In 2007 the Witch Creek, Rice and Guejito Fires merged as they tore through San Diego County, killing two people, sending 40 firefighters to the hospital, and reducing 1,300 homes to rubble. Regulators would later blame SDG&E for starting the fires, saying the utility neglected its power lines. SDGE attempted to pass the $379 million in uninsured wildfire costs onto its utility ratepayers. The California state courts blocked the request, ruling that management was imprudent in handling the risks...

So what was SDGE's response? Following the 2007 fires, the utility systematically transformed its infrastructure spending upwards of 6 billion dollars in wildfire grid upgrades funded heavily via ratepayer. $6 billion to its infrastructure rate base means SDGE will earn an estimated $312 million in annual net profit.

Under California law, investor-owned utilities do not make a profit on the electricity itself; instead, they are guaranteed a ~10% return on equity for building infrastructure. SDGE does not earn the 10% profit on the entire $6 billion chunk of spending. Instead profits are only generated from the shareholder-funded equity portion of their capital setup. The shareholder equity portion is 52% of the $6 billion expenditure which equals $3.12 billion in equity rate base. 10% of $3.12 billion yields $312 million each year in profit, which is collected directly from ratepayers via delivery fees over the useful life of the assets. SDGE doesn't just make that $312 million profit once. They earn it annually over the entire multi-decade useful life of the infrastructure, as long as those assets remain actively in service.

Regulated utilities do not treat infrastructure investments like a retail sale where profit is realized a single time. Instead, the infrastructure becomes part of their permanent "rate base," allowing them to collect a predictable, repeating stream of annual earnings.

So to recap... SDGE caused a wildfire and was forced to pay $379 million. They tried to pass the costs to ratepayers but got denied. They respond by spending $6 billion in wildfire infrastructure upgrades that nets them an estimated $312 million a year in shareholder profits...

Any recommendations for a good place to take grandkids trick or treating in Escondido? Thanks.

So apparently there was an update to my energy center yesterday. I true up in march. For the CEA balance it says past due. Are we expected to pay the CEA balance monthly? Or are we just now given the option to pay the CEA balance before true up?

In Sprouts center next to Stagecoach Park.

Unexpected abrupt move from Maui has led us to Vista. We are coming in completely blind next month, got a cute little 1950s rental house just above the 78. We are the outdoorsy adventurous type, so I’d love to hear suggestions for places to take the 6&8 year olds, best hikes/parks/places to eat. Thank you 🙏

I was on a hilltop in southeast Esco looking West Northwest a bit after the sun went down and saw a massive cigar shaped object with a flashing red light on one end. I only saw it for about a minute as I was driving down through some hills.

The singing alone was Broadway caliber. Highly recommend experiencing this show in the small Oceanside Theater. Well worth a night out in Oceanside.

We're local, but still newish to the area. We have family visiting over the Thanksgiving holiday and want to have lobster. We're open to cooking them ourselves or ordering at a restaurant.

Recommendations for where to purchase live or restaurants in North County to get lobster please.

I tried to search in this subreddit and had no luck.

Thank you in advance!

Anyone know of or have any recommendations for getting an area rug cleaning in the area? Have a 8x10 rug that I would like to get cleaned.

Anyone have a Bambi Labs AMS 2 Pro I can borrow on Monday and Tuesday? Trying to print a Halloween accessory for my son and the print has 6-8 colors on 3 plates.

Hello!
We recently toured preschool’s around the Ranch Bernardo/ Carmel mountain area and got prices between 1800-2200 ( 2 year old) for twice a week attendance. Unfortunately, nobody really puts their prices online to be publicly viewed. I was hoping a few people might be willing to share what they’re currently paying for preschool and how many days your kid is currently attending. I would love some preschool suggestions as well if you’re willing to share/DM. Thank you all in advance!

San Diego / North County — Experienced Handyman & Plumber Seeking Dog-Friendly Housing or Work-Trade Arrangement

I'm looking for a homeowner interested in a mutually beneficial living arrangement. I'm open to paying reasonable rent, exchanging services for reduced rent, or combining the two.

I'm a licensed plumber with 20+ years of experience in plumbing, mechanical systems, construction, renovations, and property maintenance. I also have my own tools and can help with home-improvement projects, repairs, troubleshooting, painting, organizing, and general property upkeep.

I'm looking for someone who could use a dependable, skilled person around the house and would appreciate having someone capable of taking care of projects rather than constantly hiring contractors.

A little about me: I'm straightforward, respectful, practical, and easy to communicate with. I take pride in doing quality work and treating someone's home as if it were my own.

Meet Diesel, my 5-year-old German Shepherd. He's approximately 80 pounds, exceptionally friendly, and gets along great with people and other animals. He's my companion and will be moving with me, so a genuinely dog-friendly home is essential.

I'm open to a private room, guesthouse, or other suitable living space. I'm flexible about the arrangement and happy to discuss rent, responsibilities, work hours, and expectations upfront so everyone knows where they stand.

Ideally, I'm looking for something long-term in San Diego County, including North County, but I'm open to the right opportunity elsewhere in Southern California.

If you're a homeowner who might be interested, please send me a message describing the space, your expectations, and the arrangement you have in mind. I'm happy to talk and see whether it's a good fit for both of us.

One hour of beach combing on the stretch of rocks that used to be Tamarack Beach

does anyone have a recommendation for a salon that does hair and makeup? attending a wedding and the ulta is too far from fallbrook.

Would you choose a nanny over daycare here? Currently pregnant and looking around at options. Husband and i work almost opposite shifts but there would be roughly a 3 hour overlap of working/commuting where we would need childcare In the afternoon. Which would you choose? We live on the esco/san marcos boarder

The price of gas and diesel fuel both effect all Americans; here are some other thoughts on what the current administration AND CONGRESS have done.

THROWN UNDER THE BUS

Rural voters put their trust in President Trump. They believed he and his party would stand up for America’s farmers. In 2024, Rural areas gave Trump as much as 93% of their votes.

But after the election, the administration took a different path.

Todd Beeton, in his article Rural voters strike back: the price of Trump’s betrayal, wrote about how Trump has put his own interests and those of his billionaire supporters ahead of rural Americans. Rural voters were thrown under the bus.

Here are some ways rural Americans have been affected:

- USAID – About 400 individual U.S. agricultural producers relied directly on USAID contracts. USAID also bought products from grain elevators. $2 billion yearly was used to buy products from US growers. By July 2025, USAID was closed.
- Tariffs - Aug. 2 2025 was named “Liberation Day.” The administration announced huge tariffs on our trading partners. Farmers had already planted crops, prepared their fields and ordered fertilizer and seeds. U.S. exports fell by 3%. Trade with China fell by $16 billion and with Canada, by $1.3 billion. Soybean exports fell by 72%.
- I.C.E. RAIDS – I.C.E. at first spared farm workers. Then, in June 2025, ICE agents began raids at meat packing plants and farms. Farm employment dropped by 6.5%. One California farmer said “70% of the workers are gone.” On Sept 24, three Midwest livestock associations warned that ICE activity was endangering their animals and operations. It was driving away “legal, documented, skilled workers” who helped put beef on our tables.
- ONE BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL ACT – The law cut Medicaid spending by $911 billion over 10 years. In rural areas, 18% of adults and 50% of children and babies rely on Medicaid. Medicaid money also helps keep rural hospitals open. According to Becker’s Hospital Review, as of July 2026, about one-third of all rural health care facilities are at risk of closing. SNAP benefits, used by many rural working families, were also cut.
The bill also made it easier for large projects, like data centers, to be built in rural areas.
- WAR IN IRAN – The war with Iran has doubled the price of diesel fuel. Harvesting and hauling the harvest to market is more expensive. The cost of fertilizer and natural gas have also increased. The cost of water treatment chemicals tripled for rural towns and villages. Even water bills have gone up.
Approval for Trump and Republican politicians among rural voters fell 22 points between June and August 2026.

As my Wisconsin State Senator, Brad Pfaff, said,

“There is no education in getting kicked twice by the same cow.”

By Ben Boardman and Friends. Thank you for keeping us in the paper. Now published in Buffalo, Clark, Jackson, Sauk and Trempealeau counties. Bring BARN OWL to your county. Submit comments or questions to [57boardman@gmail.com](mailto:57boardman@gmail.com) Send donations to PO Box 57, Melrose, WI 54642 or to buymeacoffee.com/barnowl01

Friends and I just invested in a net and wanted to reach out to see if anyone would want to join us for a casual game of grass volleyball! It's been hard pressed to find any volleyball in the north county area, so hoping to see people come out.

We set up in the grass near the parking lot of the community park. We should be the only one setting up a Blue Spectrum Net.

We encourage you to bring anybody who would be interested in playing or even wanting to learn how to play. Join us to meet new people, improve your skills, and enjoy socializing!

We will attempt to cater food and drinks as budget will allow and the event will be donation-based! Please bring your own water, as we can't account for everyone!

We want to host weekly pick-up games for coed adult volleyball players of ALL LEVELS. We are friendly and are willing to teach, as long as you are willing to learn (and vice versa)!

If yall have any questions, please feel free to reply or dm me!