Consumer Anger Over Soaring Power Bills
Re “PUC May Cede Control Over Electricity Rates,” July 19: How can rates possibly go up any more without the people of California uniting into one screaming mass of angry citizens? My bill this month was $355, and I only run the air conditioner six hours a day. This is about double what it has been since we moved into this house, and when I called Edison to dispute the bill, the representative told me that since we didn’t live here last year, my baseline was established using my March usage. I wish someone had told me. I would have run my air conditioner every day in March to establish a better base rate!
I don’t run the air at all any more. If we get that monsoonal moisture, life will be hell for my family, but I can’t afford $355 a month. Of course, I’m sure Gov. Gray Davis has no trouble paying his bill. What are our choices? Should we all start moving out of California? Should I just not pay the bill, in protest?
I am not voting for any of our current politicians next time. I know someone is getting rich at our expense, and I intend to show my anger at the next elections.
Denise Stark
Menton, Calif.
We received our June bill from Pacific Gas & Electric. Although we were unable to reduce our electric usage by the governor’s targeted 20% compared to last year, we were able to achieve more than 17% in savings. How were our efforts rewarded? With over $140 in penalty charges! How can this happen? The answer is simple. A family of six cannot reduce its electric usage to that of a single person living in an apartment, yet both households are judged using the same baseline allowance.
This is the result of the Public Utilities Commission’s newly established rate plan. A customer support representative at the PUC admitted that family size is not part of how the baseline is computed.
This anti-family stance of the PUC cannot be allowed to stand. If baseline rates were based upon the person, we wouldn’t have received any penalty charges, even if only five of the six of us were counted. We want to do our fair share, but not somebody else’s share too!
Arnold W. Pierce
Shingle Springs, Calif.
