JOIN DSA

Category: News

  • City Council Environment Committee public comment guide

    Thursday, July 16, 2020, San Diego City Council’s Environment Committee will hold a public comment meeting regarding San Diego’s energy franchise agreement with utility grid operators. Below you can find background information and recommended comments for the event:

    City Council, Environment Committee meeting

    Thursday, July 16th at 1 pm

    Agenda

    Viewing/dial-in instructions below

    Public Comment Instructions

    • View: To watch the meetings, go to this link and click “Watch CityTV Live Feed” on the right hand side of the page
    • Dial-in: Public comment instructions (from the city)
    • 1. Wait for the Clerk to introduce the item you wish to speak on and open the Public Comment line, then call in by following the steps below.
    • 2. DIAL 619-541-6310 and enter the Access Code: 877861 then press ‘#’.
    • 3. You will then hear “you are now being placed into the conference. You are now muted.’
    • You will be able to hear the proceedings through the phone line and WAIT for your turn to speak.
    • 4. You will hear a system prompt stating “Your phone has been unmuted” THIS IS YOUR OPPORTUNITY TO PROVIDE YOUR PUBLIC COMMENT (This is not a question-and-answer period, this is your time to provide a statement.)
    • 5. When prompted by the Clerk, please state your name for the record and what item your comment is for.
    • 6. You will have the allotted time given by the Chair to provide your comments. Once your time has ended, you will be moved out of the queue and the call will be ended.
    • 7. Participants who wish to speak on other items on the Agenda or for other comment periods please call back when the Clerk introduces those items or comment periods to be placed back in the queue. Please monitor the meeting via City TV OR ONLINE and not through the phoneline.
    • Written Comment: Prior written public comment instructions
    • If you’re not able to call in to either meeting, you can submit a written comment prior to the meeting
    • “Comments received by 1:45 p.m. will be distributed to the Committee and posted online with the meeting materials. All webform comments are limited to 200 words. Comments received after 1:45 p.m. the day of the meeting but before the item is called will be submitted into the written record for the relevant item.”
    • Here’s the form to fill out
    • You will need to specify whether you’re commenting on a non-agenda item or an agenda item
    • If it’s the latter, you’ll need to supply the agenda item number

    Talking point suggestions

    General suggestions

    • [Start here] I am in favor of pursuing municipalization, and I feel that the City’s consultants did not adequately explore pathways to public ownership. City Council needs an in-depth analysis of its options in order to make an informed decision.
    • If the City Council is unwilling to pursue that strategy, the terms of the next franchise agreement must be much stronger. I am not satisfied with the recommended terms that the mayor’s office has put forward.
    • [Pick some of the below] 
    • A 20-year term is far too long of a monopoly to grant given the rapidly changing energy environment; we need a 5-year agreement
    • Given SDG&E’s disregard for the terms of the current franchise, the next agreement needs strong mechanisms for accountability that directly impact the utility’s shareholders; it should levy daily penalties on shareholders for violation of the agreement’s terms.
    • The agreement must mandate that the utility work with the City to achieve the goals of its climate action plan.
    • Provisions should be included that require local investments in renewable energy that benefit the local workforce.
    • It should also guarantee all those employed by the utility a living wage, benefits, and the right to unionize.

    More detailed arguments

    • Public ownership means San Diego keeps the money that would otherwise go to a utility and its shareholders
    • As has been made especially clear by COVID-19, the City needs revenue to fund vital services
    • By signing another franchise agreement, the City is forfeiting ratepayer dollars and allowing them to be the profit of an investor owned utility
    • If the City created a municipal utility, the proceeds from ratepayers would accrue to the City itself
    • These funds could then be used to properly maintain energy infrastructure, fund local economic development, support the initiatives of the climate action plan, or boost public services
    • Public ownership means operating the vital public utility of energy for the public benefit, not to enrich investors
    • Investor-owned utilities have a duty to their shareholders to maximize profits
    • They seek to generate as much profit as possible, given the constraints of California Public Utilities Commission regulations and the terms of their franchise agreements with various municipalities
    • And as SDG&E has shown, it’s not afraid to violate the terms of its franchise agreement if it thinks it can get away with it
    • This is why SDG&E has been a bad partner for the City – like all investor-owned utilities, it operates in the interest of investors by design
    • Let’s reject that ownership model and instead design a public utility that operates in the public interest
    • The MRW and Associates report on the feasibility of municipal acquisition of gas and electric assets finds a very high likelihood of substantially lower costs with a public utility than with SDG&E
    • They find that ratepayers would pay less with a public utility than with SDG&E in all but a low probability, high-cost scenario for electricity and that they would pay lower rates in all scenarios for gas
    • The report says quote ”It is important to note that the High- and Low Cost scenarios are extreme: it is very unlikely that all the key variables will align either positively or negatively.”
    • It also notes that quote: “readers should view the results and conclusions of this report as draft and preliminary.”
    • Given that this preliminary assessment suggests significantly lower costs to ratepayers with a public utility, the City Council has a responsibility to its constituents to commission a thorough, final analysis before making any further decisions regarding San Diego’s energy future

    Quotes from the reports favorable to municipalization

    • “Typically, community-owned utilities provide service at lower rates than investor-owned utilities.”[1]
    • “The NewGen/Advisian/MRW team concluded that in the “Base Case” (the most probable of the various scenarios examined) the City-owned electric distribution utility is economically feasible.”[2]
    • “They also concluded that in the “Base Case” the City-owned gas distribution utility would be economically feasible.”[3]
    • “The electric distribution utility…would obtain control of about $121 million per year in State-mandated electric public purpose program which it could deploy for projects directly benefiting City residents and businesses.”[4]
    • “In addition, the City would obtain control of approximately $17 million per year in natural gas public purpose program charges which it could deploy for projects directly benefiting City residents and businesses.”[5]
    • “[F]ocusing solely on community-owned utilities, they typically provide service at lower rates than investor-owned utilities.”[6]
    • “Typically, municipal energy enterprises:
    • Provide local control to pursue local policy objectives such as economic development or renewable energy development
    • Have rates lower than investor-owned utilities
    • Achieve high levels of customer satisfaction”[7]

    Background Resources

    Documents

    Information On (some of) SDG&E’s Antagonistic Behavior

    • The City of San Diego has asked SDG&E to relocate infrastructure so that it can build a water recycling plant, SDG&E has refused
    • The City is currently suing SDG&E for the $36M it has had to pay the utility to move its infrastructure, despite clear language in the franchise agreement that states the cost burden should fall on SDG&E
    • Historically, undergrounding projects at SDG&E cost about $4.5 million per mile.
    • But some of the work has exceeded $10 million per mile, with other sections “potentially approaching $20 million per mile, without sufficient documentation to justify such increases.”
    • The current agreement, for example, required SDG&E to pay the city 3 percent of the gross revenue it earned from electricity and natural gas sales to residents. Yet SDG&E was successful in the 1970s in getting the California Public Utilities Commission to let it collect the franchise fee directly from customers and pass it through to the city.
    • This sleight-of-hand has cost residents at least $1 billion to date.
    • San Diego Gas & Electric has asked the California Public Utilities Commission to allow the power company to institute a fixed charge on monthly bills. It also wants to nearly quadruple the bare-bones minimum it charges customers each month.
    • Opponents say it amounts to a one-two punch that will penalize customers who don’t use that much electricity and will especially hurt those who have installed — or are considering — rooftop solar.
    • After publicly lobbying on CCA last week before the county Board of Supervisors, officials with the SDG&E marketing arm, Sempra Services Corporation, said they’ve been meeting with lawmakers countywide on this issue since September. Those include San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer and several council members.
    • This lobbying caught the attention of the commission’s regulators, who said this week that SDG&E’s marketing division has never received approval to lobby on CCA. They also said they’re looking into the lobbying and that violations could be subject to fines as high as $50,000 for each offense.
    • Direct CPUC intervention and pressure on SDG&E to purchase the (overly costly and unnecessary) Otay Mesa plant, conditioning its request to purchase the Palomar plant on the Otay Mesa purchase
    • Done in an effort to provide much-needed capital to an energy company struggling in the wake of the energy crisis fueled by the manipulation of deregulated energy markets by Enron, energy generators, and energy utilities
    • Utilities make money when they build power plants and transmission lines
    • Witch, Guejito and Rice fires caused by improperly maintained SDG&E equipment resulted in $379M in damages that utility has tried to pass on to consumers through increased rates
    • The 4th District Appellate Court and California Supreme Court have rejected SDG&E’s request

    [1] JVJ, “Report to the City of San Diego Concerning Electric and Gas Distribution Systems” , page 5

    [2] JVJ, page 6

    [3] JVJ, page 7

    [4] JVJ, pages 6-7

    [5] JVJ, page 7

    [6] JVJ page 13

    [7] JVJ page 48

  • Demanding Better Accountability for San Diego’s Energy Future

    DSA San Diego’s Energy Democracy Campaign Committee sent the below letter to the San Diego City Council and city attorney on Sunday, July 12th, 2020.

    Dear Council President Gomez and members of San Diego City Council,

    As the coordinating committee of DSA San Diego’s Energy Democracy campaign, we write with great frustration over the unfolding process for the City to ratify a new franchise agreement for operation of the City of San Diego’s energy utility(ies). It is unclear how thoroughly each council member has been briefed on the process, as the Environment Committee has not convened since the last official milestone, publication of expressions of interest in utility operation. At that time, DSA San Diego submitted a letter describing our strong preference for democratic, public ownership of San Diego’s utility service.

    Unfortunately, responses to the Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEI) were never discussed by the Sustainable Energy Advisory Board (SEAB), as the board has not met quorum since March 12. That last meeting took place approximately three weeks after the RFEI deadline of February 21, yet none of the letters were made available to the public or board to inform discussion. The terms and options for utility provision strike us as among the most important topics warranting the attention of such a board, and yet it has been left largely in the dark. While failing to meet quorum may seem coincidental, the high number of vacancies on the board and inscrutable delays in finalizing appointments certainly do not.

    By all appearances, City Council has not been engaged in deliberations over the terms of the franchise agreement until on July 9 the Mayor’s office submitted the report with recommendations for the Invitation to Bid (ITB) prepared by consultants whose professional grounding lies squarely with investor-owned utilities. A special meeting of the Environment Committee was announced within the day. While we appreciate that after several months we will have the opportunity to encourage comments from our members, it seems to be too little, too late.

    The committee has received no input from the SEAB on options, nor has the committee heard the public’s hopes and desires for our utility service. The report itself incongruously mentions the popularity and significant advantages of municipalization, then dismisses municipalization as an option for San Diego due to a California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) statute prohibiting Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) in areas serviced by a municipal utility. Missing is any consideration of an option to expand the mission of our not-for-profit CCA San Diego Community Power to include the publicly accountable management of power distribution alongside power procurement.

    And while we understand concerns about municipalization due to the legal definition of the powers wielded by community choice aggregators — namely, that SDCP cannot take on powers beyond the procurement of energy — we were disappointed to see that the JVJ report merely acknowledged this concern without providing any analysis on potential remedies or precedents. San Francisco, which also has a CCA called CleanPowerSF, recently conducted a study on the feasibility of municipalization and decided to move forward with a bid to purchase their energy infrastructure from PG&E. While PG&E rejected their initial offer, the point remains that presence of CCA does not necessarily preclude the possibility of municipalization. The fact that San Diego City Council members do not have a report that thoroughly maps a pathway to municipalization means that they are not able to properly assess the costs and benefits of that approach.

    Representing this priority for our chapter, the DSA San Diego Energy Democracy coordinating committee calls on City Council to pause this process until the full range of options has been rigorously explored and deliberated on in good faith. We find it outrageous that Mayor Faulconer expects ratification of an agreement explicitly designed to offer a corporate operator a 20-year monopoly on San Diego’s energy service, and feel skeptical that provisions for accountability will be honored, as we’ve seen SDG&E so flagrantly flaunt the terms of their original 1970 agreement so frequently over the years.

    Please exercise your authority and leadership in this critically important process. The franchise agreement requires a two-thirds majority to pass, so it is certainly within your power to insist on better analysis, better understanding, and a better structure for the people of San Diego.

    Sincerely,

    Energy Democracy Coordinating Committee
    Democratic Socialists of America – San Diego

  • EXTEND THE EVICTION MORATORIUM / EXTIENDAN LA MORATORIA DE DESALOJOS

    TELL SAN DIEGO CITY COUNCIL: 

    EXTEND THE  EVICTION MORATORIUM 

    WITH MORE TENANT PROTECTIONS! 

    • The current moratorium is set to expire on June 30th
    • Tenants will owe all accumulated rent debt by September 25th
    • More than 1 in 4 San Diegans are still unemployed
    • The unemployment benefits from the CARES act expire on July 31st
    • SD City Council must invest in tenant protections and to prevent mass homelessness and evictions during a global pandemic

    OUR DEMANDS: 

    • Extend the eviction moratorium until the state of emergency is lifted           
    • Extend the payback period to AT LEAST six months after the moratorium expires                         
    • Allow tenants to break their leases if they are not able to pay their rent because of COVID19 

    This is the bare minimum of what SD City Council should do right now to protect tenants. Ultimately, the rents and mortgages must be cancelled! 

    HOW TO CALL-IN 

    SAN DIEGO CITY COUNCIL MEETING TUESDAY, JUNE 30TH @11AM 

    Call 619-541-6310 to comment on agenda item 101 

    Enter the Access Code: 877861 then press ‘#’ 

    Link to public comment: https://bit.ly/sdpubliccomment

    DIGALE AL CONCEJO MUNICIPAL DE SAN DIEGO

    EXTIENDAN LA MORATORIA DE DESALOJOS 

    CON MÁS PROTECCIONES A LOS INQUILINOS!! 

    • La actual moratoria de desalojos se expira el 30 de Junio 
    • Los inquilinos deberán toda la deuda de renta acumulada el 25 de Septiembre. 
    • Más de 1 en cada 4 personas en San Diego todavía están desempleados. 
    • Los beneficios de desempleo de la ley CARE se expiran el 31 de Julio. 
    • El Concejo Municipal de San Diego tiene que invertir en las protecciones de inquilinos y en la prevención de falta de vivienda masiva. 

    NUESTRAS DEMANDAS 

    • Extiendan la moratoria de desalojos hasta que el estado de emergencia se haya levantado.
    • Extiendan el período de pagar la deuda hasta al menos 6 meses después de que la moratoria se expire.
    • Dejen que los inquilinos rompan su contrato de arrendamiento si no pueden pagar su renta por el COVID-19.

    Esto es lo mínimo que el Concejo Municipal de San Diego debe de hacer ahora para proteger a los inquilinos. A lo largo, las rentas y los pagos de hipoteca deben de ser canceladas! 

    LO QUE USTED PUEDE HACER: 

    CONCEJO MUNICIPAL DE SAN DIEGO MARTES, 30 DE JUNTO @11AM 

    Llame al 619-541-6310 para comentar en el ítem de la agenda 101 

    Introduzca el código de acceso: 877861 y oprima ‘#’ 

    Enlace al comentario publico: https://bit.ly/sdpubliccomment

  • Energy Democracy Campaign Update

    In May, our Energy Democracy campaign was designated a priority campaign by the chapter. The timing couldn’t be better. Energy Democracy is a movement across the country to convert privately owned energy utilities into public management and ownership, and to bring greater transparency and accountability to municipal utilities and rural energy cooperatives. The need to transition to renewables is too urgent to let corporate shareholders and fossil fuel lobbyists call the shots – public power is a public good, essential for climate justice.

    SDG&E is owned by Sempra Energy, whose primary business is storing and shipping fracked natural gas. Sempra operates massive operations in Ensenada and Louisiana, and is building a new terminal on Texas’ gulf coast. Our Energy Democracy campaign offers the opportunity for solidarity with chapters across the continent and transnationally, as we fight to shut down global circuits of extraction and existentially dangerous carbon dioxide emissions.

    This week, the City of San Diego will begin considering terms for a new energy franchise agreement. The current 50-year agreement with SDG&E will expire on January 20, 2021, and two other bidders have stepped forward to compete. City Council’s Environment Committee will meet on July 2 at 1 pm, and will begin discussion of terms for the new franchise agreement. UPDATE: This meeting has been postponed by the city council, and they have not provided a new date yet.

    We urge DSA members and friends to offer public comment during this meeting to let members of the Environment Committee know that public accountability is crucial for achieving a transition to renewable energy that doesn’t put the financial burden on the working class. (This post will be updated with dial-in details as soon as they’re available.)

    Many more activities are being planned for this crunch time for our campaign, so please reach out to sandiegodsa@gmail.com or (members only) join the #wg-met-ecosocialism channel on Slack to find out more.

  • May 1st “Cancel The Rent” Caravan

    Location: 4655 Border Village Rd, San Ysidro, CA 92173-3105, United States

    Start Date & Time:  May 1, 2020,  9:30am

    End Date & Time:  May 1, 2020, 2pm

    DSA San Diego, in coalition with ACCE, The San Diego Tenants Union, Anakbayan, & Migrante. Will be executing a caravan demonstration in order to bring awareness to the rent strike movement happening all throughout the state of California.

    The Rent Strike is being made in order to get several demands from the State and the City of San Diego. Demands include but are not limited to:

    ACCE’s Demands:

    • All publicly owned property and vacant housing units -including luxury unitsneed to be opened up to house currently unhoused people.
    • Rent and mortgage payments must be frozen for as long as people are not able to work because of COVID-19, and any rent and mortgage debt accumulated during this period must be forgiven.
    • Moratoriums on any process related to evictions and foreclosures must be instituted immediately and remain in place until the spread of coronavirus is no longer a public threat.
    • Californians need a guarantee that they will be rehired if they have been laid off, or that their shifts will be restored once isolation orders have been lifted. 
    • Anyone who is laid off or experiencing a decline in wages must have access to unemployment benefits that cover 100% of that person’s wages before the job decline.
    • Californians need an immediate stimulus package that puts cash in people’s hands. We must learn the lessons from the 2008 financial crisis and bail out people -not just businesses.

    DSA San Diego’s Demands:

    1. Rent Suspension: No Rent Now, No Debt Later:

    • The City and County must enact a rent suspension or rent forgiveness policy to protect renters and to prevent future debt and homelessness. 
    • The rent payment suspension period should be enacted retroactively from April 1, 2020 and remain in effect through the duration of the statewide shelterin-place mandate, or a minimum of 90 days.
    • The City and County leadership must do everything within their power to advocate for a state level legislative package providing the same.

    2. Support for Unhoused Residents:

    To contain the spread of COVID-19, we must immediately provide emergency shelter, expanded services, and reliable information to all unhoused individuals in San Diego.

    • Hotel vouchers to allow all unhoused people access to safe, clean and comfortable lodging. Vouchers should be made available to anyone needing shelter, not just individuals who are presenting symptoms.
    • Permanent commitment to provide housing for everyone who needs it, not just a temporary measure that will put people right back on the streets when this crisis is over.
    • Expanded housing services through an infusion of resources and funding to community health clinics, shelters, and other frontline service providers, to cover staff overtime pay and necessary supplies, like sanitizers, medicine, masks, etc.
    • Emergency sanitation sites for people who cannot move indoors. Sanitation sites should include 24-hour restrooms and showers, laundry, hygiene supplies, COVID-19 screening, case worker availability, and disease prevention information.
    • End to encampment sweeps, ticketing, and vehicle tows (all practices that criminalize houselessness).

    Please join us in our struggle to make housing a basic human right on May 1st and if you wanna sign on in support of the rent strike follow this link! Rent Strike Movement

    If you are a DSA member please fill this google form out in order for us to coordinate DSA’s contingent as effectively as possible. DSA San Diego’s “May 1st Caravan” Sign Up Form

    In Solidarity,

    DSA San Diego

    Event Schedule: May 1, 2020: 

    • 9:30am: 4655 Border Village Rd, San Ysidro, CA 92173 
    • 10:30am: “El Super” 3007 Highland Ave, National City, CA 91950
    • 11:30am: 1950 Main St, San Diego
    • 12pm: 1350 Front St, San Diego
    • 12:30pm: 3990 Old Town Rd
    • 1pm: 2249 Ulric Rd, San Diego

  • Housing is Healthcare: San Diego Emergency Demands

    Emailed 4/16 to Governor Gavin Newsom, Mayor Kevin Faulconer, City Attorney Mara Elliott, Councilmember Barbara Bry, Councilmember Jennifer Campbell, Councilmember Christopher Ward, Councilmember Monica Montgomery, Councilmember Mark Kersey, Councilmember Chris Cate, Councilmember Scott Sherman, Councilmember Vivian Moreno, Council President Georgette Gomez, Supervisor Greg Cox, Supervisor Dianne Jacob, Supervisor Kristin Gaspar, Supervisor Nathan Fletcher, Supervisor Jim Desmond

    Endorsing organizations:

    • Democratic Socialists of America – San Diego
    • Otay Mesa Detention Resistance
    • San Diego 350
    • San Diego Tenants United
    • Standing Up for Racial Justice – San Diego
    • Student Housing Association at UC San Diego
    • Sunrise Movement – San Diego
    • The Travelers Club
    • Think Dignity
    • UCSD Green New Deal
    • Unión del Barrio

    We are calling on San Diego leadership to immediately enact emergency housing measures to protect the health, safety and dignity of all residents affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. In March 2020, a record 10 million Americans filed for unemployment. According to the SD Workforce Partnership, in just 3 days from March 16-18, 190,000 Californians submitted unemployment insurance claims, four times the typical weekly average and more than have been  submitted in any single week this century. More layoffs and business closures will follow.

    The full effects of this crisis have yet to be seen, but one thing is certain – immediate action is required to protect vulnerable residents from additional harm. In this moment each City, County and State leader can either embrace the opportunity to champion justice and to protect residents, or allow San Diego families to spiral into inescapable debt and potential homelessness. Following are the measures we believe necessary for San Diego’s long-term, balanced prosperity. 

    01. Rent Suspension: No Rent Now, No Debt Later

    Economic relief and displacement protections must not be limited to property owners. The City must act to prioritize the well-being and safety of tenants who are at grave risk of losing their homes. Mortgage holders and property owners have already been granted statewide and nationwide relief in the form of mortgage deferral options, but no such provision has been offered to renters, who are even more financially vulnerable.

    The catastrophic economic effects of this global emergency will last for years. To address the crisis with a temporary evictions ban is not only short sighted but dangerous, and puts thousands of households at risk of homelessness and severe poverty.

    Nearly 60% of all renting households in San Diego are rent-burdened, meaning they spend more than one-third – and in some cases close to 100% – of their income on housing. What will happen to tenants at the end of a no-evictions grace period as they are hit with thousands of dollars of accumulated rent debt? For many families, the crisis won’t end, it will simply continue into inescapable debt and potential homelessness or bankruptcy. We urge our leaders to recognize the severity of the situation, and act accordingly to ensure the safety and security of all residents. 

    The City and County must enact a rent suspension or rent forgiveness policy to protect renters and to prevent future debt and homelessness. The rent payment suspension period should be enacted retroactively from April 1, 2020 and remain in effect through the duration of the statewide shelter-in-place mandate, or a minimum of 90 days. 

    The City and County leadership must do everything within their power to advocate for a state level legislative package providing the same.

    02. Support for Unhoused Residents

    Housing justice is not merely an issue of tenants’ rights, but of human rights broadly.  At least 8,000 people are currently without housing in San Diego County. Not guaranteeing housing as a human right inevitably leads to the unnecessary suffering of thousands: people experiencing homelessness have higher rates of illness than their housed peers, are more likely to die prematurely, and are among the most vulnerable to COVID-19. Official guidance compels the public to “stay at home” to contain the spread of the virus, but  “staying home” only works if you have somewhere to stay. To contain the spread of COVID-19, we must immediately provide emergency shelter, expanded services, and reliable information to all unhoused individuals in San Diego.

    The City of San Diego has already committed to converting parts of the Convention Center to a shelter and securing 1,300 hotel rooms for high-risk individuals, showing that we have the resources to act decisively on this issue. However, warehousing people in open spaces with little privacy, and only offering hotel rooms to people deemed “high risk” is not an adequate solution. In addition to the actions already being taken, we demand:

    – Hotel vouchers to allow all unhoused people access to safe, clean and comfortable lodging. Vouchers should be made available to anyone needing shelter, not just individuals who are presenting symptoms.

    – Permanent commitment to provide housing for everyone who needs it, not just a temporary  measure that will put people right back on the streets when this crisis is over.

    – Expanded housing services through an infusion of resources and funding to community health clinics, shelters, and other frontline service providers, to cover staff overtime pay and necessary supplies, like sanitizers, medicine, masks, etc.

    – Emergency sanitation sites for people who cannot move indoors. Sanitation sites should include 24-hour restrooms and showers, laundry, hygiene supplies, COVID-19 screening, case worker availability, and disease prevention information.

    – End to encampment sweeps, ticketing, and vehicle tows (all practices that criminalize  houselessness).

    Enforcement / Outreach 

    – Penalties for landlords who do not inform tenants of their rights under these provisions

    – Penalties for landlords who do not comply with these emergency restrictions

    – No funding for service providers that discriminate against individuals on the basis of their age, race, ethnicity, gender, sex, sexual orientation, or religion

    – Fund outreach by community-based organizations to tenants: disseminate reliable information covering tenants’ rights and provide a monitored complaint hotline to tenants

    While San Diego leaders may find it worthwhile to explore access to massive relief funds such as those approved by the U.S. Congress for corporations of all sizes to offset landlord losses, our commitment lies with those who are without assets, and who are therefore most vulnerable to long-term financial ruin. We ask you to intervene now on behalf of your most populous constituency, the working-class tenants so integral to San Diego’s vibrant, hospitable identity.

    Downloadable PDF for circulation: https://bit.ly/HousingJusticeSD

  • Moving to online meetings in light of COVID-19

    Good evening comrades,

    DSA National has issued the following statement that includes guidance for local chapters: Now is the Time for Solidarity: DSA National Statement on COVID-2019. Local officials have also asked that large gatherings be canceled, postponed, or moved online.

    Sunday’s General Assembly Meeting

    Tonight, your Steering Committee voted to conduct two online meetings on Sunday in place of the New Member Orientation and General Assembly Meeting, starting at the same times, following an amended agenda. These meetings will be online-only – no one will be at Unite Here.

    Our new General Assembly meeting agenda will focus on the COVID-19 epidemic, indlucing discussion of the national statement, local impact and strategy, mutual aid, and what this means for our future meetings and organizing activities.

    Our meetings will be conducted via Zoom – you can find meeting details on the events calendar. If you are not familiar with this application, see the How to join a Zoom meeting tutorial video / article.

    During the meeting we will continue to follow our Guidelines for Respectful Discussion, amended for taking stack online:

    • Assume good faith in your fellow comrades
    • Know whether you need to “step up” or “step back”
    • Please ask yourself: “Why am I talking?”
    • Please recognize and respect others feelings, backgrounds, and cultural differences 
    • We have “one mic” so do not interrupt or speak while others are talking
    • Respect the facilitator when they use Progressive Stack
      • Members joined via the Zoom app can type “stack” into chat to be added to stack
      • Members joined on the phone only can say “stack” followed by their name to be added to stack
    • Have a sense of humor!

    Future Meetings

    The Steering Committee also recommends that all gatherings of members follow the guidance DSA National and local officials, and encourage meeting online whenever possible.

    If you would like to move your meeting online, you can request to reserve the chapter Zoom account and update your calendar entry in the #requests-communications channel in Slack. The Communications Subcommittee will meet next week to discuss streamlining this process, and other collaboration tools.

    We are also going to be scheduling a training next week on online organizing tools like Zoom to enable our members. Keep an eye out for more details on this.

    Watch our events calendar for the latest information.

    In solidarity,

    DSA San Diego Steering Committee

  • DSA San Diego Calls for a Publicly Owned Gas and Electric Utility in San Diego

    This week, DSA San Diego submitted the below letter to the City of San Diego in response to their Request for Expressions of Interest in the city’s Franchise for Electric and Gas Services, calling for a publicly owned utility for gas and electric services in San Diego.

    This letter was submitted as a part of DSA San Diego’s campaign for energy democracy in San Diego County.

    Re: Request for Expressions of Interest for Gas & Electric Services (1/21/20)

    Dear Mr. Lee Friedman, Mayor Kevin Faulconer, Council President Gomez, and Members of the San Diego City Council,

    While most Americans receive power from private companies, most utility companies in the United States are publicly owned. The largest is the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power. Almost all utilities were municipal services until World War I, when private companies took over urban electricity systems. This left rural areas dark until FDR’s Rural Electrification Act of 1936 built the remaining infrastructure. We propose a utility company for San Diego that is neither unique nor uncommon. In the words of former California Public Utilities Commission president Loretta Lynch, “Public power is generally cheaper, safer, cleaner, and – with some exceptions – more reliable.”

    Public Power for San Diego is a project of Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) – San Diego. DSA San Diego (https://dsasandiego.org) is a volunteer-led political activist organization. It is a chapter of DSA, the largest socialist group in the United States and a registered 501(c)4. In the current effort, we align with Boston’s Take Back the Grid (http://www.takebackthegrid.org/) and the San Francisco Bay Area DSA campaign, Let’s Own the Grid (https://letsownpge.org/) in encouraging our neighbors and the representatives who serve them to reclaim our energy system as a public good — run democratically, with all benefits accruing to our community.

    The RFEI invites the public to “help the City and its expert consultants draft and develop a contemporary and attractive franchise that will secure additional benefits…” First among these benefits, we submit, should be public ownership as a public good. Second should be management of the utility in a democratic fashion. Third should be an investment strategy which dedicates surplus revenue to local purposes, such as building out decentralized, renewable energy sources and storage, and introducing solar and retrofitting clean energy infrastructure to communities of concern — all while preserving the existing benefits, standing, and rights of the unionized workforce.

    We propose a publicly owned utility which protects the people and environment of San Diego without the existential need for profit that drives an investor-owned corporation. We propose a utility which invests revenue in its employees and in meeting the 2035 clean energy goal set by the
    City Council. We have the only proposal which serves the people of San Diego first, and we look forward to presenting it to you and our neighbors.

    Thank you for your attention.

  • March 3rd, 2020 Primary Voter Guide

    Democratic Socialists of America San Diego’s Electoral Working Group has published the following voter guide for the March 3rd, 2020 California primary elections. You can download a printer-friendly version here.

    • These are pragmatic voting recommendations, NOT endorsements.
    • Candidates endorsed by the chapter are presented in RED BOLD TYPE
    • Important races are presented in Bold Type.
    • A * indicates that DSA-SD has not made a recommendation in the race.
    • Not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee

    US President:

    • *US President: DSA has endorsed Bernie Sanders

    US Congress:

    • 49th Congressional District: Mike Levin
    • 50th Congressional District: JOSÉ CORTÉS, chapter-endorsed
    • 51st Congressional District: No recommendation
    • 52nd Congressional District: Nancy Casady, history with DSA, pro-GND.
    • 53rd Congressional District: JOSE CABALLERO, chapter-endorsed

    State Senate:

    • 39th District: Toni Atkins, running unopposed

    State Assembly:

    • 71st Assembly District: Liz Lavertu
    • 75th Assembly District: Kate Schwartz
    • 76th Assembly District: Tasha Boerner- Horvath, no better candidate in the race
    • *77th Assembly District: No good candidates
    • 78th Assembly District: SARAH DAVIS, chapter-endorsed
    • 79th Assembly District: Shirley Weber
    • 79th Assembly District: Lorena Gonzalez

    Judicial Races:

    We have not made recommendations in judicial races. The Democratic Party has endorsed Roberta Winston, Alana Robinson, Tim Nader, and Michelle Ialeggio

    County Board of Education:

    • 1st District: Gregg Robinson
    • *2nd District: The Democratic Party endorsement is Guadalupe Gonzalez
    • *4th District: Only one candidate in race

    Grossmont Cuyamaca Community College Board:

    • *Area 3: The Democratic Party endorsement is Julie Schorr
    • Area 4: Elena Adams

    San Diego Community College Board:

    • *District B: The Democratic Party endorsement is Bernie Rhinerson
    • *District D: Mary Graham endorsed by Democratic Party

    San Diego Unified:

    • *District A: No recommendation
    • *District D: No recommendation

    County Board of Supervisors:

    • District 1: Nora Vargas
    • District 2: Kenya Taylor
    • District 3: Either Olga Diaz or Terra Lawson-Remer are acceptable

    Carlsbad:

    • City Council District 1: Corey Schumacher

    Chula Vista:

    • *City Council District 3: The Democratic Party endorsement is Steve Padilla
    • City Council District 4: Delfina Gonzalez

    San Diego City:

    • *Mayor: No good candidates
    • *City Attorney: No good candidates
    • City Council District 1: Harid “H.” Fuentes
    • City Council District 3: Stephen Whitburn
    • *City Council District 5: The Democratic Party endorsement is Marni Von Wilpert
    • City Council District 7: Raul Campillo
    • City Council District 9: Sean Elo

    Measures:

    • Measure A: Yes
    • Measure B: No
    • Measure C: Yes
    • *Measure D: Democratic Party recommends Yes
    • Measure E: Yes
    • Proposition 13 (not that Prop 13): Yes

    Democratic Party Central Committee:

    71st District

    • James Elia
    • Mark Lane
    • Tiffany Maple

    75th District

    • Gloria Conejo
    • Gibhran Jimenez
    • Nicolle Leeds
    • Heather Roberts
    • Georgine Tomasi

    76th District

    • Marge Kealey
    • Megan Ley
    • Dinah Poellnitz
    • Sarah Spinks

    77th District

    • Lauren Bier
    • Katherine Hogue
    • Danny Jackson
    • Aleena Nawabi
    • Ria Otero
    • Lori Saldana
    • Luca Barton

    78th District

    • Jose Caballero
    • Derek Casady
    • Sarah Davis
    • Ramon Espinal
    • Kevin Lourens
    • Oren Robinson

    79th District

    • Max Cotterill
    • Kathryn Meyer
    • Dave Myers
    • Dan Shook-Castillo

    80th District

    • Kate Bishop
    • Angel Godinez

  • Statement in Solidarity with the Protests in India

    The San Diego chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America condemns the discriminatory and fascist turn of the Indian government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. We stand in solidarity with the Muslim community in India, and the working and oppressed people struggling against this fascist regime. The Hindu nationalist BJP government plans to implement a National Registry of Citizens (NRC) in the country and has prepared for that with the passing of the Citizenship Amendment Act 2019 (CAA). These policies are a step towards the stated goal of the BJP to convert India into a “Hindu Rashtra” (Hindu Nation) and to further discriminate against and marginalize the Muslim and other religious minorities in the region. As DSA San Diego we vehemently condemn these actions and ask for all working class and oppressed peoples to stand in opposition to this government’s disregard of human rights.

    The state of Assam on India’s border with Bangladesh is where the NRC was first proposed and is currently being implemented. We recognize that the desire for this National Register comes out of an anti-immigrant movement in Assam, where the implementation of the NRC has thus far declared 1.9 million people “illegal” and effectively rendered them stateless.

    As socialists based in San Diego, 20 miles from the US border with Mexico, we see a clear connection with these policies and the US government’s actions on the southern US Border. The rounding up of immigrants and holding them in concentration camps is a tactic used by fascists all around the world showing that the struggle for liberation here and in India are one and the same.

    Around the world, we are witnessing a rise of fascist governments, from the Bolsonaro Regime in Brazil to the Duterte Regime in The Philippines, and the Tory Government headed by the racist Boris Johnson. We see it in the popularity of Marine Le Pen in France, the Military Coup in Bolivia, the Trump Regime in the United States, and the Modi Regime in India. We condemn these regimes and stand in solidarity with the Muslim communities in India, and with all working and oppressed peoples around the world.