California Taxpayers Right to Vote Act (2010)
From Ballotpedia
Contents |
A California Taxpayers Right to Vote Act (09-0015) was filed on May 28, 2009 with the California Attorney General's office as an initiated constitutional amendment. Signature-gatherers appear to be on track to qualify the measure for the June 8, 2010 ballot in California.
Pacific Gas and Electric is a major backer of the initiative. If it is approved, the initiative will make it difficult for local entities to form municipal utilities.[1]
Specifically, the Taxpayers Right to Vote Act would require a two-thirds majority vote of local voters before a local government could:
- Establish a Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) program
- Use public funding to implement a plan to become a CCA provider
- Expand electric service to new territory or new customers.[2]
The CCA program, established in 2002, allows local governments to purchase blocks of power to sell to residents, which means that cities and counties can become competitors to private utilities.
Supporters
.jpg)
The official proponent of the initiative is Robert Lee Pence, who was listed as an opponent of California Proposition 80 (2005).[3]
The text of the initiative was prepared and filed by the Sacramento law firm Nielsen, Merksamer, Parrinello, Mueller & Naylor.[3]
The Sacramento public relations firm Larsen Cazanis is the designated representative of the initiative in its early stages. Greg Larsen of Larsen Cazanis told the press, "it's unclear how much of a campaign it's going to be. It's a long way off."[3]
The name of the campaign committee sponsoring the measure is "Californians to Protect Our Right to Vote."[4]
Through early November 2009, utility company Pacific Gas & Electric had donated $3.5 million to the campaign to put the measure on the ballot. PG&E was, through November, the only donor to the ballot campaign.[5][4]
Opponents
Elisabeth Brinton, director of communications for the Sacramento Municipal Utility District, a public utility, says:
- The initiative reduces the ability of people to choose between private and public utility companies. "It really goes to the heart of the right of people to have choices, that’s the intent of this measure. It’s horrendous."[6]
- Holding local elections where people vote on whether to have a private or public utility company would be expensive: "The cost of doing these elections, the whole process is really extraordinary.”[6]
The editorial board of the San Francisco Guardian said on September 22, 2009 that "this is a profoundly important issue, and every elected official, city council, board of supervisors, and utility agency in the Bay Area needs to immediately come out in opposition and start organizing to defeat it."[7]
Path to the ballot
- See also: California signature requirements
As an initiated constitutional amendment, the supporters of Proposition 09-0015 need to submit 694,354 valid signatures to qualify the measure for the ballot.
A report in early November said that petitions for the measure were "off the streets and being prepared for submission." If sponsors want the measure on the June 8, 2010 ballot, they'd need to submit these signatures by Monday, November 16. If they submit the signatures after November 16, the measure, if it qualifies, will qualify for the November 2, 2010 ballot.[4]
See also
External links
- Letter requesting a ballot title for 09-0015
- Website of the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD), an example of a public utility
References
- ↑ Capitol Weekly, "Initiative backers submit paperwork promising a busy 2010 cycle", October 22, 2009
- ↑ Text of Taxpayer's Right to Vote Act
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 San Francisco Bay Guardian, "PG&E attacks consumer choice", June 17, 2009
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Fox and Hounds Daily, "Money Flows for PG&E Power Initiative", November 9, 2009
- ↑ Election Track, "Contributions to Californians To Protect Our Right To Vote Major Funding From Pacific Gas & Electric Company A Coalition Of Taxpayers, Environmentalists, Renewable Energy, Business And Labor"
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 News Review, "PG&E’s power trip"
- ↑ San Francisco Bay Guardian, "Stopping PG&E's fraudulent initiative", September 22, 2009
