Public Power > Rexroad.com

This resolution was considered tonight by the Woodland City Council.

I'm told that Jeff Monroe and Bill Marble came out solidly against it. Davies and Pimentel were in favor of it. Flory had a middle position that was not in favor of the resolution but in favor of public power.

I wish I could have been there to see Monroe pull out the precinct maps from the elections. Classic. Elections is something I know quite a bit about yet I am always amazed to learn what elections mean from Jeff Monroe. The analysis is always different. Causation is an element that is never fully explored.

The people of Woodland voted against one particular way of providing public power. The does not mean all other avenues are closed.

I guess they are going to a subcommittee on the issue with Davies and Pimentel. Not sure what that will do.

Note: I admit that I can't stand PG&E partially based on my professional experiences with them. I supported SMUD annexation based on the idea of a well run organization providing service to the people of Woodland. SMUD is simply superior to PG&E.
RESOLUTION
OF THE CITY OF WOODLAND CITY COUNCIL’S
CONTINUING SUPPORT FOR PUBLIC POWER

WHEREAS, the residents, business and property owners that comprise Woodland’s fabric seek economical and reliable electrical power to ensure their continued livelihood; and

WHEREAS, public power consistently has proven it can provide electrical service at more competitive rates and generally at more responsive levels, and

WHEREAS, the Yolo County voters within the proposed SMUD annexation area, in fact, voted in favor of Measure H, the measure that asked should the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) annex into its service territory the Cities of West Sacramento, Davis and Woodland and the contiguous unincorporated area of Yolo County for the purpose of providing electric service; and

WHEREAS, the defeat of the SMUD annexation initiative in Sacramento only represented a the loss of one alternative to public power; and

WHEREAS, there remains an interest in the region, including areas outside of the SMUD annexation area, to keep on exploring public power alternatives.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the City Council of the City of Woodland supports the continued assessment of power alternatives that would lead to less expensive, more reliable and more earth-friendly electric power for the citizens, businesses and property owners of Woodland and throughout the Yolo County region.

Dated this Seventeenth Day of April, 2007

Comments

By Rich Rifkin @ Tuesday, April 17, 2007 11:04 PM

"I supported SMUD annexation based on the idea of a well run organization providing service to the people of Woodland. SMUD is simply superior to PG&E."

Other than people who have a financial interest in PG&E, I don't understand why anyone in Yolo County voted against SMUD. How stupid do you have to be to not prefer 20-30% lower electric rates? Every major business in Yolo County -- i.e., the big consumers of electricity -- favored the SMUD annexation.

While 99.9% of the time, I prefer private enterprise, this is clearly the 0.1% exception. An economics professor of mine had a great line about publicly regulated monopolies like PG&E: "they have nothing in common with competitive businesses. You can tell them apart because each executive in such companies has 2 secretaries -- one who can type."

Beyond the fact that PG&E is not a competitive company, forced to work for its customers' business and restrain its costs, SMUD has some legal advantages which make it better for its ratepayers. SMUD can buy power from Federal Water Project dams, which is the cheapest and cleanest electricity available anywhere, while stock companies like PG&E cannot.

Sadly, too many voters were too poorly informed or maybe too dumb to understand why voting against SMUD was a mistake.

By cirenio1 @ Saturday, April 21, 2007 10:44 AM

I do not think the the voters were to bumb but were not well informed. The PGE propaganda did its job. We have to try and try until there are more choices available to the rate payers. Competition does not hurt anyone and is needed in this area (energy/gas and electricity).

By Charlie in Japan @ Sunday, April 22, 2007 5:33 PM

Mr. Rifkin...We are not dumb. We just don’t agree with you and both PG&E & SMUD have a monopoly on their respective service areas. Some of us have been around long enough to know that for the better part of a century PG&E has been a very well run and reliable company and we also remember the lunacy of 'Ed Smelloff' and the politically correct yet poorly lead SMUD. The voters spoke...They (we) said no to SMUD…The voters were not and are not "stupid"! (in my humble opinion) Charlie-san

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