Paradise Fire/Camp Creek Fire 11/08/2018 (Sacramento, Chico: inspectors, restaurants, delivery)

[2sleepy]

Originally Posted by Reziac

As the article I linked pointed out, the problems started after the 'deregulation' fiasco dramatically increased their costs. Put the financial squeeze on any company to the point that they have to cut corners, and eventually something breaks; in this case it was maintenance, that being the one area that's not prescribed by law or contract and can therefore be shaved down on the balance sheet.

But as you say, best case would be restructuring as a publicly-owned utility, tho given CA's recent track record, I wouldn't put much faith in the state doing a better job than PG&E.

Here's what would be better about it -if it was taken over by the state or by regional governments customers would enjoy the 30% savings that customers of publicly owned utilities currently enjoy in California. You're worried about how the state would run PG&E but you aren't worried about what PG&E management has done to get us to this point?

[Reziac]

Originally Posted by 2sleepy

Here's what would be better about it -if it was taken over by the state or by regional governments customers would enjoy the 30% savings that customers of publicly owned utilities currently enjoy in California. You're worried about how the state would run PG&E but you aren't worried about what PG&E management has done to get us to this point?

Possibly. But remember that the publicly-owned utilities were set up under a completely different state government, that actually governed reasonably well. What will the current disfunctional state gov't do? If control is given to existing public utils, then things may go well. If it gets taken over by the Sacto bureaucracy, all bets are off. First guess is it'd be restructured to require 'green' sources, and then your bill will become a shocking surprise.

[2sleepy]

Originally Posted by Reziac

Possibly. But remember that the publicly-owned utilities were set up under a completely different state government, that actually governed reasonably well. What will the current disfunctional state gov't do? If control is given to existing public utils, then things may go well. If it gets taken over by the Sacto bureaucracy, all bets are off. First guess is it'd be restructured to require 'green' sources, and then your bill will become a shocking surprise.

I don't consider the California state government to be dysfunctional, so that leaves us with very little room to discuss this. Green energy is important to most people who live in California, the state already has programs in place that utility providers have to comply with so I'm not sure what would be changing if the state took over PG&E

[2sleepy]

This is interesting:

A federal judge Thursday blamed uninsulated power conductors owned by PG&E for the bulk of Northern California’s wildfires the past two years – including the deadly Camp Fire in Butte County – adding to the legal woes the utility is confronting.

U.S. District Judge William Alsup, who is overseeing the company’s criminal probation from the 2010 San Bruno natural gas pipeline explosion, said he has tentatively concluded that uninsulated power conductors lie at the heart of the wildfire crisis that has plunged PG&E into bankruptcy. https://www.sacbee.com/news/state/ca...dNQUlMLkNPTQ==

[firedozer]

It does not matter who owns the utility. The problem is the way California courts have applied inverse condemnation.


No matter how well you run and maintain your utility equipment, if it causes a fire or other damage that occurs the utility will be held liable.


No business will buy PG&E with that facing them. The state does not want the liability either.
If the City of Redding power equipment had caused the Car fire, the city of Redding would be bankrupt right now.


This is a problem that is not going to go away till the state legislature has the stomach to change the law,.
Every utility in the state has this problem. Both private and government owned.
Just think about this, the utility clears limbs twenty feet away from their lines but in a wind storm a limb or tree comes from farther away and hits the line causing a spark and fire. They followed the law but they are held liable even so.


There are a lot of reasons our power is high, not all of them are PG&E's fault. They have to work within a very complex and highly regulated environment.

[mgforshort]

So we are watching the "Action News" tonight and there is a fascinating story about a woman in Oroville who owns 5 - five acres of land. She offered and did allow seven trailers on her property for Paradise Fire victims, all free of charge, just trying to help. There are two portable toilets on the property visible. I'm not sure how long was this going on.

So the County Code Enforcement and the sheriff shows up one morning and cites her for violating some sort of camping ordinance. She is allowed to keep two - 2 trailers only, her choice which two, and she must evict the other five.
That is on five acres of land she owns.

So it seems, government helps with one hand, and destroys with the other. Just sickening.
Meantime the Silver Dollar Fairgrounds in Chico will be closed to all refugees by the end of January, and as of today, they have no idea where to go for shelter. Cars, tents, and motorhomes are there.

[EIL9]

PG&E has filed for bankruptcy

Pacific Gas & Electric, the nation's largest utility company, filed for bankruptcy on Tuesday morning as it braces for billions of dollars in payouts to victims of the 2018 November wildfires which claimed dozens of lives and destroyed thousands of homes.
The utility company filed documents in a U.S. court seeking Chapter 11 reorganization on Tuesday citing hundreds of lawsuits from victims of the November Camp fire and others.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ankruptcy.html

[Podo944]

Originally Posted by mgforshort

So we are watching the "Action News" tonight and there is a fascinating story about a woman in Oroville who owns 5 - five acres of land. She offered and did allow seven trailers on her property for Paradise Fire victims, all free of charge, just trying to help. There are two portable toilets on the property visible. I'm not sure how long was this going on.

So the County Code Enforcement and the sheriff shows up one morning and cites her for violating some sort of camping ordinance. She is allowed to keep two - 2 trailers only, her choice which two, and she must evict the other five.
That is on five acres of land she owns.

So it seems, government helps with one hand, and destroys with the other. Just sickening.
Meantime the Silver Dollar Fairgrounds in Chico will be closed to all refugees by the end of January, and as of today, they have no idea where to go for shelter. Cars, tents, and motorhomes are there.

There really needs to be a law in place that waives those types of hall monitor rules in cases of disasters. It's despicable! What a generous person to allow those people to be on her land. This is what people are supposed to do to help their fellow man and neighbors.

[mgforshort]

[mgforshort]

The house in # 4059 was under construction when we moved to Paradise in September 2015 and it was almost completed by November 2018, but they never moved in. I hope they had insurance - maybe not.