Proposed Socialization of Electrical Power in California

County Supervisor Jim Desmond reported some good news and some bad news items in his State of the County message. One bad news item as reported in the Village News was, “SDG&E is starting a fixed rate bill in January 2025 when every electrical provider in the state will be allowed to charge a fixed rate fee based upon each customer’s income.”

It turns out that SDG&E’s proposal was in response to a certain unrelated 1,100 page bill in the state legislature upon which a rider was attached introducing this socialistic scheme. The bill with its rider was passed last year and signed by our governor. The California Public Utilities Commission has until July 2024 to respond. SDG&E appears to be anticipating its adoption.

Over 500 letters have been sent to the CPUC opposing this item, Document No. R2207005. You can read the letters and add yours if you wish by going to the following website: http://apps.cpuc.ca.gov/c/R2207005. Or you can write a letter to the commission members at: 505 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94102.

At the time of this writing it appears that the CPUC members assigned to this task are dutifully going about making rules to conform to this socialistic scheme just as they did when NEM 3 was proposed and passed weakening interest in investing in solar panels for one’s home.

CPUC members are appointed by our governor.

The following is my letter of opposition to California Public Utility Commission, 505 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94102.

Commission members,

Subject: SDG&E request to socialize electrical power.

Please cast your vote against the request to bring socialized electrical power to California by billing each customer based upon his or her income rather than upon the power used. It invites the invasion of each customer's privacy as electrical providers attempt to obtain income records for each customer.

There are already programs in place to help low income users of electricity.

Some of you members have invested in solar panels, as I have. Our investment brings the power of the sun to generate electrical power for our household and send power to the grid thus easing the use of fossil fuels for this purpose.

Investment in solar energy by individuals has been encouraged by California government but this proposal would accomplish the reverse.

If adopted it will discourage future investment in solar, if not kill further interest in solar.

There is an incentive to conserve the power we use under the current plan to bill the customer for the electrical power used.

This incentive to conserve would be lost if the request is approved.

Why conserve energy if the user's bill for electricity is the same whether more or less electrical energy is used? Instead it would encourage more use.

Brownouts and black outs would likely be the result of unrestrained use of electrical power across California.

This proposal to socialize electrical power doesn't make good sense. It doesn't stand to reason.

Please vote no.

James “Jim” Bowles