After heated public hearing, council rejects Power San Diego initiative and declines to place it on the ballot

The City Council declined on June 10 to advance the Power San Diego 3% initiative and voted not to place the measure on the November ballot after extensive public comment and an initial legal review by the city attorney.

Clerk Diana Fuentes presented a certificate of sufficiency for the petition (projected valid signatures ~24,167), triggering the council’s obligation to act on the 3% initiative. Supporters of Power San Diego — including volunteers, local organizers and numerous residents — urged the council to let voters decide, arguing municipal control could lower rates, prioritize local rooftop solar and reduce transmission charges. Proponents repeatedly said the initiative would be funded through customer revenues and would welcome union jobs.

Opponents — including IBEW Local 465 and a coalition of construction and trades unions, energy industry professionals, and other civic groups — urged rejection, citing potential cost, operational complexity, and insufficient detail on employee transition, collective bargaining and long‑term financial assumptions. Several union speakers said the measure had not consulted frontline utility workers and warned that job protections and retirement, benefits and civil service issues were not adequately addressed in the draft measure.

Assistant city attorneys provided a high‑level legal analysis that identified potentially significant charter and legal concerns: the draft measure would create an integrated municipal utility (not a distribution‑only utility), but it appeared to delegate core legislative powers to an unelected board and allow the utility to hire outside counsel — both potential conflicts with the charter’s prohibition on delegating legislative powers. The city attorney also flagged gaps in the measure’s treatment of employee transition, retirement and civil‑service considerations and noted the measure would require the city to end its membership in San Diego Community Power if enacted.

After council debate focused on the legal and worker protections that remain unresolved, Council President Pro Tem moved to "reject the initiative" and not to submit it to voters; the motion, seconded on the floor, passed unanimously 8–0 with Councilmember Moreno absent.

Supporters said they will continue outreach and advocacy; opponents said the vote was the correct procedural step given the legal questions and labor concerns. The clerk’s office certified the petition as eligible for council consideration, but the council opted not to place the question before voters at this time.