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Power

SFPUC Wins Communications Award for Public Power Expansion Campaign

APPA has recognized the SFPUC for an Excellence in Public Power Communications Award
  • Jackie Randazzo

The American Public Power Association (APPA) has recognized the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) for an Excellence in Public Power Communications Award for “Our City Our Power,” the agency’s public power expansion campaign. 

The SFPUC, in partnership with the City Attorney’s Office and with support from the Mayor and other local and state leaders, launched the digital campaign—which leverages a dedicated campaign website and social media—to draw more attention to the City’s efforts to acquire PG&E’s local distribution grid and expand public power access for all of San Francisco. The award was announced in October and presented at the annual APPA Customer Connections Conference held in Minneapolis, MN from November 14 to 16. Power Communications Manager Peter Gallotta and Customer Engagement Manager Becky Alderete accepted the award on behalf of the SFPUC.

About the Campaign
The Our City Our Power campaign educates San Franciscans about the benefits of public power and the numerous challenges currently posed by Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E). The campaign urges San Franciscans to join the public power movement and asks them to register their email address and follow the campaign on social media for updates and actions.

The Our City Our Power campaign relies on a central website (publicpowersf.org) to explain the benefits of public power and San Francisco’s 100-year history of providing reliable, affordable public power to the City. The website also highlights PG&E’s ongoing obstruction of City projects like affordable housing, schools, and parks in an interactive map so San Franciscans can see the impact in their neighborhoods. The site also includes a repository of reports and documents for those looking to dig deeper into the work San Francisco has undertaken to evaluate the impacts and benefits of local grid ownership. The website’s design is vivid and the content bold. Thousands of San Franciscans have visited the site since it launched, and new site content continues to be added or updated to keep the information fresh and timely.

Public Power Twitter screencapture

The campaign also relies on social media—particularly Twitter—to convey how critical it is to be able to deliver clean, reliable, and affordable public power to all of San Francisco. The punchy posts call-out PG&E on their latest obstruction efforts, highlight public power in mainstream media, and provide key updates on City efforts for public power expansion.

The campaign has been instrumental in increasing momentum for public power expansion in San Francisco, work that is supported by the Mayor, local and state leaders, and a majority of San Francisco residents. As the effort to expand public power and the fight with PG&E intensities, the campaign’s visibility and voice will only become more critical in raising awareness and growing community support.

A Winning Agency
This is the third Excellence in Public Power Communications award given to the SFPUC. In addition to this year’s honor, the agency was recognized in 2019 for the “Celebrating 100 Years of Clean Power Campaign,” and in 2018 for digital advertising to San Francisco businesses being enrolled into CleanPowerSF.