Energy Justice in San Diego

Across San Diego the cost of living has skyrocketed, while simultaneously, the adverse effects of climate change are becoming increasingly clear. Yet, one of the corporate culprits behind these crises often goes unnoticed. Their presence is often taken for granted, particularly when our elected officials offer us few alternatives. But the truth is we can fire San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E), we can fight for a San Diego where our energy is clean, affordable and accessible.

It is critical that we understand where we get our energy, how it gets to us and how we can change existing systems to take on corporations as big as SDG&E, which serves more than 3 million customers in San Diego. Education that fuels justice-centered action is core to the work we do at In Good Company which is why we launched an Energy Equity 101 course in 2025. This free, online, self paced course will give you the foundational information you need and propel you into further action in your community. 

SDG&E’s customers pay among the highest utility rates in the county. Year by year SDG&E’s rates continue to surge, increasing on average by 7.4% in January of 2026 alone. Many residents cannot keep up with their rising utility bills.

In 2024 nearly 1 in 4 households in San Diego were behind on their utility bills. SDG&E would like you to believe that they are doing all they can to lower costs. However, in that same year, SDG&E made a PROFIT of 891 MILLION dollars. 

SDG&E has a long history of making it clear to the public they have no real intention of decreasing customers' costs. SDG&E is a for-profit, investor-owned utility company. Its loyalty is not to the residents they serve in San Diego, but rather their shareholders and their parent company, a massive methane gas exporter, Sempra. 

Despite making many sustainability commitments, SDG&E, along with other for-profit utilities, have effectively lobbied to kill rooftop solar affordability in California. Rooftop solar, while offering more sustainable energy, and energy independence, is a threat to SDG&E profits. Thus, SDG&E has moved to institute fixed rates where ratepayers are charged regardless of how much energy they use.

It is not only ratepayers who are upset with SDG&E, it’s also their employees and unions.

SDG&E has recently been at odds with The International Brotherhood of Electric Workers Local 465, a union that represents around 1,800 employees at SDG&E. The Local 465 has accused the company of union busting and reducing its workforce while shifting work to contractors outside of the company. In 2024 SDG&E hired a well known, anti-union law firm, Jackson Lewis, P.C., to attempt to block the unionization of 7 employees. 

It is clear that San Diegans are fed up with SDG&E. Across San Diego, organizations who are truly dedicated to serving and fighting for San Diegans are coming together to push back against SDG&E’s monopoly over our energy. Our coalition has continued to grow, now including San Diego 350, Sierra Club, ACCE San Diego, Interfaith Coalition for Earth Justice, Public Power San Diego, Climate Action Campaign, Hammond Climate Solutions Foundation, and In Good Company. 

In December of 2025 we organized a group of residents to give public comment at SDG&E's annual presentation to San Diego City Council. We to pushed our elected officials to challenge SDG&E’s greed, union busting, and climate impacts, and to take a serious look at the feasibility of an alternative; public power in San Diego.

This February we protested at the opening keynote speech of the DTECH utilities conference where Scott Crider, the president of SDG&E, was giving a keynote address at the Rady Shell. We are just getting started, we will fight to make San Diego a more affordable, healthy, just and sustainable city. And we would love to have you join us!

1. Join San Diego 350's Energy Affordability Team 

2. Equip yourself with an educational foundation in energy justice with IGC's free Energy Equity 101 Course 

3. Keep up with the utility justice coalitions’ planned actions 

   1. Email janderson@igc.earth if you’d like to get involved as an organization or an individual! Or if you just want updates.

4. Leave public comments at important government meetings 

   1. City council 

   2. California State Assembly & Senate

   3. California Public Utility Committee CPUC (Learn more here!)

5. Learn about the public utility alternative with Public Power San Diego