FALLBROOK — Fallbrook has joined a growing list of communities that oppose San Diego Gas & Electric’s proposed Golden Pacific Powerlink project, which would cut through a portion of rural North County.
The project proposes to build a 145-mile 500-kilovolt electric transmission line from Imperial Valley to a substation near San Clemente in Orange County.
The transmission line would cut directly through Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, which covers a large swath of eastern San Diego County. The preferred route would run past Warner Springs and north of Palomar Mountain before cutting back through Temecula and through the north side of Camp Pendleton.
There are three proposed alternative routes, one of which is the South Mountain Alternative, which would curve south of Palomar Mountain around the La Jolla, Rincon and Pala Reservations and up through Fallbrook near Interstate 15.
The project was originally identified through the California Independent System Operator’s transmission planning process in 2023. SDG&E assumed responsibility to build, own and operate the new power line last year.
According to the project, without new transmission pathways such as this project, electricity cannot be delivered to major population centers with the highest demand. Constraints on transmission lines could also congest the grid, raise costs and reduce reliability during extreme weather or emergency conditions.
Several public and private organizations as well as elected officials have already opposed the project, including the Rainbow Planning Group, the Wildlands Conservancy, Temecula City Council and the Anza-Borrego Foundation.
On July 20, the Fallbrook Community Planning Group unanimously voted to oppose the project as well.
“We are united against this proposed project, which if permitted by the California Public Utilities Commission, could significantly endanger the health and safety (especially in our high fire risk communities), economic vitality, community character and the overall well-being of our communities,” reads the group’s official statement.
Jeniene Domercq, a member of the planning group who chairs both of its public facilities and power link ad hoc committees, said SDG&E and the state have left more questions than answers for local leaders regarding the project.
Not only does the project raise concerns about fire hazard — its massive 200-foot-tall towers that will hold the power line in the air also raise concerns about how the project could impact fire response from aircraft in the fire prone, largely rural region.
The project’s potential impact on the environment is also a major concern. Beyond running though California’s largest state park, it would also cross paths with the Cleveland National Forest, come close to Palomar Mountain State Park, and affect tribal lands.
“It’s a pristine area — it’s untouched,” Domercq said. “We’re concerned about sensitive species, we’re concerned about the impact to the local waterways — they don’t have answers as far as actual impacts, so we’re having to do a lot of research.”
Others concerns are about the project’s possible noise pollution — both during construction and once the project is online — as well as its electromagnetic discharge.
Domercq also said the power line may have a 1,000-foot-wide corridor.
“That’s a couple blocks for us in Fallbrook,” she said. “Once these areas are destroyed during construction, we can’t get that back.”
The planning group also states the project won’t provide any power grid benefits to San Diego and Imperial County residents, yet their residents “will bear the brunt of the environmental and safety consequences of this project.”
That’s contrary to the power line’s website, which states the project would support a stronger, more resilient grid statewide, improve the regional system and reduce congestion on the grid with additional transmission capacity, and help maintain electric service during high-demand periods or emergencies such as heat waves or wildfires.
Additionally, according to SDG&E, the project would support electric vehicles, charging infrastructure, transit and electric-ready homes; create good-paying construction jobs; support long-term economic growth with a reliable grid; and supply an increasing energy demand.
The project’s timeline estimates that if all state and federal permits are approved over the next three years, construction could begin as early as fall 2029, with service beginning in 2032.
So far, there isn’t much support from the affected communities.
“There’s not one single community that this touches that is in favor — 145 miles of opposition is what they have,” Domercq said.
Supervisor Jim Desmond, who represents most of North County, is also a staunch opponent of the project.
“This is our backyard. That is our backcountry. That is our state park,” he wrote in an opinion piece published in the Escondido Times-Advocate in June.
For Desmond, the “Sacramento decision” is problematic because the California Public Utilities Commission isn’t “required to listen” to the affected communities.
“The communities that take the impact have no vote in the decision. That is not how this is supposed to work,” he wrote.
Desmond also noted that San Diego County ratepayers would be responsible for roughly 9% of the project’s price tag. According to Desmond, the project is estimated to cost $2.3 billion; however. the project website states it’s currently estimated at $1.624 billion.
SDG&E will hold in-person open houses in communities that would be directly affected by the power line. The first in-person open house for the project is Aug. 25 from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Fallbrook Community Center, and a second on Aug. 26 from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Temecula Embassy Suites.
Two more open houses will be held in October in El Centro and Borrego Springs.
