Approval today by the City Council of a ballot measure on solar energy marks yet another low point for City Hall deceitful and destructive politics.
And yet another act of political cowardice.
They’re putting it on the ballot because they don’t have the courage to take responsibility for a disastrous policy that will slow installation of solar energy, thwart development of a private sector industry, cost the public up to $3 billion extra, hurt business and industry.
What’s good about it other than it deflects responsibility? It will add hundreds of overpaid workers to the DWP payroll and fill the treasury of its union, the IBEW, whose leader Brian D’Arcy will be able to throw a fortune in to getting the mayor and his pals another four years in office where they can continue their assault against the middle class and hopes of hard-working people to reach the middle class.
The rush to put this proposal on the March 3 ballot represents the height of arrogance by our elected officials, emboldened by their ability to raise millions from special interests to fool the passive and uninformed public to support policies that harm the city as a whole and diminish its hopes for the future.
With Rick Caruso not running for mayor, the solar energy proposal will
be a battleground issue in the primary along with the City Controller
and City Attorney races and the campaign for the open Council District
5.
The opportunity for community activists is to use the
primary to get organized and build a grassroots movement that might be
able to affect the outcomes and lays the basis for even stronger
challenges to the way City Hall operates in the future.
Every once in a while, the mayor and council do something that can only be seen as a huge “Fuck you!” to the people who elected them to protect their interests. This is one of those times.
This ballot measure is a compelte act of fraud. SLAP should lead the way asking for complete financial burden on the taxpayers before March 3. If DWP refuses then SLAP should campaign NO on DWP Solar Plan.
I am in favor of solar energy. I am in favor of creating local jobs but not just DWP union jobs. We need to support our local business. The city council must start informing the neighborhood councils and MOU before they ramrod a measure to ballot. Where is the transparency from our city government and agencies?
I am very disappointed in Wendy Greuel for going along with this joke of a “plan”. She has seriously compromised her integrity in route to the Controller’s office.
Either she didn’t do her homework to see just how much this hurts the private solar industry and the city’s ratepayers. Or she is completely on the IBEW “take” and in the back pocket of the Mayor.
My vote is for the latter.