SDG&E-SCE; Merger

As a San Diego County taxpayer, I have reviewed the public record concerning the SDG&E;/SCE merger.

I can only conclude that the merger will benefit my family on the basis of lower rates for the near term. Further, as the marketplace for electric power undergoes changes into the next century, my family will continue to benefit from the larger, more financially secure, and more diverse utility the two companies will form.

These conclusions are based on an understanding of the profit motive of the utilities. Since electric rates are subject to public approval, and since utility spending is similarly subject to public review, there is no danger to me from a utility’s size alone. In fact, in order to turn a profit, utility management must provide for long-range planning, must achieve a diverse generation mix, and must serve the customer reliably under normal and catastrophic conditions. Utility size is a distinct advantage in these pursuits, and the advantage will be passed along to customers and taxpayers, the Public Utilities Commission will see to that.

All these considerations are fairly easy for an open-minded individual to discover. I find the City Council’s closed-mindedness and regional parochialism in the matter of the SDG&E;/SCE merger disturbing. I find its willingness to spend tax money on opposing the merger of two private companies appalling. Finally, I find attempts to condemn and take over operation of SDG&E; criminal, from the point of view of governmental interference with private activities and from the point of view of eroding an established tax base.

DAVID ZIEBELL

Carlsbad