The settlement that stuck ratepayers with most of the bill for decommissioning the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station was reopened this week, like faulty tubes in a certain steam generator.
In 2014, the California Public Utilities Commission approved a settlement with Southern California Edison that said the company would pay $1.4 billion of the cost, leaving ratepayers to pay $3.3 billion. In 2015, the U-T revealed that former regulator Michael Peevey met with an Edison executive at a hotel in Poland, calling the whole deal into question.
“Reopening the deal could mean a better deal for utility customers. It could also prove an important test of the commission’s latest posture toward the power companies it regulates, as those companies have continued to say the deal was good for ratepayers and the process was above-board and open to the public,” the Union-Tribune’s Jeff McDonald writes.
Meanwhile, Rep. Darrell Issa and others continue to press the Department of Energy and Congress to get the spent fuel out of San Onofre, where it is slated for temporary storage.
North County Is Split on Urban Streets
Construction is under way on the North City development, next to Cal State San Marcos, which will one day complement the city’s Creek District vision to craft a downtown area.
Where North City is not quite as organic in its approach, Creek District lays out a basic vision of an urban street that is pedestrian-friendly and mixes schools, shopping, offices and homes to create a place where people are rooted and don’t have to get in their car to carry on with their lives.
The projects have gotten relatively little pushback from residents – as evidence, look no further than the city’s elections. If things weren’t going well, you’d expect to see some form of opposition, but this year is looking to be the second election in a row where council members run unopposed.
Carlsbad, however, ain’t having it.
The latest project there, dubbed The Wave, is the latest target of anti-mixed-use sentiment. It’s a four-story building, with eight condos, 13 timeshare units, commercial and office space near Carlsbad Village.
In one online group, discussion of The Wave racked up dozens of comments accusing the City Council and developers of an attack on the neighborhood and the town’s character.
Issa Throws His Support Behind Trump
Rep. Darrell Issa released a statement on his website, calling The Donald “the obvious choice for every American.”
Issa is now on Trump’s list of pledged California delegates, as is state Sen. Joel Anderson.
That’s a change of direction from Issa’s previous comments, in which he said that Trump wouldn’t be able to grow the Republican Party. In an interview with a New Hampshire radio station, Issa said of Trump, “Well he motivates some, but he also alienates a vast amount.”
Issa previously endorsed Sen. Marco Rubio, but Rubio dropped out of the campaign in March.
Also in the News
• Apparently the Department of Education is six months into an investigation of sexual violence at an unknown school in the Carlsbad Unified School District. (inewsource)
• Oceanside’s public golf course, Goat Hill Park, was ranked the second best short course in America. (Golf Channel)
• The California Coastal Commission will weigh in on Carlsbad’s proposed changes to its Local Coastal Program, after the city updated its general plan. (Seaside Courier)
• Carlsbad approved 278 apartments for Quarry Creek, part of a 660-home plan in a controversial development off Highway 78. (Union-Tribune)
• The North Coast Corridor Program, which most notably widens Interstate 5 from La Jolla to Oceanside, is set to begin this summer. (Union-Tribune)
• A preliminary budget for Vista is out, and it looks like it is one of the largest in the city’s history. (Union-Tribune)