Responding to a letter from the LA Chamber, Carpenters Union and the VoteNoMeasureB campaign, several city officials say they have heard the message: Open and inclusive process to develop a renewable energy plan that serves everyone and achieves success.
The mayor and his frontman at the DWP, David Nahai, keep talking like Marie Antoinette and saying they are going ahead with their unplanned, unstudied, unthinkable solar energy program rejected by half the city’s voters.
But that’s not what Council President Eric Garcetti is saying and it’s not what Councilman Jan Perry, head of the energy committee, or Councilman Richard Alarcon or DWP Commission President Lee Alpert are saying.
Here’s what they told Rick Orlov in the Daily News on Tuesday:
Perry: “Pass or fail, I think we should go ahead with a
process to have the DWP present its proposal to the committee, and we
hold hearings in a north, south, east, west fashion. I don’t think it matters if it was approved. This is a
process we should go through anyway. We will be very inclusive and open
and deliberative and put things on the record.”
Alarcon, who serves on the energy committee: The Alpert:”We need to have all the customers and stakeholders involved and educated as to what we’re doing.”
election results show it’s clear the voters want an open process. It also sent a message to the City Council and the mayor
that we have some work to do.If we are going to drive this industry and make it
profitable, we have to have everybody on board with what we’re doing to
develop long-term support of the public.”
With Interim City Clerk Karen Kalfayan expected to complete the tally of 46,000 uncounted votes this week, the “No” campaign leads by 1,322 votes. Statistically, that margin is expected to hold up or even increase when the tally is complete.
The letter to the mayor and CIty Council on Tuesday offered to work cooperatively to move quickly to bring together all stakeholders to develop a solar energy plan that will actually create “clean energy and good jobs” — and not just a monopoly for the DWP and its union, the IBEW.
The letter was signed by
Gary Toebben, President & CEO of the LA
Chamber of Commerce,
William Luddy, Legislative and Political Director of the Southwest Regional Council of Carpenters, and me as a spokesman for the No on Measure B campaign and a founder of the Saving LA Project. Here’s the full text:
“The voters of Los Angeles have given the Mayor, City
Council, DWP, business, labor, environmentalists, neighborhood councils and
ratepayers the time to craft a solar plan that will work for all of us, not
just some of us.
“The opposition to Measure B was not about whether to embrace
the use of solar energy; it was about crafting and implementing a plan that
works for everyone. It was clear from
the results of last Tuesday’s election that regardless of the final vote count,
the voters and ratepayers of Los Angeles want more transparency and inclusion
before a decision of such significance for the future of our community is made.
“We stand ready to begin working with you immediately. The use of solar energy is an important
opportunity for our community and with all of us working together; we can lay a
foundation that is beneficial for everyone.“
A very human trait – everybody wamts his own way – includimg the voters.
Thank you, Ron, great campaign!
Great blog, Ron!
I am at the airport leaving DC from this week’s LA/Southern California trip. The trip was very enjoyable and productive from my point of view. It was my first time with such a large delegation.
Many of the Capitol Hill people and fellow trip attendees chuckled about Measure B’s defeat. The funny part was how Mayor Villaraigosa thought he was the big leader for the delegation but wound up looking like a narcissistic jerk. Most of the other elected officials from LA and the rest of the region were all very gracious and acted like part of the team lobbying for all of Southen California while the Mayor hogged the stage all the time with the ME show. A lot of the 200+ people were laughing AT him for how cluelessly self-absorbed he is and I do not even think he noticed!
I voted for him in 2005 but will never vote for him again. Measure B and his grandstanding without results worries me. His behavior is even worse. It is a no-win choice. He either runs for Governor and we risk him being the “leader” of the state or he stays in LA and continues on his current path.
Errr, um, or we start the recall….
Why are they so stuck on sun power, when there are so many alternatives, and some are — you ready for this — cheaper and more efficient?
I know one thing, what ever they come with better be manufactured in this country and not China like the solar panels in the defeated Meas. B were.
I don’t care if those over-priced panels were going to be installed by an L.A. company, American workers were not going to share in the largess of the manufacturing dollar.
The use of solar energy is an important opportunity for our all of us since will be using the natural way and what can nature provide us. This will lessen our expenses in using artificial energy. Now that we are in recession we do need some alternative ways on how we can lessen our expenses. Well, you must be wondering what could be the future waiting for America’s economy, ever heard of the Beige Book? The Beige Book is a semi annual report made by Federal Reserve’s central banks that gives a sketchy report or our economy. It isn’t completely concrete, so you don’t have to worry about getting a no fax cash advance to pick up a copy. It isn’t exactly all kittens and rainbows, but the newest one says that the decline is slowing. Still, the credit market is dreadful. The figures for manufacturing, the retail sale industry, and commercial real estate are horrid, but things aren’t dipping as fast as they were. It doesn’t mean you shouldn’t look into mortgage loan modification because of a not as bad Beige Book report.
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