To accommodate Silicon Valley Power’s system expansion plan, the Santa Clara City Council approved seizing four more parcels as part of an ongoing eminent domain process. At its regular meeting on Aug. 19, the council voted unanimously to secure the latest of a slew of properties along a proposed transmission line. The 115 kV line … Read more
We’ve all been hearing about likely PG&E power shutoffs — Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) — to reduce California wildfire risks. And in Santa Clara, we’re all asking the same question: Will shutoffs affect Santa Clara’s municipal electric company, Silicon Valley Power (SVP)? The short answer is: Unlikely. “So far the City of Santa Clara … Read more
Two recent Santa Clara City Council decisions will continue to bolster Silicon Valley Power’s (SVP) system expansion. At its most recent meeting July 8, the council approved a contract for upgrades at SVP’s northern receiving station. The project would add five transformers — three 115 kilovolt and two 230 kilovolt — as part of SVP’s … Read more
The Santa Clara City Council has approved enacting eminent domain on two properties sitting on land needed for a Silicon Valley Power (SVP) transmission line. At its most recent meeting, June 24, the council approved two resolutions of necessity to secure easements for an SVP 115 kilovolt transmission line. The 2.24-mile line will run from … Read more
The chief electric utility officer for Santa Clara is headed to San Jose. The City of San Jose announced on March 17 that Manuel Pineda will join San Jose as the Deputy City Manager. “We wish Mr. Pineda well as he takes a new step in his career,” City Manager Jovan Grogan told The Weekly. … Read more
Not only does Santa Clara pay its police the second-highest average salary in the state, it has also been offering its utility employees increasingly cushy salaries. While Silicon Valley Power (SVP) only added 29 employees from 2015 to 2023, it doubled its payroll over the same period. This trend mirrors citywide spending. In 2015, SVP paid its 178 … Read more
With Santa Clara’s power company’s boom in growth, the utility is ramping up a variety of projects this year. At its most recent meeting, the Santa Clara City Council heard a bi-annual update from Silicon Valley Power (SVP). In 2024, SVP saw two new peaks, topping out at 722 megawatts, nearly scratching the system’s 750-megawatt … Read more
Between 1948 and 1965, Santa Clara laid the foundation for becoming power-independent, and that was due to the vision of two people: George Sullivan and Don Von Raesfeld, a collaboration with Santa Clara University, and progressive city councils. In 1948, Sullivan, Dean of Engineering at Santa Clara University, proposed a plan for meeting the needs … Read more
Santa Clara police have arrested a Silicon Valley Power (SVP) employee for possession of illegal guns. Thejon Baza, 47, of Turlock, was a journey lineworker for SVP, according to the site Transparent California. In 2023, Baza earned $460,191 in pay and benefits, $149,326 of which was overtime pay. The site has not been updated with … Read more
In 1896 — 14 years after Thomas Edison launched the first electrical power plant in the U.S., Santa Clara’s Board of Town Trustees made a historic decision: they invested $7,000 in an electric generator. That 1896 project laid the groundwork for all of the city’s electric power policy that followed. While that policy put control … Read more