San Diego, September 9 — Yesterday, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors voted to support the Lower Your Bills Plan, a landmark package of state reforms that caps utility profits, bans ratepayer-funded lobbying and PR, and brings long-overdue transparency to California’s energy system.

As the state’s second-largest county, San Diego’s support carries enormous weight. It marks a rare moment where local governments are uniting to demand fairness and block utility profiteering.

Across California, monopoly utilities blame soaring bills on wildfires and infrastructure. But while families struggle to keep up, San Diego Gas & Electric reported nearly $1 billion in profits last year. The growing gap between crushing bills and record profits has sparked a movement. San Diego, Buena Park, and now San Diego County have all joined the fight to demand reform.

The Lower Your Bills Plan directly tackles the drivers of high rates, including SB 254 (Becker), which caps profits on wildfire and infrastructure costs and creates a new fund to shield ratepayers from policy-driven expenses.

Together, these reforms would cut costs for families, rein in corporate utility power, and accelerate California’s clean energy transition.

Bottom line: San Diego County is raising the stakes. This is the boldest utility reform push in decades, and the momentum is only growing.

Supervisor Paloma Aguirre (District 1):

“Utility bills here are already among the highest in the nation. And when those costs rise, it hits hardest in communities already struggling with sky-high housing costs and stagnant wages.

This legislative package makes clear that profits cannot come before people — it’s about fairness, transparency, and protecting the dignity of working families. By supporting these reforms, we are standing up for our communities and demanding accountability from utility providers. We need to acknowledge the affordability crisis and advance real solutions for the people.”

Nicole Capretz, Chief Executive Officer of Climate Action Campaign, issued the following statement:

“We’ve been fighting for lower bills and utility accountability for years, and in that time, we’ve never seen such a meaningful effort to check the power of monopoly utilities. This is game-changing progress. San Diego residents are drowning under crushing bills. The best way to deliver real change is legislation that limits utility power and puts people first.

Today’s vote is a huge step forward, one we believe can tip the scales in Sacramento. With support from communities, cities, and counties across California, we are making change happen.”