11 Months Fighting SDGE

The Problem

When you build 5 new homes, you need electricity. In San Diego, that means working with SDGE (San Diego Gas & Electric). By state law, an ADU permit is supposed to be ministerial -- if your plans meet the rules, the city has to approve them. But a late utility-clearance question turned a supposedly automatic approval into a months-long fight that stalled the entire permit.

The Power Line Overhead

The problem was literally overhead. SDGE's existing overhead wires ran across the property, and the new structures were tall enough to raise a clearance question. On July 18, 2025, SDGE's project manager Dolphus Davis put it plainly:

"After further review, the existing overhead conductors will conflict with the proposed construction, posing potential risks. A 10 ft minimum radial clearance is required for all unqualified persons working in proximity to voltage up to 50 KV."

A 10-foot clearance requirement, dropped in near the finish line, on a permit that was supposed to be automatic.

Why This Was So Maddening

Here's the thing about a project like this: the city said the permit was ministerial, but a utility-clearance note gave SDGE an effective veto. Nobody owned the problem. The city pointed at the utility. The utility pointed at the design. Weeks bled away while I sat on a mortgage.

The specific issues that came with it:

1. Only one power line allowed per property (unless buildings are more than 150 feet apart)
2. Temporary power pole needed during construction -- a special climbable pole
3. Existing wire to the duplex had to be removed when the temp pole went up
4. Underground service needed to keep the duplex powered during construction

Fighting Back on Two Fronts

I didn't wait for the standoff to resolve itself. I pushed from two directions at once.

Front 1 -- Escalate at the City

On June 25, 2025, we got the owner, 1070 Architecture, and the City's senior civil engineer Sean Torres into a virtual conflict-resolution meeting. The goal: force the departments to coordinate instead of bouncing me between them. 1070 came out of it with a concrete action list -- add an SDGE review cycle, get a direct SDGE contact -- instead of another dead end.

Front 2 -- File a State Complaint (Case #686521)

I filed a formal complaint with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) -- the state agency that oversees power companies. It became Case File 686521, and I filed an informal appeal the same day the CPUC responded on July 9, 2025. My architect's take on the strategy was blunt: it "will put the most pressure on SDGE until we can get things resolved." A complaint creates a paper trail the utility can't ignore.

The Fix: Redesign Around the Wires

Pressure got attention, but it didn't move the power lines. What actually solved it was design. Sean Canning at 1070 redesigned the structures to fit under the clearance envelope. On July 22, 2025, he wrote:

"We have redesigned the structures to accommodate the clearances indicated in those diagrams... Just to make things super easy for everyone, I recorded a quick screen share video which explains the redesign."

He literally recorded a screen-share -- "Navigating Power Line Clearances" -- walking SDGE through how the new elevations met their own diagram. Updated elevations followed on August 5.

How It Ended

On August 6, 2025, Dolphus Davis issued the "No Conflict" letter. The redesigned buildings cleared the wires:

"SDG&E's existing secondary overhead lines have a minimum of 8' vertical clearance from the proposed roof peak. There is no conflict with the proposed construction and our existing overhead facilities."

That letter was the last thing standing between us and the permit. The City's engineering sign-off followed within weeks.

What Other Builders Should Know

1. "Ministerial" doesn't mean "no fight." A utility-clearance note can stall an ADU permit that's supposed to be automatic. Budget time for it.
2. Escalate at the city AND the state. The conflict-resolution meeting forced coordination; the CPUC complaint applied outside pressure. Do both.
3. Design is the real fix. The complaints bought attention, but redesigning the buildings to meet clearance is what actually got the letter signed.
4. Get it in writing, from a named person. The no-conflict letter came from a specific SDGE project manager. That document is what unlocked everything.
5. Lean on your architect. 1070's redesign -- and that screen-share video walking SDGE through it -- did what no phone call of mine could.