PG&E-backed measure fails

[Auggie]

Source: San Francisco Chronicle

(06-09) 07:13 PDT SACRAMENTO -- A ballot initiative that would limit the ability of local governments to enter the electricity business was narrowly defeated in a loss for the measure's main backer, Pacific Gas and Electric Co.

The utility company, California's largest, sank more than $46 million into its campaign for Proposition 16, which would force cities and counties to win the approval of two-thirds of their voters before spending public money to start or join a public power agency.

PG&E has often beaten back efforts by some of the cities it serves - including its hometown of San Francisco - to break away and form their own utilities. Prop. 16 would have required each of those efforts to face a vote of the public, which hasn't always been the case.

<SNIP>

Opponents argued that PG&E was simply trying to protect its monopoly. Requiring supermajority approval would doom most public power efforts, they said. They complained that PG&E, which supplied all of the initiative's funding, was trying to buy an amendment to the state Constitution, perverting a ballot initiative process that was created to rein in the political power of corporations.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/06/09/BAN71DSGNK.DTL&tsp=1

[davidinalameda]

1. thank goodness

I was worried that this was going to pass

it would establish a horrible precedent for the rest of the country

[Frances]

2. Me too

Ironically I (along with all the other people who get their gas and electricity from PGE) unwillingly funded PGE's mailings that told lies about the initiative.

If PGE could spend $46 million on this campaign, doesn't that mean that PGE is overcharging its customers?

[Auggie]

8. A while ago, PG&E's spin on advertising and lobbying was that the money

came from dividends otherwise used to pay shareholders. That's what they told me when I was working on their ad account decades ago -- and I naively bought it. Now we know all they did was wait a while and request a rate increase to recoup expenses.

[happygoluckytoyou]

18. when the money ACTUALLY loses.... you KNOW it had to be REAL SHIT... (quote Meg Whitman)

[Greyskye]

3. I was sweating this one.

Was really afraid that PG&E's green themed PR campaign would work.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

6. You and me both!

When I woke up thos morning that was the first thing I looked for. PG&E sucks for trying this bullshit move.

[cyr330]

4. EXCELLENT!!!

[nichomachus]

5. The California initiative process

was perverted long ago. How the hell do they think we ended up with Prop 8. The initiative process in CA, along with the taxophobe loonies -- has made the state ungovernable.

[musette_sf]

7. hooray!

don't get me started on the "SmartMeter" (aka PG&E ATM Machine) at my old house... after a year fighting PG&E *with their own calculation tools from their own bloody website* on my bills post-"SmartMeter", it becomes clear to me that the "SmartMeter" overcharges were earmarked for the "Prop 16 Slush Fund".

[RandySF]

9. I am shocked and happy.

I thought that sucker was going to sail by. There was no real organized opposition. I wonder what turned voters against it.

[DJ13]

14. I wonder what turned voters against it.

I know that I usually vote against any proposition that has corporate backing and uses saturation advertising.

I was getting 4 mailers a week in the last month from PG&E, and that seemed a little too desperate.

Its likely they over played it and made voters suspicious.

[Mr. Sparkle]

10. California should have a ballot initiative to get rid of ballot initiative's .

it is no way to govern.

[Auggie]

11. They need a ballot initiative

to keep special interest groups out of ballot initiatives, or limit the campaign spending of any said initiative to a finite amount.

I like having a vote.

[Frances]

21. The Supreme Court has already ruled that the

corporations are the same as people.

There's no way to limit the spending of corporations on initiatives.

When I lived in Maryland, there were no initiatives, and I had WAY more power than I do in California. That's because people running for the state offices would walk the neighborhood and talk to people. Plus my neighbors would have coffee hours at their homes where the candidate would give a little talk and then answer questions. THAT was democracy.

Initiatives are the opposite of democracy. The people who collect signatures are paid to collect them (just ask the next time you are approached to sign one). Then the flyers and the radio and TV ads cost MEGA bucks.

[Xithras]

12. It's been tried. Several times now.

It's ironic, but none of the attempts have gained enough signatures to make the ballot. Nobody with money has offered up enough to hire any of the commercial signature gathering companies (they probably wouldn't take that particular contract anyway), and it's very difficult to qualify a ballot using only grassroots effort. It takes a lot of time to coordinate volunteer signature gatherers statewide.

The second part really gets to the meat of the real problem. When the initiative process first began, ALL of the propositions were grassroots efforts. It was SUPPOSED to be difficult. The problem didn't come about until companies stepped in and offered "election management" services for a fee. Now any yahoo with a wad of cash can hire an army of signature gatherers to get any bill on the ballot.

The fix is really simple. Ban all paid signature gathering activities. Do that, and the problem will largely self-correct.

[damntexdem]

13. PG&E: Pigs, Greed & Exploitation.

SF does generate its own electricity (hydro) that it uses for its Municipal Railway. In the 1980s, when downed PG&E lines caused a total blackout in The City, the MUNI streetcars and electric buses were still running, because the city's powerlines were still intact. It was eerie riding home through a darkened city; but at least we were riding.

[SoapBox]

15. THANK Goodness.

This ballot measure STUNK to high heavens...the nerve of this "person/individual" (according
to the SCOTUS TerroristFive) tried to "buy" the measure into law, for their own agenda.

Too bad people didn't see the real intent of the car insurance measure, backed by MERCURY INSURANCE.
It was the same thing...trying to buy a measure into law.

[Bette Noir]

16. Good. The only thing that saved LA from Enron's greedy clutches

was having our own power. While the rest of the state saw its electric bills double and triple during the crisis, ours "only" went up about 20%.

[dixiegrrrrl]

17. Good !!!

Nice to see Ca. voters have long memory of getting fucked over by PG$E a few years ago.

[Iggo]

19. Thank gawd.

I assumed my fellow Californians were going to be too stupid to figure this one out. And since there was no effort (none that I saw**) against this proposition, I figured it was a done deal that it'd pass easily.

Glad I was wrong.

** And now I see why. PG&E spent $46 million. The good guys only raised $101,000.

[harun]

20. PG&E spent 48 million on the initiative, oppenent groups spent 101,400.

PG&E just got p0wned.

[depakid]

22. With the Supreme court's latest decision- welcome to the future of American elections

[harun]

24. They are already doing it. Legislation is crafted by the biggest corporations

already. Ballot measures, biggest corporations. Candidates, biggest corporations.

We live in a Corporate Representative Republic.

[The Second Stone]

23. How about requiring a 2/3 vote to raise electric rates

for public utilities like PG&E? They cannot raise rates unless the public approves a rate increase by 2/3. After all, it is our money.