitted was unresponsive to the terms, I made the decision to cancel the process and start over. On Dec. 30, the City Council approved my proposal to extend the current gas and electricity franchises through June 1, giving us the time our communities need to establish new terms.
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The chance to match these agreements with a changing world doesn’t come along very often. We must get it right.
A critical piece of the process is providing opportunities for San Diegans to make their voices heard. To that end, I have asked members of the City Council to partner with me on a series of virtual community forums.
Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera, chair of the council’s Environment Committee, was the first member to answer the call. He has scheduled forums on Jan. 23, Feb. 1 and Feb. 16. The public may also participate by speaking during the Jan. 28 and Feb. 25 meetings of the Environment Committee.
On my watch, the next franchise agreements will protect ratepayers, represent a fair deal for the city, help us achieve our climate goals and provide equitable access to environmental benefits for all our communities. I look forward to working with the City Council to adopt franchises that meet these shared goals.
They will reflect an energy reality that has changed dramatically in just the past 10 years, let alone the past 50, and provide the flexibility we need to respond nimbly to the market shifts and technological advances that will surely come.
Consider that it was less than six years ago that the City Council adopted the landmark Climate Action Plan that I authored when I served as interim mayor in 2013 and 2014. The plan calls for San Diego to cut its greenhouse-gas emissions in half by 2035.
Read another perspective on San Diego’s franchise agreement:
We are in the process of updating that plan. Climate Action Plan 2.0 will include aggressive new targets that recognize the shortening window to avert the climate crisis and bold new strategies to hit them. It will bring opportunities for high-quality local jobs and foster cleantech economic growth to speed our recovery from the pandemic. Both the development process and content of the plan will center on equity and the role of frontline communities already facing severe environmental impacts.
Supplying 100 percent clean energy to city facilities will also be a key plank in our path forward.
Even more recently, San Diego joined with four other cities in the region and created San Diego Community Power, known as a CCA (community choice aggregator), that allows us to generate or purchase our own electricity, using SDG&E’s power lines to deliver it.
San Diego Community Power will bring cleaner energy to San Diegans at competitive rates, and revenues will be reinvested in programs that benefit our community rather than being turned into shareholder profits. It gives us democratic control of our energy destiny, and ensuring a successful rollout over the next few years is crucial.
In the coming weeks, I will establish a Climate Equity Fund to pay for sustainability projects in our historically underserved neighborhoods. During my administration, every decision will be made while looking through the lens of equity and justice for all communities.
One of the themes of my State of the City address was that we are all connected, and that the challenges we face are connected — housing, transportation, jobs, economic growth, social justice and access to opportunity, environmental health, energy and sustainability.
As we prepare to issue a new invitation to bid for energy franchises during the next few months, we will look at these issues holistically. I hope you’ll join us in this pivotal and far-reaching conversation.
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January 27, 2021 at 01:40AM
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Opinion: Here's how I'll ensure a fair franchise agreement for ratepayers as mayor of San Diego - The San Diego Union-Tribune
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