Letter to the Press Democrat: PG&E Smart Meters vs. Sebastopol

PG&E met with the Press Democrat (PD) editorial board last week regarding Sebastopol’s ban on Smart Meters. Following that meeting the PD printed two misinformed editorials, both heavy handed against Sebastopol.

Chris Coursey in “Feeling Sorry for Goliath” writes, “Meter readers are threatened with citations and fines for doing their jobs.” This is wrong. Only installers have been warned not to deploy Smart Meters in Sebastopol. Meter readers love Sebastopol because they still have a job.

Coursey writes, “Sebastopol seems to be getting pulled around by the nose by a small group of anti-technology folks known as the Electromagnetic Field Safety Network.” Our name is the EMF Safety Network and we are not anti-technology. We advocate the use of precaution with electromagnetic fields (EMF’s) and radiofrequency radiation (RF) (wireless), and advocate corded and wired alternatives to protect public health and the environment. Our work is based on decades of science.

According to Coursey 10% of Sebastopol has opted out of Smart Meters. That means there are hundreds of people in Sebastopol that are concerned enough about Smart Meter hazards to pay PG&E’s extortion fees not to have them.

Coursey states the World Health Organization (WHO) says there’s no evidence of harm. Wrong again. In May of 2011 the International Agency for Research on Cancer, an arm of the WHO, classified wireless as a 2b carcinogen, same as DDT and lead.

Coursey says Sebastopol is rethinking its moratorium. The city manager stated there was “zero consideration” of repealing the ordinance.

In the other article, “Let’s not wage war on PG&E workers”, the editor stated Helen Burt, PG&E’s chief customer officer said, “we don’t want to be at war with our communities”.

PG&E threatened a lawsuit against Sebastopol, refused to mark gas lines, and halted commercial work, including the $23 million Barlow project. These are strong-arm tactics and intimidation.

PG&E has been at war with many communities over the last three years. Since 2009 more than 50 California local jurisdictions have opposed Smart Meters, and fifteen have made the deployment illegal. Supervisor Carrillo asked for a moratorium, safety studies and a free opt-out. The PD even called for a moratorium!
PG&E responded by accelerating Smart Meter deployment and forcing installations, without informed consent or full disclosure about how the meters work, and what they are capable of, including surveillance and profiling. The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) is already discussing how to access the data Smart Meters collect and how to make it available to third parties.

In 2009, Bakersfield residents complained about skyrocketing bills and PG&E defended their Smart Meters as accurate. Two years later PG&E admitted billing errors due to Smart Meter defects.

In 2010, PG&E said Smart Meters transmit radiation once an hour. In 2011, the CPUC ordered PG&E to provide the specifications and PG&E admitted Smart Meters can transmit up to 190,000 times a day!

The head of PG&E’s Smart Meter program was caught trying to infiltrate our group by lying about his identity. The CPUC safety division investigated and found the spying was a system wide problem within PG&E.

PG&E and the CPUC have refused to address Smart Meter health and fire safety impacts.

Feel sorry for PG&E? I don’t think so.

Sebastopol’s unanimous decision to ban Smart Meters is applauded by many people in Sebastopol and beyond. According to Sebastopol’s ordinance (available on their website), Smart Meter technology subjects residents to “privacy, security, health, accuracy and consumer fraud risks.”

It’s shameful the PD editors have been influenced by PG&E. The PD should be a source of accurate information, not more of PG&E’s disinformation.


Sandi Maurer
www.emfsafetynetwork.org
PO BOX 1016
Sebastopol CA 95473
707-824-0824

First of all, thanks for posting your letter. I wholeheartedly agree with all the points you raised.

It was completely inaccurate for Coursey and the Press Democrat "editorial team" to refer to third-party SmartMeter installers as meter readers, and even worse that the P.D. editorial team made the unfortunate decision to perpetuate the inaccuracy by publishing it first on the P.D. web site and, secondly, in the Saturday newsprint edition. And to make matters even worse, they gave their Saturday editorial the misleading title of "Let's not wage war against P.G.&E. workers." It is my understanding that most -- if not all -- of the SmartMeter installers are third-party contractors and NOT P.G.&E. employees.

But then again, what do you expect from a newspaper that has replaced all traces of investigative journalism with copious amounts of milk toast and pablum, that continues to churn out poor-quality copy which contains numerous typographical errors and misspellings and frequently omits key words from articles and editorials, rendering entire sentences incomprehensible and sometimes even entire paragraphs meaningless, as was the case with yesterday's anti-Sebastopol editorial?
It reads as follows, and I quote:

"Thankfully Sebastopol city officials have wisely -- if temporarily --
decided to stop enforcing its moratorium on the installation
of SmartMeters, recognizing that it leaves the city on shaky
legal ground. And it has waging it fight in the venue where
it belongs, before the Public Utilities commission."

I have no idea what they're talking about there with that second sentence. It appears that something has been left out. But then again, maybe there was no omission at all. Maybe whoever was tasked with writing the final hit piece was sitting too close to a SmartMeter.....

Coursey's poison pen piece against the City of Sebastopol and its leaders was completely uncalled for. It is patently obvious that he does not have any use or respect for the progressives in Sebastopol -- and even less for its city leaders. The P.D. has continually and consistently bashed Sebastopol each time it has the chance. Their editorial department even recommended a "no" vote against the last tax measure that appeared on the ballot in last fall's election. I will note with pride that it passed overwhelmingly with over 70 percent of the vote. Looks like their editorial team's recommendation didn't carry much weight that time!

In my opinion, the Sebastopol City Council is to be commended for taking a stand against this bully of a corporation. Their "opt out" fees amount to robbery and extortion. The cost to send a meter reader out to read an analog meter should be included in the cost of the electricity and natural gas, just like it used to be.

If Coursey is content to just sit back in his easy-chair and not take a stand against bully corporations and questionable development proposals, that is his prerogative. But he should keep in mind that there are those among us who will not sit by idly and just do nothing when we feel an abiding commitment to our cause.

It was not enough that the boys in the P.D. editorial room published their anti-Sebastopol editorial on Friday; in their infinite wisdom, they saw fit to re-print Coursey's theretofore Internet-only hit piece in hard-copy form in Saturday's edition, too.

I now feel compelled to ask: Who's the real bully here?

Finally, I must point out that Coursey, for some inexplicable reason, omitted P.G.&E.'s most infamous atrocity from his exhaustive list of their past wrongdoings: the "Hole in the head." For those of you who either do not know or are too young to remember, in the early 1960's, P.G.&E. came up with the brilliant idea of citing a nuclear power plant out at Bodega Head. But there was one slight problem: they didn't bother telling the locals about it first. It was only after a group of brave activists -- led by that dynamo Hazel Mitchell -- exposed their secret plan that the general public learned about it. This tenacious group fought P.G.&.E. tooth and nail, and eventually, the utility giant retreated and abandoned its plan, leaving behind the hole in Bodega head, which was where the nuclear power plant was to be built.

Amazingly, even after all these years, it still serves as an everlasting and somewhat sobering reminder that the sage old adage still applies when it come to P.G.&E.: "Truly the more things change, the more they stay the same."

Quote:

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Posted in reply to the post by Sasu:

PG&E threatened a lawsuit against Sebastopol, refused to mark gas lines, and halted commercial work, including the $23 million Barlow project. These are strong-arm tactics and intimidation.

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Thanks for all of the historicals about PG&E. When I encountered the above info in the PD, I couldn't believe this would be management's deliberate response -- withdraw infrastructure support from the Barlow? What written policy are they even pretending to be dutifully following with this decision? Residential smartmeter installation opt out and work on the Barlow have nothing to do with each other except the obvious, they both involve Seb and PG&E. Whether pure viciousness and straightforward threat, or a merely initial childish overreaction, it's unbelievable -- What a way to manage a major utility! Out of the gate like wild horses, they and PD first create their own drama as victim, only to then promptly arm a strong offensive with every possible threat they can come up with. Take everything deeply personally (corporations are people) and extract retribution? Hopefully, hotheaded PG&E is "re-grouping" regarding the Barlow, to say the least.

https://i.imgur.com/yv1Iu.png
PG&E resumes work in Sebastopol
March 13, 2013 1:10 pm
by David Abbott Sonoma West Editor [email protected]


SmartMeter moratorium leads to work suspension

A standoff between the City of Sebastopol and PG&E has eased so that routine maintenance and limited SmartMeter installation has commenced once again.

“We had meetings last week and on Friday I spoke to PG&E representatives and they are fully back to work,” City Manager and Attorney Larry McLaughlin said. “They’re working at the Barlow and doing routine maintenance in the city, although they are holding off residential (SmartMeter) installations for an unknown amount of time.”

According to McLaughlin and PG&E representatives, the situation is fluid and has been in a state of constant flux since the SmartMeter moratorium was put in place by the City last month.

On Feb. 21, City Council initiated the moratorium in the wake of a special meeting. The emergency ordinance subjected SmartMeter installers to a $500 fine and within minutes of its passing, a Sebastopol resident called in to complain about an attempted installation.

The installer left without incident, but on Friday, March 1 — when city offices were closed for a furlough day — the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) sent a letter calling the City to task for “interference with the exclusive jurisdiction of the CPUC over the regulation of public utilities.”

McLaughlin responded by suspending enforcement of the ordinance, but PG&E in turn refused to perform even routine maintenance in Sebastopol and stopped work at the Barlow, which threatened the anticipated opening of the project in the next few months.

“So much of our work is upgrading and inspecting existing infrastructure,” PG&E spokeswoman Brittany McKannay said. “We walk every foot of our gas lines and PG&E employees are first responders: We’re on call 24 hours a day for structure fires and to fix things in an emergency. We want to be sure we’re in a position to do that safely.”

McKannay said that all PG&E employees and contractors are sensitive to the situation in Sebastopol and are “very aware” if a customer is opting out of SmartMeter installation.

“We have information for anyone who is interested in opting out,” she added.

Citizens may opt out on an individual basis for $10 per month, with a $75 initial fee, and under PG&E’s CARE (California Alternate Rates for Energy) program, low-income residents pay a $10 initial fee and $5 per month.

A CPUC decision on whether to allow “community opt-out” is expected to come sometime in May, so until then, the delicate balance in Sebastopol will continue.

“We’re meeting again Thursday (March 14) at (PG&E’s) request,” McLaughlin said. “The ordinance is on the books: It’s not repealed, but enforcement is still suspended.”

He added that only time will tell if the issue will go to court.

According to McKannay, approximately 7,100 SmartMeters have been installed in Sebastopol so far and 1,100 have so far been opted out. A total of 21,000 are to be installed in Sebastopol.

System-wide, fewer than one-half of 1 percent of customers have opted out, she added.

For more information about opting out, call 1-866-743-0263 or go to www.pge.com to opt out online.