Then I got this petition from "food & water" ngo e-mail:
Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), California’s largest utility, just declared bankruptcy.1 Now PG&Ewants Californians like YOU to bail it out.
This convicted criminal corporation has a history of dangerously inadequate maintenance, and is also likely responsible for the climate change supercharged Camp Fire last summer — the most destructive fire in California history that killed over 90 people and destroyed over 14,000 homes.2
Instead of more bailouts for PG&E,
we need the state to take it over, run it as a public utility, and use that public ownership to transform it into a 100% renewable energy powered utility.
Tell Governor Newsom, the California Public Utilities Commission, and the California Legislature no more bailouts for PG&E and to support a public takeover now!
Making PG&E public will remove the profit motive from its directors and allow the state to run the utility in the interest of the people.
It will dramatically reduce the incentive to cut corners on safety, which results in dangerous fires. And it will give Governor Newsom and other decision makers the ability to move the utility quickly to 100% renewable energy, to pay the victims, and avert further climate change supercharged fires.
Taxpayers and ratepayers should not have to further subsidize PG&E’s negligence or multi-million dollar compensation packages for their executives.
Tell your decision makers — not one more penny for PG&E!
Food & Water Watch has a history of fighting for public control of utilities in our various campaigns against water privatization.
The vast majority of water utilities across the country are public, and
our research has found that publicly owned utilities charge ratepayers less, provide higher quality service, and are more accountable to their customers.
Rather giving out more bailouts to PG&E, we urge Governor Newsom, the Public Utilities Commission, and the state legislature to take it over and run it as a public utility.
Demand a public takeover now!