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By SAM SCOTT
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
Another attempt at passing a moratorium on the installation of PG&E SmartMeters in Sebastopol failed Tuesday, but supporters of the freeze say their fight continues unabated.
“We will never give up in the city of Sebastopol,” said Sandi Maurer of the EMF Network, a local activist group, who said she plans to bring complaints that the meters are being installed improperly to the city’s attorney.
Mayor Guy Wilson, however, said he doesn’t expect the council to revisit the issue anytime soon. Tuesday was the second time since October city leaders have turned down a moratorium on the meters, which transmit usage data by radio waves.
“Now that we have had this vote, I don’t see — at least in the near future — a situation that would warrant bringing it back again,” he said on Wednesday.
Still, strong feelings remain against the meters. The 3-2 vote Tuesday came despite a long list of speakers who laid into the wireless devices for a host of ills, including health maladies, invasions of privacy and increased risks of fire.
But for Wilson, the issue boiled down to jurisdiction. Simply the town cannot enforce such a restriction without trespassing into an area controlled statewide by the California Public Utilities Commission, he said.
Even passing the ban as a symbolic gesture against the mandatory installation of SmartMeters would risk major liability if someone took the vote literally and used it to affect a citizen’s arrest against a PG&E agent — or as a reason for stronger vigilance, he said.
“I feel it’s not appropriate to pass a law knowing it can’t be enforced, knowing we do not have jurisdiction,” said Wilson, an attorney who was joined by Kathleen Shaffer and Patrick Slayter in his vote.
But Councilwoman Sarah Gurney and Vice Mayor Michael Kyes disagreed, saying they saw value in adding to public pressure on PG&E by joining other towns and counties in the state that have passed restrictions against the meters.
Mendocino and Marin counties and the Humboldt County city of Rio Dell have enacted moratoriums as have other areas.
Such bans may well violate state laws, Kyes said. But Sebastopol didn’t have a problem passing marijuana regulations that contravene federal drug laws, he said. What’s the difference in this case, he asked.
And regardless of legalities, PG&E is likely to shy away from the publicity of continuing to install the meters in an area that has declared itself against them, he said.
“They’d just as soon keep a low profile,” he said. “I think the risk factor is very low.”
Sebastopol’s council has repeatedly debated a SmartMeter moratorium. It voted on a ban on Oct. 7 when it was defeated 4-1 with Gurney the sole supporter.
But the November election brought two new faces to the board, including Kyes, who brought the matter back up on Tuesday.
Now that the new council has spoken, Kyes said Wednesday that he didn’t see a reason to bring the ban back to council, barring a change in the facts.
“At this point, without some significant change, I think the vote would just continue to be 3-2,” he said.
Despite the split, the board was unanimous in voting Tuesday to support Assembly Bill 37 by Assemblyman Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, which would allow cities to opt out of PG&E’s SmartMeter installation program.
While Wilson championed that as the proper course of action, Kyes said a local ban was needed to address the problem in a timely fashion.
No one representing PG&E spoke at Tuesday’s meeting. Nor did anyone speak to defend the utility. The company insists its meters are safe and is continuing installations in Sonoma County.
In Santa Rosa, 67,000 out of 90,000 electric meters and 56,000 out of 75,000 natural gas meters have been upgraded, although installations in the Sebastopol area have lagged.
Staff Writer Bob Norberg contributed to this story
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Wait ’till you see health the ramifications,and the law suits.Google:EMFnetwork,EMFcenter.com,TURN,RefuseSmartMeters.com,Wilnerandassociates.com
Over one hundred neighbors living next to the Sutro tower on S.F. Peninsula from ’73-’88; were the subject of comprehensive study. 70% of neighbors experienced adverse effects. Those near the tower were 18,000 TIMES more likely to experience leukemia, lymphoma, cancer, tumors, adverse effects to nervous system, memory, cognition, immune function, nervous system, motor function, dizziness, nausea, insomnia, headaches, depression, fatigue, fertility, testosterone levels, genetic changes, including DNA and white blood cell distortion, profound heart rate increases, and MUCH more. Neighbors 5 miles away were four times more likely to be affected. Children are particularly susceptible. Children even with Wi-Fi in the classroom often get sick, then the effects subside on weekends. However these data collection units are more dangerous than a tower. Smart meters reconcile with each other in a horizontal grid/mesh, potentially turning yours into a ‘junction’ with way more electromagnetic radiation. Don’t compare these with cell phones, that ionizing radiation is much lower. Our HOME is turned into a radioactive antenna! In addition the ‘pulsing’, intermittent nature of the transmission is another X-factor especially when mixed with other waves already present in a modern home. This fascist regulatory capture has far reaching precedent setting ramifications. In addition to breaches of property rights (and values), legal rights, human rights, Constitutional Rights, consumer rights, privacy/security rights. Ratepayers (that’s us) in Sacramento are reporting big hikes ($).People with Smart Meters are getting sick, real sick! This ‘Public/Private Partnership’ has Agenda21 written all over it. Agenda21 advocates technology for ‘control and monitoring of humans’ (and much more). 27 cities and counties in Calif. have effected moratoriums on these evil things. Taxpayer, Ratepayer in either capacity we are the ones flipping the bill. Makes you wonder why ‘well meaning public servants’ would have such a concrete resolve. PG&E could hardwire or use fiberoptic technology.To Mr. ’Phil Maher’ I would caution you about using the ‘tin foil hat’ quip in the wrong room, you could have a rough day.(especially if parents of sick children are present).
Resist smart meters like your life depends on it. We already have evidence from citizens (victims) that it might. Where is Erin Brockovich when we need her?
If you are not worried that your grid could be shutdown by a virus. Google Stuxnet virus, this one was able to set back Iran’s nuclear program 5-6 years and now other countries are afraid this reactor could end up like another Chernobyl. Think virus’s are just a nuisance to your pc, think again it can shutdown complex systems.
Santa already knows all that stuff, but just like me, he doesn’t care if somebody knows when I’m doing my laundry. So what if somebody wants to hack into it? What are they going to do, turn on my dishwasher when I’m not looking, or sell me a new furnace? I have two houses with a Smartmeter, my bills have never been lower, I love it, and I sometimes even pull up a lawn chair and stare at it for hours with no ill effects.
Well, I’m certainly worried that someone will find out what time I get up in the morning. And if they can make money off that information, well . . . .
More seriously, if fines are issued for excessive energy use, they won’t be issued by PG&E. As I’ve said before, this isn’t about PG&E; they implement the policy–to reduce energy use–of the PUC, as determined by California voters.
Voters had a chance to delay implementation of AB32 at the last election. They chose, by a wide margin, to stay on a path that requires the state use less energy. Don’t like the result? At least blame the guilty party.
Who is pushing SMART METERS?
The Electrical Unions, for one.
All of your electrical sockets will have to be changed out for the new ‘Smart’ appliances that ‘talk’ to your meter. New appliance with ‘chips’ are coming out in 2012. Electricians will do that work.
Legislators being elected with union dues contributions (like Michael Allen) are pushing for mandatory retrofits.
Public/private partnerships. Money. Data Collection. Law enforcement. It all comes together with Smart Meters.
Call it smart? Don’t be stupid. Demand that they remove your meters. We don’t need it. We don’t want it.
And if you think it’s funny, if you think it’s a tempest in a teapot, if you think it’s tin foil…Are you clamoring for a smart meter? Is your life better with one? Would you go and ASK for one? Didn’t think so. Don’t need it. Don’t want it.
Smart meters are spying devices. They’ll know when you get up in the morning. They’ll know when you take a shower or bath. They’ll know your thermostat setting, when you use your dishwasher, washer, dryer, television, etc. They’ll know when no one’s home! Why do they need to know all of this and how is it profitable for PG&E? Will they sell the information to businesses, will they furnish information to the police?. Is it really about getting us to use less energy? When they start taxing energy use, this information may be used as a method to penalyze people who use their appliances too much or at the wrong times. Will tickets be issued for infractions of improper or excessive energy usage? For not hanging your clothes out to dry on sunny days? All new appliances will be equipped to communicate with the smart meter.
The smart meter is the next best thing to active surveillance of the activities within our homes. Without smart meters, the only thing they could know is the total quantity of energy consumed in a month. The smart meters are an invasion of privacy into our private lives and habits. What else can these meters do? Can they pick up other wireless signals such as cell phones and wifi. Do you know the full extent of the capabilities of these devices? I don’t and that concerns me.
Remember the Total Information Act after 911? That was scuttled but they’re still doing it anyway. They are gathering data on every person, every home, business, you name it. The smart meter will be able to obtain enormous amounts of information about us that would be impossible to obtain otherwise. Do you want everything you do in your home to be known by others? The smart meter is Big Brother/Big Government at work gearing up to control our lives down to the minute detail of how we use energy in our own homes. Once again, people are duped into thinking that these devices will help us. This is an end run around the rights to privacy that must be protected.
I’m sorry tin-foil hatters. How could I have been so wrong? I mean, if you take the electro-magnetic radiation from your “Smart” meter, and combine it with the off-gassing from your carpeting, I can see where you might run into problems.
Since the Pentagon has been hacked into, yeah, I guess electronic meters must face some risk of same.
Do I care? No. Now, I care whether someone hacks into my brokerage or bank account, but my PG&E meter? Nah, I doubt I’ll lose much sleep over that.
Sheesh! I know electronic meter opponents are desperate to find things not to like about them, but they’ve crossed into silly territory.
Another item to consider is these devices are hackable check out the links below. If they can currently hack into Smart Phones, you think they can hack into a Smart Meter. How would you like your grid to be shutdown by a virus.
http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2009/09/01/four-ways-hack-smart-grid
http://rdist.root.org/2010/02/15/reverse-engineering-a-smart-meter/
I don’t understand why PG&E is investing so much time and money on Smart Meters. If they invested this amount of time and money on our gas line infrastructure, they may have actually had all the documentation on the history of all gas lines in Calif. Right now they still cannot find documentation on 30% of their gas lines. I think we have major time bombs set underground all through Calif. thanks to PG&E. This has to be one of the most incompetent run organizations in the country.
Bummer, I guess you’re now going to have to pull your tin-foil hats out of the drawer next to the microwave. What the world really needs is a wall around Sebastopol.
MAYOR GUY WILSON, AN ATTORNEY, DOES NOT UNDERSTAND HOW TO BE A MAYOR.
What law does the mayor think was followed when America imposed its independence over England.
What law did the Egyptians follow in removing the dictator?
What law was followed to the letter to achieve getting the vote for women or ending segregation.
The Mayor is NOT in a court of law – he is supposed to be in a court of Life.
He is supposed to be protecting the safety and welfare of the people of Sebastopol above all else.
The Mayor is thinking in isolation.
There are seven other cities and counties in California making a difference, challenging a dangerous and inappropriate Wireless meter program.
The Mayor is thinking in isolation. The Mayor is telling his children not to remove their shirts as they may get sunburn, yet 700 other children are already swimming safely without shirts in the pool and all are fine.
Seven cities and counties have implemented Ordinances influencing the committee reviewing Huffman’s AB37 bill.
Seven cities and counties have implemented Ordinances making PG&E pause and these cities and counties are pressuring the PUC to do the correct thing, rather than give away the ranch to PG&E, as they have been.
Seven cities and counties have implemented Ordinances that are motivating other cities to step up and join and care for their people.
Mayor Guy Wilson is finding his place and limiting his boundaries with the separation of powers and jurisdictions with the most limited interpretation, ignoring the circumstances and congratulating himself.
In other words, Mayor Guy Wilson is doing exactly what PG$E wants him to do.
Mayor Guy Wilson – when the courthouse is on fire, get outside and take care of things.
Your precise narrow interpretation of the law and jurisdiction is inappropriate under some circumstances.
Your precise narrow interpretation is simply a pile of excrement and your self-absorption is despicable in the position that you are holding intended to look out for the welfare of the people of Sebastopol.
Mayor Guy Wilson – swallow your pride and step up and do something and PROMOTE an Ordinance, or step aside so that someone else with courage and commitment can do the Mayor’s job.
OK, so forget about the health issues if you’re so sure it’s no problem.
Smart Meters can be remotely turned off. From the office. No need to come to your home.
Not worried about it? Why not? The way things are going everyone’s suspect these days. Acting a bit strange? Investigation needed. Maybe someone will want to shut your electricity and gas off in the middle of the night—
Paranoid? Nope. And how about this: The meter monitors the type of appliance or electronics you’re using, for how long, and where in your home. Privacy important to you? Don’t care?
Then think about this. Why does PGE need to know when you’re using your whatever? They say it’s because you’ll have fun monitoring your usages. But you don’t need them for that. No.
They will sell the information to manufacturers. They will share the information with TSA and law enforcement. They will remotely shut you down if they wish. They will bill you for peak hours. What? You don’t need your air conditioner during the day? Oh, you don’t need to do your wash at any time but midnight?
And that’s without any concern about health. Get with it. Don’t be a chump.
It’s another program brought to you by UN Agenda 21.
Is there a “smart” meter on the “smart?” train?
Sanity prevails on a 3-2 vote ?
Note to the strange :
If you surround yourself with crystals and magnets you will be ‘protected’ from harmful radio waves. Or you may be able to pick up the local stations !
Nice!
How refreshing! Common sense. I still find the EMF phobia somewhat amusing. I’ve received comments from friends and colleagues back on the East Coast about the anti-wifi, anti-smartmeter, anti-electromagnetic field of any kind attitude that a minority of Seb’s try to push on all other citizens. If the fear and concern were real, none of the anti-EMF crowd would have or use: computers, cell phones, telephones, toasters microwaves, hair dryers, light bulbs, televisions, stereos, iPods, iPads, digital watches, electric ovens, electric stoves… ANYTHING that uses electrical power… They all have the potential of generating an electric field. WHEN I see all of them shed all their electrically powered appliances, THEN I’ll take them seriously – maybe…
Back to the point – thank you Seb Council for showing that common sense is still the way to go.
Every member of a city council, when they are first sworn into office, takes an oath to uphold the law. Any council member who knowingly votes for an ordinance he knows to be illegal violates that oath.
To the majority, Bravo!