‘Smart’ Meters, Forced Wireless Phones and Pulsed Microwave Emitters Everywhere!

by Mary Beth Brangan

We have three huge new emerging sources of pulsed microwave emissions:

1) The telecom industry push to install millions more microwave emitting antennas and to completely remove any antenna regulation at National, state and local levels.  Here in California it’s written in SB 649 that’s already passed by the Senate and looking like it’s going to sail through the Assembly. (as of June 26.)

2) AT&T is in the process of eliminating landlines, forcing wireless phones for those in its territories.

3) Utilities installing ‘smart’ meters on homes and businesses, schools and stores that pulse microwaves thousands of times per day non-stop.

The timelines for these three are slightly different, but all will combine in the next few years – unless we stop them.

1. The Problem: Telecoms are De-regulating Themselves

The wireless industry wants full control of the process of placing millions more cell antennas for transmitting microwaves for 4G and 5G products.  They feel the local city and county discretion of cell tower placement and legal compliance is too onerous since there will be so many.  Voila!  Write legislation that removes local jurisdiction. So the Telecoms wrote boiler plate legislation co-authored through ALEC as well as enlisting help from Trump.  These bills have been introduced into a few states so far.  Ohio passed their bill but then 80 Ohio cities sued the state over its removal of their local authority.

California’s bill is SB 649 which is designed to allow 4G/5G equipment – very powerful two-way microwave-transmitters to be placed on virtually every utility pole, light pole even non pole structures in the public rights-of-way in both commercial and residential zones.  The bill will also allow ‘associated equipment’ power supply cabinets right on the sidewalk as large as 35 cubic feet next to each pole or non-pole mounted microwave transmitter.  5G would deploy multiple centimeter and millimeter microwaves and RF/MW radiation that has been heavily tested by scientists.  Much of it is now declassified military research in the public domain.

Certain sized 5G waves (from 28 GHz to 90 GHz) do not penetrate buildings or human tissue as deeply as 4G microwaves – they concentrate their energy on the outer surfaces of buildings or living organisms (skin, eyes, ears.)  These smaller 5G waves don’t travel as far as 4G waves and thus require closely spaced cell towers.

Nearly 150 cities and counties in California oppose SB 649 as well as the League of California Cities; we sincerely hope California’s League of Cities will also sue if the legislation passes.

 

Electro-Magnetic Denialism

Legislators and Telecoms continue to assume no biological effects exist from pulsing microwaves and continue to ignore the following facts.

SB 649 ignores the California Constitution. The California Constitution declares safety an inalienable right, yet SB 649 mandates compulsory microwave exposure for the public – for men, for women, for children, for pregnant women, for infants, for the elderly, for the infirm and disabled, for those already disabled by electromagnetic sensitivities (EMS) caused by overexposure. (We know many of these unfortunate people.) It is rolling out a new level of microwave-emitting infrastructure without informed consent, increasing public exposure dramatically.

Disability due to electromagnetic sensitivity (EMS) was recognized by the U.S. Access Board in 2002. SB 649 ignores this. SB 649 also ignores a 1998 survey by the California Department of Health Services finding 3.2% of respondents were very sensitive or allergic to EMF. That was over 1 million Californians in 1998 when RF exposure levels were much lower. There is no current prevalence data for EMS in California.

Already existing pulsed microwave emission exposures to the public are sickening growing numbers daily. That number is surely much greater now in 2017 with the ongoing explosion of microwave transmitters and emissions from devices like ‘smart’ meters, ’smart’ phones, wi-fi, baby monitors, I-pads and tablets, geoengineering, weather modification, electronic surveillance and directed energy weaponry.

This is happening despite a mass of well documented and peer-reviewed research on the serious public health and safety concerns from increasing and widespread electromagnetic pollution. Risks include: lack of safety and privacy; growing numbers of digital dementia, sickened, disabled people, plants and wildlife caused by RF/EMF.

California Fire Fighters realize the severe health risks from these pulsed microwave emitters and have negotiated a deal to prevent them from being placed on Fire Houses.  We want our essential Fire Fighters to be protected, yet we all deserve protection.  The Fire Fighters asked for and received an exemption based on negative health effects from RF/MW radiation exposures.  The basis for this is the 2004 brain study of California Fire Fighters which showed brain abnormalities, cognitive impairment, delayed reaction time and lack of impulse control in all firefighters tested.

In California, SB 649 has already been passed by the state Senate and is being rushed through the Assembly. Amendments June 20 have changed this from a seriously dangerous bill to a horrific one.

SB 649 amendments would open the right of way to macro cell towers, as well as “small cells” on utility poles, without regulation, and the bill preempts regulation of broadband over powerline.

 

Although SB649 proponents claim a huge financial bonanza from additional microwave emitting antenna deployment, there is no objective evidence to support this claim. The cell phone industry is a mature industry: everyone who wants a cell phone already has one.  Driverless cars and the Internet of Things are some of the new uses being visioned by industry.  The frequencies used by 5G are also used by the Dept. of Defense crowd control weapon, ‘Active Denial’ that works by inflicting unbearable pain, as if your body is on fire.

Millions more cell towers would be along every street, every 4 to 10 homes at second story levels and lower. Multiple antennas could be placed on each pole, with emissions that can reach 5 miles. Yet, current recommendations are for at least 1,500 foot set-backs from people, homes, medical facilities, fire and police facilities, elder care facilities, schools and wilderness areas from a single antenna 200 ft. high.  However, with SB 649, microwave exposures may be as close as 12 to 15 ft. and possibly from multiple antennas.

Several studies from around the world show people within the first 500 ft. of a microwave emitting antenna have much higher adverse health effects, including cancer.  Once again, children, pregnant women, the ill, the elderly and those already injured by overexposure are most vulnerable.  There will be no where to escape from these microwave emissions.

What you can do:    Contact your Assembly Members URGENTLY to oppose SB 649. Contact info: http://alcl.assembly.ca.gov/membersstaff & http://acom.assembly.ca.gov/membersstaff.  It would also be very helpful to urge opposition to be expressed from any major organizations you may be members of, or fund.

If letters in opposition to SB 649 are sent before 1:30 pm JUNE 28, they should be sent to:

Assembly Member Cecilia M. Aguiar-Curry,
Chair of the Local Government Committee
1020 N Street, Room 157
Sacramento, California 95814

RE: SB 649 Wireless and Small Cell Telecommunications Facilities (amended 6/20/2017)
Strongly Oppose

MUST be emailed  to Angela.mapp@asm.ca.gov, dixie.petty@asm.ca.gov, Nidia Bautista <nidia.bautista@sen.ca.gov>

Here’s our joint letter of opposition from EON and EMFSafetyNetwork PDF

2)  The Problem: In areas that were strenuously opposing, ‘Smart’ meters are again being forced onto homes. 

PG&E is again forcing homeowners to allow installation of harmful ‘smart’ meters on homes in West Marin, Fairfax and other areas that previously had moratoriums against it.  These electronic meters pulse microwave radiation that travels 2 miles and emits thousands of times per day, non-stop, 24/7, 365 days per year.  Because a neighbor’s meter emissions can penetrate adjacent homes, EON, along with others, argued for Community-wide opt out in a special proceeding at the California Public Utilities Commission.  The corrupt Commission, however, merely pretended that was not part of the discussion and ruled against us, though it was clearly defined in the initial proceeding scope.

What you can do: Unfortunately, all we can do now is to ‘opt out’ though we never opted in to such a dangerous scheme in the first place.  You must contact PG&E to refuse the ‘smart’ meter, or AMI, or any electronic meter (they call them different names) and pay the fees that we consider extortion because you will be paying to not have a harmful meter on your own home.  Various legal challenges have been made over the past years, but the courts always refer the challenges back to the CPUC.  You must pay the $75 up front charge and agree to pay $10 extra per month for three years.  If you change addresses or names on your electric bill, the whole process starts over, according to PG&E rules.  Customers enrolled in the CPUC’s low income program (California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE)) electing to opt-out will be assessed an initial fee of $10 and a monthly charge of $5. 

If you can get your neighbors to agree to opt out too, it will be more protective against the harmful pulsed microwaves that transfer into your house wiring and cause pulsing out from between 3 and 8 feet out from the wires in your walls.

3) The Problem: AT&T wants to stop servicing their copper wires and eliminate their landline service.

Many AT&T customers depend on landlines for service; small businesses, the elderly, the hard of hearing, the poor.  Landlines are essential in situations when the electrical power is down for any length of time, since they still operate when cell and smart phones do not.  Tellingly, after a recent natural disaster, Florida’s governor pleaded with people to preserve their landlines. Landlines are essential for emergency calls, since your location isn’t transmitted automatically when calling 911 on a cell phone.

19 states voted to allow AT&T to discontinue landlines.  California did not; in 2016 state legislators voted against AT&T dropping this legacy service.  Too many people rely on it, despite widespread use of cell phones.  Yet AT&T is beginning their process anyway which is slated to be finished by 2020.

This last May, 2017, AT&T customers across the country, including California, found an Amendment to their Service Agreement insert in their bills warning that if AT&T wanted to install electrical equipment on their premises, they must allow them as well as agreeing to both pay the extra for the equipment and pay for the electricity to operate it.  If you did not agree to this, AT&T warned, your telephone service may be disconnected.  The deadline AT&T gave was July 1, 2017.  Many people didn’t recognize the small insert as anything other than advertising and didn’t even read it.  This is an attempt by AT&T to abandon reliable copper landlines and a ‘forced migration’ to AT&T’s digital U-verse service, forcing an Opt-in by default. (According to one AT&T service rep.)

What you can do: 
1.) Call AT&T, 800-288-2020. ask for a center manager, let them know you object to the loss of your landline. You must contact and complain to AT&T before filing a complaint with the CPUC.

2.) File an official complaint with the CPUC, https://appsssl.cpuc.ca.gov/cpucapplication/, get a file number for that complaint if you do it online, or ask for a confirmation number if you complain by phone. 3.) Do not allow AT&T to install any new equipment on your property without full disclosure of what it is, what it does, and how it differs from your current service. 4.) Mark any payments to AT&T paid under protest.  You could also say ‘no forced migration’ and ‘keep my landline.’

Tell the CPUC’s complaint department:  Customers are being threatened and misinformed by the rogue activity of AT&T. Customers should be told exactly what equipment is involved, what is planned, what their options are, a resource for getting help or information, and what portions of what contractual relationships or agreements AT&T is using to justify their actions. Please, CAB, take action against these errors. The CPUC should fine AT&T make them issue corrective Notices and apologies. Please, respond to me and give me a file number for this complaint. (this info is for an informal complaint) Thank you.

You can also file a formal CPUC complaint.  But the BEST method is to appear before the formal agenda begins at the regular CPUC business meetings and speak your mind.  That’s the only sure way to be heard in this system.

If you want to keep your landline, NOW is the time to fight to save it. Pass this information on to others as it is being done surreptitiously.

You can download a pdf of the EON PowerPoint presentation on these issues for sharing in your community.

_______________________________________

From Friends in Illinois:

Who will pay the price for AT&Ts aggressive push to end traditional landline service?
Seniors
Businesses
Working Families
People with health issues
Disabled and blind
Residents of rural areas
Individuals who want a choice
Loss of reliable 911 emergency services

Why is the loss of traditional, reliable landlines a travesty to all residents and businesses? 911 emergency services will not work during a power outage. This is critical for everyone concerned. All phone service available, including AT&T U-verse, requires electricity to operate the equipment. Even cell phones need to be charged, which is not possible during extended power outages.

Before the last hurricane in Florida, the Governor was repeating on TV and radio announcements, “Get a landline! Keep and maintain a landline.”

During Hurricane Sandy the only residents that could stay in touch with others were the ones who could use landlines. All communication devices dependent on electricity were useless. Cell phones could not be charged and computer-based phone lines dependent on a cable modem, would not work without electricity.

Illinois may not get hurricanes, but the state has had its share of floods, tornadoes, and severe thunderstorms that caused power outages.

AARP says,

“Recent wireless 911 outages show that telecommunications companies have yet to offer a viable alternative for a significant number of customers. In March, for example, a wireless 911 outage hit AT&T wireless customers in 14 states for about five hours, forcing police departments to urge people to call alternative numbers in an emergency.”

AT&T motive for dismantling copper-wired landlines
AT&Ts reason for aggressively pushing legislation through the General Assembly is to release the corporation from the responsibility for maintaining copper-wired phone lines. AT&Ts agenda: Move customers to computer-based (VoIP) phone services. For the consumer this means using a high speed Internet connection through a cable modem which runs on electricity.

Citizens Utility Board says,

“AT&T, which made $13 billion in profits in 2016, wants the power to end traditional phone service and force customers to use computer-based or wireless substitutes. That could subject those customers to higher bills and unreliable service.”

“AT&T claims that its 1.2 million business and residential landline customers have viable alternatives to traditional servic . . . for many people — including seniors, low-income families and rural residents — home phone service is the most reliable, affordable lifeline to vital services such as 911, home security systems and medical monitoring devices.”

No reliable alternatives to landline phone services
A U. S. Senator leading the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation (which has jurisdiction over the FCC) writes to a constituent:

“For decades, Americans have counted on the nation’s landline communications network and its reliability. Even in a time of great change in our communications networks, I agree that landline voice service is an important service. In fact, many people do not realize that wireless communications networks themselves rely upon the availability of landline communications networks to function effectively. It is critical that consumers are protected during this technological change and that new networks provide the same level of reliability as our legacy landline infrastructure.”

AT&T’s alternative, computer-based VoIP, does not provide the same level of reliability. U-verse is NOT a viable alternative.

Professionals and businesses that require secure phone service count on landlines. Law firms, real estate offices, medical facilities, government offices, and financial institutions use landlines because they are cyber-secure and not connected to the Internet. During a power outage, these businesses have to continue providing consumers with vital services. For cyber-secure, uninterrupted phone service, landlines are the only viable option.

Warnings from AARP:
Forcing people onto alternatives, such as wireless or computer-based phone service, could subject them to higher bills, lack of service in extended power outages, spotty reception and dropped calls.

Landline telephone service allows residents to have reliable access to emergency services; it helps low-income families to connect with job opportunities; it helps small businesses to stay in business and connect with new opportunities and customers; and it allows older residents and residents in rural areas to stay connected to family, friends, and neighbors, as well as vital services. Furthermore, [landline telephone service] saves callers millions of dollars by having access to affordable calling plans.

“Those who depend on home phone service shouldn’t have that choice stripped away.”

 

Help Stop a Telecom Coup Attempt
Cities throughout California are joining others across the country in opposing a fast-tracked mass build-out of radio-toxic ‘small cell’ 5G millimeter wave antennas being pushed by the telecommunications industry and its captive regulatory agency, the Federal Communication Commission.

Encourage your city or county to join the fight. Here’s why and how.

Antennas at every 4th to 12th House – various sized bases up to refrigerator-size on every block?
The Telecom industry says “Get out of our way!”
Across the country, city governments are saying, “NO”

WE INTERUPT THIS BLOG…

… to bring you this urgent message from Ellie Marks, indefatigable activist and founder of the California Brain Tumor Association:

Tell California State Senators “NO” on SB 649

SB649 will streamline placement of ​5G ​small cell Distributed Antenna System​s​ (DAS) on electric and light poles in front of businesses and residences. This bill eliminates local control and jurisdiction ​in regard to small cell distributed antenna systems (DAS) ​placement ​throughout the state of California. SB.649: Wireless Telecommunications Bill Read more at Oppose CA

California Bill SB 649 is at the Governance and Finance Committee right now.

Please write and/or call the senators and tell them to vote ’NO’ to CA Bill SB 649.
In addition , please write on their twitter account.
Your comments will be perpetually in cyberspace and everyone will see it.

We need many people to show up at the hearing on April 26, 9:30am, Room 112 at the Sacramento Capitol.
We will meet at Starbucks at 8:30 am on 4/26/17: 1123 12th St/L St., Sacramento, CA 95814

I am going to Sacramento for this on April 26. If anyone wants a ride please let me know- or perhaps we can all take the train together. This is a major power play by industry to put 5G wherever they want it and they are the only ones that truly benefit from this. We must stop this bill.

Please distribute this to your mailing lists. If people do not reside in CA they can still write to the legislative directors and/or the Senators on the committee.

PLEASE WRITE TO THEM NOW and ask them to vote NO ON SB 649- DO NOT WAIT FOR THESE MILLIMETER MICROWAVE ANTENNAS TO BE OUTSIDE YOUR HOMES.

Legislative directors emails:

Senator McGuire- Annabel.snider@sen.ca.gov
Senator Beall- lynne.andres@sen.ca.gov
Senator Nguyen- Elizabeth.watson@sen.ca.gov
Senator Lara- megan.baier@sen.ca.gov
Senator Hernandez- alex.norring@sen.ca.gov
Senator Hertzberg- Michael.bedard@sen.ca.gov
Senator Moorlach- Catherine.bird@sen.ca.gov

The senators emails are in this format- senator.mcquire@senate.ca.gov

Excellent points are included below. Basically 5G will need antennas and boxes every 4-5 homes and will be in the public right of ways- they will even have fake mailboxes with 5G equipment on them. This is very powerful microwave radiation and we do not want it outside our homes and offices. Russia has banned it and replaced it with fiber optics.

The California League of Cities is opposed to SB 649 but it passed unanimously through the first committee.

See Phone Numbers Below.

SenatorMike McGuire (Chair) – 2nd Senate Dist — North Coast/North Bay,
State Capitol Rm. 5061, email: senator.mcguire@senate.ca.gov, Phone: 916-651-4002

SenatorJanet Nguyen (Vice Chair): 34th Senate Dist — NW Orange County,
State Capitol Rm. 3048, email via website portal, Phone: (916) 651-4034

SenatorJim Beall:15th Senate Dist — Including cities of San Jose, Campbell, Cupertino,
State Capitol Rm. 2082, email via website portal Phone: (916) 651-4015

SenatorEd Hernandez: 22nd Senate Dist — San Gabriel Valley communities
State Capitol Rm. 2080, email via website portal, Phone: (916) 651-4022

SenatorRobert M. Hertzberg: 18th Senate Dist — San Fernando Valley
State Capitol Rm. 4038, email via website portal, Phone: (916) 651-4018

SenatorRicardo Lara: 33rd Senate Dist — LA & LA County-various cities
State Capitol Rm. 5050, email via website portal, Phone: (916) 651-4033

SenatorJohn M. W. Moorlach: 37th Senate Dist – Much of Orange County
State Capitol Rm. 2048, email via website portal, Phone: (916) 651-4037

Points to help you draft letters, make calls and/or give testimony at the hearing, provided are some sound bites for you to give to the Governance & Finance Committee:

• Taking away property rights will result in lowered property value
• Lowered property value will then lead to lowered property tax revenues
• US NTP $25 million dollar study proved RF emissions from ​2G causes DNA breaks, cancers of the brain and heart.
• Over 220 international scientists have sent an appeal to the WHO that RF emissions are already out of control, and this statement was made two years ago.
• Increase in health care costs due to growing health problems amongst the population
• Lowered productivity at work due to negative health impacts from the increased wireless radiation exposures
• Lloyd’s of London and Swiss Re, two major insurance companies of the world, will not cover medical expenses incurred due to exposure to electromagnetic radio frequency radiation (EMR) (i.e. cellphones, wifi, cell tower, antennas, DAS, IoT devices, smart meters, etc.)
• Environmental devastation from loss of oxygen producing foliage due to damage of trees and vegetation from EMR exposures
• Environmental devastation from astronomical increases of approximately 124,416 lbs. of CO2 per city every day, or 1.6 trillion lbs. of carbon per year nationwide emissions from powering up the 5G DAS infrastructure 24/7 (and this does not include the carbon footprint created from all the other IoT network and clouds)
• Fiber optics is the best and only solution. They are energy efficient, less vulnerable to shut down due to EMP or hacking, and do not create hazardous RF emissions that cause damage to health and the environment
• Russia has denied 5G rollout in their country. Instead, they are utilizing fiber optic cables to deliver the internet to every private resident.

If you have any question please email Mark at mark.graham@scientists4wiredtech.com

WE RETURN YOU NOW TO OUR SCHEDULED PROGRAMMING…

A Threat to Us All
For the growing numbers of electro-sensitive people in our population, adding the 5G antenna network to the current electro-magnetic soup in which we already live would intensify it into a living nightmare. For the rest of us, it would speed our joining their ranks. The 5G antenna rollout would combine all other frequencies currently being used for wireless devices (3G, 4G) plus unlimited bandwidth for the Telecom vision of wirelessly connecting everything such as the Internet of Things (IoT) and driverless cars. Despite industry and government denials and cover-up attempts,independent research data shows conclusively that man-made radiation, much stronger than natural background radiation, disrupts human beings and other living creatures, since we are electro-chemical beings exquisitely tuned to the natural environment.

The attached pictures show the true size of the base of some of these so-called ‘small’ cells. Placed every four to twelve houses and in rural areas, even more frequently, these antennas represent a huge intrusion into our common space. There would be no escape, not even in our homes, not even in rural areas. All living things would be effected.

80 Ohio cities filed suit against Ohio because of the passage of Senate Bill 331 that, as one Mayor put it, “… effectively prohibits cities from regulating the placement of wireless facilities in our communities. This will impact the streetscapes of our communities and reduce area property values.”

But danger to local democratic choice and property values pales in relation to the dangers to public health and safety posed by these boiler plate bills that are being pushed in various versions state-by-state by the telecom industry. The California clone bill now before the legislature is SB 649.

In California the growing municipal push-back already includes the City of San Francisco, the California League of Cities and the Marin County Council of Mayors and Council members and Santa Cruz County (as of April 12.)

OPPOSITION: (as of April 4, 2017)
American Planning Association
CA Chapter of the American Planning Association
California State Association of Counties
City of Buena Park
City of Chino Hills
City of Citrus Heights
City of Cloverdale
City of Dublin
City of Hayward
City of Indian Wells
City of Lafayette
City of Laguna Beach Mayor
City of Lakeport
City of Lodi
City of Murrieta
City of National City
City of Nevada City
City of Norwalk
City of Point Arena
City of Roseville
City of Santa Clara
City of Santee
City of Thousand Oaks
City of Vista
EMF Safety Network
Ecological Options Network
League of California Cities
Marin County Council of Mayors and
Councilmembers
Northern California Power Agency
Protect our Local Streets Coalition
Rural County Representatives of California
Scientists for Wired Technology
Town of Danville
Town of Hillsborough
Urban Counties of California
An Individual

Why Resist?
Ecological Options Network opposes this bill because it would fast track wireless radiation antenna deployments in our neighborhoods and communities, remove all regulations protecting public and environmental rights, thwart public participation and expose us and all lifeforms to exponentially increased harmful radiation.

The telecommunication industry, like the tobacco industry, still denies the scientifically established effects of their product. That the Dept. of Defense uses the same frequency as 5G in their crowd control weapon belies that denial. The ‘Active Denial’ weapon directs a beam of 5G – like millimeter waves that cause unbearably intense burning pain.

5G millimeter wave technology is scientifically shown to affect humans, penetrating the skin and affecting all biological systems.

(Thanks to Nina Beety)
Microwave radiation is a Class 2B – possible — carcinogen according to the World Health Organization IARC, but last year the NIH National Toxicology Program found cellphone radiation caused cancer. The NTP released final peer-reviewed results that 1 in 12 male rats – 8.5% — developed malignant brain tumors, malignant heart tumors, or precancerous lesions when exposed to wireless radiation for only two years, 9 hours per day. Ken Foster of the industry association Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) said he

“wouldn’t be surprised if California adds RF radiation to its Proposition 65 list of carcinogenic chemicals, and if the IARC ups its classification rating from 2B: possibly carcinogenic to humans to 2A: probably carcinogenic to humans.”

Ron Melnick. now retired who led the NTP study’s design team, said,

“The NTP tested the hypothesis that cell phone radiation could not cause health effects and that hypothesis has now been disproved.”

Then, in March,
ABC 7: CA HEALTH DEPT. RELEASES REPORT SAYING CELLPHONE USE MAY CAUSE CANCER
Now a new report says that the state of California may have kept information about the cancer risk secret. This is significant because it comes from a government agency and it mentions radiation and its harmful effects. It also mentioned that children are more susceptible to the effects of radiation.

A lawsuit by a director of UC Berkeley’s School of Public Health forced the release of this public advisory.

Research has previously found cancer clusters around cell towers, up to ¼ mile away. Wireless radiation is associated with breaches in the blood-brain barrier, DNA damage, changes in the blood, heart rhythm disturbances, neurological, cognitive function, and immune impacts, cancers and tumors, migraines, and insomnia.

The League of California Cities opposes SB-649. They describe it stating, “This proposal unnecessarily and unconstitutionally strips local authority over public property and shuts out public input and local discretion by eliminating consideration of the aesthetic and environmental impacts of “small cells.”

How to Oppose this bill (thanks to Lena Pu and Nina Beety)

California Bill SB 649 is at the Governance and Finance Committee right now. Please write or call the senators and tell them to vote ’NO’ to CA Bill SB 649. In addition to writing and/or calling, please write on their twitter account; your comments will be perpetually in cyberspace and everyone will see it. And we need as many people to show up at the hearing on April 26, 9:30am, Room 112 at the Sacramento Capitol.

Anton Favorini-Csorba is the consultant writing the legislative analysis of SB 649 for the Senate Governance and Finance Committee. Written opposition is due as soon as possible so that he can include the names of groups and entities opposing SB 649 in the analysis; absolute deadline is next Wednesday, April 19. If you have arguments you want considered in the analysis, send him the info asap.

You can also send it to https://calegislation.lc.ca.gov/Advocates/ You have to create an account first.

A copy should also be sent to the author of the bill as a “courtesy” — in this case, Sen. Hueso.

Senator Mike McGuire (Chair) 2nd Senate Dist — North Coast/North Bay, State Capitol Rm. 5061, email: senator.mcguire@senate.ca.gov, Phone: 916-651-4002
Senator Janet Nguyen (Vice Chair) 34th Senate Dist — NW Orange County, State Capitol Rm. 3048, email via website portal, Phone: (916) 651-4034
Senator Jim Beall 15th Senate Dist — Including cities of San Jose, Campbell, Cupertino, State Capitol Rm. 2082, email via website portal, Phone: (916) 651-4015
Senator Ed Hernandez 22nd Senate Dist — San Gabriel Valley communities, State Capitol Rm. 2080, email via website portal,Phone: (916) 651-4022
Senator Robert M. Hertzberg 18th Senate Dist — San Fernando Valley, State Capitol Rm. 4038, email via website portal, Phone: (916) 651-4018
Senator Ricardo Lara 33rd Senate Dist — LA & LA County-various cities, State Capitol Rm. 5050, email via website portal, Phone: (916) 651-4033
Senator John M. W. Moorlach 37th Senate Dist — Much of Orange County, State Capitol Rm. 2048, email via website portal, Phone: (916) 651-4037

Send your comments also to your State Senator which you can find here: Type in your address and city. https://findyourrep.legislature.ca.gov/

To help with your letters, calls and/or public comments, here are some sound bites relating to the Governance & Finance Committee.:

– Taking away property rights will result in lowered property value
– Lowered property value will then lead to lowered property tax revenues
– Increase in health care costs due to growing health problems amongst the population
– Lowered productivity at work due to negative health impacts from the increased wireless radiation exposures
– Lloyd’s of London and Swiss Re, two major insurance companies of the world, will not cover medical expenses incurred due to exposure to electromagnetic radio frequency radiation (EMR) (i.e. cellphones, wifi, cell tower, antennas, DAS, IoT devices, smart meters, etc.)
– Environmental devastation from loss of oxygen producing foliage due to damage of trees and vegetation from EMR exposures
– Environmental devastation from astronomical increases of approximately 124,416 lbs. of CO2 per each city with populations over 35,000 every day, or 1.6 trillion lbs. of carbon per year nationwide emissions from powering up the 5G infrastructure 24/7 (and this does not include the carbon footprint created from all the other Internet of Things (IoT) network and the storage clouds.)
– Fiber optics is the best and only solution. Fiber Optics are energy efficient, not prone to hacking, and do not create hazardous EMR emissions that causes damage to health and the environment

Also Tell City of Sacramento ‘No’ to 5G pilot program:

Please send letters of opposition to the proposed rollout of 5G pilot program in the City of Sacramento by writing to:
1 Darrell Steinberg Mayor, City of Sacramento
2 Maria MacGunigal Chief Information Officer, City of Sacramento
3 Head of Planning Department, City of Sacramento
4 Joyce Terhaar is Executive editor and Senior Vice President, Sacramento Bee

Thank you so much for your care and involvement! We need to band together and not let our homes, city, state and country be bullied into relinquishing our constitutional rights to health and safety and well being!

EMF Safety Network and Ecological Options Network sent this letter in opposition to SB-649 author Sen. Hueso.

Here is a sample letter for Sen. McGuire:
Dear Senator Sen. McGuire,

I respectfully oppose SB-649. This proposal unnecessarily and unconstitutionally strips local authority over public property and shuts out public input and local discretion by eliminating consideration of the aesthetic and environmental impacts of “small cells.”

The attached pictures show the true size of the base of these so-called ‘small’ cells. Placed every four to twelve houses and in rural areas, even more frequently, these antennas represent a huge intrusion into our common space.

It is unthinkable that telecommunication corporations would be exempt from municipal considerations. This would be a huge concession of public rights to corporate desires held by no other industry.

SB 649 intends to minimize costs for the telecom corporations, yet it could dramatically lower real estate value for those homes on whose premises the antennas are forced. This in turn, would lower the tax base for the locality and negatively effect overall municipal and county income.

The increased extensive use of transmitting radios for this 5G rollout can also affect overall costs from climate chaos. Calculations of the additional electrical power needed to run such huge numbers of additional transmitting radios show that at least 1.6 trillion more pounds of CO2 would be added each year nationally.

The telecommunication industry, like the tobacco industry, still denies the scientifically established effects of their product. That the Dept. of Defense uses the same frequency as 5G as a foundation for their ‘Active Denial’ crowd control weapon belies that denial. The Active Denial weapon directs a beam of 5G – like millimeter waves that cause unbearably intense burning pain.

5G millimeter wave technology is scientifically shown to affect humans, penetrating the skin and affecting all biological systems.

There is no substantial evidence to support SB 649’s determination that the deployment fits the CEQA exemption. There is substantial evidence in support of a fair argument that the project would indeed create environmental impacts.

SB 649 goes too far by requiring local governments to approve “small cells” in all land use zones, including residential zones, through a ministerial permit, thereby shutting the public out of decisions that could affect the aesthetics of their community and the quality of their environment.

Please oppose SB 649.

Thank you!
[your name]

Thanks for taking action!

From our friends at Maryland SmartMeter Awareness:

The new 5G technology will impact us all in a very serious way. FCC Chair, Tom Wheeler, wants virtually everything to be connected via 5G which will launch a whole slew of new frequencies, and no testing whatsoever. Please read the email below and consider writing a letter to the FCC and our elected reps. Our voice must be heard over that of industry.

Thank you,
The MSMA Team

As you may have already heard, July 14th is the day set for the FCC to vote on Tom Wheeler’s vision of 5G in the USA. He wants to be “first out the gate.” Wheeler says, “Turning innovators loose is far preferable to expecting committees and regulators to define the future.” A full highlighted PDF version of Wheeler’s talk from last week is attached.
I am certain a cursory reading of the talk will inspire you to write a strong letter to the FCC and others.

Calls and letters to the FCC, Representatives, Senators and relevant committees are needed by the thousands!!!!! …by July 13th. Please share this info widely and post wherever possible. Most important to contact is the House Subcommittee on Communications and Technology since they will vote July 12 on their recommendation to the FCC who will vote July 14.

Below is a package prepared mostly by www.electricalpollution.com which offers guidance in letter writing and contacting representatives.

And if that talk doesn’t suffice, please read and circulate Captured Agency: How the Federal Communications Commission is Dominated by the Industries it Presumably Regulates, by Norm Alster, published by Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics, Harvard University.

Also, for a brief summary of Wheeler’s proposal, see https://smartgridawareness.org/2014/07/15/you-might-have-a-base-station-on-every-house/

EXCERPTS FROM WHEELER’S TALK:

If the Commission approves my proposal next month, the United States will be the first country in the world to open up high-band spectrum for 5G networks and applications. And that’s damn important because it means U.S. companies will be first out of the gate.

We will be repeating the proven formula that made the United States the world leader in 4G. It’s a simple formula: Lead the world in spectrum availability, encourage and protect innovation- driving competition, and stay out of the way of technological development.

Unlike some countries, we do not believe we should spend the next couple of years studying what 5G should be, how it should operate, and how to allocate spectrum, based on those assumptions. Like the examples I gave earlier, the future has a way of inventing itself. Turning innovators loose is far preferable to expecting committees and regulators to define the future. We won’t wait for the standards to be first developed in the sometimes arduous standards-setting process or in a government-led activity. Instead, we will make ample spectrum available and then rely on a private sector-led process for producing technical standards best suited for those frequencies and use cases.

ACTIONS YOU CAN TAKE

www.electricalpollution.com

Help Stop 5G Wireless – a dangerous radiation intensive technology!

The FCC is voting on whether to move forward with 5G, an extremely dangerous technology. Read Chairman Wheelers comments about the Spectrum Frontiers Proceeding (https://www.fcc.gov/document/remarks-chairman-wheeler-future-wireless). This would put 5G transmitters on power and light poles throughout communities across the United States with the aim of creating enough saturation of very high frequency microwave radiation that fiber optic level connectivity is available wirelessly everywhere.

We will need as many people as possible from the U.S. and around the world, including experts, to contact the FCC by July 13, 2016. They vote on the proposal on July 14, 2016.

Please take a moment to contact the FCC Commissioners BEFORE their vote on July 14 in opposition to the rollout of 5G. A template letter is below, please take a moment personalize it briefly with your experience to give it greater impact.

Phone #’s for FCC Commissioners:
202-418-1000 (Tom Wheeler)
202-418-2000
202-418-2100
202-418-2300
202-418-2400

Send letters to the following Commissioners:

Tom Wheeler, Chairman Tom.Wheeler@fcc.gov
Mignon Clyburn, Commissioner Mignon.Clyburn@fcc.gov
Jessica Rosenworcel, Commissioner Jessica.Rosenworcel@fcc.gov
Ajit Pai, Commissioner Ajit.Pai@fcc.gov
Michael O’Rielly, Commissioner Mike.O’Rielly@fcc.gov

Please send a copy of your letter also to your U.S. Representative and Senators and the relevant committees (listed below). It was Congress that decided to give sole responsibility for wireless promotion and safety to the FCC, an industry dominated agency. It is essential that they hear from you. Only they can give authority for health back to the EPA, which has tried in the past to protect the public. Congress defunded EPA and removed its authority to protect the public from wireless radiation to stop it (https://www.stopglobalwifi.org/documents/PressReleaseDec2015.pdf).

Contact your Congressional Delegation
(2 Senators and 1 Representative) Look them up and find their phone and FAX numbers at: https://www.senate.gov/ and https://www.house.gov/representatives/

Call the White House
tel: 202-456-1111
Ask President Obama to halt the rollout of 5G in light of the safety hazards. President Obama can also be emailed using the form at https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact

Congressional Committees

Ask for oversight hearings on dangers of societal saturation with radiation from wireless technology. Most important to contact is the House Subcommittee on Communications and Technology since they will vote July 12 on their recommendation to the FCC who will vote July 14.

Subcommittee on Communications and Technology

https://eon3emfblog.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Communications-and-Technology-Subcommittee1-1.pdf

House Energy and Commerce Committee – (202) 225-2927
House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform: (202) 225-5074

U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions – (202)-224-5375 https://www.help.senate.gov/ links to contact the two ranking members on webpage
U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, & Transportation – Majority: 202-224-1251, Minority: 202-224-0411 U.S.
Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources – (202) 224-4971

Click here for the contact info for all members of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

SAMPLE LETTER

Dear FCC Commissioners,

Spectrum Frontiers Proceeding is being represented as an unqualified good, but it is not. It will do great harm to human health and the environment.

Please vote “no” to the Spectrum Frontiers Proceeding. There has been no NEPA review of the environmental and human health impacts of moving forward with 5G. The FCC has put the cart before the horse in promulgating rules for 5G without first studying the safety of 5G for humans and the environment. There is consensus within the scientific community that the existing FCC limits for wireless radiation do not protect the population from biological effects (https://www.emfscientist.org) The National Toxicology Program recently release results showing that radiofrequency radiation (RFR) can indeed both break DNA and cause cancer (https://www.saferemr.com/2016/05/national-toxicology-progam-finds-cell.html and https://microwavenews.com/news-center/ntp-nyt).

Furthermore, the literature on RFR in the very high frequency bands required for 5G document DNA breakages, serious cellular resonance effects, and other detrimental metabolic effects (https://www.bioinitiative.org/report/wp-content/uploads/pdfs/sec15_2012_Evidence_Disruption_Modulation.pdf and https://www.stopglobalwifi.org/documents/2001_kositsky_et_al._-_ussr_review.pdf). Non-industry funded studies have consistently found links between RFR and various negative biological effects (www.bioinitiative.org). They include serious neurological, cardiac, and metabolic effects, as well as DNA breakage which can lead to cancer and genetic defects (https://www.mainecoalitiontostopsmartmeters.org/?%20p=1469). Studies, including the National Toxicology Program studies, have shown wireless to be a dangerous technology and 5G, according to Chairman Wheeler’s own comments, is an infrastructure intensive technology. So, invest in safe, wired infrastructure instead of spending a lot of money to saturate entire communities with hazardous radiation. The “cool” factor is not worth the peril. Please see “Wireless Technology Violates Human Rights” (https://www.electricalpollution.com/documents/WirelessViolatesHumanRights2016.pdf) for more information about the very serious ways in which wireless technology violates human rights.

Don’t vote to unleash a dangerous environmental pollutant on your friends, family, and, indeed, the whole country. Vote to protect your family, friends, and the country – vote “no” on Spectrum Frontiers. Be on the right side of history.

Sincerely,
Your name

Thanks for taking the time to do this…it feels a bit like a lost cause – But..as the Good Book tells us, We are not obligated to complete the task, but neither may we desist from trying. (Ethics of our Fathers)

Copyright © 2016 Maryland Smart Meter Awareness, All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email because you signed up on our website at https://MarylandSmartMeterAwareness.org
Our mailing address is:
Maryland Smart Meter Awareness
2507 Willow Glen Dr.
Baltimore, MD 21209

From our friend Kevin Mottus

See Communications-and-Technology-Subcommittee for the complete list of relevant House Members contact information:

STOP the FCC Vote to Release New High Band Spectrum (above 24Ghz) for the 5G network. [ Fact Sheet pdf ] It means more harmful frequency, more small cell transmitters and END TO ALL LANDLINES. Demand that the EPA not the FCC establish and maintain the safety standards for non-thermal biological effects for wireless radiation before rolling our more wireless spectrum.

Vote, Announcement, & Roll Out- Thursday, July 14th, 10:30am EST-Room TW-C305, FCC 445 12th St SW, Washington DC (See Attached)

Demand These Congress Members protect us from harm. According to Martin Pall PhD, we know 4G is harmful and reports from other countries in Europe and South Korea say it is making more people sick because it pulses more. We know from the NTP study that harm is not about power and heating but more about frequency, wave length and pulsation. 5G heats less but it pulses more. None of these transmitters have been tested for non-thermal effects which the NTP study proved causes cancer and is neurotoxic.

Please call, email and ideally visit the US Senate and House Committees with Oversight over the FCC. We have researched it for you. Their names, pictures, email addresses, phone numbers, chiefs of staff, and the staff member with responsibility for the FCC are listed. Try to hit Chief of Staff as well as legislative staff. Chiefs of Staff definitely have more power and have the ear of the Senator or House member. This is the “Committee Members – U.S. Senate Committee On Commerce, Science, & Transportation Senate list. Please call the FCC commissioners as well-see attached.

Start emailing, calling and visiting now. I am in DC with others working to educate lawmakers. If you are visiting offices, I suggest you go separately or in pairs and represent different groups. You can say info is circulating on the internet and many many groups are outraged.

If you are Electromagnetically Intolerant tell them your symptoms; this way we may identify staff members who are also ES who can help us.

Kevin Mottus

Is the CPUC beyond reform? Three state legislators don’t think so.
by James Heddle and Mary Beth Brangan
[cross-posted on PlanetarianPerspectives.net]

The Iron Law of PUC Corruption
In 2006 Werner Troesken published a paper in the National Bureau of Economic Research publication ‘Corruption and Reform: Lessons from America’s Economic History’ entitled Regime Change and Corruption. A History of Public Utility Regulation. In it Troesken looked at the history of public utilities commissions and wondered why, despite both public and private attempts at reform, utility regulation seems always to lapse into corruption. Here’s how he describes his hypotheses and research findings in what might be called Troesken’s Iron Law of PUC Corruption:

“First, corruption is endemic to public utility industries; corruption exists, in some form, across all regulatory and ownership regimes. Second, regime change in utility industries does not eliminate corruption; it only alters the type of corruption observed. Third, for any type of governance regime (e.g., state regulation or municipal ownership) corruption grows increasingly severe over time and, at some point, becomes politically untenable.” pg. 260

He concludes,

“Based on the historical evidence presented above it appears that corruption, and the necessity to eliminate corruption when it gets too costly, accounts for the efficacy of regime change. In this context, the direction of regime change—from public to private, or private to public—is of second-order importance. What matters is some radical reshuffling of the institutional matrix to disrupt the underlying corrupt relationships. Unfortunately, this disruption is only temporary, and gradually new forms of corruption emerge and must again be broken down by institutional change.” Pg. 278

PUCs’ Dominant Corruption Gene – President Picker’s Perplex
California’s Public Utilities Commission could serve as the poster child for Troesken’s Iron Law. The CPUC was established in 1911 under progressive era Governor Hiram Johnson as a result of a popular initiative and constitutional amendment stimulated by widespread public outrage about Robber Railroad Barrons’ corruption of California’s politics and economy.

Over the years the Commission has grown into a complex, hydra-headed bureaucracy, which – despite its mind-boggling system of functionaries, rules and procedures – is nevertheless vulnerable to manipulation by both internal and external actors.

Now, a century later, the agency intended to protect the public against corporate greed and incompetence has become, as former CPUC President Loretta Lynch puts it, “a rogue agency.” Almost daily revelations of endemic corruption continue to suggest a system approaching unreformability.

Newly appointed President Michael Picker – long a Gov. Brown insider – has promised ‘transparency,’ while, at the same time, the agency is spending up to $5.2 million for the services of the high end law firm Sheppard Mullin to respond to the multiple criminal investigations now underway. The first task of Sheppard Mullin was to advise on which documents to release, withhold or redact in the face of public record requests in order to protect the CPUC from too much transparency.

‘Regime Change’ for the CPUC? AB 825
So, following Troesken’s Iron Law, what would constitute a “radical reshuffling of the institutional matrix to disrupt the underlying corrupt relationships,” even if the effects of “this disruption is only temporary?”

On February 6, 2015 California Assemblymember Anthony Rendon, whose 63rd District covers nine SoCal cities and a swath of northern Long Beach, introduced Assembly Bill 825 which aims at answer that question. As amended in the Assembly on April 20, 2015, AB 825 would amend and revise portions of the state’s Public Utilities Code, relating to the Public Utilities Commission. California State Senators Jerry Hill and Mark Leno have also weighed in with amendment suggestions. Sen. Leno is sponsoring SB 215, a parallel CPUC reform bill in the State Senate.

Assemblymember Rendon’s office is soliciting suggestions about the proposed bill and will hold a meeting in Sacramento on Thursday, May 7 to listen to input. [Background info PDF’s provided by his office are here and here. ] Address your suggestions to Alf W. Brandt, Legislative Director, Assemblymember Anthony Rendon State Capitol – Room 5136, Sacramento, California 95814 e-mail: Alf.Brandt@asm.ca.gov

EON will submit the following recommendations and continue to report on this important issue. As ‘official intervenors’ on behalf of the public interest in CPUC proceedings over the last several years, we have a few preliminary issue suggestions we hope a final bill combining AB 825 and SB 215 – as eventually passed – will address:

We need rigorous enforcement of CPUC sections 451 & 453 (b) that have been egregiously ignored in the case of the forced installation of so-called ‘smart’ meters.
Particularly:

451 ” Every public utility shall furnish and maintain such adequate, efficient, just, and reasonable service, instrumentalities, equipment, and facilities … as are necessary to promote the safety, health, comfort, and convenience of its patrons, employees, and the public.” [emphasis added]

and

453 (b) “No public utility shall prejudice, disadvantage, or require different rates or deposit amounts from a person because of ancestry, medical condition, marital status or change in marital status, occupation, or any characteristic listed or defined in Section 11135 of the Government Code.” [emphasis added]

In the case of “smart” meters, thousands of ratepayers vociferously objected to the forced installation of the electronic RF-emitting meters. Hundreds reported serious health affects and injuries.
Those suffering from exposure to banks of multiple meters in apartments, condominiums and business offices are at serious risk. Fires, interference with other wireless devices, bill over-charging and privacy impacts from the microwave-emitting meter’s mega-data-gathering to be sold to third parties are all impacts that were reported to a non-responsive CPUC in addition to the adverse health effects. Despite people objecting in many ways, the CPUC ignored their pleas and instituted an upfront and monthly fee for those demanding to retain the old mechanical meter. This is paying to NOT have this dangerous meter that Attorney General reports from Illinois and other states have determined to have no advantage to ratepayers.

In a stinging letter to the state Department of Public Utilities Commission, for instance, a lawyer from Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley’s office pointed to large-scale tests in Illinois and elsewhere in which the meters failed to justify their costs. Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette filed suit in the state appeals court, stating that there is no net economic benefit to consumers resulting from the use of smart meters and that there is unlikely to be any future benefit. The court of appeals agreed. Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan agreed with Schuette, stating: “The utilities have shown no evidence of billions of dollars in benefits to consumers from these new meters, but they have shown they know how to profit. “

Unimpeded Media Access in accordance with California’s 2004 Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act for both corporate AND independent media organizations and citizen journalists.

Ex parte Rule Violations must be prosecuted and prevented by a change in the Commission’s management culture. The institutionalized attitude toward ‘public advocates as enemies’ and utility officials as friends must be changed.

Authentic Public Access to Commissioners – Members of the public and advocacy group representatives should be able to meet with Commissioners and their aides with appropriate ex parte reporting, not just utility executives. Commissioners and staff must officially receive and register communications from the public.

Complaint Processing – Public complaints should be officially received and published online as well as concrete actions taken to address the problems.

Transparency in Renewable Energy Accounting – The CPUC should mandate utilities to track solar roof top electricity generation in order to be able to fully utilize it via substations. The amount of renewable energy thus generated should be transparently reported. Currently, it is not tracked.

Transparency in Utilities’ Energy Efficiency Program Reporting – CPUC awarded large bonuses to utilities for unsubstantiated Energy Efficiency Program gains. CPUC currently gives ratepayer-based Energy Efficiency funds to utilities and disallows them to be used by cities and other entities who have no conflict of interest in saving energy and whose EE programs have genuinely produced results in the past.

Public Comments – Members of the public and advocacy group representatives must be allowed to speak in the ‘open comment’ period before business meetings without unfair limits being imposed. Spokespeople should not be prohibited from speaking on a given issue if they have already addressed it in previous meetings.

Administrative Law Judges must be randomly chosen, not ‘shopped’ for their friendliness to the interests of certain parties in Commission proceedings. Attorney Larry Bragman, formerly Mayor of Fairfax, CA and current Marin County Water Board Member, who has familiarity with past and current CPUC functioning, puts it this way:

“The CPUC’s administrative law judges should be assigned cases randomly (as in Federal and State Court) and not by the commissioners. That would reduce the influence of individual commission members to cherry pick judges and influence hearings.

“Once assigned a case, the law should require that ALJ’s adhere to the same judicial code of conduct and ethics that Superior Court judges follow. No more back door meetings with litigants or commissioners.”

Commissioners Should be Elected, rather than appointed. Elections should be open to candidates from all stakeholder sectors, not just corporate and political circles and utility-friendly NGOs, but from Citizen Groups as well.

Legal Challenge of Decisions – proceeding decisions must be open to direct and timely challenge in Superior Court, rather than in the appellate courts.

Online User Friendliness – the Commission website should be updated and streamlined to support non-expert access. Complex forms should be simplified. The video archive should be upgraded for greater video quality and accessibility.

Overly complex and burdensome technical and procedural barriers to public and intervenor input should be removed.

Intervenor Compensation Requests should be evaluated and ruled upon by a randomly-chosen Administrative Law Judge other than the ALJ of the proceeding in which the intervenor participated. Compensation payments should not be punitively manipulated or delayed in relation to the identity or policy position of the intervenor .

We observed an example of this when a dying intervenor’s compensation was deliberately withheld by the CPUC, though it was known, according to a former CPUC Commissioner who spoke with someone in the business office, that the money was needed for the intervenor’s cancer treatment. The check arrived after her death.

We support California legislators Rendon, Hill and Leno in their efforts at CPUC ‘regime change,’ while remembering Troesken’s Iron Law, “What matters is some radical reshuffling of the institutional matrix to disrupt the underlying corrupt relationships. Unfortunately, this disruption is only temporary, and gradually new forms of corruption emerge and must again be broken down by institutional change.”

Nineteenth century abolitionist Wendell Phillips put it this way in a speech before the Massachusetts Antislavery Society in 1852, “Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.”

==============

James Heddle and Mary Beth Brangan co-direct EON – The Ecological Options Network

===========
If you like EON’s work, you can support it, whatever your budget level, here.

“The CPUC is now a rogue agency. All the checks and balances that existed at the CPUC have been corrupted. Peevey led that corruption.” Loretta Lynch, former CPUC Commission President

Protestors Denounce Swanky Hanky Panky in SF

On February 12, 2015, summoned by gold-embossed invitations, members of the ruling energy elite gathered in the glittering splendor of the Julia Morgan Ballroom – one of the San Francisco Bay Area’s posh venues – to honor one of their own and show their solidarity with him in his current travails.

That would be Michael Peevey (left), who recently stepped down from the Presidency of the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) after a 12-year reign amid a barrage of investigations and revelations about backroom dealing between him, his colleagues and staff, and the utility officials they were supposed to be regulating.

At the time of the gala in the grandeur of the JMB, Peevey’s home had been recently raided by state and Federal law enforcement agents intent on seizing evidence for their ongoing investigations. A trove of 65,000 e-mails just released by Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) detailing the interactions of utility and Commission personnel was already revealing alarming, plot-thickening evidence.

At issue were so-called ex parte communications between utility executives and CPUC officials conducted in private out of public view and process. Such interactions are supposed to be reported in writing to the CPUC proceeding participants, as “ex-parte” meetings. Apparently, under Peevey, there were a lot that were not.

Peevey Ex Parte Party Poopers
So, not everyone at the entrance to the JMB that night was there to celebrate Mr. Peevey’s legacy. Slightly outnumbering the team of security men were protesters holding a news conference at the door as the celebrants entered. (Full disclosure, EON both documented and participated. Scroll down for video reports and media links).

MC-ing the conference, covered by media from radio, print and TV, was Ray Lutz of the San Diego-based CitizensOversight.org, who had set up a podium and sound system and articulated his many concerns with the way Peevey’s PUC did business.

“CPUC now a rogue agency” – Former CPUC President Joins Protestors, Speaks Out

Most prominent among the speakers was former CPUC President, Loretta Lynch, Peevey’s predecessor, who minced no words in denouncing the corporate capture of the CPUC under Peevey and labeling the evening’s gala as “one big ex parte meeting” behind closed doors.

For a former Commission President to show up and speak out publicly on behalf of rate-payers at the event underlined the seriousness of the current CPUC situation and the urgent need for focused public attention and action.

Citing the progressive purposes that led almost a century ago to the founding of the CPUC by then Gov. Hiram Johnson in response to public outrage at the corporate crimes of the time, former CPUC President Lynch called for today’s Californians to rise up and demand substantive reforms in the now-compromised and discredited Commission, whose mandate is protection of the public good, not corporate profits. See her recent Chronicle Op-Ed piece : Guidelines for the post-Peevey era of the CPUC

Who Pays for the ‘Smart Meter’ Fiasco?
Mary Beth Brangan of EON, an official intervenor at the CPUC on behalf of the public’s interests in the ‘smart meter’ forced deployment controversy, is part of a coalition of citizen groups which oppose that deployment as a threat to human health and safety, privacy, grid security and democratic choice. Over 57 cities, counties and one tribe joined in various forms of opposition to the forced installation of ‘smart’ meters. That strong coalition was infiltrated, spied on and labeled ‘insurgents’ by PG&E management.

The CPUC, now revealed by the released emails to have been part of that behind-the-scenes blocking of action to remedy the extremely real ratepayer concerns and injuries, ordered a charade of an investigation, and PG&E was ultimately forced to pay a small fine to the state’s general fund. The CPUC hid its complicity at the time but that is now being thoroughly revealed through the released emails.

EON joins many others in saying the patterns of practice revealed by the e-mail record and the cloud of corruption surrounding Peevey’s departure from the Commission throw the legitimacy and legality of all the proceedings and decisions made under his administration into doubt.

EON has filed for a rehearing of the recent CPUC ‘smart’ meter opt-out decision which forces customers to pay an extortionate fee not to have electro-toxic, privacy-violating wireless transmitters attached to their residences. Furthermore we believe the current decision is unjust and illegal in its attempts to strip municipal and county elected officials of their constitutionally mandated power and responsibilities to protect the safety and privacy of their constituents. It actually asserts that utilities’ rights trump locally elected officials in regard to municipal franchise agreements that are used to regulate utilities’ activities in local jurisdictions.

At the press conference, Brangan pointed out the parallel methods used by the CPUC in both the San Onofre proceeding to determine who pays for So Cal Edison’s costly mistakes and mismanagement and the ‘smart’ meter proceeding that determined who should bear the cost of opting out of harmful and dangerous ‘smart’ meters. She emphasized the need for true regulator protection for ratepayers against the powerful utilities.

Who Pays for San Onofre?
San Diego attorney Mike Aguirre and his law partner Maria Severson added their pressure and litigation to that of the city of San Bruno’s that led to the revealing release of the 65,000 e-mails. Aguirre and Severson recently published a report detailing their findings of “Malfeasance and Institutional Corruption at the California Public Utilities Commission.” [ pdf here ] ( Scroll down for our interviews with Severson and Aguirre )

Aguirre called for an investigation into why the CPUC under Peevey ruled that ratepayers must pay $3.5 billion for electricity they will never get from Southern California Edison’s San Onofre nuclear power plant, which has been permanently shut down because of faulty and illegal decisions made by the utility’s management.

However, even though San Onofte nuclear reactors are shut down, the plant must continue to store thousands of metric tons of highly radioactive nuclear waste, currently stored in thin steel containers that the NRC says may crack from the marine environment. [ For more information on this vital issue – how to manage hundreds of thousands of tons of radioactive waste that is deadly for longer than human civilization has yet existed, now kept on-site at over 100 nuclear plants around the country with no ecologically safe facilities to go to – visit Donna Gilmore’s excellent website: SanOnofreSafety.org ]

Who Will Defend Diablo Whistleblowers?
Steve Zeltzer of the Labor Project called for protection of whistleblowing workers. He pointed out that both PG&E and Southern California Edison fired and retaliated against workers who tried to address serious safety issues. If workers concerned about what they see endangering the public can’t speak out and get results, we all suffer. The real results are the deaths, injuries and devastation in San Bruno, as well as the San Onofre radiation leaks and thousands of injuries and many fires from ‘smart’ meters.

He demanded that not only CPUC officials but colluding PG&E and So Cal Edison executives be indicted and prosecuted for their criminal acts that resulted in deaths and injuries and the highest electricity rates in the country.

Video Reports and Media Links are below:

Protesting Peevey’s (ex parte) Party
On February 12, 2015, dozens of the closest elite friends of out-going CPUC President Michael Peevey’s paid $250 per plate to gather at the posh Julia Morgan Ballroom in downtown San Francisco in celebration of Mr. Peevey’s ‘lifetime accomplishments.’

Greeting them at the door were protestors – including Loretta Lynch, his predecessor as Commission President. They came not to celebrate, but to condemn and expose the culture of corruption Peevey’s 12 year reign has left behind.

Speakers include former California Public Utilities Commission President Loretta Lynch; Ray Lutz of CitizenOversight.org; EON’s Mary Beth Brangan; Steve Zeltzer of the Labor Video Project; and San Diego attorney Mike Aguirre.

Viewer Embed Code:

From CBS Channel 5:
San Francisco Dinner Honoring Ex-CPUC Exec Accused Of Shady Dealings Met With Protests

From NBC – Jul 31, 2013
Flown, Wined and Dined on Lobbyists’ Dimes?
CPUC president accepted $165,000 in free travel from nonprofits and special interests in past six years

EON Skype Interview
Busting CPUC Backroom Deals – Maria Severson
In this Skype interview, San Diego attorney Maria Severson talks about the implications of revelations from PG&E’s trove of 65,000 e-mail exchanges between its executives and California Public Utilities Commission officials, including former CPUC President Peevey.

(We regret that the audio and video quality in this interview conducted via Skype is not up to our usual standards. But we believe the content is important to make public.)

EON Video
Who Pays for San Onofre? – Mike Aguirre
Attorney Mike Aguirre and his law partner Maria Severson are at the center of the emerging revelations about CPUC officials’ too cozy relationships with the officials of the utilities they are supposed to regulate. In this May 2014 interview Aguirre explains the key issues in this now-expanding case. He tells how his attempts to question then CPUC President Peevey provoked an outburst that may have marked the beginning of Peevey’s current troubles.

Related Media Links

UT-San Diego
Flawed San Onofre project steamed on
$680 million replacement generators were not subject to formal cost study
By Jeff McDonald9:03 a.m.Feb. 14, 2015Updated4:18 p.m.

…It was a bombshell disclosure by any measure: the top utility regulator in California sketching out a multibillion-dollar deal with the senior Edison lawyer in secret at a luxury hotel in Warsaw, Poland…. Pickett, whose house is walking distance from Peevey’s home in the La Canada Flintridge section of Los Angeles, jotted down the potential points of agreement, which Peevey kept.

Chronicle
Regulator let PG&E investigate itself after San Bruno blast
By Jaxon Van Derbeken
Updated 7:42 pm, Saturday, February 21, 2015

CBS
San Francisco Dinner Honoring Ex-CPUC Exec Accused Of Shady Dealings Met With Protests

UT-San Diego
Senator blasts Cal over Peevey party
The school will receive proceeds from celebration of outgoing utilities chief
By Jeff McDonald4:22 p.m.Feb. 12, 2015

Dan Walters Daily: Michael Peevey tribute is improper
Published on Feb 10, 2015
Despite revelations of questionable professional conduct, California’s political elite will gather this week to honor former Public Utilities Commission President Michael Peevey, Dan says. (February 11, 2015)

Chronicle
Protesters try to spoil swanky party for ex-CPUC head
By J.K. Dineen
Updated 8:47 am, Friday, February 13, 2015

KQED
CPUC Publishes 65,000 Emails Between Regulators and PG&E

San Jose Mercury
San Bruno disaster: PG&E releases 65,000 emails to PUC
By George Avalos and Pete Carey – Staff writers

LA Times
65,000 PUC-PG&E emails released amid state and federal probes

Contra Costa Times
PG&E wields “pervasive” influence at PUC, now described as a “rogue agency”
By George Avalos and Josh Richman – Staff writers

LA Times
New PUC chief Michael Picker vows openness, focus on safety

SFBG This Week
The secret life of Michael Peevey
California’s top energy regulator rolls with power company executives behind the scenes
05.24.11 – 3:25 pm | Rebecca Bowe |

SFBG This Week
The secret life of Michael Peevey – Page 3

TURN
The Secret Life of Michael Peevey
TURN objects to fox guarding the hen house. CPUC President Peevey is too cozy with the utility companies he regulates.

Teams of researchers are indexing, archiving and examining the recently released trove of 120,000+ PG&E/CPUC e-mail exchanges. Attorneys are pressing for release of more e-mail exchanges with Southern California Edison (SCE). Watch this space for reporting on more revelations as they emerge.

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Technocratic Tyranny and Corruption Trump Democratic Choice

His supporters say he’s right up there with Muhammad Ali & the Pope.
Victims of his ‘smart meter’ opt-out decision want him in jail.

By James Heddle
EON – The Ecological Options Network

Merry Christmas…You, the People!
The December 18, 2014 going-away party ending Michael Peevey’s 12-year tenure as President of the California Public Utilities Commission was quite a show. A parade of over 30 of his closest, most sycophantic friends had signed up to begin the routine ‘public comment period’ by giving lengthy speeches celebrating Peevey’s alleged accomplishments and virtues.

One former fellow Commissioner, in the sermonic tones of a revivalist preacher, compared him to Muhammed Ali and the Pope.

Peveey’s daughter had hired a videographer to make a record of the celebration that she planned give her father for a Christmas present. Her camera got an exclusive down-in-front position. The rest of the camera people were confined to the back of the room.

No Time Limit on Adulation
Up on the dais, presiding President Peevey appeared humbly unmoved by the encomiums being showered upon him by the adoring courtiers thus assembled. But it was noticed by those of us who had attempted to present testimonies in many previous public comment periods that the President did not impose on his friends the same 1-3 minute time limits we were used to his rigidly enforcing on us.

To be voted on by the Commissioners that day was a decision as to whether people could opt-out of having wireless, electro-magnetic pulse-emitting so-called ‘smart meters’ installed on their homes. The mass, forced installation of such meters had been Peevey’s Pet Project for years. It was billed as the infrastructure to enable creation of a wireless ‘smart energy grid,’ which was being sold by corporations world-wide as ‘a solution to climate change.’ In practice, the scheme is turning out to be a total crock. (To find out why, go to GettingSmarterAboutTheSmartGrid.org ) All this risk yet studies by various attorneys general, including Illinois and the auditor-general of Ontario, Canada’s legislature, have shown these meters result in little to no energy savings and no benefits to ratepayers. Instead, rates have gone up.

The super-hubristic, techno-utopian (money-making) vision calls for a global ‘Internet Of Things (IOT)’ – a whole new generation of wireless, ‘smart’ appliances (that everyone will have to buy) in constant mutual communication. Not only will you be able to talk to your air conditioner or your refrigerator from the road on your cell phone, but they will talk back to you, relaying commands for minute-to-minute energy consumption limits from your local Big ‘Green’ Brother utility.

In the process, you and your family members and your neighborhood and the rest of the world’s population would be bathed 24/7 in a constant shower of electro-magnetic pollution inimical to human health and happiness.

These guys are really crazy.

West Marin – a Cradle of the ‘Smart’ Meter ‘Insurrection’
Public opposition to the forced ‘smart meter’ build-out began in Sonoma and Marin Counties and spread. EON is proud to have organized the first public meeting on the issue at the Pt. Reyes Dance Palace. West Marin communities fought for and got an installation moratorium. West Marin residents, to the delight of national media, were famously arrested for blocking installation trucks. Stop the ‘smart meters’ is now a national and international movement.

But on Dec. 18th, the Commission was poised to give Peevey another Christmas-cum-going-away present better than his daughter’s video. They were apparently going to make Peevey’s Pet Project a fixture of post-Peevey California life.
According to the proposed decision: Individual home residents would be allowed to opt-out for an initial fee and on-going monthly payments that would terminate after three years. But residents of clustered housing units, private businesses and the elected governments of community municipalities would not be permitted to opt-out. Peevey’s rules.

Playing in a Rigged Game – ‘Exhausting our remedies.’
The CPUC’s decision-making process, called a ‘proceeding,’ had stretched, with many delays and bureaucratic convolutions, over more than three years.

As official ‘intervenors’ in that Proceeding, our organization, EON, the Ecological Options Network, had worked with other intervenor groups like the EMF Safety Network in an attempt to defend the general public’s interest vis a vis the profit-driven interests of investor owned utilities (aptly called IOU’s for short) like PG&E and Southern California Edison (SCE).

Our involvement had been an eye-opening one. We slowly came to realize that we were playing in a rigged game – one in which cozy cronyism and corrupt collusion between Commissioners and their staff with IOU executives against the public interest was – and continues to be – the norm .

We were labeled ‘insurgents’. We were infiltrated and spied upon by PG&E agents using assumed names. The IOU was eventually fined for its spying activities, but the paltry amount went to the state general fund, not to the targeted, victimized groups, i.e., we ‘insurgents.’ In a technocracy, dissent is treason.

Key Issues Ignored
None of the valid issues repeatedly raised by us intervenors in the Proceeding – well-documented damaging human health effects, fire safety, violations of privacy and informed democratic choice, cyber-hackability and energy grid security – were ever considered. They were constantly promised to be taken up later, but never were.

Meanwhile, PG&E was slapped with over 30 Federal indictments for its negligence and corruption in the San Bruno gas explosion disaster . A follow-up investigation turned up a trove of e-mails documenting corrupt, lovy-dovy collusion between utility executives and Commissioners and staff…including Peevey. Business as usual at the good ol’ PUC.

The opt-out decision violated a number of points of law, which will be contested both in the CPUC process, and in the courts, as we intervenors ‘exhaust our remedies’ by continuing to protest in the flawed CPUC Proceeding process, thus maintaining our legal ‘standing’ as aggrieved parties entitled to eventually ‘sue the bastards. ‘

The Opt-Out Decision = Extortion
Pay us and we won’t break your kneecaps. Pay us and we won’t install an electro-toxic devise on your home. Mafia goons, or CPUC technocrats, a shakedown is a shakedown, is a shakedown.

In practice, the decision means that the few individual residents that can afford to pay to keep their non-wireless, analogue meters will be lonely islands in a sea of electromagnetic radiation emitted by their neighbors’ wireless meters all communicating wirelessly with each other 24/7/365.

Local elected authorities will be blocked from exercising their statutory mandate to protect the health, safety, privacy and security of their constituents. The increasing numbers of ‘electro-sensitive’ people being made sick and driven from their homes and work places by the growing ‘soup’ of electro-magnetic pollution will have no place to run to.

So, under a toxic cloud of corruption, celebrated by sycophants and cronies, Michael Peevey bowed out in a synthetic cloud of glory. But not before opponents of the ‘smart meter’ opt-out movement had our say.

We held a press conference on the CPUC steps before the meeting. After the orchestrated love fest in the ‘public comment’ period, protestors insisted on reading the names and quoting the testimonies of the many victims of wireless ‘smart meter’ health effects who have been forced to become EMF refugees. The demonstrators called for Peevey’s criminal prosecution. They promised to continue their legal battles and public information campaigns.

After reluctantly listening, the unelected Commissioners broke for lunch – which Peevey insisted was their ‘right’ – then unanimously approved Peevey’s Pet Project.

‘We have not yet begun to fight!’
That’s not the end of the story. As informed public opposition to ‘smart meters’ continues to grow nation- and, indeed, world-wide, and as the claimed selling points for the SM built-out continue to be proven egregiously false, our fight to reverse the CPUC’s ill-considered decision will continue and eventually prevail. Meanwhile, ‘smart meter’ installer trucks will be invading West Marin and other communities soon and coming to a house near you…maybe your own. Find out how to opt-out, get informed on this important issue, share information with your neighbors, and join our movement.
Help roll back the roll-out.

For more information:
EMFSafetyNetwork.org
StopSmartMeters.org

James Heddle co-directs EON – the Ecological Options Network EON3.net

The CPUC’s Flawed ‘Smart Meter’ Ruling will not stop the Drive for Community Wide, No Cost Opt-Outs.

By Mary Beth Brangan

[ A shorter version of this article appears in the Pt. Reyes Light here. ]

Public Resistance to Wireless Pollution
Almost exactly four years ago, June McCrory and Katharina Sandizell-Smith, two young West Marin mothers, made national news by blocking the Inverness road to ‘smart’ meter installers and becoming among the first in the U.S. to be arrested over the meters. Their arrests shocked many in the industry into realizing that all was not well with their plans.

After an unprecedented multi year delay, a final decision on this contentious issue will be voted on by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) Dec. 18, 2014.

Those of us in West Marin and Fairfax became leaders in the fight against forced installation of so-called ‘smart’ meters. We joined leaders in Sebastopol and Scotts Valley and then beyond in vociferously resisting because of health, safety, security and privacy concerns which we testified about at Marin city council meetings.

Fairfax City Council’s resolution asserting the right of communities to opt out helped kick off what eventually became 57 cities, counties and one tribe to officially object. Many called for moratoriums on installation; over a dozen made installation illegal.

Beginning early in 2010, we brought our concerns about so-called ‘smart’ meters to the attention of folks here in West Marin at a packed meeting at the Dance Palace.

PG&E Agents Lied and Spied, Labeled Us ‘Insurgents’
Our Marin County based online group, SmartWarriorMarin, initially the most active, was infiltrated by PG&E workers using false names. Later, when PG&E’s ‘smart’ meter project director, William Devereaux, tried to infiltrate the EMFSafety Coalition’s online group with a false name, Ralph, he neglected to remove his real name from his email and was recognized. Shortly thereafter, PG&E released hundreds of emails to the media that it had purloined from our group strategy discussions. In e-mail exchanges between executives, opponents of ‘smart’ meters were referred to as ‘insurgents.’ Subsequently the CPUC ordered an investigation into the PG&E spying and PG&E was eventually forced to pay a $390,000 fine to the CA general fund as well as to institute a code of ethics for similar online situations.

We had wondered when we organized to be at the Santa Rosa truck yard at 7:30 am one chilly morning in 2010 to block the ‘smart’ meter installation trucks, how the trucks had completely vanished! The company had gotten the message from our email discussion and had moved them before we came.

Massive Public Testimony
For years, hundreds of people spoke out at the bi-weekly CPUC business meetings in San Francisco. PG&E and CPUC President Michael Peevey were getting nervous. People related similar heart-wrenching stories of being totally physically devastated by the effects of the ‘smart’ meter’s incessant pulsing microwaves. Many people close to banks of multiple meters in apartment buildings or condominiums, were especially injured. Finally after sitting through many hundreds of such testimonies, President Peevey declared that an opt out would be offered and established an official CPUC proceeding to work out the details.

Playing in a Rigged Game
After producing dozens of videos, writing articles, researching and writing blogs, organizing events and giving presentations, chasing installer trucks out of Bolinas and blocking trucks with friends in Stinson Beach, testifying at and videotaping CPUC meetings, my partner and EON co-director, Jim and I became legal intervenors on behalf of the public at the CPUC proceeding. We argued for community wide opt out as well as for no cost opt out. After all, we never opted in – why should we be forced to pay to not have something? Doesn’t being forced to pay to not be harmed constitute extortion?

Once the official proceeding began, those of us who were now embroiled in the Byzantine CPUC rules no longer showed up at the regular business meetings and the hubbub somewhat quieted. Peevey boasted at a CPUC meeting that he was praised “by the Whitehouse” for effectively dealing with the activists. (Federal stimulus funds were behind the rollout.) It was true, the furor died down, with the energy being dissipated by legal maneuvers.

Nevertheless, we all continued on.

We here in Marin, together with our colleagues in Sebastopol and Santa Cruz, gathered the critical information damning the ‘smart’ meter technology and set a tone that has reverberated throughout the world. Pushback against microwave emitting meters is now happening everywhere throughout the U.S., Canada, Australia and Europe.

Medical, Cyber-Security and Safety Warnings Ignored
After repeated thorough investigations, our fears about the techno plan were validated again and again. The World Health Organization’s International Agency for Cancer Research, IARC, concluded that microwaves in the frequencies used by wireless devices, including ‘smart’ meters, are a class 2 B , possible carcinogen, as is asbestos, arsenic and benzene. (If the peer-reviewed studies that weren’t allowed to be considered by IARC had been included, many independent scientists believe that microwave frequencies should be classified as a class 1 A carcinogen.) Can you think of another instance where it is legal to force a class 2 B carcinogen device onto your home?

The American Academy of Environmental Medicine issued a letter directly to the CPUC calling for an immediate moratorium on installation of the meters, citing many peer-reviewed studies showing biological effects from pulsing microwave frequencies.

Security experts constantly warn of dramatically increased vulnerability to the electrical grid by cyber attacks because of wireless ‘smart’ meters. James Woolsey, former head of the CIA has said that the wireless ‘smart’ meter technologies make the grid stupid.

Thousands of fires have been reported and at least one California and one Nevada death caused by the meter fires. These have been dealt with by utility out of court settlements with gag orders. Canadian Saskatchewan utility CEO Robert Watson resigned in disgrace because of having to recall all meters due to a rash of fires. Plus now utilities are profiting from selling individual ratepayers’ private data gathered by meters.

All this risk and yet studies by various attorneys general, including Illinois and the auditor-general of Ontario, Canada’s legislature, have shown these meters result in little to no energy savings and no benefits to ratepayers. Instead, rates have gone up.

Since the meters continuously bounce thousands of powerful microwave emissions between neighboring meters 24/7, (signals can travel 1 mile) an individual opt out doesn’t remove the harmful emissions. Multiple banks of meters on apartments and condominiums produce really lethal amounts of radiation; therefore, community wide opt out is the only solution.

Though stating in the ‘smart’ grid proceeding that health issues would be addressed in the opt-out proceeding, Peevey and the CPUC Judge did not allow any health information to be submitted at all. They then claimed that since we had not presented any convincing data they determined there were no health effects!

Peevey says, “Community-wide opt-outs are ‘undemocratic!’”
Unfortunately, at the Dec. 4 CPUC meeting, the Commissioners discussed the proposed decisions and decided against allowing communities to opt out and to require those refusing a ‘smart’ meter to pay for the privilege of not having one. Mr. Peevey actually ridiculed as ‘undemocratic’ communities that voted for community wide opt out.

Though it will still be possible to opt out, you will have to pay a $75 fee upfront and then $10 extra per month; low income CARE ratepayers pay $10 upfront and $5 per month, pricing it out of range for many poor people.

Come and Express Your Outrage…
We encourage everyone outraged at this injustice and willful ignoring of people pleading on behalf of their health, safety, security and privacy to be at the December 18 meeting to demand community opt out and no fees. 8:30 AM, California Public Utilities Commission, Van Ness at McAllister, San Francisco.

We may have lost this round, but this patently illegal affront to people’s right to health and safety and to the right of elected officials of cities and counties to protect their constituents, will be challenged in court. [ Download a PDF copy of this article here. ]

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Mary Beth Brangan and Jim Heddle are Co-Directors of EON, the Ecological Options Network. They are award-winning film-makers of Public Exposure: DNA, Democracy and the Wireless Revolution and many other social & environmental issue documentaries produced in the last two decades which have been broadcast and toured nationally and internationally; aired in Congress, the United Nations, on PBS, ABC, CNN, cable; and used in parliaments, universities, libraries and by citizens’ organizations and NGO’s worldwide. Residents of Bolinas, they organize, educate and produce media supporting people confronting current survival challenges. www.eon3.net; YouTube.com/eon3; EON3emfblog.net

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