San Jose wants PG&E to fund city employees

San Jose has a massive deficit.  It continues to finance illegal aliens and has a crime rate to prove it.  Now they want a private firm to directly finance government employees.

“San Jose leaders are partnering with PG&E to grow the city’s electrical infrastructure — and they want the utility giant to pay for more city employees.

The City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to have officials negotiate with PG&E on planning, building and paying for future infrastructure to support economic growth and efforts toward decarbonization. Councilmembers are pushing for the company to fund six new city positions that would make up a city energy development team. A contract is expected to be brought back to council for final approval in the spring.”

This is a great idea.  They should go further—have the homeless finance their recovery.  Have the criminals finance the police.  Finally have the illegal aliens pay for their police protection. Government is getting very creative on how to finance their mismanagement and incompetence.

San Jose wants PG&E to fund city employees

by Vicente Vera, San Jose spotlight,  3/4/25  https://sanjosespotlight.com/san-jose-wants-pge-to-fund-city-employees/

San Jose leaders are partnering with PG&E to grow the city’s electrical infrastructure — and they want the utility giant to pay for more city employees.

The City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to have officials negotiate with PG&E on planning, building and paying for future infrastructure to support economic growth and efforts toward decarbonization. Councilmembers are pushing for the company to fund six new city positions that would make up a city energy development team. A contract is expected to be brought back to council for final approval in the spring.

“We are excited and committed to serving the current needs and future growth of the city of San Jose’s residents and businesses,” PG&E spokesperson Stephanie Magallon told San José Spotlight before the vote.

The city wants PG&E to pay for two employees associated with economic development and oversight, and four employees for the public works department. The company would be expected to lead the construction of new transmission lines and other infrastructure to support large industrial and commercial facilities. City energy officials say electrical infrastructure in North San Jose and downtown faces capacity limits.

Councilmember David Cohen said it would be a sign of good will and dedication to the city’s energy mission if PG&E agrees to fund the team.

“I’m very happy that PG&E is coming to the table as a good partner, and they are definitely demonstrating their desire to help us meet our economic development goals,” Cohen told San José Spotlight. “There were some difficult conversations about PG&E’s ability to deliver, but ultimately those conversations led to a better partnership.”

Concerns over PG&E’s ability to update the city’s electrical infrastructure following the company’s wildfire safety-related projects and lawsuits and filing for bankruptcy in 2019 led to a proposal for a city-run electric utility known as San Jose Power. While city leaders approved creating the utility in 2023, the project is in the exploratory phase, and the city would still need PG&E to provide and maintain most of its electrical distribution infrastructure. Councilmembers are expected to discuss this further at a March 21 study session.

“There’s always been this oversimplification of what the city is talking about when it comes to a potential municipal utility,” Cohen said. “There is no mechanism by which we would take over the entire distribution of energy to our residents. We would be building an alternative in some limited areas, potentially competing with PG&E in those areas, but we are always going to be relying on PG&E for a majority of energy delivery to the city.”

Christina Ramos, government affairs representative for PG&E, said the company’s performance and reliability has improved significantly.

“Considering the city’s current budget challenges, PG&E would assume the cost, responsibility and risk associated with building out any infrastructure necessary to support the unprecedented power needs,” she said at Tuesday’s meeting.

City officials see a viable alternative to PG&E: LS Power, a leading energy infrastructure company, is building a new transmission connection that will allow San Jose to receive power directly from alternative sources.

A joint memo from Mayor Matt Mahan, Vice Mayor Pam Foley and Councilmembers Rosemary Kamei, Domingo Candelas and Cohen said maintaining an open pathway with LS Power ensures the city isn’t solely dependent on PG&E. Having this flexibility would strengthen the city’s ability to secure competitive energy prices, provide enough energy for large-scale customers and advance clean energy goals.

“As the city evaluates its energy infrastructure options moving forward, we’re having productive conversations with PG&E about a new kind of working relationship — one rooted in clear performance metrics, shared responsibility for supporting economic growth and accountability for the outcomes our customers, big and small, need from the utility,” Mahan said in a statement. “San Jose has tremendous economic growth ahead of it and we need a partner who is as committed to speed, certainty and cost management as we are.”
Ruth Marino, San Jose Community Energy Advocates representative, said she wants to see city officials continue developing a municipal utility rather than grow more dependent on PG&E for energy.

“(We) advocated for, and the city established San Jose Clean Energy, which has been extremely successful,” she said at the meeting. “We are sure that San Jose could do the same with San Jose Power.”