LOS ANGELES, Feb. 14, 2018 – Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) and Sempra Energy today pledged $60,000 to six Greater Santa Barbara-based nonprofits that have provided disaster relief and support services to the communities affected by the Thomas Fire and Montecito mudslides.

In the aftermath of the recent mudslides in Montecito, dozens of SoCalGas crews worked alongside first responders supporting public safety and restoring heat and hot water to thousands of households. 

Donations were pledged to: 

• American Red Cross of Central California
• Montecito Now
• Music Academy of the West
• Santa Barbara County Animal Care Foundation
• Santa Barbara Firefighters Alliance
• Santa Barbara Rescue Mission

“SoCalGas crews were on the ground working alongside first responders since the first hours of this disaster, and we want to do our part to continue supporting the rebuilding efforts,” said Trisha Muse, director of community relations at SoCalGas.

“The Thomas Fire created so many first experiences for our community – a first beast of a fire that burned for so long and with such intensity, a first for the mudflows that took the lives of loved ones and friends and a first for the inexplicable destruction of homes and property,” said Paul Cashman, President of the Santa Barbara Firefighters Alliance. “SoCalGas and Sempra Energy have always demonstrated their commitment to our community during a crisis, and their donation will be directly earmarked for the purchase of technical equipment for our local firefighters and first responders.”

“We are only able to provide the lifeline services in our community because individuals and organizations see to it that there is a place in Santa Barbara where those struggling with homelessness and addiction can turn 365 days a year,” said Rolf Geyling, President of the Santa Barbara Rescue Mission. “We are so grateful to SoCalGas and Sempra Energy for their commitment to our community.”

“We were able to offer SoCalGas a location for their staging operations during natural gas service restoration efforts,” said Scott Reed, President and CEO of the Music Academy of the West. “Helping our neighbors get their heat and hot water back on as quickly as possible after the disaster was important to us, and we were pleased to work with SoCalGas to make that happen.”

About SoCalGas

Headquartered in Los Angeles, SoCalGas® is the largest natural gas distribution utility in the United States, providing clean, safe, affordable and reliable natural gas service to 21.7 million customers in Central and Southern California. Its service territory spans 22,000 square miles from Fresno to the Mexican border, reaching more than 550 communities through 5.9 million meters and 101,000 miles of pipeline. More than 90 percent of Southern California single-family home residents use natural gas for home heat and hot water. In addition, natural gas plays a key role in providing electricity to Californians—about 60 percent of electric power generated in the state comes from gas-fired power plants.  

SoCalGas has served communities in California for 150 years and is committed to being a leader in the region’s clean energy future. The company is working to accelerate the use of renewable natural gas, a carbon-neutral or carbon-negative fuel created by capturing and conditioning greenhouse gas emissions from farms, landfills and wastewater treatment plants. SoCalGas is a subsidiary of Sempra Energy (NYSE: SRE), a Fortune 500 energy services holding company based in San Diego. For more information visit socalgas.com/newsroom or connect with SoCalGas on Twitter (@SoCalGas), Instagram (@SoCalGas) and Facebook. 

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