Sempra to give $5 million to recovery

Sempra Energy plans to donate $5 million to fire recovery efforts in the county, CEO Don Felsinger announced at a news conference today.
Felsinger said the money will come out of company earnings.

Half the money will be dedicated to communities. Felsinger said, for example, it could be used to rebuild a library lost to the fire.

The other half will be earmarked for individual customers. The donations could be as small as bags of ice to customers who have no refrigeration while awaiting the restoration of their power. He said bigger donations would go to customers to incorporate energy efficient design and features into rebuilt homes.

At the same news conference, VJ Joshi, cq an executive vice president of Hewlett-Packard, said his company's foundation will donate $2 million to the American Red Cross. Joshi said he has evacuated his home in Rancho Bernardo, where H-P has a campus. Joshi also said Hewlett-Packard will match as much as $1.5 million in employees' contributions, for a possible additional $3 million.

Chris Moran, staff writer