In the aftermath of the 2017 wildfires, will California government add misery upon misery?

The “Big 3” public utilities in California are basically admitting substandard power lines and equipment caused at least some of this year’s destructive wildfires, including October’s large fires in California’s Wine Country, which destroyed an estimated 3,500 plus structures and killed at least 41 people.

Right now, attorneys and lobbyists for Pacific Gas & Electric, Southern California Edison, and San Diego Gas & Electric are vigorously lobbying the California Public Utilities Commission to try to raise your gas and electric rates for THEIR problem.

The injustice of this (Creator God commands in Exodus 20 “Do not steal” and “Do not covet…anything that is your neighbor’s”) puts SaveCalifornia.com in strong agreement with a San Francisco-based consumer group.

In California, both “Left” and “Right” should grasp the reality that if the “Big 3” utilities (which constantly fight against competition and prefer a virtual “energy monopoly” over you and your family) have their way, your monthly utility bills will be jacked up and your service will ultimately go down:

But consumer groups say the push by PG&E and the state’s other two large utilities — Southern California Edison and San Diego Gas & Electric — is out of line. If the PUC allows utilities to pass along most of their uninsured wildfire costs to ratepayers in the form of higher monthly bills, critics say, they will have less incentive to properly maintain wires, trim back trees and take other sometimes costly measures needed to reduce wildfire risk.

“PG&E and the other utilities are very vigorously lobbying to see that the costs of disasters be covered by ratepayers, even when they are found negligent,” said Mark Toney, executive director of The Utility Reform Network, a San Francisco consumer group.

“The shareholders benefit when the company does well,” he said. “They have to pay when the company doesn’t do well.”

TAKE ACTION NOW. The five members of the Public Utilities Commission are all Democrats appointed by Governor Jerry Brown. Since they claim to be for the poor, CALL AND LEAVE A MESSAGE FOR THE COMMISSIONERS, such as:

“I’m calling to leave a message for the commissioners: Oppose any and all rate hikes. The wildfires aren’t my or my family’s fault. Don’t punish us with higher monthly bills, which we can’t afford!”

San Francisco PUC office 415.703.2782
Los Angeles PUC office 213.576.7000
PUC Utility Complaints 800.649.7570

“…encourage affordable energy supplies for the electric generation sector, in order to maintain long-term affordable energy prices for consumers and industry, maintain reliable production of energy at all times, encourage economic development and promote job growth.”
“Affordability and Reliability” Model Legislation for States, ALEC