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URGENT UPDATE:According to word from the Fairfax Town Council, PG&E/Wellington is possibly going to begin installing 'Smart Meters' in Fairfax Friday (8/19/2011) or on Monday in 2 days (8/22/2011), despite the Fairfax moratorium on their installation.
Reports from other towns are that, PG&E/Wellington is cutting locks homeowners placed on their meters to replace the meters anyway. Thus placing yourself/your vehicles between installers and your meters/your neighbor's meters may be necessary. Lock your gates. Block your meters with your car or another heavy object, while still allowing meter readers to do their job (or post a card with the numbers at the front of your property). Despite this, it is important to take all available actions 1, 2, and 3 here to take all available measures to build a credible legal case to win a future legal battle as a town, if that becomes necessary. You have property rights, privacy rights, and health and safety rights, all which would be violated unless you stand up for them. A renter home alone in a big apartment complex DOES have the right to stop smart meter installation for the whole complex.
Do not cave in to false threats. It’s illegal to turn off your power. We are working for free opt-out. The Town Council says the law is most definitely on our side. PG&E is violating the law in at least 7 different ways.
Because Smart Meters “talk” to each other in a far reaching range of electro-magnetic frequencies, it’s important that everyone in the neighborhood not have them. They emit far more radiation than cell phone and wireless internet. Radiation from one house can make neighbor’s kids get leukemia. Please do your part to keep everyone safe. The WHO just released data that non-ionizing microwave radiation is a Class 2 carcinogen in the same category as DDT, lead, and chloroform. It is common for strong healthy people to report bad headaches, nausea, ringing in the ears, inability to sleep and hyperactivity as soon as Smart meters are installed. The elderly are getting sudden heart attacks. Pets and children are even more susceptible. You can get a better idea of the distance radiation emits from a single meter in this informative YouTube video “The Dark Side of Smart Meters” https://youtu.be/FLeCTaSG2-U
Besides this Smart Meters intrude on your privacy, decrease property values, give unreliable billing, and are not UL certified (they ARE bursting into flames--want one on your gas meter)? Meter installers are NOT licensed electricians, they are temp workers.
ACTION STEPS TO TAKE NOW:
1) CALL the 24/7 PG&E delay list 1(877) 743-7378- mention that what you really want is to opt-out. Do not let them lull you into complacency with talk about how the CPUC is going to make it optional. Until it’s law, they are currently installing new electric and gas meters. NEW RENTER? PG&E installs before you move in- call for delay when you put your $$ down! If utilities are included in the rent, provide this info to your landlord. Request this for your rental agreement.
2) Call Wellington (the primary ‘Smart’Meter installers) M-F 8am-8pm Sat 9-5pm, at 1-866-671-1001 –tell them you do not accept the installation of a ‘Smart’Meter. Get a confirmation #, confirming that Wellington will send back the work order for installation to PG&E., indicating you declined to accept the installation. Tell them to call you if they receive a new order for your home.
3) Please make ‘DO NOT INSTALL SMART METER’ signs and place on both your electric and gas meters. Place in a ziplock bag and tape to your meters. Do not block the numbers from being read. This is will stop miscommunication from steps 1 and 2. Later, buy stickers from https://www.refusesmartmeter.com/ because they take 10 days to arrive. Yes, a sign won’t necessarily stop them, but you do need to say NO to establish a legal precedent. Take a photo of the date on a newspaper with your sign in the background for evidence. The Delay list is said to be a joke, but please call it and the Wellington number for the same reason.
Here is a suggested sign for your meters:
DO NOT INSTALL SMART METERS!!
YOU ARE TRESPASSING!! LEAVE NOW!! INSTALLATION OF SMART METERS IS IN VIOLATION OF FAIRFAX’S TOWN ORDINANCE AND MY WISHES.
I am the ratepayer responsible for utility services at _______________. I herewith authorize any neighbor or ANYONE, including you, dear installer, to act on my behalf, representing my interests in declining installation of any "Smart Meter" or similar surveillance and activity monitoring device, or devices, at the above address.
//your signature//
4) Form a Neighborhood Watch and keep your eyes out for installers. Set up a telephone tree. They don't wear uniforms and they just drive white, blue, or gray vehicles with another company's name on it (probably Wellington). Nothing says PGE on it so you would not know. They park away from your house, do not knock on your door, and work quickly. They could easily complete the install right under your nose. You might mistake them for your neighbor’s gardener. One woman reports, “If it hadn’t been for my dog barking, I never would have known he was there.”
part 2 below