About 45 people sat down with San Diego Gas & Electric today to hash out a plan to discuss fire safety and the company’s rejected shut-off plan. They didn’t get very far.
The group largely represented the most vocal opponents of the shut-off plan — people from county government, schools, water districts and cable companies — but it included some supporters like Augie Ghio, fire chief of the San Miguel Consolidated Fire Protection District and president of the San Diego County Fire Chiefs Association.
I didn’t stay for the entire meeting but caught up with SDG&E spokeswoman Jennifer Ramp afterwards. Ramp said the group decided to schedule a second meeting in one week, because some stakeholders wanted to talk with their coworkers before making a decision.
SDG&E hoped the group would vote on one of three services that would mediate a regional discussion on fire safety, and more specifically the shut-off plan, which the California Public Utilities Commission rejected last month. In rejecting the plan, the commission directed SDG&E to organize collaborative meetings with community stakeholders to debate future options.
On Friday, the group heard proposals from three mediation services and more description of how the process would work. The group narrowed the pool to a statewide service from the CPUC and a national service from Federal Mediation & Conciliation Service, Ramp said. No other options for mediation were introduced.
I’ll keep following the shut-off plan debate and let you know where the decision goes next week. It’s unlikely any mediation would allow the shut-off plan to be implemented this fire season as some stakeholders have talked about months of discussion.