In Santee, the state's utility judges came to hear what an 8.6 percent increase sounds like
The California Public Utilities Commission held its in person public participation hearings on San Diego Gas and Electric's general rate case in Santee on Tuesday, at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. The utility is asking for $280 million more in 2028, a request priced at about $22.48 a month for a typical combined residential bill.
SANTEE: The hearing was the public's turn. The California Public Utilities Commission held public participation hearings on Tuesday in Santee on San Diego Gas and Electric's general rate case application, in person sessions at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. in the council chambers at Santee City Hall, 10601 Magnolia Avenue, Building 2. The purpose of the hearings, the commission says, is to give customers a way to communicate directly with the commission about the application, speaking to an administrative law judge or a commissioner overseeing the proceeding.
No decision was on the table. While a quorum of commissioners may attend, no official action is taken at these hearings, the utility's notice states, and the same notice sets out what is actually being decided in Application A.26-06-015: whether the utility may collect the revenue it has requested, and charge the base rates that follow from it, from January 1, 2028.
What the utility is asking for
San Diego Gas and Electric is requesting approximately $3.8 billion for its electric and gas operations in 2028, an increase in revenue of $280 million, or 8.1 percent, over the expected 2027 requirement. The money is requested, in the utility's own list, for wildfire mitigation work, for modernizing the natural gas system and the electric grid, for technology improvements, an improved customer experience, and rising costs such as insurance. The utility is also seeking a formula for inflation and additional capital investment that would raise revenues by a further 5.5 to 8.7 percent annually in the years 2029 to 2031.
Priced at the household level, the request reads as follows in the utility's notice. A residential electric customer at the average usage of 400 kilowatt hours a month would see a monthly increase of approximately $14.03 if the requested amount is approved, and the average gas residential customer using 24 therms a month approximately $8.45, a combined increase of about $22.48 a month, or about 8.6 percent on a typical bundled residential bill.
What happens next
Tuesday's sessions were the only in person hearings scheduled for this application in the county. The commission's remaining public participation hearings are remote, on December 9 and 10, at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. on both days, and the proceeding continues from there. The rates at issue would not take effect before January 1, 2028, and only if the commission approves them.
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