SEPT. 25 POWERLINK MARCH AND RALLY
Ray Lutz for Congress 2010
www.VoteRayLutz.com
Media Contact: Brennan Purtzer, Media Director
619-447-3246 / [email protected]
Hundreds of Residents and Concerned Ratepayers Uniting against the Project
Will petition State Attorney General Jerry Brown to investigate lobbying irregularities and President Obama to restore the PACE program.
Where: Lindo Lake Park, 12660 Lindo Lane, Lakeside – Area #3.
When: Saturday, September 25. 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. – Gather; 10 a.m. – Rally;
11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. – March; 1:30p.m. to 3p.m. – Congressional Debate
Attendees should bring chairs, protest signs and potluck food items.
San Diego County, Calif. (Sept 24, 2010) – Two new speakers, and two new sponsors have confirmed participation at Saturday’s march and rally in Lakeside against the Sunrise Powerlink. Former City Attorney Mike Aguirre confirmed on Thursday that he and his law office would be speaking, and local environmental design expert Jim Bell will also join Congressional Candidate Ray Lutz to address those gathered in attendance. The Sierra Club also confirmed their participation, and Sullivan Solar Power has taken on a sponsorship role at the event.
Congressional Candidate Ray Lutz, who last month fasted 11 days to force a debate with Rep. Duncan Duane Hunter, will lead the march and rally through the town of Lakeside on Sept. 25. A congressional debate between candidates for the 52nd Congressional district will follow the march, taking place at Lindo Lake Park. The debate will be moderated by East County Magazine. All candidates have been invited to participate.
The march will include members of a 70,000-strong coalition that has vocally opposed the Sunrise Powerlink project as dangerous and unnecessary. The group will march around the proximity of the park, and through downtown Lakeside, a community to be heavily impacted by the Sunrise Powerlink project.
Additional confirmed speakers include 2003 Cedar Fire hero and advocate Rudy Reyes and Border Power Plant Working Group Co-Chair Bill Powers.
Some say the Sunrise Powerlink is a “done deal” but organizers of the event point to two ongoing lawsuits and involvement by Attorney General Jerry Brown, who has been asked by County Supervisor Diane Jacob to investigate and block the project due to illegal lobbying activities by utility executive Dan Skopec, who had been a CPUC official only ten months prior to his lobbying activities. As a result of his influence, the CPUC reversed the recommendation of the administrative law judge in the case, and to the surprise and dismay of many, approved the project without any requirement that energy from renewable sources be placed on the Powerlink. Attendees will be asked to sign petitions to be delivered to the Attorney General’s office requesting that he take action to start the investigation and require that the CPUC reconsider their ruling on the Powerlink, and deny it.
Also, attendees of Saturday’s event will be asked to sign petitions directed at President Obama requesting that he override the actions of Fannie Mae and Freddy Mac that recently halted the PACE (Property Assessment Clean Energy) program. The PACE program permits homeowners to install solar energy systems and allocate the liability in the form of property tax assessments over an extended period of time, allowing those homeowners to sell their property and transfer the liability to new owners. Attorney General Jerry Brown filed a complaint in U.S. District Court in Oakland saying that the programs were mischaracterized as “loans” instead of “assessments.” He met with other county officials, including County Supervisor Diane Jacob, San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders, San Diego City Council Member Marti Emerald, Assemblymember Marty Block, and many others in early August. Reactivation of the PACE program would effectively kill any rationale for the Sunrise Powerlink project and would allow work on thousands of solar energy projects to proceed.
Other invitees to Saturday’s event include Rep. Duncan Duane Hunter, County Supervisor Diane Jacob, Assemblymember Marty Block, Assemblymember Joel Anderson, Diane Conklin, Donna Tisdale, Denis Trafecante, Laura Cyphert, Steve Volker, Michael Shames, Paul Clay, Mark Hanson, Brian Jones, Janet Enright, and Milt Cyphert.
The event is being sponsored by the East County Community Action Coalition, Citizens Oversight Projects (COPs), and Sullivan Solar Power. Organizers said this will likely be the first of an annual event promoting alternative energy sources, and includes a number of exhibitors.
References:
“Powerlink booster may have powered up too soon – Official was lobbying within 10 months of leaving the state” http://www.signonsandiego.com/…
“Way too cozy!” Private meetings between SDG&E officials, and state public utility commissioners. http://www.kusi.com/features/t…
Letter from Diane Jacob to Attorney General Jerry Brown: http://media.signonsandiego.co…
Attorney General Jerry Brown fights for PACE energy efficiency program: