At least, that's what Luke Thomas is reporting in Fog City Journal. He's got photos, too.Read more »

Los Angeles Times writer Michael Hiltzik weighs in again on the PG&E initiative, which is now on the ballot as Prop. 16.

He argues that the deck is stacked in PG&E's favor here -- the utility can spend all the money it wants -- $30 million, $40 million, whatever -- and the public agencies that will be hurt by the measure have no ability to fight back since they can't spend taxpayer money that way PG&E can spend ratepayer money.

His conclusion:Read more »

When the state Legislature approved the law allowing cities to create local public power co-ops, the bill specifically barred private utilities from interfering. So it's easy to argue that Pacific Gas and Electric Co.'s ballot initiative to squash public power is, in fact, direct interference.

After all, the measure would create an almost insurmountable obstacle to creating community choice aggregation.Read more »

By the time I made it to the 2010 Black History Month kickoff ceremony at San Francisco City Hall, on Friday, Feb. 5, California Public Utilities Commissioner Tim Simon was talking about how the African American community can make sure it doesn’t get left on the sidelines in future.

Simon advised folks to know their resources, community and strategy to ensure that people of color are included in the burgeoning Green economy—a topic in keeping with the history-of-black-economic-empowerment theme.

“And I want to encourage all of us to celebrate the month of Black History and teach it to our children, because we could lose this generation,” Smith said, noting that just three blocks away from City Hall in the Western Addition/Filmore, “young men talk about and celebrate it when they reach 25 years old.”

Read more »