Hundreds of Temecula Residents Voice Opposition to Golden Pacific Powerlink Project at SDG&E Open House
TEMECULA, Calif. – August 27, 2026 – San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) hosted a public open house yesterday at the Embassy Suites in Temecula regarding its proposed Golden Pacific Powerlink project, which would run 200-foot-high voltage transmission towers through the Temecula area. Hundreds of angry residents and business owners from the community turned out to voice their continued and strong opposition to the project. With a capacity of 250, the ballroom was full, and crowds of residents waited in the lobby and an adjacent area to be let in.
Save Temecula, a grassroots coalition representing thousands of Temecula residents and businesses, has raised sustained concerns about the project's impact on the community, including fire risk, diminished property values, harm to the area's scenic character, and broader environmental damage. The group contends that the towers are fundamentally incompatible with the character and safety of the Temecula community.
Temecula resident Cheryl Brown said she left the SDG&E Open House feeling very disappointed.
"I was hoping to learn more than I did at their online presentation months ago, but instead I found a small, crowded room with no air conditioning and staff who had nothing substantive to share," said Temecula resident Cheryl Brown. "It felt like being invited to a full-course dinner where the host wasn't prepared for the guests. There were plenty of servers, but no real information. We left hot, tired, and hungry for answers, which we didn't get."
Save Temecula and community members are calling on SDG&E to withdraw its proposal, and on the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to reject the project. The organization says it is disappointing that SDG&E has continued to advance its CPUC bid rather than heeding the concerns of thousands of Temecula residents and business owners who oppose the project.
"This open house was nothing more than a perfunctory exercise," said Mark Winkler, President of Save Temecula. "SDG&E continues to go through the motions of community engagement while pressing forward with its bid to the CPUC. Temecula residents have made their opposition to this project abundantly clear over the past few months, and yet SDG&E has done nothing to change course or incorporate community feedback.
"The vague, incomplete—and at times, misleading—answers SDG&E gave to the Temecula community today demonstrated that this was not about genuinely listening to residents or addressing their concerns. An exercise designed to quiet public outrage rather than answer real questions is a failure of transparency."
Michael Scalise, Temecula resident, said he gained no new insights from the Open House.
"SDG&E provided flyers and posters, but it was nothing new," he said. "It's the same information they provided at the Temecula City Council meeting in May. Their plan is disastrous to Temecula's residential areas and the environment."
About Save Temecula
Save Temecula is a grassroots coalition of residents, business owners, and community advocates dedicated to preserving the safety, natural beauty, cultural heritage, and economic vitality of the Temecula Valley by stopping SDG&E's proposed Golden Pacific Powerlink. The coalition has become a major local movement, bringing together residents, neighborhood groups, and city officials. For more information or to view project maps, visit www.savetemecula.org.
Media Contact Norma Marlowe, PR Representative norma@visittemeculavalley.com