Since 2004, SSJID has been actively working to replace PG&E as the electric utility for customers in Manteca, Escalon, Ripon and the surrounding areas.
As part of that process, SSJID was required to obtain approval from a San Joaquin County agency called the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCo). In 2014, after five independent studies and a public workshop before LAFCo, LAFCo found that SSJID’s business plan is sound and it has the ability to carry out its service commitments.
PG&E immediately sued to have that decision overturned in San Joaquin County Superior Court. After continued litigation and some favorable court decisions for SSJID, the District made an offer to purchase local electric distribution assets from PG&E in 2016. After PG&E indicated its assets were not for sale, the District filed a lawsuit to gain the right to purchase the assets from PG&E, through a process called eminent domain.
On March 25, 2020, SSJID and PG&E stipulated to a “relief from stay” in the bankruptcy hearing that would allow ongoing litigation between the two parties to continue. In December 2021, the Third District Court of Appeal ruled in SSJID’s favor, saying the LAFCo decision was valid and that the District can purchase PG&E’s electrical assets through a process known as eminent domain.
SSJID has offered to pay PG&E $116 million for the power lines, substations and transmission infrastructure required to deliver electricity to our region. We are supported by thousands of local residents as well as many business and government leaders, who all are confident SSJID is up to the task of becoming a retail electric provider, and can do so in a safe, trustworthy and affordable manner.