SDG&E’s soaring rates are the highest in the country
Following up on this story, KUSI reached out to Mayor Todd Gloria‘s office for comment on San Diego Gas & Electric having the highest rates in the entire country. Gloria said he has no authority over SDG&E, insisting its not his issue.
SAN DIEGO (KUSI) – Customers of SDG&E are angry about their recent energy bills as they continue to see them increase.
San Diego Gas & Electric customers are paying the most expensive rates in the entire country.
On Good Evening San Diego, KUSI’s Logan Byrnes talked with Maria Severson, Attorney at Aguirre & Severson LLP, about why the rates are so high, and how our political policies are resulting in the sky high rates.
KUSI News reached out to San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria’s office, here is their response:
Thanks for reaching out. Regulatory authority over SDG&E’s rates resides with the California Public Utilities Commission, and the City of San Diego has no jurisdiction over those rates. The rate increase customers are experiencing right now was approved by the CPUC in 2019. The increases in rates are compounded by rising natural gas costs, which SDG&E is authorized to pass directly on to its customers. Again, the City of San Diego has no jurisdiction over that.
What we can and have done is formed a publicly owned and operated power-procurement agency, San Diego Community Power, which buys power for customers in the five cities in the joint powers authority: San Diego, Chula Vista, Imperial Beach, Encinitas and La Mesa.
By procuring the power delivered to San Diegans, we invest in renewable energy and reduce customers’ reliance on fossil fuels, which makes us less vulnerable to the volatility in the natural gas market that’s causing bill spikes right now. (The price of sun and wind never goes up.)
In addition, the City’s franchise agreements for gas and electric services provides for unprecedented transparency around rates, including an annual presentation to the City Council on rate structure, planned rate filings and rate changes.
I hope you will encourage the journalists on your staff to gain a thorough understanding of the true reasons behind the spike in their bills, the regulatory structure that limits the City’s authority over rates and how the City is doing everything within our limited authority to relieve those costs through our joint operation of a not-for-profit power-procurement agency.
Thank you,
Courtney Pittam (she/her)
Press Secretary
Office of Mayor Todd Gloria
City of San Diego
O: 619-236-6579
C: 805-801-9106
