Letters to the Editor: No natural gas? If that happens, California will dump Democrats

To the editor: During the recent wildfires and high winds, my suburban neighborhood experienced a six-hour blackout. Although I lost electricity, I still had a working stove, hot water and heating because I have natural gas appliances.

California’s Democratic politicians may soon ask me to become totally dependent on an unreliable electrical grid so that, during future blackouts, I will not have a working stove, hot water or heating.

Rather than switch from natural gas to electricity, Californians should switch to a different political party, throw out the deluded environmentalist ideologues who govern us now, and replace them with pragmatists who will remember that their mandate is to take practical steps that will improve their constituents’ lives.

Robert Rakauskas, Winnetka

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To the editor: Bad news for Southern California Gas Co.: I’ll be happy to dump my few remaining gas appliances. My house has gone solar, and now that I’ve tried (and liked) induction cooking, I’m ready to go all-electric.

I think it’s time for people to divest the stock in SoCal Gas parent Sempra Energy; the future of gas is looking grim. It may try to delay the inevitable, but experiencing a declining market share until it goes bankrupt is likely.

To better fight climate change, the transition to clean energy should be sped up. I support the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act in Congress, which would help workers and consumers during the transition by sending us a “dividend” payment.

E.J. Parker, Long Beach

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To the editor: Coal is deadly both to the people who mine it and who use it. Burning natural gas can also cause pollution, but going to all-electric is definitely not the answer. Power failures happen all the time for a variety of reasons in urban and rural areas.

If the electricity is off, I can still use gas to heat my home. I can make coffee and cook meals on my gas stove.

Until we can store power generated by wind or solar, going all-electric isn’t a good option.

Michele Hart-Rico, Los Angeles