SDG&E pillow talk

A member of the board of the San Diego County Water Authority, married to a computer engineer for San Diego Gas and Electric, will have a little less voting to do, as a result of an October 23 opinion issued by the California Fair Political Practices Commission.

Kathleen Coates Hedberg, who represents the Helix Water District on the authority’s board, was told she can’t participate in SDG&E deal-making, including “power purchase agreements, conservation and rebate agreements, grants of easements, and other matters related to energy and water.”

Because her spouse’s salary, “even without any consideration of dividends, is more than 5% of their combined income,” Hedberg was found to have a “remote interest” in any business with the power company. Thus, the water authority “may enter into contracts with SDG&E, so long as the Director discloses her financial interest in the contracts, it is noted in the official records, and she abstains from any participation in making the contracts.” Per her website, Hedberg, a registered civil engineer, “is third generation in the water industry; her father and grandfather were General Managers for water agencies in Southern California.”