By Miriam Raftery

La Mesa leader in anti-smart meter movement says plan offers relief, but does not go far enough

April 19, 2012 (San Diego’s East County) – Ratepayers now have the right to have a smart meter removed from their homes—provided they pay a $75 removal fee and $10 a month  fee to read their meter (for low income users, the rate is $10/removal and $5/month). 

Consumers who do not yet have smart meters and are on a “delay” list will have to make clear anew that they wish to opt out, or smart meters may be installed.

Outraged? Scroll down to learn how to take action.

By Miriam Raftery

April 8, 2012 (San Diego) Updated April 10, 2012-- At the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) public meeting this week in San Diego, Administrative Law Judge Maribeth Bushey and CPUC Comissioner Timothy Simon heard from hundreds of area residents, including tearful testimony by numerous victims of the 2007 firestorms.  Some held twisted burned remnants of their lost homes. Others recalled friends who perished in the flames. 

But the most explosive testimony came from former City Attorney Mike Aguirre, who declared, “This decision is already made.”  He then leveled accusations that the two CPUC represenstatives present, Commissioner Timothy Simon and Administrative Law Judge Maribeth Bushey, are beholden to SDG&E and subverted the legal interests of fire victims and ratepayers.  

Supervisor warns of ‘purchased’ testimony from groups receiving SDG&E funding

SAN DIEGO— San Diego County Supervisor Dianne Jacob is set to ask state regulators to reject a proposal by SDG&E that would force ratepayers to shoulder the costs of the 2007 wildfires and future wildfires. The California Public Utilities Commission is holding public hearings on the matter tomorrow at the Al Bahr Shriners Memorial Auditorium, 5440 Kearny Mesa Road, at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m.

April 2, 2012 (San Diego) -- Today, in an effort to help enhance the region’s emergency preparedness, San Diego Gas & Electric unveiled its new mobile emergency command centers and new satellite communication systems in San Diego.

Fallen trees block roads in Pine Valley and Rancho San Diego

March 19, 2012 (San Diego’s East County) – A weather-related problem with a power pole has left 38 utility customers without power in the East Descanso, Green Valley Falls and Cuyamaca areas. 

Incident cost local restaurant money , highlights risk to ratepayers with medical needs

March 14, 2012 (La Mesa) – After ECM received a question from a reader about a power outage that began Friday night, March 2 and extended until Saturday morning, March 3, we contacted SDG&E.  SDG&E spokesperson Alison Zaragosa initially said that all  2800 customers left in the dark were notified via letters mailed February 14 of the planned outage to repair an underground cable.

But after La Mesa Patch ran a story about losses incurred by Riviera Steakhouse, whose owner said he was never informed of the outage, other community members came forward to say that they, too, did not receive notification.  So we called SDG&E again. 

“We did investigate and we did miss 200 to 300,” Zaragosa told ECM.

Partnership with Privacy Commissioner of Ontario, Canada, will bring Privacy by Design best practices to customer offerings

March 9, 2012 (San Diego) – San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) and the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario, Canada, has released a joint paper to document the incorporation of Privacy by Design into SDG&E’s smart grid initiative.  

According to an SDG&E press release, this partnership is the first of its kind in the United States, and emphasizes the “commitment of the company in designing, building and operating a secure, reliable and trustworthy smart grid that safeguards customer privacy” from the start.  

"As bad as SDG&E is with a watchdog, imagine it without a watchdog.” – Donna Tisdale

“…No evidence confirming such allegations was provided by those lodging allegations, nor discovered by any of the professionals retained by UCAN’s board.” – press release posted on UCAN website

"We're trying to save UCAN and they're dissolving it." -- Mike Aguirre, attorney

March 5, 2012 (San Diego’s East County) – To many ratepayers in East County, the Utility Consumers Action Network (UCAN) has been a valued ally in their battles against San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E). For example, UCAN filed a lawsuit that tried to halt Sunrise Powerlink and submitted a study that helped persuade the California Public Utilities Commission to reject a rate hike proposal.   

So UCAN’s announcement that it is dissolving amid an FBI investigation into its finances  and a Grand Jury summons has been met with shock, dismay and skepticism here in East County.

By Miriam Raftery

• Community meeting discussing Quail Brush Power Plant Feb. 28 (Santee Patch)
• Grossmont expands school enrollment choices for some (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• San Diego Gas & Electric wants you to pay for its negligence (San Diego Reader)
• Nature reclaims local cold war relic (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Hunter introduces bill to name Ramona Post Office after Mac McWilliams (Ramona Patch)
• Helix claims Hills League title with tiebreaking victory over Grossmont (La Mesa Patch)
• Veterans recover from war wounds on the farm (MSNBC)
• SDPD Oversight Board Faces Favoritism Accusations
   

• Prop 8 backers seek review of gay marriage case (Sacramento Bee)
• Jerry Brown:  California to reopen trade offices in China (Sacramento Bee)

By Miriam Raftery

February 17, 2012 (Lakeside) – A lineman for a PAR Electric subcontractor working on SDG&E’s Sunrise Powerlink suffered serious injuries yesterday in a fall in Lakeside’s El Monte Valley.

 2 other utilities have withdrawn requests to make ratepayers pay for wildfire damages

By Miriam Raftery