ABSTRACT
“I don’t mean to sound NIMBY, but I don’t want those powerlines ruining our community!” a member of the Rancho Peñasquitos town council exclaimed one warm Southern California summer evening in 2006 as the group discussed a proposal by San Diego Gas & Electric Company (SDG&E) to construct high-tension electric transmission lines through the suburban neighborhood. The woman’s comments echoed a growing sentiment throughout the community that the neighborhood was under threat and needed to respond accordingly. Later that summer a group of over five hundred community members packed the small local library and spoke out against SDG&E’s planned powerline project. Over the next few months pressure built as community members organized to challenge SDG&E’s plans. A public awareness campaign was launched to bring the issue to the attention of the neighborhood as a whole, public meetings swarmed with individuals from the community expressing their discontent with the powerline proposal, and official legal challenges were made by members of the community to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC).
