Municipalize PG&E
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Mayor Sam Liccardo of San Jose“My statement on the extended blackouts in San José caused by PG&E’s inadequate & poorly maintained infrastructure. “
“To be clear, the extended blackouts in South San José this weekend had nothing to do with the rolling blackouts attributed by @PGE4Me to CaISO — they were caused by the poor condition of @PGE4Me infrastructure, resulting from the company’s years of neglect and underinvestment”
The recent rolling blackouts and the Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) from the past have become a PR nightmare for PG&E while creating a huge question mark and concerns for people. The blackouts have impacted lives adversely while the economic impact is staggering!
During the PSPS, our citizens were asking ‘What gusty wind?’ Is this an example of a monopoly and crony capitalism? We grant PG&E a monopoly status at the cost of being governed. I believe they can be governed better!”
I am concerned with the investor-owned utilities’ profit mandates, their continued under-investment in their electric grid, and their reliance on old fossil fuel plants. I support the Green New Deal and believe that to become a clean tech economy, our utility companies have to shake the shackles of shareholder pressure and the profit mission and make better environmental and people-centric choices. The answer is to go with the public utility model and municipalization. It is time for a massive public take over so that we can prioritize citizen benefit over profit.
I also believe that Mayor Sam Liccardo’s solution needs to be further explored to create a cooperative that would use their collective resources to take over the utility.
As the current councilmember of Saratoga, California, I have proposed the municipalization of San Jose Water Company, which supplies water to a millions of Silicon Valley residents and covers the cities of San Jose, Saratoga, Los Gatos, Monte Sereno, and Campbell. I have been pushing back on the numerous rate increase proposals of San Jose Water Company since January 2017. With the help of the people, we have already rejected, reduced, and suspended a total of 8 water rate increases.
I have also emphasized PG&E’s failure to maintain their power lines, contributing to the wildfires seen across the state and resulting in the power company’s decision to institute the blackouts. PG&E’s infrastructure has been deteriorating. The San Bruno explosion of 2010 should have been a wake up call. The Paradise campfire of 2018 was the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California history and the most expensive natural disaster in the world. What is PG&E’s plan? Shifting the costs from utilities to communities in highly inequitable ways is not acceptable.They should develop a good maintenance plan by deploying some of the latest IOT monitoring systems in place. News reports of PG&E choosing to divert money from infrastructure initiatives to boost corporate profits and to pay executives even more is concerning to me and many residents.
We need to move forward quickly and find a long term viable solution to address the woes of California’s electricity challenges. The time is now!
