Just two months ago, a massive power outage left parts of San Francisco in the dark for days, and some lawmakers are trying to make sure it never happens again.

“San Francisco has been trying to break up with PG&E for a long time,” said Democratic Senator Scott Wiener. “The rates are extremely high and we know that public power can bring lower rates.”

Wiener says he will announce legislation on Monday that would allow San Francisco and other cities to break away from PG&E and form publicly owned utility companies, and do it quickly.

“San Francisco has already triggered a process to break away at the California Public Utilities Commission, but it is unbelievably slow, it’s taken years and years,” explained Wiener. “The standards set under the law are very unfavorable to a city wanting to break away.”

A professor at UC Berkeley and faculty director of the Energy Institute at Haas School of Business, Severin Borenstein, says he has an idea about what this could look like.

“It means trying to buy out their poles and wires to be the distributor of electricity in the city,” said Borenstein. “San Francisco is already its own entity in securing its electricity from generators. What would change, potentially, is they could own the specific distribution lines.”

He says it could benefit the city if they feel they can do a better job maintaining the lines, and they may be able to reduce the cost. But Borenstein explains that some of the reduction in cost could be because San Francisco and other urban areas are subsidizing the more rural areas in PG&E territory, particularly in fire-prone areas.

“If the cities opt out, or could opt out of PG&E territory, what that’s going to mean is all of those wildfire costs, which are really unavoidable, that’s what climate change is doing to us, will be shifting on to the remaining rate payers,” said Borenstein. 

Borenstein thinks it could start a domino effect of cities wanting to form their own utility companies, and other lawmakers may want to avoid it.

“I don’t think the legislature is going to be very supportive of this because I think a lot of legislatures understand if we go down this road there’s going to be a crisis in the areas that are left holding the bag,” said Borenstein. 

Alameda and Palo Alto already have city-run utilities. Wiener believes San Francisco can join them.

“Right now, PG&E, it is a publicly traded corporation,” Wiener stated. “It is beholden to Wall Street and investors and its bottom line. And public power allows you to break away from that and to focus on the public interest and not on the needs of shareholders.”

The San Francisco 49ers enter the 2026 NFL off-season with a clear mandate: strengthen their receiving corps to complement their potent offense and support quarterback Brock Purdy.

With the potential departure of key contributors and looming contract decisions, the upcoming free agency period presents a pivotal opportunity. This article provides three wide receivers the 49ers should pursue, and makes the case for retaining Jauan Jennings, whose impact has been understated but crucial in high-leverage situations.

Again, the 49ers are at risk of not only losing Jennings but also Brandon Aiyuk, who quit on the team, and Kendrick Bourne, who filled in admirably when needed this past season. A pair of returners, Trent Taylor and Skyy Moore, are also pending free agents.

First on the docket, the 49ers should prioritize bringing back Jennings if the price is fair. The 49ers can’t afford to pay $20-plus million for Jennings. Spotrac has his market value pinned at $22 million annually, which is too rich for my taste.

Now, if the market for Jennings across the league comes in somewhere in the $16-17 million range, we can have a different conversation. In 2025, Jennings totaled 643 yards on 55 grabs for nine scores and converted 54.3% of his third-down targets into first downs.

He also posted seven red zone touchdowns on just 22.9% of red zone targets with a 57.89% catch rate. In comparison, Christian McCaffrey accounted for 30.1% of the 49ers’ red zone targets in 2025, making an 80% catch rate for 118 yards and seven scores.

Amon-Ra St. Brown led the league in red zone target percentage with 41.5%. It goes without saying that Jennings is also a fearless run-blocker, and in Kyle Shanahan’s system, that’s nearly as important as catching the football for receivers.

Three Free Agency Targets: Balancing Upside, Reliability, and Versatility

Alec Pierce: Downfield Threat with Untapped Potential

If the 49ers are willing to pay $20-plus million to a receiver, spending it on a downfield threat that can unlock others in Shanahan’s system seems a bit more valuable than a possession receiver.

In years past, the 49ers had the ability to attack you at all three levels in the passing game with Aiyuk deep, George Kittle, Jennings, and Samuel in the intermediate level, and Samuel and McCaffrey short or behind the line of scrimmage. This past season, with all of the injuries to Aiyuk, Ricky Pearsall, Kittle, and Jennings, really limited their explosiveness, which we’ve grown to see over the years.

Alec Pierce, formerly of the Indianapolis Colts, offers the 49ers a dynamic vertical threat. In 2025, Pierce averaged 21.3 yards per reception, and 22.3 in 2024, both of which led the league. He posted a catch rate of 56%, and his ability to stretch defenses complements the 49ers’ play-action-heavy scheme.

Pierce, 26, with a relatively clean injury history, suggests long-term upside, making him a cost-effective addition. His athleticism and route versatility would open up the field for Purdy and alleviate pressure on the mid-range route-runners and the run game.

Keenan Allen: Veteran Reliability and third-down Security Blanket

Keenan Allen, despite nearly claiming his old age pension in football terms, remains one of the league’s most-trusted possession receivers. In 2025, Allen registered 81 receptions for 777 yards and four touchdowns, converting a 54.9% success rate and providing Jim Harbaugh and the Chargers offense with a 66.4% overall catch rate.

His route precision and football IQ could be very valuable to Purdy and the 49ers offense, especially on third down. Allen appeared in 17 games last season, the most of his career in a single season. His leadership and experience would be invaluable in mentoring younger receivers, including Pearsall and whoever they add in the draft.

At this point in his career, Allen should be available at a reasonable rate.

Kalif Raymond: Versatile Depth and Special Teams Impact

Kalif Raymond brings a unique blend of speed, versatility, and special teams prowess. In 2025, Raymond notched 24 catches for 289 yards and one score, while also averaging 7.5 yards per punt return. That said, in 2024, Raymond averaged 13.8 yards per punt return and led the league with 413 punt return yards. This past season, Raymond totaled 161 kick return yards on six opportunities.

His ability to operate from the slot, stretch the field on jet sweeps, and contribute as a return specialist enhances roster flexibility. I see him as a slight upgrade and a bit more trustworthy as a depth receiver than Skyy Moore.

Moore accumulated 907 kick return yards on 33 chances this past season. A lot of that comes down to special teams philosophy, whether you want your returners to run them back or are content with a touchback.

Raymond’s durability and adaptability make him an ideal depth option, especially for a team that values creative offensive packages and reliable field position.