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news for Sonoma, Marin & Napa Counties

“Official Newspaper of Vernal Vigor�

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2>=BD<4A 0;4AC This PG&E-funded mailer, targeting Marin County households, warns of the dire consequences to consumers should the utility lose its North Bay monopoly.

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Orwell fans take note: PG&E’s war on public utilities goes to ballot as the ‘Right to Vote Act’ By Kylie Mendonca

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Trojan horse of an amendment is slated for California’s June 8 ballot. Proposition 16, the “Taxpayers Right to Vote Act,� as it’s been dubbed by its corporate sponsor, has a proud, democratic ring to it. But this initiative has nothing to do with any existing right to vote. In fact, many local politicians say Prop. 16’s sole purpose is to eliminate consumer choice and cripple local governments seeking alternative energy sources. The Taxpayers Right to Vote Act is really about energy and who owns the right to sell energy to the public. If it passes, opponents say, Californians would be tied to just a handful of energy companies, and their dominance in existing and new markets

would essentially be written into the state constitution. Though three investor-owned utility companies would benefit from this arrangement, so far there has been just one contributor to the Yes on 16 campaign. Since the beginning of this year, Pacific Gas and Electric Company—PG&E—has donated more than $25 million to the cause and pledged as much as $10 million more. A spokesman for PG&E declined to discuss the initiative, merely confirming that its board of directors had approved the expenditure. Former California energy commissioner and current co-chair of the American Council on Renewable Energy John Geesman has become one of the most vocal opponents of the initiative. He calls Prop. 16 a “tapeworm.� “There is no precedent for this,� Geesman says. “What you have is a single

utility company trying to write, into the constitution, a business advantage. I was surprised when I heard PG&E was circulating a petition for signatures. But I never thought it would go through.� California’s initiative process has been around since 1911, established as a powerful tool for the masses to wield against corporate bullying or political indifference. It was used sparingly until the last two decades when the number of new laws exploded. In part, this has to do with a change in politicking style. Now anyone with money who wants to get an initiative on the ballot can hire a small army to get signatures. California’s constitution has grown comically large, and many believe that the process has been hijacked. Prop. 16, which has also been called the “New Two-Thirds Vote &%

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THE BOHEMIAN

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03.31.10-04.06.10

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