Jessica Wolfrom | February 3, 2022

It isn’t the first time San Francisco’s leaders have gone head to head with utility giant PG&E, but it could be one of the last.

A longstanding battle between San Francisco and PG&E deepened this week over what The City says are unnecessary and costly delays to nearly 70 projects, including the construction of medical facilities, affordable housing units and even restrooms for Muni operators. PG&E denies the claims.

Now, after years of tense debates and legal challenges over the use and ownership of The City’s public power, officials are signaling they’re ready to sever ties with PG&E for good.

January 31, 2022

On January 31st, Supervisor Hillary Ronen called for a hearing on PG&E’s continued obstruction at the San Francisco Board of Supervisors Land Use and Transportation Committee. 

The SF Recreation and Park Center presented on the ongoing obstruction to multiple sites, including the Gene Friend Rec Center in SoMa; and the SFMTA presented on their plans to transform the city’s entire bus fleet to become fully electric, citing the importance of having a reliable partner delivering clean energy to be successful.

January 27, 2022

SF Chronicle: Court sides with S.F. in its claim that onerous PG&E requirements hold up projects

San Francisco has achieved a major victory in our ongoing legal battle with PG&E. An appeals court rejected a federal commission's approval of PG&E practices that, as we have been citing for years, has led to obstruction of projects across San Francisco and has blocked progress on our most critical priorities. This has culminated in years of delays and millions of dollars wasted, representing thousands of affordable housing units, closed schools, parks, unfinished community spaces, and more.

Bob Egelko | January 26, 2022

San Francisco has taken a step forward in a legal battle with Pacific Gas and Electric Co. over the city’s claim that the utility has forced numerous projects — schools, libraries, recreational and housing developments — to obtain huge and costly equipment to handle unneeded amounts of electricity.

The city claims PG&E has required new or renovated projects in San Francisco to acquire such equipment, increasing their costs and delaying their reopening, unless they decide to obtain electricity directly from the utility rather than from San Francisco’s Public Utilities Commission. The SFPUC owns the rights to power generated from the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir in Tuolumne County, but uses PG&E lines for distribution to customers in the city.

January 5, 2022

The City of San Francisco continues to move forward with its efforts to purchase the local electric grid and expand its public power service. The most recent action is public review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) related to the proposed acquisition of PG&E’s local grid infrastructure.