What's up, Leaguers!
Are you ready for this crazy November election? Because there are sooo many propositions on the ballot, 17 state and 26 (we think) local ones, we're starting earlier than ever this year and splitting our endorsements into two batches. Join us on August 6th for our first of two endorsement meetings!
We'll be discussing the state propositions and some of the local propositions for this election, then voting on the League's official position. If you've donated (which you can do on the spot) and volunteered four or more hours in the last year, you can vote for your favorites...but even if you can't, this is a fun opportunity to learn about the big races and get ready for the election. This meeting is also your chance to sign up for election volunteer opportunities, like pub crawls!
Saturday, August 6, 2-5pm
Thee Parkside
1600 17th Street at Wisconsin
RSVP on Facebook or at:
theleaguesf.org/nov2016_endorse1
We'll be on the patio. Thee Parkside is kid-friendly. Bring cash for drinks and food. The carne asada tater tots are the bomb.
And mark your calendar for August 20th for our second endorsement meeting. We'll be tackling all of the local candidate races and the rest of the local propositions.
Saturday, August 20, 2-5pm
The Eric Quezada Center for Culture and Politics
518 Valencia
RSVP on Facebook or at:
theleaguesf.org/nov2016_endorse2
A NOTE FOR CANDIDATES & CAMPAIGNS!
We do not have speakers for ballot measures or candidates at our endorsement meetings. We present our research, discuss the contests, and conduct a member vote. You are welcome to grab a beer with us and participate in the discussions at the endorsement meeting, but we ask that any candidates or paid campaign staff leave the room during the discussion of their contest.
Phil Ting has again moved his bill in 2016 to attack Community Choice clean energy programs:
CA Assemblymember Phil Ting Criticized For Attacking Community Solar & Green Jobs To Protect Fossil Fuel-Based Monopoly Utilities, With Assembly Bill AB 1110
Californians for Energy Choice
1104 Polk Street, Suite 225
San Francisco, CA 94109
PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release: Aug 11, 2016
Contact: Eric Brooks, Californians for Energy Choice, 415-756-8844
CA Assemblymember Phil Ting Criticized For Attacking Community Solar & Green Jobs To Protect Fossil Fuel-Based Monopoly Utilities, With Assembly Bill AB 1110
San Francisco, CA, August 11, 2016 – Today, the consumer and community clean energy watchdog, Californians for Energy Choice, called out California Assemblymember Phil Ting for attacking community-based clean energy programs and undermining solar jobs in order to protect fossil fuel-based monopoly utilities like PG&E, SCE, and SDG&E with Assembly Bill AB 1110. The group said AB 1110 masquerades as an environmental bill while it undercuts rooftop solar and obscures the carbon emissions from the monopoly utilities’ natural gas operations. The California Senate may vote on AB 1110 as early as Monday, August 15, 2016.
The group cited alarming provisions in AB 1110, pointing out that:
• By not allowing rooftop solar electricity to be labeled greenhouse gas free, AB 1110 would be a solar job killer, undermining local rooftop solar in the state and thousands of potential green jobs.
• AB 1110 has no mandates to require a full lifecycle account of all
greenhouse gas emissions of electricity generated using dirty natural gas. Incidents like the Aliso Canyon methane release and other fugitive emissions are known to be substantial, yet are not required in greenhouse gas emission calculations under the bill.
• AB 1110 has language that allows the monopoly utilities to obscure their greenhouse gas emissions by claiming that being required to show more detailed greenhouse gas numbers would force them to reveal “trade secrets.”
The group also noted the appearance of a clear conflict of interest, highlighting that:
• According to the campaign donation watchdog Maplight, Assemblymember Ting has been the 7th highest recipient (out of 80 California assemblymembers) of contributions from the specific California electrical trade organizations that have repeatedly attacked local clean energy programs on behalf of the monopoly utilities. (See: http://maplight.org/california/interest/LC150 )
Californians for Energy Choice cited the extensive donations by proxies of the monopoly utilities to Ting’s electoral campaigns as a troubling sign that Ting may be doing the bidding of the monopoly utilities to protect them from local, community-based clean energy competition.
Eric Brooks, co-coordinator of Californians for Energy Choice said, “As the 7th highest recipient (out of 80 California assemblymembers) of campaign cash from proxies of the dirty monopoly utilities, it is no surprise that Phil Ting has put forward AB 1110 to attack local community-based solar and protect the utilities from clean energy competition. AB 1110 is a solar job killer that allows the monopoly utilities, led by PG&E, to greenwash themselves and undermine local community-based clean energy. The bill cuts the legs out from under rooftop solar by not allowing it to be called greenhouse gas free. The bill has no mandate that all greenhouse gas emissions of natural gas electricity be counted, and it even contains a disturbing clause that allows the monopoly utilities to duck scrutiny and hide detailed greenhouse gas numbers by claiming this would somehow reveal ‘trade secrets.’”
“Because this bill undermines community-based solar and obscures greenhouse gas emissions of natural gas power, it allows the fossil fuel heavy monopoly utilities to falsely claim that they sell cleaner energy than far superior local community providers — such as the Community Choice programs currently delivering cleaner, less expensive electricity to Marin, Sonoma, Napa, and Contra Costa counties, and to the cities of San Francisco and Lancaster.”
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