California’s Power Crisis

Re “PUC Sets Stage for Increase in Electricity Bills,” Dec. 22: The state Public Utilities Commission has never voted for the public. Its record is outrageous--always in favor of utility companies. Now it wants to bail out the gas and electric companies at the expense of the public with a rate increase. These companies are crying “bankruptcy” when their executives are getting increases in salaries. Let the state take over these companies and run them as the L.A. DWP is run. Rates will come down and not up.

MARVIN LANDFIELD

Mission Viejo

* Gov. Gray Davis said, “There is no question that everybody has to be part of the solution,” referring to electric utilities recouping their electricity costs (Dec. 20). But there is a question: Not everybody was part of the cause of this problem. So why does everybody have to be part of the solution? Enlighten us on that, would you, Governor?

TOM ROBISCHON

Culver City

* What does it take? When do we learn? Deregulation was supposed to give us better service with better rates. Theoretically it sounded wonderful, but it hasn’t worked. Does anyone believe he or she has better phone service at better rates? We certainly don’t have better service or rates on electricity. Time to return to regulation on utilities now.

MARLENE BRONSON

Santa Monica

* If there was enough electricity this time last year, why isn’t there enough this year? There are just as many power plants operating now as there were then, aren’t there? And there aren’t that many more users now than there were then, are there? So where did all of the electricity go? Last year we had plenty. This year we can’t even have Christmas lights. The answers will be found when we discover who is making money on this so-called “crisis.”

WAYNE DICKMAN

San Bernardino

* The free market should determine electricity rates, and these rates need to be passed on to the consumers directly, regardless of the price. The utility companies are paying 10 times the amount for wholesale electricity, and California residents are unknowingly racking up enormous IOUs to the utility companies. California is collectively using billions of dollars in electricity that consumers can’t pay for. Unless these wholesale costs are passed to the consumer now, we will continue down this path and these costs will be added to consumer electricity bills over the next 10 years.

BRAD MORRISON

Newport Beach

* Why is it that my energy bill in Seattle is skyrocketing because our Northwest energy producers are being forced to send our supplies south? Why is it our region’s salmon and environment must be further endangered to keep the lights on in Anaheim? If we follow the money, it leads to Texas energy companies with George W. Bush as their buffoon mascot. We’re in for a long four years.

BRYON ZIEGLER

Seattle

* During World War II, California and the U.S. utilized daylight saving time all year around to conserve energy and energy costs. We should do so immediately. We would also gain by an attendant reduction in air pollution and improved flow of evening rush-hour traffic.

ANDREW M. JUSKO

Los Angeles

* At the end of the 19th century we had the robber barons, the moguls of the oil, steel and railroad companies--the underpinnings of early 20th century industry. Now, on the dawn of the 21st century, we have a new breed of robber barons, the moguls behind the natural gas and power companies--the underpinnings of modern high-tech industry. And, as did their predecessors, today’s politicians have jumped into bed with these new robber barons.

KEN MATASSA

Santa Ana Heights

* Re “River Flow Restoration to Cost State Electricity,” Dec. 19: Economics 101 teaches the relationship between supply and demand. There has to be an adequate supply to keep prices “reasonable.” Are we not reaping the results of decades of opposition to new energy plant construction by environmentalists? We’ve had no new plants in or serving California in decades, while our population has soared.

And how about the latest environmental fad to tear down clean hydroelectric plants in California, the Northwest and elsewhere, so the salmon can more easily swim upstream. Or better yet, restore the original flow to the Trinity River so we can black out 31,000 homes so those salmon can enjoy the trip upriver. Certainly the energy deregulation fiasco has exacerbated the situation, but when you put salmon ahead of civilization we can expect a return to the “dark ages”!

CHARLES J. O’CONNELL

Stevenson Ranch

* There have been many articles recently about the cost of energy in the greater L.A. area. Due to the fact that we do not have enough energy for our current population, why is nothing being done to curtail home building, mini-mall explosions and empty skyscrapers?

How can home after home be built--Castaic-area home tracts, Westside mega-mansions, tearing down perfectly good homes and replacing them with mini-mansions especially in the Arcadia area? Our legislators should pass emergency legislation curtailing and/or stopping this building. Who will be able to afford to live in these homes? Will people be able to afford their homes due to the spiraling energy costs? It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that we are heading for a disaster.

VIVIAN URQUIDI

Temple City