PG&E backs measure to tighten grip on cities
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San Francisco Chronicle: For years, cities dissatisfied with Pacific Gas and Electric Co. have tried to break away from the utility company, either by joining another or going into the power business for themselves. They have rarely succeeded in breaking free. Now PG&E is backing a statewide ballot measure that would make it even harder for cities and counties to leave. Under the measure, local governments that plan to start selling electricity would first need a two-thirds vote of approval from their residents if the plans required public financing. Existing public-power utilities, such as the Sacramento Municipal Utility District, would need a two-thirds vote of approval before they could expand outside their current borders. The company says the measure, which would appear on the June 2010 ballot, ensures that the public can vote on potentially expensive decisions. "PG&E supports giving its customers more control over how their hard-earned tax dollars are being spent," said company spokesman Andrew Souvall. "At a time when state and local governments are facing dire budget conditions, it's more important than ever to have that control." Public officials who want to enter the electricity business call the measure a thinly disguised attempt to stop them. "This is PG&E's deceptive act to kill its competition and to subvert any California city's right to chart its path toward energy independence," said San Francisco Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi.
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