Huge PG&E Bailout Derailed - Help Prevent Future PG&E Bailouts, Wildfires & Pollution
In late August 2019, several Democrats who are supposed to be our allies in the state legislature (see list below)
attempted to sneak through the bill AB 235, a monster 50 billion dollar
bailout of PG&E that would have made ratepayers cover the costs of
past wildfires caused by PG&E's criminal negligence.
In just three weeks, Californians for Energy Choice (a statewide clean
energy coalition co-founded and coordinated by Our City) helped join
together an uncommon alliance of environmental and consumer groups,
with PG&E debt holders and big agricultural electricity customers,
to fight AB 235. United together, these forces stopped the surprise bill in its tracks.
If PG&E were ever to be handed such a major bailout, its unsafe,
criminal, anti-consumer operation would be free to continue barreling forward as an unaccountable corporate behemoth.
With the defeat of AB 235, PG&E can now be held more accountable,
and can more easily be forced to operate more safely, and to pay for its
own mistakes.
But The Battle Is Not Over
PG&E has been allowed to continue to operate as a private
corporation, and will likely be responsible for future wildfires for
which it will seek similar bailouts. And PG&E remains a cynical
opponent of local community based clean energy programs that are
replacing its monopoly over our electricity supply, with publicly
managed renewable power.
*WHAT YOU CAN DO*
Contact your state legislators with the following message:
"Please vote NO on any further bailouts of PG&E, and
oppose any buy-outs of PG&E by private corporations or investors.
Instead, support legislation that will take over PG&E as a state
owned public utility, to be run by a Citizens Utility Board that is
elected by California voters."
To find your state legislators go to:
http://findyourrep.legislature.ca.gov
*AND* if your legislator is one of the following who pushed AB 235, read them
the riot act for acting in the interests of PG&E instead of the
people, and the environment.
Democrats Behind The Attempted Monster PG&E Bailout
California Attorney General Rob Bonta (916) 445-9555
Senator Steven Bradford (Gardena/Compton)
Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin (Oxnard/Camarillo)
Assemblymember Bill Quirk (Hayward)
Assemblymember Mike Gipson (Compton/Carson)
Assemblymember Adam Gray (Merced/Newman)
Co-Author:
Assemblymember Chad Mayes (Los Angeles - independent)
Victory For Now, Action Still Needed