Press & media

SDG&E Powerlink plan draws strong opposition at San Marcos hearing

More than 75 people spoke in person or by phone at the September 17 CPUC meeting in San Marcos to urge the commission to reject the Powerlink as currently designed, The Coast News reports — roughly 70 of them in person, with dozens more filling the chambers in yellow “Save Fallbrook,” “Save Temecula,” “Save Palomar Mountain” and “Save Warner Springs” shirts. About 10% of speakers on the issue backed SDG&E, among them electrical workers' unions, the San Diego Building Industry Association and the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce. Temecula Mayor Jessica Alexander told commissioners, “These are not lines on a map: These are families. Safety must not be compromised for cost or efficiency.” County Supervisor Jim Desmond noted the Sunrise Powerlink was routed around Anza-Borrego Desert State Park while this proposal cuts through it, and Matt Rahn, who leads Cal State San Marcos's wildfire science degree program, warned that lines hundreds of feet up can slow aerial firefighting. Fallbrook Planning Group member Stephani Baxter summed up the room: “What you see in front of you is 145 miles of opposition.” No vote was taken.

How to Be Heard: Your Opportunities to Weigh In on the Golden Pacific Powerlink

The CPUC's two-page guide, handed out at its September 17 meeting in San Marcos, to every point where the public can speak up on SDG&E's Powerlink: now, before SDG&E files, and after, when the CPUC reviews it. Download it, keep it, share it.

North County residents push back on proposed Golden Pacific Powerlink transmission line

More than 100 residents from Fallbrook, Warner Springs, Palomar Mountain and other North County communities spoke against the project — in person and by phone — at the same September 17 CPUC meeting in San Marcos, where it was not on the agenda. Fallbrook farm owner Danielle Kendall said one proposed route is “going right through the middle of our farm” and asked the commission to make SDG&E explore alternatives first. SDG&E's Alex Welling said a 500-kilovolt, roughly 145-mile line “is going to raise serious questions and concerns in the community.” SDG&E plans to file its application in November; the CPUC decides whether the project is approved and which route it follows.

$1.6 billion, 150-mile power line gets strong pushback from residents

Scores of residents in yellow “Save Fallbrook,” “Save Palomar Mountain” and “Save Temecula” shirts packed the San Marcos City Council chambers on September 17 to address the California Public Utilities Commission. The Powerlink was not on the agenda and no vote was taken, but people travelled from across San Diego and Riverside counties to testify. Assemblymember Laurie Davies told commissioners, “We need to make sure we’re getting this right, not simply getting it done.” SDG&E's Alex Welling said, “We have all of this new generation that is coming online, but we need a way to move it.” KPBS reports open houses in El Centro and Borrego Springs in October, a CPUC application by mid-November, a decision SDG&E hopes for by 2029, and a line built by 2032.

1,000 People. $100 Each. Mark Winkler on Why Save Temecula Needs a Seat at the Table

Save Temecula President Mark Winkler explains why the campaign must secure CPUC Party Status, what the $100,000 legal fund pays for, and the simple math that gets us there: one thousand people, one hundred dollars each.

Print Your Own Sign: the Save Temecula Flyer

A one-page, black-and-white flyer you can print at home. Run it on bright yellow paper and you have a window sign, a yard sign insert, or a handout for your neighbors.

Address the Decision Makers: the CPUC Commissioners Are Coming to North County

September 17 · 11 AM · San Marcos City Council Chambers

The California Public Utilities Commission is based in San Francisco and almost always meets there or in Sacramento. On Thursday, September 17, all five commissioners will be in San Marcos — and anyone can speak to them for one minute.

Urgent Action Required: Protecting Community Property Values & Safety Against High-Voltage Transmission Projects

An open letter to HOA boards and community managers — download it, hand it to your board, and ask them to put the Golden Pacific Powerlink on the next agenda.

Temecula residents challenge Powerlink project; SDG&E cites regional energy needs

Valley News covered the August 26 open house at Embassy Suites, where hundreds turned out to a ballroom set for 250, and quotes Save Temecula president Mark Winkler calling the session “nothing more than a perfunctory exercise.” SDG&E told the paper that transmission constraints “can lead to congestion on the grid, higher costs, and reduced reliability during extreme weather or emergency conditions.” The article also restates SDG&E's schedule — a CPUC filing in fall or winter 2026, permitting through 2029, construction from fall 2029, and service beginning in 2032 — the same dates the utility has presented to the City.

Hundreds of Temecula Residents Voice Opposition to Golden Pacific Powerlink Project at SDG&E Open House

Hundreds of residents and business owners packed SDG&E's August 26 open house at the Embassy Suites — filling a 250-capacity ballroom and spilling into the lobby — to oppose the proposed Golden Pacific Powerlink.

Statement From Save Temecula: Regarding SDG&E Open House 8/26/2026

Beyond the headlines: a deeper look at SDG&E Open House preview and broader context.

Get ready for SDG&E's Temecula open house — Wednesday, August 26

August 26 · 4–7 PM @ Embassy Suites

SDG&E's Temecula open house is Wednesday, August 26, 4–7PM at the Embassy Suites. Here's what it is, what it isn't, and why turnout matters — wear yellow.

SDG&E Announces Alternative Routes — Only One of Four Bypasses Temecula

SDG&E announced three alternative routes it will file alongside the preliminary route disclosed in May. Only one of the four routes SDG&E will submit to the CPUC bypasses Temecula.

500-kilovolt Golden Pacific Powerlink could dip into OC, IE, but it’s not a done deal

The Register put hard numbers on the project: $1.62 billion, about 150 miles, and SDG&E's largest capital project ever — with the cost spread across every ratepayer in the CAISO grid, of which SDG&E customers carry 9%. It also reported that SDG&E's own environmental filing includes an alternative route that bypasses Temecula, running south along Palomar Mountain instead. Nothing would go underground, and the CPUC has the final say.

Temecula's Mayor: Stop SDG&E's Golden Pacific Powerlink

Mayor Jessica Alexander tells residents SDG&E's Golden Pacific Powerlink doesn't belong in Temecula — and asks the community to sign up and join the fight.

Grassroots Coalition to Rally July 31 Against Proposed 200-Foot High-Voltage Power Line Through Temecula

July 31 · 4–6 PM @ Duck Pond

Save Temecula will host a public rally on Friday, July 31 at the Temecula Duck Pond to protest SDG&E's proposed Golden Pacific Powerlink — media invited for interviews, visuals, and a community briefing.

Temecula vows to battle proposed transmission line project

The Inland Empire business paper recaps the City Council's May 26 5-0 vote to oppose the Golden Pacific Powerlink — and its instruction to City Manager Aaron Adams to use every tool at his disposal to stop it — ahead of the formal resolution of opposition on July 14. Councilman Zak Schwank: “This is a huge decision for the city, because if this is built it can never be undone.” Mayor Pro Tem Matt Rahn, in a May 4 letter to SDG&E, called the alignment “one of the most unsuitable alignments for infrastructure of this scale and risk” and wrote that “you could have drawn by hand nearly any other alignment in Southern California and not have made this massive a mistake.” The article counts roughly 500 people at the nearly four-hour hearing and lists the Chamber of Commerce, Visit Temecula Valley, the Winegrowers Association, the Old Town Temecula Association, the Pechanga Band of Indians, Temecula Valley Hospital and the Southwest Riverside County Association of Realtors among those with concerns or outright opposition. City spokesperson Betsy Lowrey: “We strongly suggest staying out of Riverside County altogether.”

Temecula is not SDG&E's extension cord

The campaign video that named the problem: SDG&E serves San Diego and Orange counties — not Riverside — yet Temecula is the community asked to live under the towers.

New Opposition To Proposed SDG&E Powerlink Transmission Line From Tourism, Wineries

Visit Temecula Valley and the Temecula Valley Winegrowers Association came out against the Golden Pacific Powerlink's route through the valley, arguing the towers would damage the scenery the region's $1.137 billion tourism economy runs on — and that Temecula carries the wildfire and environmental risk while the power moves on to somewhere else.