SDG&E proposes to expand EV charging stations
San Diego Gas and Electric (SDG&E) proposed two new programs to the California Public Utilities Commission, which aim to build new electric vehicle chargers in public spaces around the city. One pilot aims to bring additional chargers to local parks and beaches; the other focuses on schools and educational institutions, including K-12 campuses, vocational schools, community colleges and universities.
The goal of this new project is to reduce local EV owners’ sense of “range anxiety” — the concern that your car battery will run out of power before reaching your destination or an available charging station — and to make it easier for drivers to switch to electric transportation.
“Our goal is to remove barriers for our customers when choosing an electric vehicle and incorporate charging into everyday life,” SDG&E Chief Operating Officer Caroline Winn said.
“Imagine the convenience of having your car recharged while you enjoy a hike in a park, take a walk on the beach, or watch your children’s athletic event at their school,” she continued.
The programs would prioritize placing chargers in communities that statistically suffer from high levels of air pollution. The American Lung Association rated San Diego’s air quality as sixth worst in the nation and gave the region an F for number of high ozone days annually.
SDG&E’s proposal builds on the growing momentum to accelerate electric vehicle adoption in California. Currently, SDG&E is implementing a half-dozen pilot programs to expand the regional charging network for a variety of vehicles, ranging from passenger vehicles to trucks and forklifts. For more information, visit SDGEnews.com.
County looks to refund owned money
On July 12, the office San Diego County Treasurer-Tax Collector (TTC) Dan McAllister announced that the county has $441,000 in refunds to return to residents who overpaid taxes or have other unclaimed money.
“In the past, sadly, most of these refunds were never claimed. We are asking the public’s help to spread the word so we can get this money back to San Diegans,” McAllister said in a press release. “If you’ve done business with any county department, you may have money in your name.”
Refunds are broken into two lists: countywide unclaimed money and unclaimed property tax refunds. To see if your name is on the list of people owed money, visit sdttc.com. Residents who are owed money need to file a refund claim by Sept. 7, before the money is rolled into the county general fund. Email claims to [email protected]; for help, call toll free at 877-829-4732.
“Even if you’re not on the list this year, sign up for our ‘new unclaimed money’ e-notifications so you will get an email when we publish new refund lists,” McAllister said.
In the past five years, the TTC has refunded $480,000.
Current state law says countywide monies that are unclaimed for three years and property tax refunds that are unclaimed for four years must be turned over to the county’s general fund.
This year, the TTC has unclaimed refunds totaling $441,000. Unclaimed property tax refunds make up $161,000 of that amount, and $280,000 is from other county departments.
The smallest refund amount available is $10, and the largest refund amount is $22,720, owed to IME Holdings by the county’s Planning and Development Services.
