S

SAIDI – System Average Interruption Duration Index: Statistical data on utility service interruptions.

SAIFI – System Average Interruption Frequency Index: Statistical data on utility service interruptions.

SAL – Special Access Line: A private line that connects the end user to the LEC's central office.

Sales: The amount of kilowatt-hours sold in a given period of time; usually grouped by classes of service, such as residential, commercial, industrial, and other. Other sales include public street and highway lighting, other sales to public authorities and railways, and interdepartmental sales.

Satellite Broadband: Uses a satellite dish mounted to send and receive data from satellites that orbit above the Earth.

SB – Senate Bill: A Legislative bill sponsored or authored by a state Senator.

Scanner: A device used to input a graphic images into a computer.

SCE - Southern California Edison Company: One of the largest electric utilities in the U.S. , and the largest subsidiary of Edison International.

Scheduling Coordinators: Entities certified by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission that act as a go-between with the Independent System Operator on behalf of generators, supply aggregators (wholesale marketers), retailers, and customers to schedule the distribution of electricity.

Scheduled Outage: The shutdown of a generating unit, transmission line, or other facility, for inspection or maintenance, in accordance with an advance schedule.

Scrambler: A device that electronically alters a program signal so that it can be seen only by persons, typically paid subscribers, with appropriate decoding devices.

SCVTA – Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority: An independent special district in Santa Clara County that is responsible for bus and light rail operations, congestion management, specific highway improvement projects, and countywide transportation planning.

SCWC – Southern California Water Company: A subsidiary of American States Water and a public utility company engaged principally in the purchase, production, distribution, and sale of water to over 240,000 customers. 

SDG&E – San Diego Gas & Electric Company: A regulated public utility that provides energy service to 3.3 million consumers through 1.3 million electric meters and more than 800,000 natural gas meters in San Diego and southern Orange counties. The utility's area spans 4,100 square miles.

SDREO – San Diego Regional Energy Office: An independent, public-benefit, non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation that provides objective information, research, analysis and long-term planning on energy issues for the San Diego region. 

SDT – San Diego Trolley, Inc.: The San Diego Trolley light rail system has been operating since July 26, 1981 . Over it's 22 years of service, the system has expanded to a 48-mile (77.2 km) LRT network serving the San Diego County region. There are two distinct line segments: the Blue Line and Orange Line.

SDUPD – San Diego Unified Port District: The Port of San Diego is a self-supporting public benefit corporation established in 1962 by an act of the California State Legislature. With some 600 employees and revenues of approximately $117 million in fiscal year 2005, the agency oversees the protection and development of public tidelands surrounding San Diego Bay . 

SDWBA – Safe Drinking Water Bond Act: Proposition 13, the Safe Drinking Water Bond Act, authorized the sale of $1.97 billion in bonds to finance projects such as watershed protection, water supply, safe drinking water and conservation.

SEC – Securities and Exchange Commission: The primary mission of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is to protect investors and maintain the integrity of the securities markets. 

Secondary Treatment: The most common treatment of sewage removing solids, bacteria and disinfectants.

Section 271: A section of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 that allows companies to enter the long distance market after proving open to competition.

Separations: In telephone ratemaking, the procedures used to allocate costs of a utility's expenses and investment in plant between interstate and intrastate jurisdiction.

SER: The stock symbol for Sempra Energy, the parent company of San Diego Gas & Electric Co. and Southern California Gas Co. On the Internet at http://www.sempra.com/.

SERS – Special Emergency Radio Service: A private land mobile radio service used by persons working in the emergency medical, rescue service, health care or similar activity.

Settlement: In the telecommunications field, the process by which two or more operating phone companies divide revenues for jointly provided services. Also, generally, a negotiated agreement between two or more parties involving a contract for services, purchase of power, or policy/rulemaking, which remains subject to final PUC approval.

Sewer: A pipeline used to transport sewage to a treatment facility.

Shipper: The person or business for which articles are transported.

SICC – Standard Industrial Classification Codes: A set of codes developed by the Office of Management and Budget, which categorizes business into groups with similar economic activities.

SJWC – San Jose Water Company: Founded in 1866, San Jose Water is an investor owned water company headquartered in Silicon Valley serving 1 million people.

Slack Capacity: The amount of unused transmission capacity divided by the total firm capacity.

Slamming: Usually defined as a telecommunication carrier's changing of a consumer's intraLATA toll or long distance service without the customer's permission.

SLC – Subscriber Line Charges: Fees levied directly on regular local lines.

Sludge: Solids remaining in the wastewater treatment facility.

Small Power Producer: Under the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act (PURPA), a small power production facility (or small power producer) generates electricity using waste, renewable (water, wind and solar), or geothermal energy as a primary energy source. Fossil fuels can be used, but renewable resource must provide at least 75 percent of the total energy input. (See Code of Federal Regulations, Title 18, Part 292.)

Satellite Dish: A satellite dish system used to deliver signals to multiple dwelling units.

Smolts: Juvenile salmonids, one or more years old, that have undergone physical changes to cope with a marine environment; the seaward migrant stage.

SMRT – Single Message Rate Timing: The pricing of local telephone services between two or more points, to large volume users, using microwave or other advanced technology.

SMUD – Sacramento Municipal Utility District: Sixth largest publicly owned utility in the country providing Sacramento County (and a small part of Placer County ) with electricity. The PUC does not have regulatory authority over municipal utilities. On the Internet at http://www.smud.org/.

SO – Standard Offer: A series of posted offers by electric companies for the purchase of electricity from qualifying facilities.

SO2: Sulfur Dioxide.

Sodium: A mineral that occurs naturally in most water.

Soft Water: Water with relatively low concentrations of minerals.

Solar power: Electric power generated by using sunlight either to create electron flow in a photovoltaic cell or to heat a fluid that is used in the operation of an engine or turbine generator

SoCalGas - Southern California Gas Company: The Gas Company has been natural gas to Southern California customers for over 100 years.

Software: Programs that direct the operations of a computer.

SONGS – San Onofre Nuclear Generation Station: A three-reactor nuclear energy plant located 10 miles south of San Clemente , CA and owned by Southern California Edison Company.

Spawning Escapement: The portion of the total river run salmon population that has escaped river fishing and is available for reproduction.

Specialized Common Carrier: A company offering telecommunications services between two or more points, to large volume users, using microwave or other advanced technology.

Spot market: A commodity market for the purchase and sale of electric energy for a short-term basis (often one day or less.)

SQL – Structured Query Language: The standard English syntax which allows users of most Relational Database Management Systems to extract and manipulate its data.

SRA – Shared Riverine Aquatic Cover: The habitat formed at the interface of woody riparian vegetation and water.

Stakeholder: A person, organization or entity, entrusted to represent in negotiations, those with an interest in the outcome.

Standby Facility: A facility that supports a utility system and is generally running under no-load. It is available to replace or supplement a facility normally in service.

Statement: Un-sworn view or opinion offered at a public hearing, made part of the file but not subject to cross-examination.

Stipulation: An agreement between parties to a proceeding generally relating to procedural matters or minor issues.

Stranded Costs: Prudent costs incurred by a utility that may not be recoverable under market-based deregulation. Examples are un-depreciated generating facilities, deferred costs, and long-term contract costs.

Stranded investment: Ongoing costs of investments of power purchase contracts rendered uneconomic by utility restructuring.

Subhauler: A motor carrier that provides transportation for another carrier.

Submission: The point in a PUC proceeding, after all the evidence has been taken, briefs filed, and oral argument heard, at which the Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) begins to write a Proposed Decision, which the PUC Commissioners will vote on.

Subroutine: A portion of a routine or program that can be compiled and executed independently.

Subscribership: The number customers that a telecommunications carrier has.

Subsidence: Sinking of the land surface due to a number of factors, such as groundwater extraction.

Substation: An assemblage of equipment that switches, changes or regulates voltage in the electric transmission and distribution system.

Subsurface Water: Water below the land surface.

Supply costs: All costs of the production of electric energy as measured at the point the electric energy is transferred to the local distribution utility for delivery to a customer.

Surcharge: A charged added to a utility customer's bill separate from payment for the usage of the service, which pays for a distinct program, such as the Dead Equipment Acquisition Fund (DEAF) Trust, the Low Income Ratepayer Assistance (LIRA) Program, and the Universal Lifeline Telephone Service (ULTS) Program.

Surface Water Diversions: Water that is diverted and/or pumped from above ground sources such as rivers, streams, reservoirs and lakes, as opposed to groundwater that is pumped from an aquifer.

Surfing: A slang term meaning the switching of a television station from channel to channel with a remote control. Or, surfing the web, meaning going from Internet site to Internet site.

Sustainable Yield: The balance between pumping and basin recharge, expressed as the number of acre-feet of water per year that can be pumped from the basin on a long-term average annual basis.

SVMG – Silicon Valley Manufacturing Group: Now named the Silicon Valley Leadership Group. Organized to involve principal officers and senior managers of member companies in a cooperative effort with local, regional, state and federal government officials to address major public policy issues affecting the economic health and quality of life in Silicon Valley . Currently, Silicon Valley Leadership Group addresses the following five core issues: affordable housing, comprehensive transportation, reliable energy, quality education and a sustainable environment.

SWP – State Water Project: California 's state-owned and operated water project consisting of 22 dams and reservoirs that delivers water 600 miles from the Sacramento Valley to Los Angeles .

SWRCB – State Water Resources Control Board: Created by the Legislature in 1967. The joint authority of water allocation and water quality protection enables the SWRCB to provide comprehensive protection for California 's waters. The SWRCB consists of five full-time salaried members, each filling a different specialty position. Board members are appointed to four-year terms by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate. On the Internet at http://www.swrcb.ca.gov/.

Switching Station: Facility equipment used to tie together two or more electric circuits through switches. The switches are selectively arranged to permit a circuit to be disconnected, or to change the electric connection between the circuits.