Through a 2016 settlement between San Luis Obispo County, local governments and PG&E, also known as SB109, about $9 million was given annually by PG&E to those agencies through the Community Impact Mitigation Program for Diablo Canyon Power Plant operations.
“When Diablo Canyon was extended from ’25 to ’30, it was left unclear whether the community mitigation fund should continue or not,” said Assemblymember Dawn Addis, District 30.
Addis, along with State Sen. John Laird, co-sponsored bill SB931 that would restore that funding.
“It's a clarification that those funds should continue as part of Diablo Canyon," Addis said.
Funding from the mitigation fund previously went to the San Luis Coastal Unified School District (SLCUSD), San Luis Obispo County, and the cities and community services districts within it.
SLCUSD Assistant Superintendent Ryan Pinkerton says about $10 million of those funds went toward their foundation and about $4.6 million to the general fund.
Parents Annie Aguniga Frew and Ben Lippert met at a district board budget meeting and helped form the San Luis Coastal Parent Information Network.
The organization looks for other sources of district funding.
“We all have students who went into T-K, transitional kindergarten this year, and that was one of the concerns that the program is going to potentially be cut with the $10 million deficit,” Aguniga Frew said.
Both parents said that the return of the community mitigation fund could help bridge some funding gaps in the district.
“In this last round of budget cuts, which was $5 million, they cut counseling services, they cut library services," Lippert said. "Classroom sizes are as big as they’ve ever been. They have really a lot of combo classes. This money makes a big difference for our kids.”
PG&E told KSBY News in a statement, "The California State Legislature sets tax policy, including decisions on tax rates and regulations. PG&E has paid more than $185 million to San Luis Obispo County since 2018, including the $85 million Community Impact Mitigation Program (CIMP), as authorized by the Legislature in 2018. A portion of the CIMP provided funding to the San Luis Coastal Unified School District. Legislative authorization of the CIMP concluded this year.
Any changes to the tax structure for Diablo Canyon, or equivalent CIMP funding continuation, will require further legislative action.
PG&E remains neutral on tax assessments that are fair on evaluations of assets, as well as the extension of the CIMP; however, it’s important to note, like any business, these payments are passed onto customers through the cost of service – in our case, the cost of electricity."
If approved by the governor, mitigation funds would be reinstated immediately.
Addis said they hope to get the bill rolling before the next school year.
