What to do about it? In a word, wait. See full scoop above, #42Quote:
Posted in reply to the post by tammatha:
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What to do about it? In a word, wait. See full scoop above, #42Quote:
Posted in reply to the post by tammatha:
I'm simply not paying anything but my bill. I'm holding off paying The opt out fee and the $10 monthly fees because I have the feeling these extortionist's shenanigans will not be upheld in a court of law.Quote:
Posted in reply to the post by Runningbare:
We are suing the CPUC!
Posted on July 3, 2012 by admin
Cartoon by Jim Heddle EON
On June 7th, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) denied the EMF Safety Network Rehearing Request on the grounds that, “the evidence does not support re-opening a review of Smart Meters.” Because the Rehearing Request is denied we can now sue the CPUC for failing to address serious Smart Meter issues, including health and safety impacts, and FCC compliance.
The CPUC has buried it’s head in the sand!
The CPUC rubber stamped PG&E claims of Smart Meter safety!
Although no new evidence can be added to the lawsuit in Appeals court, this lawsuit is important because it could force the CPUC to address the issues it has been ignoring.
The CPUC has NEVER addressed the health and safety impacts of Smart Meters. They’ve only provided an opt out with a penalty!
We need to raise $25,000 for legal costs ASAP!
Attorneys James Hobson and Joshua Nelson of Best, Best and Krieger will represent us in the California First Court of Appeals. The lawsuit will be filed by the July 11 deadline.
If every customer on PG&E’s delay list would donate 15 cents, we’d have it covered! Considering we probably won’t reach those 177,000 people, if people donate $10-$100 this will help! Please give whatever amount you can!
Three ways to donate:
1. Donate online- click on the Donate button. (You do not need a Paypal account to donate! See the ‘Don’t have a PayPal account?’ section to the left of login box and click on link to use your credit card.)
2. Send a check payable to EMF Safety Network PO Box 1016, Sebastopol CA 95473
3. If you are donating $100 or more and want a tax deduction make your check payable to EON and mail to EMF Safety Network PO Box 1016, Sebastopol CA 95473. Online donations will not be tax deductible.
The results of suing the CPUC, if we win, will be that the Court will mandate the CPUC to address our original EMF Safety Network Application which includes:
- Re-opening both of the Smart Meter proceedings (D.06-07-027 and D.09-03-026)
- Evidentiary hearings on radiation health, environmental, and safety impacts
- Review of actual Smart Meter program performance
- An independently prepared RF Emissions Study
Your contributions will enable us to step up and challenge the CPUC!!
Thanks to all of you who’ve already given to this cause. Legal costs are ongoing, as we are still participating in the CPUC opt-out proceeding, so any amount you can contribute is a HUGE help!
We believe that whatever the CPUC rules for PG&E, they will eventually apply to other utilities! So, please support our efforts, even if you are a customer of another California utility!
Inching towards justice! THANKS TO ALL YOUR EFFORTS!
Sandi Maurer
I'm not paying the opt out or monthly fee either. I wrote a note saying this as well. And I will donate to the lawyers' fund to sue CPUC.
Quote:
Posted in reply to the post by broadbandersnatch:
I chose to simply write that the opt-out portion of my bill was paid under duress.
Quote:
Posted in reply to the post by sharingwisdom:
Remember folks that if you are on automatic billing with pg$e, the opt-out fee will be automatically taken from your bank account. So get back on regular billing if you want to keep your $75 + $10 a month. Also, in an age of corporate fascism, you might not want to give any corporation that much control (auto bill) in exchange for convenience. In 2006 in Germany when the fascist state was further advanced than here, my friend's phone company made an outrageous mistake and charged her $250+ more on her bill. With auto-pay it was swiped out of her account and she had no easy way to resolve it.
I had my Smart Meters removed several months ago. Last month P G & E charged me for the one-time opt-out fee and this month for the monthly fee. I still haven't paid either bill yet and am wondering what would happen if I pay all but the opt-out fees.
Quote:
Posted in reply to the post by ubaru:
Well I'm hoping you try it and let us know what happens. My landlady who is so kindly insisting I pay the whole opt-out fee for two households is on auto-bill. She wrote, "I also discovered on poking around that any money paid to PGE goes to the outstanding balance, which would mean that the opt-out fee would be paid off before any electricity or gas charges on the next month's bill. In other words, the only thing accomplished would be the damaging of my credit record and the worst thing that could happen, although highly unlikely, would be the loss of service for non-payment." I'm figuring she got her info from Pg&e who put out a lot of disinfo. We're all experimenting.Quote:
Posted in reply to the post by BobHeisler:
We opted out a couple months ago and the meters were removed and replaced within a week or so. I haven't paid either the opt out fee or the monthly charge and PG&E hasn't said anything to me.
Quote:
Posted in reply to the post by BobHeisler:
I don't get why your landlady is making a tenant pay for opt-out fees? Isn't she the one that wanted to opt out, or does the tenant? I'm a landlord and told my tenant I would pay if it comes to that. I too am just paying the regular bill and not the smart meter stuff. I don't think the tenant should pay if they did not ask to opt-out.
Quote:
Posted in reply to the post by ubaru:
My landlady knows I definitely do not want a smart meter and I asked her to opt-out. I showed her a lot of data regarding the health impacts and asked her to pay half the fees if it came to that. She quoted an "independent" source that said smart meters emit the same amount of radiation as a cell phone and said she had based her decision to not opt-out for herself on that. I showed her evidence that her independent source was industry hiding behind a university. She didn't have time to look at that. She's one of those run of the mill power-tripping landladies who denies there is a rat and biting rat mite problem and then raises the rent as a response to my proposing a more transparent way of figuring the shared utilities.Quote:
Posted in reply to the post by tammatha:
To Wendy and all the folks who have not paid the opt-out fee, please let us know what happens in month two and three. Did the opt-out fee get paid instead of your utilities? Or did the opt-out fee remain on the bottom of your bill with no due date?
I've yet to pay my last two P G & E bills because of my deep fondness for the company. When I do pay, I will specifically omit the one-time only fee and the monthly opt-out fee from my payment, just to see what happens. Let's all do the same. It would not be good business for P G & E to threaten shutting off power to thousands of ratepayers who refuse to pay the extortion charges. If enough opt-out customers don't pay those fees, P G & E may be forced to rescind them.
Quote:
Posted in reply to the post by tammatha:
Threats have already been issued in a SF Chronicle article on April 28th. It's common knowledge that PG$E is a foremost model of bad business:Quote:
Posted in reply to the post by BobHeisler:
https://www.sfgate.com/business/arti...-1-3518122.php
“PG&E warns that people who opt out but don’t pay the fees will be treated like any other customers who owe the company money – they could see their power shut off if they don’t eventually pay up."
Helen Burt is a Chief Customer Officer for PG$E. Here's what she had to say about it personally:
‘It is a part of what they owe, and at some time in the future, it’ll be an unpaid bill that’ll be subject to collection and possibly subject to cut off,’ . . .‘That is absolutely the last thing we want to do.’”
I like the unspecified "future" and the “could” . . .”possibly” language because it also implies “could possibly not”. Burt & Co. are proud graduates of the School of Intimidation. Why is cutting off the power “absolutely the last thing” they want to do? Because the last time they tried that in December in Santa Cruz County, it totally backfired into a scandalous public relations fiasco featuring a stern public grilling of a PG$E sacrificial goat by an incensed Board of Supervisors.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIGq...layer_embedded
It backfired so badly, that within a week the PG$E Grinch did a 180 and restored power to several vocal women of Capitola.
This was a benchmark turning point in our struggle that finally resulted in a sort of Trojan horse concession. This was the moment when SmartNot Meters became no longer “mandatory”–when CEO Anthony Earley came out with his astonishing though deceptive reversal: “Why should we be fighting with our own customers over something like this?”
But here we are over 6 months later, and they still are.
https://img194.imageshack.us/img194/...1206081330.png
Sebastopol City Council OKs measure requesting delay in SmartMeter rollout
https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20120720/ARTICLES/120729985/1350?Title=Sebastopol-OKs-asking-for-delay-in-SmartMeter-rollout
By BOB NORBERG
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
Published: Friday, July 20, 2012 at 9:56 a.m.
The Sebastopol City Council approved an emergency measure Thursday night asking PG&E to delay installation of SmartMeters in the city until state regulators conclude hearings on new opt-out procedures.
“It was triggered by PG&E calling the city and saying they will start installing SmartMeters within two weeks,” said Vice Mayor Michael Kyes. “There are a number of people in the city who are not happy with that.”
SmartMeters have been particularly controversial in Sebastopol, where critics contend that the wireless meters emit radio frequencies that can cause health problems.
PG&E is promoting the meters as a way for consumers to better manage energy use, while allowing the utility to cut staff needed to read gas and electric meters.
When the utility introduced the meters in February 2010, however, it quickly ran into resistance in Sonoma County and elsewhere in California.
PG&E was required by the state Public Utilities Commission to allow individuals to keep their traditional meters, for a one-time fee of $75 and a $10 monthly fee to cover the cost of having the meters read.
The PUC now is holding hearings on how groups or communities could opt out of having the meters installed, as well as an analysis of the cost.
The council voted 5-0 to ask PG&E to not install meters within the city limits until those hearings are completed.
The vote was taken at 11:30 p.m., on the heels of the council's second public hearing on another controversial project, the proposed CVS Pharmacy and Chase Bank branch at the vacant Pellini Chevrolet dealership.
Thanks for the info. Just yesterday I went to the PG&E site to see about opting out after I heard that meters would start to be installed very soon. Any idea when those hearings will be and we'll know?
Quote:
Posted in reply to the post by Barry:
Smart Meter Opt Out Fee Refusals- Update and Take Action
Dear Smart Meter "opt out" fee refuser,
Thank you for signing our pledge over the last several months to refuse to pay extortionate smart meter opt out fees! We want to hear from you how it's going. Has your utility taken any action?
We know that the Four Hundred or so pledges we received are just the tip of the iceberg of people who are refusing to be scammed by greedy utilities. We can stop these outrageous and illegal fees- if we stick together and organize!
Isis, our volunteer in Oakland CA- is helping to coordinate those who are resisting fees. Please send her an e-mail at [email protected] telling her:
1) Do you have your analog meter still?
2) Are you being charged an "opt out" fee?
3) Are you refusing to pay these fees?
4) Who is your utility and where are you located?
5) Has your utility taken any action or made any threats?
6) Are you willing to risk getting your power shut off for the cause- if it helps eliminate the fees?
7) Would you be willing to be interviewed or participate in a public protest against opt out fees and smart meters in general?
8) Would you be willing to be a contact in your area, to help coordinate unified actions?
We have heard that PG&E and other CA utilities may start attempts to install smart meters and/ or switch off the electricity to those refusing to pay fees starting August 1st. Make sure your analog meter is protected. Please get in touch immediately if your utility attempts any action against you- we need to publicize these threats that are occurring.
If you need any advice we are here to help.
Thank you for taking action against utility extortion!
Josh Hart
Joshua Hart MSc
Director, Stop Smart Meters!
https://stopsmartmeters.org
Stop Smart Meters! is a grassroots-funded campaign.
Your generous support is critical to our success.
Every little bit helps! https://stopsmartmeters.org/donate
Just a note to preface this; we opted out in April and have yet to see an opt-out fee on our bill. I'm in Marin where there is a county wide moratorium on opt-out fees and new smart meter installations. Others in Marin are reporting that they haven't seen fees either after opting out, or refused to opt-out of something they never opted in to. They haven't had a smart meter installed.
Liz
Dear Smart Meter Fee Fighters,
Thank you for contacting Stop Smart Meters! over the last few months with an update about your local battle against 'smart' meters and the associated fees being imposed to keep or replace an analog meter. We support each and every one of you who are doing your part to resist deeply unjust and discriminatory smart grid policies and the extortionate fees that utilities are using to force harmful devices into our communities.
Though hundreds- probably thousands- of people are refusing to pay the fees, not a single customer has reported that their services have been switched off simply for refusing to pay these fees. Despite multiple 15-day disconnect notices lapsing, people like Tom DeMarchi are calling the utility's bluff. Read his story at: https://stopsmartmeters.org/2012/10/...t-power-today/
In states without an 'opt out' people are being deprived of their basic human rights, and utilities are even pulling the plug on some families, simply for "opting out." Stop Smart Meters! raised over $500 through our Safe Power Fund for Mona Orkoulas of Nevada to obtain solar panels after NVE cut her electricity for having her smart meter replaced with a safe analog meter. Full story here: https://stopsmartmeters.org/2012/09/...or-opting-out/
What You Can Do
1. If you are refusing to pay fees in CA, as soon as you receive a 15 day disconnect notice, lodge a formal fee complaint with the CPUC Consumers Affairs Branch- CAB (Call first, follow up with a formal complaint) The utility cannot legally disconnect your power while the complaint is in resolution process.
CA Consumer Affairs Branch 1-800-649-7570 https://ia.cpuc.ca.gov/cimsapp/?key=39949189
More info and analysis on our website: https://stopsmartmeters.org/2012/10/...-the-power-on/
**Keep us informed- e-mail us immediately if your power is cut.**
2. Join our new discussion group with fee resisters from all around CA and beyond to trade advice and plan further organized resistance to the fees. Wait for a separate invitation by e-mail and follow the instructions to subscribe. The website for the new group is at:https://groups.yahoo.com/group/ResistFees/
3. Plan to attend CPUC Public Hearings on Smart Meter Opt Out Fees (over the holidays- boo CPUC)
information about what to expect at public participation hearings posted at https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/PUC/aboutus/...n+Hearings.htm.
SANTA ROSA (PG&E territory)
December 20, 2012 at 2:00 p.m.
Steel Lane Community Center – Dohn Room
415 Steele Lane
Santa Rosa, CA 95403
4. Visit FightTheFees.Org and contribute a photo
5. Donate to Stop Smart Meters! We depend on your contributions to support our work. See: https://stopsmartmeters.org/donate
6. Spread the word to your friends and family- warn them that smart meters are a hazard and encourage them to refuse both smart meters and fees. You can give them this flyer: https://stopsmartmeters.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/StopSmartMetersFlyerColor.pdf
7. Educate yourself about the legal aspects of this smart meter protection racket policy, and familiarize yourself with those challenging it:
• Sandi Maurer, head of the EMF Safety Network based in Sebastopol, is fighting the opt out fees and suing the CPUC. She needs funds to do this:
More details: https://emfsafetynetwork.org/?p=8490
• Sue Brinchman of San Diego based Center for Electrosmog Prevention is also fighting the fees:
https://www.electrosmogprevention.org/
• Edward Hasbrouck, SF resident and travel writer, has challenged PG&E's right to force a smart meter onto private property and challenged their right to charge opt out fees- see his blog for details on how the CPUC is grossly mishandling his legal protest:
https://hasbrouck.org/blog/archives/001987.html
https://hasbrouck.org/blog/archives/001997.html
https://hasbrouck.org/blog/archives/002001.html
https://hasbrouck.org/blog/archives/002006.html
https://hasbrouck.org/blog/archives/002019.html
8. Go off the grid! Consider cutting the umbilical cord to your utility- it's easier than you think- more info here:
https://www.electricalpollution.com/OffgridSafely.html
Thank you again for taking action to stand up to the utilities- we look forward to connecting with you on the resisters e-mail group (see #2) and at the CPUC hearings in December. (#3)
Thanks again for standing up to injustice,
Josh
Joshua Hart MSc
Director, Stop Smart Meters!
https://stopsmartmeters.org
Stop Smart Meters! is a grassroots-funded campaign.
Please chip in if you can! https://stopsmartmeters.org/donate
How did Marin manage that!?Quote:
Posted in reply to the post by ubaru:
I think we took it to the Supervisors who voted for it. You could get a copy of it from them and do the same in Sonoma.Quote:
Posted in reply to the post by Peace Voyager:
Dear Stop Smart Meters! supporter:
As bad as the extortionate and punitive smart meter 'opt-out' fee policy seems at the moment, utilities in California are pressuring the CPUC to increase the fees, and take away the choice of an analog meter, forcing us to pay hundreds of dollars/ year for a digital 'radio off' meter with many of the same problems as the 'smart' meter. It's been revealed that utilities like PG&E have scrapped millions of perfectly functional analog meters- now they want to charge us for purchasing new ones. We refuse to be charged for the incompetence of for-profit, corporate utilities.
IT IS CRITICAL TO ATTEND THESE HEARINGS AND TO ENCOURAGE OTHERS TO ATTEND. Approach your family, neighbors, friends, and local elected officials now about attending and speaking at one of these hearings.
We are demanding:
-no-cost, purely electromechanical analog meters for water, gas and electric utilities
-the right for apartment complexes, and cities and counties to opt out
-the right for businesses- as well as residences to refuse smart meters
The CPUC has ignored widespread pleas from the public to schedule these hearings at a time when they would not conflict with the holidays. Many are speculating that these dates were chosen to diminish public turnout.
Don't let them get away with this!
If you cannot attend the hearings, please send comments (see below).
SANTA ROSA (PG&E territory)
December 20, 2012 at 2:00 p.m.
Steel Lane Community Center – Dohn Room
415 Steele Lane
Santa Rosa, CA 95403
More information about what to expect at public participation hearings here: https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/PUC/aboutus/...n+Hearings.htm
Questions being considered in the Phase 2 opt out proceeding are:
1) Should more than one opt-*out option be offered to customers who do not wish to have a wireless SmartMeter (e.g., a digital, non-*communicating meter)? Should different fees be assessed based on the type of opt-*out meter selected by the customer and, if so, what is an appropriate level for such fees?
2) Should all costs associated with the opt-*out option be paid by only those customers electing the option, or should some portion of these costs be allocated to all ratepayers and/or to utility shareholders?
3) What fees should be assessed on customers who elect the opt-*out option and should the fees be assessed on a per meter or per location basis?
4) Should there be an "exit fee" imposed on customers who elect the opt-*out option and later return to a wireless SmartMeter?
5) Should the opt-*out option be extended to local governments and communities?
If you are unable to attend these hearings, you may submit written comments to the to the CPUC's Public Advisor's Office at the address noted below. Please refer to the application filing number, A.11-*03-*014 et al, when writing. Please state if you would like a response, otherwise no response will be sent. Your comments will become a part of the formal file for public comment in this proceeding. The Public Advisor's Office will circulate your comments to the five Commissioners, the ALJ, the Division of Ratepayer Advocates (DRA), and to CPUC staff assigned to this proceeding. You may also write to the CPUC if you need advice on how to participate in this proceeding, or would like to receive further notices regarding the date, time, and place of any future hearing in this proceeding:
The Public Advisor California Public Utilities Commission 505 Van Ness Avenue, Room 2103 San Francisco, CA 94102 E-*Mail: [email protected]Locations for these hearings are wheelchair accessible. If you need interpreters for language or for the hard of hearing, please contact the Public Advisor's Office at the following numbers at least five (5) working days in advance of the meeting date:
Telephone: (415) 703-*2074 or toll free: 1-*866-*849-*8390 TTY: (415) 703-*5282 or toll free TTY: 1-*866-*836-*7825Joshua Hart MSc
Director, Stop Smart Meters!
https://stopsmartmeters.org
Stop Smart Meters! is a grassroots-funded campaign.
Please chip in if you can! https://stopsmartmeters.org/donate
There is a little white truck running around the West County with address list in hand switching meters. They switched many this past week.
The citizens of San Bruno have started a petition asking Gov. Brown to remove Michael Peevey from the board of the CPUC, citing incompetence in the handling of PG & E's responsibility for the deadly pipeline explosion two years ago. As a former executive with a utility company, Peevey is a shill for the industry and more or less rubber stamps whatever the utility companies want to do. I find the trend in government to appoint individuals from an industry to oversee that same industry at government agencies very disturbing. Peevey's unwillingness to stop the rampant replacement of analog utility meters with Smart Meters unacceptable. I've already signed the petition to have him removed and recommend everyone concerned go to the following site to put in your two cents as well:
https://www.change.org/petitions/gov...share_petition. Peevey is no friend of the California consumer.
Smart Meter hearing this Thursday Dec 20th, and how to submit comments if you can't make it.
California Public Utilities Commission will accept public comment on the
second phase of modifications (such as the opt-out option) to the Smart
Meter Program. The current opt-out option for customers who don't want a
Smart Meter, has a one-time $75 fee, and a monthly $10 fee to participate.
One issue is whether this opt-out option will be extended to governmental
agencies and apartment, condominium dwellers. The other issue is whether
the current fees are appropriate. (They want to raise the fees).
The meeting is this Thursday Dec 20th
2:00
Steele Lane Community Center Dohm Room
415 Steele Lane
Santa Rosa
If unable to attend, and you want to submit written comments, contact
866 849-8390
Public.Advisor@CPUC.ca.gov
They scheduled this meeting right near the holidays to make it harder for people to attend. Let's let them know they can't get away with that!
I have been charged a one-time $75 fee and am paying $15 a month for opting out. This seems ridiculous: $180 a year more and I'm getting nothing for it.
Quote:
Posted in reply to the post by ubaru:
And now the CPUC has just approved raises to all PG & E customers for the mistakes they should have corrected years ago in their gas pipelines. The CPUC is in bed with PG & E in the form of it's members owning huge stock in the corporation; totally corrupt.
SmartMeter update... OUTRAGED!!!
PG&E is attempting to collect their 'questionable' $75 opt-out fee without making a line item entry on our utility bills. (Watch your own billings carefully, if you've opted out.)
Even WORSE, PG&E is 'fudging' the bill by making it look like we used extra electricity in order to 'BURY' this extremely unpopular extortionist-style fee for equipment we don't have installed on our house, don't want installed, and never asked for.
My husband and I were some of the very early opt-out supporters due to concern about EMF health risks, potential computer / appliance equipment damage, house fire risks among other issues. I attended a PG&E customer education / protest meeting in Sebastopol with a friend. And have been following consumer rights issues on this from time-to-time ever since.
What caught my eye on our most recent bill we received yesterday were electrical Kwh running 267% higher than last year's DEC usage. Puzzling since we haven't changed anything:
~ no new equipment/appliances
~ no work-lifestyle changes
~ no extra folks living with us.
In plain terms, NO REASON for our electrical usage to skyrocket!
Called PG&E Customer Service (San Jose office) today. To my question about no line item, the woman I spoke to said "You received the 'short bill' by default. We'll mail the long 4-5 page bill. You'll get it in a few days."
Asked what our actual monthly usage was? I said do I simply subtract $75 from the $90.96 listed? "No." she answered "The opt-out fee has TAXES applied to it." She then informed me our 'actual usage' (which really is a processing fee, since our solar system generates electricity in excess of what we use) = $11.63. (Which you can see written on the bill in my handwriting)
My husband and I are wondering if PG&E's blatantly underhanded approach of FABRICATING FAKE USAGE KWH is the basis for a consumer class action suit? Any good lawyers out there? Not wise to protest onesie-twosie. We must gather together as a huge consumer group and hammer them with it.
BTW, Solar Sonoma would like to convert our entire county to solar, so we can get rid of PG&E. Sonoma county already generates more solar electricity per capita than any county in the USA, so let's go for it and get rid of PG&E.Quote:
Posted in reply to the post by Mudwoman:
We converted to solar summer of 2011 to take advantage of sizable state & federal tax credits. Our superb solar system generated not only what our household / business uses, but an overage: $700 worth of FREE electricity for PG&E to use and resell (that by law they don't have to pay us for). And now, THIS! I'm fuming....
Sorry I did not see you at this meeting.
I was speaker #59; all the speakers' testimony before me I concurred with. I spoke for the heart of the solution.
We know that PG&E operates as "legalized" organized crime. We know that the CPUC enables this, which is collusion. We are the only ones who can compel justice. Most of the media only reports on these stories, they don't investigate. In part because of the advertising money at stake, investments, collusion with regulators, government officials & utility operators.
Just look at the "reporting" from the Press Democrat, whose owners are paid lobbyist and consultants for PG&E. The reporter only cites what was said, not one bit of follow-up on any of the validity of the claims made by hundreds of speakers with their testimony to the Administrative Judge.
It is time all Californians petition our Governor to remove all CPUC commissioners; audit the CPUC, and overhaul it. We need all entities who have been watchdogs for the CPUC, PG&E, etc. to consolidate a petition and put it up on change.org or something like it.
Replacing these dangerous criminal operations with clean Publicly/privately owned power systems for all of California; and decommissioning all nuclear plants, are the next steps at hand.
Clean, Green Public Power (both in conduct of system operators & safety of transmission system) has the additional superior benefit of restoring California's economy. Especially when we create incentives for locally owned & operated clean power system manufacturing, installations & maintenance.
Too bad ya'll did not make this a deal breaker for everyone who you just helped get elected. Now you can compel them to earn their paychecks and benefits by delivering a local and state owned, well maintained power grid; and nuclear-free, carbon-free, State, County & City + privately owned clean/Green/fish friendly power production.
Just like we worked for real change in moving our money; we need to attract a groundswell to clean up our oversight and investments in energy production & transmission.
In this new era, it's up to us generate the shift in California-made, clean, responsible energy. :idea:
Speaking truth about power, to power*,
Colleen Fernald
www.sol-solutions.com
* (That would be - :waccosun: We The Wacco People of California)
Now this would be worth seceding for right!?
If you opted out of the Smart Meter program, you should have seen a separate charge appearing on the FRONT page of your monthly bill. On my November statement I didn't see the charge on that page. Think P G & E stopped charging the fee? THINK AGAIN. These conniving SOBs have removed the charge from the front summary page and buried it in the detail of your gas and electricity charges. I've never paid the fees and have marked my bill to subtract the fee from the total amount due.
Quote:
Posted in reply to the post by Peace Voyager:
Whether you spoke or not, please send your comments re: being forced to pay to opt-out of Smart Meters to:
The Public Advisor
California Public Utilities Commission 505 Van Ness Avenue, Room 2103 San Francisco, CA 94102 E-*Mail: [email protected]
Telephone: (415) 703-*2074 or toll free: 1-*866-*849-*8390 TTY: (415) 703-*5282 or toll free TTY: 1-*866-*836-*7825
Under the new "Corporate Personhood" PG&E should have been given the same responsibility and charged with involuntary manslaughter for their misconduct in not spending ratepayer fees on the San Bruno, (and elsewhere) gas transmission lines; but instead paying high salaries to criminal executive and dividends to shareholders.
:lightening::rip:
This model is deadly.
Fines from the CPUC are clearly not enough. This has been proven for decades, so Peevey and all the rest must be held for their liability as well as PG&E.
Instead, the ratepayers are to pay for these mistakes!?! :stoptheinsane:
We The People of the Republic of California, and customers of PG&E must enter a class action lawsuit.
:film: Time for a sequel for Erin Brocovitch. Win or lose, the screenplay can finance the lawsuit. Who's in?
In the words of the late, great John Lennon, "Power to the people"!:sunshine:
Quote:
Posted in reply to the post by BobHeisler:
Here's that petition:Quote:
Posted in reply to the post by PeaceVoyager:
https://www.change.org/petitions/gov...share_petition
We live in Santa Rosa and had a Solar System installed two years ago. At the time, they installed a Bi-directional meter which was NOT a wireless smart meter. They said that the Bi-directional wireless smart meters for the Solar installations were still being developed. I'm not sure if they are even available yet, but we don't have one.
Is it possible that you are opting out of something that is not even available for you?
Tom:waccosun:
Tom ~ We opted out early on, BEFORE we had our solar system installed (summer of 2011). Spoke with PG&E's Solar Customer Service (1-877-743-4112) a few days ago about smartmeters for solar system customers. They now have them and intend to install solar system smartmeters, too, unless customers opt-out.Quote:
Posted in reply to the post by tomcat:
Plus PG&E has smartmeters for the gas lines. So, if you don't want one, opt-out. Or anticipate having smartmeters installed on your house.
~ Cynthe
Thanks! Ubaru ~ Signed this yesterday and posted it on Facebook for folks there.Quote:
Posted in reply to the post by ubaru:
I'm in. Beginning to investigate how to start a class action suit.Quote:
Posted in reply to the post by Peace Voyager:
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In the meantime, for those of you who want more info ~ whether you're leery of smartmeters OR think those of us who are, are wacked...
Watch this excellent 30 min presentation by Curtis Bennett, a Canadian electrical pro whose business is to troubleshoot 'heating' issues regarding electrical uses.
Curtis Bennett was a skeptic until he started investigating smartmeters. Here he discusses the REAL dangers of EMF smartmeter frequencies: https://www.stayonthetruth.com/curti...art-meters.php
The compelling video runs 30min. You won't be bored:
@ 8 min - Mr. Bennett states humans are NOT compatible with smartmeters
@ 11 min - He discusses cell phone harm...60% of damage is done within first 6 minutes of using your cell phones.
@ 15 min - Brings up the issue of induced tissue heating (damage)
Mr. Bennett's company's devices visually measure the heating and inflammatory effects on human tissue for medical health services as well as other applications like checking function of electrical equipment and insulation issues in buildings.
Well worth watching! Your life, your children & elderly family members lives may depend on knowing this information.
Though I'm on the same side of the SmartMeter issue as you are, Cynthe, I don't think Mr. Bennett's arguments do much to prove the biological effects of low level electromagnetic radiation. He repeatedly refers to himself as a "professional," and encourages his viewers to think he has special qualifications; he's using equipment which measures infrared radiation to highlight differences in temperature. The level of electromagnetic (E-M) radiation that is of most concern in the vicinity of cell phone towers, close to cell phones, and in areas of wi-fi and SmartMeter coverage, is not sufficient to directly cause appreciable tissue heating. Yet, there is evidence that it can cause cellular changes, and there are qualified researchers who have demonstrated reasonable cause for concern. Microwave News (https://microwavenews.com) is a respected source of information regarding the ongoing controversy about the biological hazards of microwave radio frequency energy.
Quote:
Posted in reply to the post by Mudwoman:
Thanks for posting the microwave news link here, Karl. It's a great resource. My husband and I have been following it for years.Quote:
Posted in reply to the post by Karl Frederick:
The point Mr. Bennett's making (my take) is that human tissue is heated measurably after exposure to cell phone EMF radiation. And it doesn't take very long: 6 minutes. Does it not seem that way to you from the slides he discusses?
It's commonly understood both in the electrical safety code he cites and among health practitioners that chronic overheating of tissues (ie. inflammation) is destructive to the health.
He also states that the frequencies of the smart meter aren't low, but very high...levels much in excess of what human beings [and by implication, other creatures] and trees [other plants] can tolerate. I'm not an electrical professional, so I may not have understood his comments correctly...need to watch the video through another time or two, to get the facts right. So much to learn!
I just called PG&E's 866 number to opt-out. No problem he said, and it'll cost you the $75 etc., etc, and I said I may or may not pay it, if I did it would be under strong protest. No problem he said, if you don't pay you'll be sent to the late collections accounting and they'll deal with you. So now I await my next months bill and see what I'm going to do.
And thanks to everyone here for their posts on this subject.
Gary
Quote:
Posted in reply to the post by Runningbare:
You should've just signed up for the opt-out plan and made no mention of the nonpayment of the potentially unconstitutional fees. I never did and never have paid them.
Quote:
Posted in reply to the post by Runningbare:
I can see that silence would have been a wiser tact, thx
Quote:
Posted in reply to the post by BobHeisler:
Bob ~ That's exactly what I did....just opted out a couple of years ago.Quote:
Posted in reply to the post by BobHeisler:
My protest comment about "potentially unconstitutional fees" has only been made here and on Facebook, after I received the "hidden fee" buried on our bill in what seems to be a fraudulently adjusted Kwh notation / not our actual monthly usage.
Keep an eye keened on your bill, if you still have the opt-out status. PG&E will be collecting the fee as soon as they can.
Sun Fire ~ Silence only would result in the smartmeter(s) being installed. Unfortunately, we do have to speak up if we don't want the smartmeter.Quote:
Posted in reply to the post by Sun Fire Plumbing:
Gary ~ The threat of sending the $75 non-payment to collections is more a smoke screen for emotional manipulation than a 'real' threat. Unfortunately, most consumers are not aware of this and comply to their fear of a damaged credit rating.Quote:
Posted in reply to the post by Sun Fire Plumbing:
I attended a credit ratings seminar many years ago in connection with our small business. The speaker said utility bills - telephone, gas, electricity, garbage, water services - are rarely (if ever) factored in to our credit rating scores. (Don't know why that is? Perhaps too many accounts are always in negotiation? Or the fees are too minor to deal with?) Past due bills certainly can be sent to collection agencies, but it's not anything to worry about.
Cynthe and anyone else, have you written your experience of your padded bill and complaints in general to the CPUC judge?
Still time to tell the CPUC judge your Smart meter complaints/comments
If you were unable to attend these hearings, you may submit written comments to the to the CPUC's Public Advisor's Office at the address noted below. Please refer to the application filing number, A.11-*03-*014 et al, when writing. Please state if you would like a response, otherwise no response will be sent. Your comments will become a part of the formal file for public comment in this proceeding. The Public Advisor's Office will circulate your comments to the five Commissioners, the ALJ, the Division of Ratepayer Advocates (DRA), and to CPUC staff assigned to this proceeding.
The Public Advisor California Public Utilities Commission 505 Van Ness Avenue, Room 2103 San Francisco, CA 94102 E-*Mail: [email protected]
Please also copy it to https://smartmeterhelp.com a site where activists are collecting feedback about all smart meter problems, including billing.
Note:The Press Democrat got the facts wrong about the WHO (World Health Organization) again, other than that the article is accurate. What is true is that in May 2011 the WHO released data saying that non-ionizing microwave radiation is a possible Class 2B carcinogen in the same category as DDT, lead, chloroform, and engine exhaust.
PG&E gets earful over SmartMeters at Santa Rosa hearing
https://www.pressdemocrat.com/apps/p...W=445&border=0
Michael Kyes, the mayor of Sebastopol, speaks during the public comment session at a PUC meeting on Smart Meters at the Steele Lane Community Center in Santa Rosa on Dec. 20, 2012.
(John Burgess/The Press Democrat)
By BOB NORBERG
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
Published: Thursday, December 20, 2012 at 6:40 p.m.
Last Modified: Friday, December 21, 2012 at 7:03 a.m.
Two hundred people turned out Thursday in Santa Rosa to rail against PG&E SmartMeters, complaining that individual opt-out fees are unfair, that cities should be able to get out of the program and that the wireless technology is a health threat.
"Do not impose a tariff to opt out, and allow communities to opt out," Fairfax Town Councilman Larry Bragman told an administrative law judge conducting a public hearing for the state Public Utilities Commission. "If you do that, you will drive more innovative solutions."
"It is unconscionable to extort money for safety, especially for people who cannot afford the cost of removal of this toxic device," said Ami Hartley.
Continues here: https://www.pressdemocrat.com/articl...a-Rosa-hearing
Hi, Folks. This post isn't directly related to the SmartMeter issue, but does relate to future P G & E bills. I'm pasting a portion of an email I received this morning from Mark Toney, the Executive Director of TURN, The Utility Reform Network, which discusses utility bills:
"Great News! If you are a customer of PG&E, Edison, or SDG&E, you are going to save $125 over the next five years on your utility bills. Thanks to thousands of people who wrote letters, testified at public hearings, and signed online petitions, TURN’s campaign for Fair Utility Profits succeeded in pressuring the CPUC to reduce utility profit rates from 11.4% to 10.4%!
For too long, the CPUC has let utility companies collect windfall profits at customers’ expense.
In fact, with profit rates set at over 11%, California utilities were making out like bandits. Although they faced very little risk or competition, utility profits on investment were guaranteed- on customers’ dime- and higher than most companies, or even most utilities..."
Well, I don't think we can really take all that money to the bank, but at least it's a move in the right direction.
If you could supply a link from TURN , that would be great.
[Here you go: https://www.turn.org/ -Barry]
From TURN - The Utility Reform Network
https://www.turn.org/actions/tell-go...eadership.html
Tell Governor Brown: New Leadership Is Needed at CPUC
The NTSB's investigation into the San Bruno explosion revealed not only that PG&E negligence caused the blast, but also that regulators bore responsibility. The report makes it clear that change is needed not only at PG&E, but at the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) as well
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Board’s investigation into the San Bruno explosion revealed not only that PG&E negligence caused the blast, but also that regulators bore responsibility.
The report makes it clear that change is needed not only at PG&E, but at the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) as well. A Toothless Watchdog
The current president, Michael Peevey, a former utility executive, has exercised leadership at the agency for close to 10 years now, years in which PG&E has seen profits, executive pay—and serious accidents—soar. Under Peevey’s watch, repeated and serious gas safety violations by PG&E did not result in a single fine, not even after the fatal explosion in Rancho Cordova in 2008.
Peevey's Commission has been guided by a misguided philosophy—regulation in the corporate interest. It has rubber-stamped millions in unjustified rate hikes, pushed PG&E into an overpriced and unpopular smart meter program and allowed energy efficiency to become a utility slush fund, all the while insulating PG&E from its mistakes with guaranteed high profits.
Time for a Change
What Californians need is a CPUC guided by the philosophy that puts customers first—regulation in the public interest. The public is wants stricter oversight and quality assurance, and wants PG&E held accountable for past failures. That means requiring shareholders, rather than customers, to shoulder the costs when PG&E has to play catch-up to fix neglected pipelines. And it means making sure PG&E doesn’t make one penny of profits on overdue safety investments. The NTSB findings cry out for a response from Governor Brown. Just days after the NTSB released its report, another explosion occurred on a PG&E gas line, this time in Cupertino. It is time for Governor Brown to step in and replace Michael Peevey with a new president who prioritizes the safety and pocketbooks of Californians over exorbitant profits and pay for utilities and their executives.
Send a letter to the Governor NOW:
New Leadership is Needed at CPUC
TURN's History
TURN began at the kitchen table of pioneering consumer advocate Sylvia Siegel, a fierce advocate who was tired of seeing her electric bills go up year after year, and realized all Californians were getting ripped off by a Public Utilities Commission that rubber-stamped rate hikes. She taught herself the complex laws and rules of utility rates and quickly learned how to use them to the benefit of the public, rather than corporate profits.
In the past 35 years, TURN has identified and exposed corporate waste and lack of oversight, and driven common sense public policy to protect all Californians. TURN has grown into an organization known and trusted nationally for our expertise in energy and telecommunications issues, and our commitment to renewable energy that is affordable for everyone.
Plug in to Support TURN
Member support allows TURN to advocate for affordable and dependable utility services, and to stand up for consumers across the state as an independent and unbiased voice. TURN's effectiveness is largely due to the fact that we are not beholden to any corporate or government funding sources.
TURN is the only independent statewide utility consumer advocacy organization in California. By becoming a member, renewing your membership or making a sustaining donation, you can be sure that TURN has the resources we need to continue to fight for lower bills and a livable planet.
Got Bills? Join TURN.
PolicyVoice:
PolicyVoice is a statewide project that works with community-based organizations, organizers, and leaders to build community power to keep energy, gas, and phone bills affordable in California.
[I edited in this PD article that was published just after our digest cutoff.
Congrats to all the citizen activists who work so hard to accomplish this! :waccosun:
Barry]
https://img194.imageshack.us/img194/...1206081330.png
Sebastopol City Council OKs SmartMeter ban :Clap:https://www.pressdemocrat.com/articl...p=all&tc=pgall
By GUY KOVNER
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
Published: Thursday, February 21, 2013 at 12:10 p.m.
Last Modified: Thursday, February 21, 2013 at 12:25 p.m.
The Sebastopol City Council voted unanimously Thursday morning to ban the installation of PG&E SmartMeters, effective immediately, with a $500 fine for violations.
“I’m glad to see democracy in action. It’s heartwarming,” said Alan Horn of Sebastopol, one of at least eight people who urged the council to halt installation of the controversial devices.
The council, citing the “potential risks to the health, safety and welfare of Sebastopol residents,” imposed a moratorium on the meters that have prompted a barrage of protest in the liberal-minded city.
Although it is technically a temporary moratorium, City Manager Larry McLaughlin said it would remain in effect until the council takes further action.
“It starts today and it will last indefinitely,” McLaughlin told the council and 14 people attending a special council meeting at City Hall.
Asked by Councilman John Eder what happens to residents who want SmartMeters removed from their homes, McLaughlin, who is also the city’s attorney, said the measure “cannot compel removal of meters already installed.”
PG&E has said there are 21,000 gas and electrical meters at homes and businesses in the Sebastopol area and it has upgraded 7,100 of them to SmartMeters.
A utility spokeswoman said 1,100 customers have opted out of the change.
Councilman Patrick Slayter voiced the only council reservation on the meter ban, saying that some people are neutral on the issue and others want a SmartMeter.
“That freedom of choice also needs to be protected,” he said.
“I would be fine having one installed,” John Henel of Sebastopol told the council. “I don’t need you to protect me from meters.”
“We weren’t afraid of second-hand smoke either,” resident Dave Hubert said, referring to the time before smoke’s impact on non-smokers was documented. “This is being done as a precautionary approach.”
The ordinance says that “significant health questions have been raised” over the electromagnetic frequency radiation emitted by the wireless meters, which eliminate the need for meter readers.
McLaughlin said the ordinance does not distinguish between people who do or do not want SmartMeters.
Slayter also expressed concern that the $500 fine could be assessed against a PG&E employee or contract worker who is “just doing his job.”
The council took no action on his proposal to set the fine no higher than $1.
The council also voted to send a letter to PG&E and a SmartMeter contractor advising them of the moratorium.
A PG&E spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the measure.