PUC President Lynch Finally Sees the Light
California Public Utilities Commission President Loretta Lynch clearly did the right thing last week by coming to terms with Edison, albeit under a legal challenge. “PUC Chief’s Iron Resolve Evident in Edison Deal” (Oct. 8) stated that accounts of the deal “underline Lynch’s insistence on preserving the PUC’s independent authority.”
Wake up! While Lynch reads a 90-year-old Public Utilities Code over the 1999 Christmas holidays and takes a year to digest it and then another nine months to make a decision to assert her independence, the rest of us suffer through blackouts, exorbitant electricity prices and a near-bankrupt state treasury. Lynch’s epiphany should have happened last fall when her wonderful resolve and “independent” streak could have served California much better. As George Skelton put it so succinctly (“Complexity of Energy Problem Was Too Much for Legislators,” Oct. 8), “If the PUC had raised rates a year ago, California could have avoided the energy crisis.” I’m glad Lynch is now informed and doing her job as it should be done. Better late than never.
Ishtiaq A. Chisti
Long Beach
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Congratulations, Loretta Lynch! It’s a pleasure to see someone in government having the courage to “do what’s right” rather than what’s political.
Herman Steinman
Calabasas
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