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The County of San Diego Board of Supervisors will take up San Diego Gas & Electric Company's ill-conceived electricity shut off plan at next Tuesday's board meeting, June 23rd, which starts at 9 a.m. at the County Administration Building, 1600 Pacific Highway, Third Floor, San Diego. The discussion will center on both the issue of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) sought by SDG&E with San Diego County and the need for the County to formally oppose the shut off plan and communicate their opposition to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). The discussion is being brought to the board by Supervisors Dianne Jacob and Pam Slater, who recommend the Board oppose the plan and the proposed MOU.
Diane Conklin of the Mussey Grade Road Alliance in Ramona (an intervenor in the CPUC proceedings and an opponent of the plan) says Tuesday's meeting is a “make or break moment for all of those who oppose the shutting down of electricity as outlined by SDG&E in their application to the CPUC. The CPUC is expected to vote on SDG&E's application sometime this summer. SDG&E wants the board to go on record for their plan. Armed with such a vote, the company could claim that local -- and widespread -- opposition to the their shutting off the electricity could be ignored.”
SDG&E, which has admitted in documents filed with the CPUC that its lines have been implicated in 167 fires locally in five and a half years, contends the shut-off is necessary to prevent fires during prime fire conditions. But many backcountry residents rely on electricity to power wells used to fight fires and provide water for livestock and families.
The shut off plan is opposed by water districts, the County Office of Education, those working with the disabled, telecommunication companies, and the CPUC's own Consumer Protection and Safety Division (which says the plan could actually increase fires) as well as the Division for Ratepayer Advocates. East County Magazine has also testified before the CPUC in opposition to the shut-off plan, which could prevent emergency and wildfire alerts from reaching some residents via e-mail, putting lives at risk.
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