Smart Meters-what can we do in Forestville?

We have the same problem with the threat of impending Smart Meters being installed against our wishes here in Forestvillel. As we are an unincorporated area, I'm wondering where I address my concerns. From what I understand, PG&E is determined to place these in every household in Sonoma County starting this month. Incidentally, my girlfriend just bought a cottage in Petaluma, and they installed one of these before we knew anything about them. If anyone has any information about any upcoming Council meetings that has this issue on the agenda, please let me know.

The problem is PG&E is a monstrous corporation and will do as it pleases. The only thing it remotely seems to respect is private property rights and even then it stomps on owners' protestations.

This is an easy way for PG&E to monitor and control power use: it's computerized and centralized. I suspect the devices will also instantaneously detect power interruption (as in stealing or bridging/tapping into or copper wire theft). The more remote the location the more likely the devices will be installed. (The devices possibly work much like a ground fault interrupter in addition to digitalized power monitoring.)

Last weekend I experienced a never-before event: a neighborhood brown-out which lasted for minutes. It scared me, I didn't know what was happening. I eventually began hoping for simple power black-out, wondering what the low power situation was going to do to equipment, light fixtures, etc. Maybe I should just purchase a propane-powered generator and make my own electricity! Going solar invites interaction with the PG&E monster-grid.

Welcome to the next generation of Big Brotherism.

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Posted in reply to the post by broadbandersnatch:

PG&E is determined to place these in every household in Sonoma County starting this month.

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Since Forestville is an unincorporated municipality, our first level of elected government is the county supervisors.

While the Sups have shifted left in the last election, they're definitely not as liberal/green/alternative as the Sebasto council.

But that's who you have to take your concerns to.

Efren Carrillo is our rep.

Efren? Supervisor Carrillo? What's your take on "Smart" meters?

Here's Supervisor Carrillo's official website.

"Mad" Miles

:burngrnbounce:

I certainly do not trust them...& am aware of such devices capabilities for "other" uses without our permission.

They also likely give off emf & are probably not very good for us all in all...

I'm working on solar for all & better yet, powering things with crystals.

The lemurians power everything by crystals.

Staying hopeful & not fearing

Going to write to request that these can some how not get installed here in Sonoma county...but then there's people that already have them...

:angelsmilie:

I really don't understand what PG&E is thinking. :hmmm: Would the cost to change all the meters, install access points, etc. really be re-couped? Hmmm.

FYI in Arizona, Salt River Project (utility company) has a program called M-Power. You can pre-pay in $10 increments your electric bill at many retail and company locations. The credit is loaded onto a card which you take home and load into the power monitor. Instead of a credit check, massive deposits, massive monthly bills you can load the card as needed and/or can pay. The monitor tells you average daily and monthly usage in kW hours and in dollars and cents and alerts you when you have 3 days power left. This helps the customer budget for utility costs. The best part? Everyone has access to utilities! I know this is off topic a bit but I feel PG&E would be better down this road. Financially and in public opinion.

Doesn't matter...why? PG&E will just raise the rates. If it costs PG&E more to provide electricity to the masses, they will just charge more, company gets bigger and bigger, more revenue, more infrastructure; they love it.

The brown-out in my neighborhood one week ago makes me think perhaps the smart meters have already been installed; it could have been a low-power test.

The structure you described in Arizona sounds intelligent!

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Posted in reply to the post by justme:

"...I really don't understand what PG&E is thinking. :hmmm: Would the cost to change all the meters, install access points, etc. really be re-couped? ..."

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I am very happy to report our Sebastopol City Council drafted a letter to the CPUC last Tues. evening requesting deferment of smart meters and ability for customers to opt out until questions about accuracy, safety, security, interference, health and environmental effects are researched.

Send me your email address and I will send you the letter to view in it's entirety in an attachment.

Also Efren Carillo's office is planning a county wide community forum in April. They contacted out Jim Leddy to research the smart meters issue and meet w RF experts who will be invited to speak at the forum.

Visit www.emfsafety.network for
links to more information on smart meters and please sign petition EMF Safety Network PGE Smart Meter Review Petition. Anyone who visits Sonoma County can sign petition. We have well over 1000 signatures now between actual hard copy and online signatures.

Santa Rosa Board of Supes is meeting THIS Tues Feb 23rd at 4pm, and Cotati Council meets the following eve on Wed. if you would like make your voice heard re Smart Meters during the public comments time.

And if you want to help make a difference, the EMF Safety Network meets on Monday evenings at 7pm in Sebastopol. We can use all the help we can get, as we have a big job ahead of us. Please call Brigit at 823-1873 for directions.

Thanks, Melissa Weaver, EMF Safety Network

that's better news Melissa!

please send me this letter to [email protected]

i am also planning on attending some of these meetings! i was also thinking if these dreaded meters do eventually get installed, i would put my vibrational stones & other protections products on & around the meters to protect from emf. the vibesup.com products very powerful things for protection from emf =)

also, Arizona's nrg strategy is a good start, for now.

blessings,
jerica

Guerneville- I received a notice from PGE two weeks ago that they are..."excited to inform you that we'll soon be installing SmartMeter technology on electric meters in your neighborhood. PGE Smart Meter program will empower you to take greater control of your energy consumption, use less energy, and save money." ...you will be able to log on to My Account to see and track your hourly electric use. So can PGE. I do not want them in my computer or in my house. Will they tell us that our fridge is to old and using to much power- go and buy a new one or don't use so much electricity in your garage, etc? What was it about that big meeting for people to give their input when all was planned a long time ago and installations are on the way... these meetings are just a farce. These meetings seem to come always along long after everything is on the way and dune. What a joke. Guess its part of the New-World-Order-Technology... E

Today's Sunday Press Democrat had a short article reporting a bump in the road/a blip in the radar -- apparently NO meeting of the minds regarding agreement on which software to use. This means if wireless software is involved, it can be hacked. Theoretically anyone could then monitor, control, turn off your electricity.

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Posted in reply to the post by edie:

"...you will be able to log on to My Account to see and track your hourly electric use. So can PGE. I do not want them in my computer or in my house.... E

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YouTube - Stop the Insanity

:stoptheinsane:

On the EMF Safety Network website you can find new documents on Smart Meters.

• Smart Meter comments (billing, fires, interference) (These comments are from various articles online and give a real peek into consumer complaints)
• Link to Santa Cruz County online Smart Meter petition
• Sebastopol letter to CPUC
• EMF Safety Network Smart Meter Review Questions (sent to PGE)
• Template for a sign to place on your meters
• Updated Smart Meter hand outs
• "No Thanks PG&E" article by Sandi Maurer printed in the Bohemian

https://emfsafetynetwork.org/?page_id=872

Guerneville...PGE's flyer said: ... If you operate life support or other sensitive medical equipment in your home, please call us immediately at 1-866-743-0263. I called them. PGE told me there is no option out, the SmartMeter are being installed everywhere...E

A week ago on a Saturday, Feb. 13, 2010, my Forestville neighborhood had a brown-out. My 100 watt lights illuminated at only perhaps 25% capacity, appearing like 20 watt lights (incandescent). My newly-purchased front-loading washing machine was totally wigging out. My microwave similarly electronically-confused. This leads me to believe there was some sort of neighborhood-wide system test being conducted. No prior notification of any kind of give to me at all in any form.

No opting out? Sounds like lawsuit time.

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Posted in reply to the post by edie:

Guerneville...PGE's flyer said: ... If you operate life support or other sensitive medical equipment in your home, please call us immediately at 1-866-743-0263. I called them. PGE told me there is no option out, the SmartMeter are being installed everywhere...E

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So basically if I in understanding this correctly, we're fucked. Seems like this is a done deal. I've written my congressmen for what it's worth and local representatives. I have not received a response from any of them as yet. it appears as though this issue is not seen as particularly important.

It appears as if all we can do at best is to delay the installation of these devices. I spoke to someone at PG&E and they said that if you are at home when the installer arrives, you can send him/her away on three occasions. After that they will try to contact you by phone and letter, basically harrassing you into agreeing to the installation. If you hold out they will threaten to cut your service. From what I gather they mean business. There was a doctor down to Menlo Park who tried to opt out this way and succeeded for a while. He was concerned about how easy it might be to hack into people's personal information over the system, having had similar experience with medical records being hacked. At any rate, the article ended with an update that said he had finally buckled and was allowing PG$E to install the smart meter. All he did was to delay it for a few months.

Apparently they had a similar problem in Menlo Park as they did in Bakersfield with escalating bills. A Menlo woman on one forum posted six consecutive months of PG&E bills during which her bills went from $200 a month to about $1300 a month! Scary... I have always been proud of how low my energy bill is, even in winter. If my bill were to quadruple or worse I don't know what I would do.

One good thing might come out of this: perhaps solar will be seen as a more viable alternative as PG&E's energy prices spiral out of control. It would be a great thing to see this backfire for them if more and more people got on the solar bandwagon. I may be one of those people.

I am also concerned about the RF pollution. There are conflicting reports as to how these things send data but everyone seems to agree there will be RF involved in the process. I sit at the computer all day (I know -- EMF already,) and my electric meter is literally about 4 feet away from my desk outside the house.

It seems as though every day we have less control over our personal environment and less privacy. Indeed, the whole concept of privacy may be archaic, according to some callow modernists. On top of that it seems as though the corporate state is becoming the norm, as every day more and more life altering proclamations are made without our knowledge or input. I thought PG&E was a public utility. I thought the PUC was a watchdog to protect us. Guess I was wrong and both counts. Our system is becoming corrupt through and through. It gets to the point where you don't know where to go and who to talk to because they were all bought and sold long ago.

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Posted in reply to the post by 2Bwacco:

A week ago on a Saturday, Feb. 13, 2010, my Forestville neighborhood had a brown-out. My 100 watt lights illuminated at only perhaps 25% capacity, appearing like 20 watt lights (incandescent). My newly-purchased front-loading washing machine was totally wigging out. My microwave similarly electronically-confused. This leads me to believe there was some sort of neighborhood-wide system test being conducted. No prior notification of any kind of give to me at all in any form.

No opting out? Sounds like lawsuit time.

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i have printed out information & a personal letter for some of my neighbors & will be attending tonights EMF Safety Network meeting in seb town at 7pm & will be at tomorrows Board of Supes meeting in Santa Rosa at 4pm... i am also putting together a meeting of ALL of my neighbors - & there's a lot... hoping some of my neighbors might have some say in this...even many have multi-million dollar homes out here with locked gates & such... some of them are quite famous... would they have more power to do something about this? i dont know... i do know that if my wishes to opt out of the installation include not having power to prove a point & protect my rights, then i may be FORCED to do that...to go without power for awhile..

the NOT SO SMART BIG BROTHER METER is just the beginning people... this year & the following couple years to come - secrets are being uncovered... people & systems who try to CONTROL OTHERS & WHAT THEY DO & SAY & MISUSE THEIR POWER WILL BE DEPOWERED & BE SEEN FOR THE DARKWORKERS -WHO THEY TRULY ARE....corporations & unfair systems that just dont work will crumble & ARE crumbling... 2012 is the death of the 3rd dimension & ascension with mother earth into the higher dimensions such as the 4d & 5d... please have faith & help us lightworkers manifest & create better systems & heaven on earth.

peace, ONE love in crystalline light & sound,
lead with universal LOVE.
indigo crystal angel jerica lee, flying tiger

Indigo-crystal Angel Jerica Lee | Facebook
MySpace - I N D I G ? CRYSTAL ??G?L ?G?DDESS? ?Jerica Lee? - 27 - Female - ANGELIC REALM, WEST COAST, NORTHBAY, SF, THEWORLD, California - myspace.com/indigoangeljericalee
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKVR...layer_embedded

If you want to get on a short list of being a troublemaker the best way to start is by trying to stand up to this monstrous company! From all indications it appears to me that the only thing PG&E will heed is a LAWSUIT.

THIS PROMISES TO BE A BIG ONE!!!

Last night on CBS Channel 5 Anna Werner, investigative reporter, looked into this.

Bay Area PG&E Customers Complain Over Smart Meters - cbs5.com

One poor customer (who keeps his gas furnace thermostat at 62 degrees!!!!!) got a bill that jumped from ~$80 to ~$350!!! PG&E told him he was using "too much energy." When they finally came out and looked at the meter they discovered it was installed incorrectly.

Think of all the revenue PG&E is going to wrongfully collect by overcharging.

Who among us can afford to have their energy consumption bills TRIPLE?? This is absolutely scary!!

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Posted in reply to the post by broadbandersnatch:

"...It appears as if all we can do at best is to delay the installation of these devices. I spoke to someone at PG&E and they said that if you are at home when the installer arrives, you can send him/her away on three occasions. After that they will try to contact you by phone and letter, basically harrassing you into agreeing to the installation. If you hold out they will threaten to cut your service. From what I gather they mean business..."

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Thanks for that article- I sent it to my political causes e-mail group. I think that once more and more people watch their bills double (or more,) this thing will escalate into a major issue/scandal. It's like the Toyota thing- just keeps getting bigger and bigger.

I looked on the PG$E website and for Santa Rosa/Gurneville offices (our area) they have given an installation date that starts this month and continues through a completion date of February of 2011. So we may have some time out here in Forestville- hard to say though. Hopefully as more and more people raise their voices, attention will be called to this issue and installation of meters in our area will be delayed until an independent investigation is instituted regarding accuracy and safety of these devices.

By the way it is interesting to note that Mr. Tang, the spokesman for PG&E, stated the PG&E phone people were giving false information when they told customers the reason their bills increased dramatically after installation of the Smart Meters was due to the old meters inaccuracy as they were 'slowing down.' As the article states, he is blaming it on undisclosed rate increases. At the very least these people are guilty of not apprising their customers of a rate increase. And where is the PUC in all this? of rubber-stamping shill for the energy industry....

It peeves me that to add insult to injury, the public has to foot the bill for these wretched machines.

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Posted in reply to the post by 2Bwacco:

If you want to get on a short list of being a troublemaker the best way to start is by trying to stand up to this monstrous company! From all indications it appears to me that the only thing PG&E will heed is a LAWSUIT.

THIS PROMISES TO BE A BIG ONE!!!

Last night on CBS Channel 5 Anna Werner, investigative reporter, looked into this.

Bay Area PG&E Customers Complain Over Smart Meters - cbs5.com

One poor customer (who keeps his gas furnace thermostat at 62 degrees!!!!!) got a bill that jumped from ~$80 to ~$350!!! PG&E told him he was using "too much energy." When they finally came out and looked at the meter they discovered it was installed incorrectly.

Think of all the revenue PG&E is going to wrongfully collect by overcharging.

Who among us can afford to have their energy consumption bills TRIPLE?? This is absolutely scary!!

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Just discovered some interesting articles

10* Smart Grid: Smart Grid Fallout: Lessons to Learn from PG&E?s Smart Meter Lawsuit

The folks in central California are way ahead of us: they have already filed a class-action lawsuit.

Quote I love: ... the company is dysfunctional and shoots from the hip...

Couldn't have said it better myself!

Our office has been fielding many calls from people who are concerned about the implementation of SmartMeters by PG&E. Concerns ranging to accuracy of the meters to long range health effects of electro magnetic frequency (EMF) have been expressed.

PG&E has established a hotline for individuals concerned about this issue. Please call 1-866-743-0263 if you have questions, or to be added to a “last to install” list. Although the County has no ability to prevent installation, it is important for the public to have good information on the issue. A public forum is being planned to take place in late April, where we will bring in experts who will discuss the issue. We will work with all interested parties to ensure that concerns are heard and responded to in a responsible, informed process.

Dear Mr Carillo,

I do appreicate your taking the time to answer this thread. Still, it sounds as if when all is said and done, there is nothing we can do to opt out of thw installation of these smart meters. There is more than rumor floating around about the negative experiences customers have had with these things. Several bay area television stations have run stories on customers getting overcharged and being told out and out fabrications such as "your old meter was running slow," which even a PG&E exec has said was untrue. He admitted to only one case of a meter being installed incorrectly and grossly overcharging a customer but the fact is, 100s (if not 1000s) of customers have had the same experience. Who will look into this? Who will actually be there to protect the public? The PUC doesn't seem to be an effective public watchdog and to tel the truth, another meeting in April,while a step in the right direction, may just turn into another ad for PG&E, similar to the oneheld in Sebastopol. We need an actual investigation into allegations of these meters being inaccurate, not more rationalizations from PG&E. As for EMF and all the other stuff, all well and good to check this out as well. But the overcharging, something everone can understand, should be the primary focus of an investigation.

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Posted in reply to the post by efrencarrillo:

Our office has been fielding many calls from people who are concerned about the implementation of SmartMeters by PG&E. Concerns ranging to accuracy of the meters to long range health effects of electro magnetic frequency (EMF) have been expressed.

PG&E has established a hotline for individuals concerned about this issue. Please call 1-866-743-0263 if you have questions, or to be added to a “last to install” list. Although the County has no ability to prevent installation, it is important for the public to have good information on the issue. A public forum is being planned to take place in late April, where we will bring in experts who will discuss the issue. We will work with all interested parties to ensure that concerns are heard and responded to in a responsible, informed process.

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Hi Efren,

Thank you for responding to the communities concerns on this forum. It means alot to people to know you are listening.

The county CAN send a letter to the CPUC and to PG&E requesting a deferment or a moratorium while this issue is fully investigated. Please put this on the agenda ASAP!

We've heard that Wellington has returned the orders to PGE for the Sebastopol and Camp Meeker areas because of the letters they sent to the CPUC. (I am waiting for an official statement on this.)

How about a Never to Install list?

Thanks for all you do,

Sandi Maurer
EMF Safety Network

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Posted in reply to the post by efrencarrillo:

Our office has been fielding many calls from people who are concerned about the implementation of SmartMeters by PG&E. Concerns ranging to accuracy of the meters to long range health effects of electro magnetic frequency (EMF) have been expressed.

PG&E has established a hotline for individuals concerned about this issue. Please call 1-866-743-0263 if you have questions, or to be added to a “last to install” list. Although the County has no ability to prevent installation, it is important for the public to have good information on the issue. A public forum is being planned to take place in late April, where we will bring in experts who will discuss the issue. We will work with all interested parties to ensure that concerns are heard and responded to in a responsible, informed process.

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I just spoke with Matt A. at Wellington Energy and he stated clearly that the Smart Meter installation orders for Sebastopol and Camp Meeker are on hold for an indefinite period (rather than being returned to PG&E).


Melissa Weaver, EMF Safety Network
www.emfsafetynetwork.org (please sign Smart Meter petition on this web site if you haven't already)

So what about we people in West Santa Rosa and surrounding areas? I called Wellington and passed this info to you. I was told that after all the orders were done in my area, they'd report that I didn't want them on my property. I'll be surrounded anyways with little recourse. Efron needs to help stop this in his entire district (which I think I'm part of??)

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Posted in reply to the post by mweaver:

I just spoke with Matt A. at Wellington Energy and he stated clearly that the Smart Meter installation orders for Sebastopol and Camp Meeker are on hold for an indefinite period (rather than being returned to PG&E).


Melissa Weaver, EMF Safety Network
www.emfsafetynetwork.org (please sign Smart Meter petition on this web site if you haven't already)

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Does anyone know if PG&E are planning to do this in Occidental?

Can we remove these devices if they are installed?

I moved out here to get away from the EMF pollution in the city that was making me exhausted!! How do we stop installation in my area, I signed the Sebastopol petition you have up (since I work there).

I posted info relating to SmartMeters (tried to include it in this same category "General Community", but it was moved to WaccoReader).

PG&E has implemented this technology across California. Ratepayers around Bakersfield have brought a lawsuit against PG&E.

It seems to me wherever this technology is deployed, unhappy customers and subsequent lawsuits will follow.

Another waccobite/waccobian posted about house fires relating to the SmartMeter and the thread petered out as responders poo-poohed our concerns.

If you Google SmartMeter/smart meter etc. you should come across many citations relating to this.

Your second point regarding removal of the devices: most likely PG&E would come down on anyone - HARD - for tampering or removing the devices - a position they most likely take with all of their equipment. PLUS, working on an energized line such as your electrical meter is extremely dangerous and you could be seriously injured if not killed.

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Posted in reply to the post by Mardi Storm:

Does anyone know if PG&E are planning to do this in Occidental?...Can we remove these devices if they are installed?...

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Supervisor Efren Carillo sent this letter to the CPUC today. :thumbsup:

https://emfsafetynetwork.org/wp-cont...er-to-CPUC.pdf


Sandi Maurer
EMF Safety Network

No need to call the Supes re smart meters, Efren came through for us, YAY! instead, you can email your thanks and appreciation to https://supervisors.sonoma-county.org/contactus.aspx?sid=1001
ps. (I am deleting former post)..

read the brilliant letter from Efran that Sandi posted earlier today:

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Posted in reply to the post by Sasu:

Supervisor Efren Carillo sent this letter to the CPUC today. :thumbsup:

https://emfsafetynetwork.org/wp-cont...er-to-CPUC.pdf


Sandi Maurer
EMF Safety Network

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Great news! I will definitely be at the meeting in April. Already emailed Mr Carrillo to thank him.

Incidentally, I called the PG&E hotline to try to get on the Last to Install list but the PG&E employee who handled my call said there was no such list. According to Carrillo's office, only about 1 in 7 customers are successfully getting on that list.

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Posted in reply to the post by mweaver:

No need to call the Supes re smart meters, Efren came through for us, YAY! instead, you can email your thanks and appreciation to https://supervisors.sonoma-county.org/contactus.aspx?sid=1001
ps. (I am deleting former post)..

read the brilliant letter from Efran that Sandi posted earlier today:

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The County of Sonoma is hosting a public forum on Smart Meters.

Wednesday, April 21st; 5:30-7:30pm; Sebastopol Veteran's Memorial Building, 282 High St., Sebastopol, CA, 95472.

A panel discussion will take place with representatives from PG&E; CPUC; TURN; and a health authority (Layna Berman and Jeffry Fawcett), followed by questions and answers.

Please email or remind your friends to please show up so we can let PG&E and the CPUC see and hear from hundreds of citizens who are deeply concerned about health, security, accuracy, interference and fire risks from RF Smart Meters.

Thanks Melissa-I'll be there and try to bring some friedns.

Brian