The group trying to fire San Diego Gas & Electric and replace it with a municipal utility called out the utility Tuesday, for its effort to stop the measure.
Power San Diego supporters have until May 14 to raise about 80,000 valid signatures to put the initiative on the November ballot.
Proponents hope to convince voters that buying out SDG&E’s city operations would lower the cost of electricity.
The utility currently has the second highest electricity price in California, since Pacific Gas & Electric got regulators to approve a massive rate hike late last year.
SDG&E is widely expected to regain its crown when its next rate request comes before the California Public Utilities Commission this summer.
In the meantime, the utility has established the Responsible Energy San Diego political action committee (PAC) to campaign against the ballot initiative.
SDG&E Vice President Scott Crider and SDG&E public affairs official Brittany Syz are the PAC’s principal officers. The utility has paid for all the PAC’s $300,000 in contributions.
“I guess in some ways ... SDG&E recognized the potential seriousness of this campaign,” said Bill Powers, the chair of the Power San Diego effort. “That they would form a completely SDG&E-funded PAC that has one purpose, which is to oppose our ballot initiative.”
Power San Diego hopes to convince city voters to dump the investor-owned utility and create a municipal utility like those in Los Angeles, Riverside and Sacramento.
They said the city has already looked at the issue twice and more studies are not needed.
“One of the outcomes of the franchise fight a few years ago was the city allocated a few million dollars to do yet another municipalization study,” Powers said. “Two of them had already been done a few years prior. Both of them, positive for municipalization.”
The initiative opponents said approving a ballot initiative is premature, arguing that Power San Diego should wait until a third city study of the idea is complete in 2025. Then, voters will have a better idea of the costs.
The utility-funded PAC also argues the city already has too many other issues that need attention.
“Homelessness, affordable housing, repairing our infrastructure, from streets to storm drains, public safety. This would take attention away from that and that’s why we believe this is a reckless and costly measure,” said Matt Awbrey, a spokesman for Responsible Energy San Diego.
Union members rallied with the PAC, saying they want to protect their jobs.
Power San Diego officials said the PAC is hoping to convince residents that higher utility costs are better for them.
