Power Lines, Fires, and the Fight Back | San Diego News

When Diane Conklin and Joseph Mitchell bought their hillside home in 1999 for the views, they never imagined it would become ground zero for California’s wildfire crisis. Surviving the Cedar Fire in 2003 thanks to Joseph’s homemade sprinkler system, they later uncovered a shocking truth: power lines sparked over a quarter of the state’s deadliest blazes. Armed with data and driven by outrage, they launched the Mussey Grade Road Alliance to fight utility plans like the controversial Sunrise Powerlink — ultimately helping reroute it. Now, as rates soar nearly 100% while utility profits climb, they’re rallying ratepayers as “intervenors” against giants like Sempra, fighting not just for safety but for sanity in the face of skyrocketing bills — and proving that even invisible fires can be stopped, one page at a time. Listen in comfort:Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/d61fddae4e24101f