SAN MARCOS, Calif. — A Sept. 17 California Public Utilities Commission voting meeting in San Marcos became a public airing of opposition to the proposed Golden Pacific Power Link, with elected officials and residents from Temecula, Fallbrook, Warner Springs, Palomar Mountain and other North County communities urging the commission to move the route away from fire-prone and culturally sensitive areas.
President Reynolds said the project had not yet been formally applied for, putting it in a pre-application stage, according to the meeting summary. The commission meeting itself remained in the public-comment portion in the available transcript, and no final project decision appears in the material reviewed.
In comments summarized from the meeting record, Temecula Mayor Jessica Alexander, Assemblymember Kate Sanchez, San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond and other local officials argued the proposed route would worsen wildfire risk, complicate evacuations and aerial firefighting, and affect tribal and cultural resources. Temecula staff also said the city had not received enough project information and asked for more meaningful alternatives and basic technical details before the process advances.
Several speakers also pointed to environmental and community impacts along the corridor, including Temecula Creek, Fallbrook, Warner Springs, Palomar Mountain and Anza-Borrego State Park. The meeting record shows opponents repeatedly pressing for a route away from neighborhoods and fire-prone terrain.
A smaller group of labor and business representatives spoke in support of the project, saying new transmission is needed for grid reliability, electrification and regional growth. The meeting summary identifies support from IBEW Local 47 and the Grid Coalition, among others.
The CPUC transcript and entity extract provided for the meeting do not show a formal application filing or a commission ruling on the project, and the available record does not include a substantive CPUC response to the route objections.
