Edison short circuits city’s request for Smart Meter information
Oct. 25, 2012
Tiobe Barron, OVN correspondent
Attempts to garner information from Southern California Edison (SCE) regarding its installation of Smart Meters in Ojai has proved largely unsuccessful, the Ojai City Council learned Tuesday night.
In a letter dated Oct. 3, Ojai City Manager Rob Clark wrote to SCE and requested information related to the utilities’ placement of the disputed equipment within the city limits.
In his letter, He asked for maps of the placement and deployment status of every meter placed within the city limits, including individual meters, collector meters and banks of meters, wiring and power lines and all other equipment.
He also sought information about the manufacturer of each piece of equipment, model numbers of all equipment and proof of Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) certification of each piece of equipment;
The request also asked for the frequency ranges that each piece of equipment emits and uses in its operation, including projected and actual, and how those align with worldwide standards in light of the full spectrum of the latest research on the health effects of EMFs.
Also requested were deployment schedules for each component with information about what has been installed to date and what is scheduled to be installed in the future.
Clark asked for full disclosure of federal and state laws and regulations governing and guiding installation of the Smart Grid and proof of how the company has met all federal and State technical specs, process guidelines, and requirements for giving the cities and unincorporated areas in its service district full disclosure of its plans;
Finally, he asked for a demonstration of the expertise of installers as assurance that each installer is qualified to install the meters according to codes and standards.
“The response that we got, it really wasn’t complete, in that it didn’t reveal the location of their various items, citing both security and confidentiality reasons,” Clark informed Council members.
These are the latest communications in a series of correspondence that began when the Ojai City Council passed a largely-symbolic ban on the installation of Smart Meters effective May 29. Mayor Betsy Clapp wrote to both SCE and the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) requesting an option for a community-wide opt-out of the Smart Meter installation, after numerous Ojai residents came forward expressing concerns ranging from privacy to possible health effects from the wireless devices.
One such resident, Rae Amey, also spoke at the meeting.
“I’m very glad to hear the letter went out,” Amey said. She told council members that she and a group of concerned residents plan to meet with a group of Topanga residents who have allegedly experienced negative effects since the installation of Smart Meters in their community.
“Do we know whether or not there has been an impact at the state level because of citizen concern on this issue?” asked Councilwoman Carlon Strobel. Clark responded that the CPUC is currently conducting hearings on the matter, so it is an active issue at the state level. The CPUC also has written to the Council, informing them CPUC views the city’s recent Smart Meter ban as illegal and unenforceable.
Clark said he has heard from gas companies, who say they plan to deploy their own wireless meters between March 2016 and June 2017.
At the same meeting, the acting director of the Ojai Recreation Department, Sophocles Cotsis, requested a one-time exemption to the exchange of services policy for the department. The policy allows nonprofit groups to do work (usually repair-based) for the department free of charge, in exchange for waiving the park use fees. Local resident Bob Hill wants to rent Sarzotti Park Nov. 10 for corporate “Olympic games style events,” in exchange for repairing the horseshoe pit area, picnic area No. 1, assembling seven new picnic tables, and other work estimated at a value of $2,000 in lieu of the approximately $1,000 park use fee.
“We are asking just for this one-time exception, and then we are going to revisit the exchange of services policy to maybe make it a little broader than what it currently is,” Cotsis said. Council granted the request.
Council members also took the opportunity to laud the efforts of Ojai Day planners Lynda Killingsworth, Paul Casanta and Amber Young.
“Given the circumstances that surrounded Ojai Day this year, I want to thank staff and all the members of the Parks and Recreation Department that were actively involved in the organization of that,” said Mayor Pro Tem Paul Blatz. “It was the Council’s wish that Ojai Day continue as it had. There were some circumstances that developed that made it somewhat stressful. When we directed Mr. Clark to do it, it was done, and I appreciate that.”
Council will hold a meeting Nov. 27 to examine extending the moratorium banning Smart Meter installation. Visit www.ci.ojai.ca.us to view the correspondence between Council, SCE and the CPUC.
All yuou haters! Kevin is speaks the truth (not a dolt!). Smart meters and evolution are two of thegreatest ploys ever perpitrated on USA….
You can have successful solar, wind, and conservation WITHOUT dangerous health destroying, money stealing and privacy snooping Smart Meters. Other countries do it, why can’t the US?
I agree with Dr. Chappell, DDS. Smart meters tear at the fabric of this conutry and are a liberal media ploy!
They can’t tell you they are going to take the 100′s of 1000′s of pulses per day, harvest the electricity and sell it along with your data and make billions… billions doing it. Thats why!
http://socialmediabar.com/smart-meters-energy-harvesting-data-sales-goldmine-spy-machines
To Paralyzing:
I don’t use SCE or SC Gas. I am off the grid. Are you? I have an electric car powered by my off the grid technology. I have a water well and septic system. I grow my own organic crops. Some of us know how to survive without the utility companies, some do not. My message is for those that want to know how to disconnect from the system keeping them from independence. It’s the same message as Prop 37. Is there anything wrong about knowing what is in your food? Yes on 37 is about the right to know. Ignorance is NOT bliss.
You can continue to do what you want, however, if your neighbor wants to stop paying SCE for electricity, shouldn’t they have a right to stop? Shouldn’t they be able to learn how to get off the grid, even if you don’t want to? Of course they do. That’s what this country was founded on. Freedom, liberty, privacy, and the freedom to speak your mind even if contrary to everyone else. Enough said. Everyone has a right to their own level of ignorance. {comment deleted}
Cool that Dr. Chappell has the monetary resources to “know how to live off the grid.” There’s not a lot to know; you can buy these things (electric cars, solar panels, etc.). There are numerous companies in California from whom you can buy this stuff with a phone call. There are companies right here in the area you can hire to install solar panels and become energy independent. It’s a great idea, but for many people including myself I cannot afford it, at least not when my power bill is $30.00 per month. On top of that I rent and I cannot afford to buy and install my own utilities. What about that part Dr. Chappell; is energy independence only for the well off? Or for hippies living in their buses with candles….what about the rank and file?
“DoC”, I think you fall in the paralyzing category….
I understand that most of you don’t want to pay extra for using electricity during peak-load hours. But don’t you get that the whole idea of smart meters is conservation? Transferring the use of non-essential activities to off-load hours is good for the environment. There are two ways to do that. You can pass laws controlling how and when we can do things like laundry and recharging iPods, or you can provide cost incentive to move those activities to times when the electric utility is trying to provide power to run the real business of a community.
wfmt,
… or you can leave people the heck alone and let them decide when the best time is to run their washer.
Conservation and control is precisely the reason for the smart meters, which is why SoCal Edison has been able to bully their customers into installing these — they do so with the collusion of the state government. How they can get away with charging a fine for using the old analog meters is unconscionable.
Never heard of the Sterling? How about solar or wind? Take your pick. As long as we are tethered to SCE, we are slaves to their monopoly. A little knowledge may be dangerous, however, no knowledge is paralyzing. It we don’t stand up for what we want and need, we will continue to kneel for others. Today, it’s $150 per month for electricity, tomorrow it will be $300 along with $5 per gallon for gas and more…
$150.00 per month for electricity? Why so high? If my power bill is $30.00 per month am I living lower on the food chain than you? Isn’t my low use a form of conservation even if I don’t have my own solar panels because I can’t afford them? (by the way, I’m totally in favor of alternative energy).
Sterling Hot Air Motor?! A little knowledge is dangerous….
What do you think would happen if everyday one or two people filed a small claims action against SCE for violating the law, specifically, breach of contract, privacy and more? That would take ten different people per week or forty per month. If ONLY 1,000 citizens of Ojai filed, it would take two years of daily court appearances by SCE. Each case would learn from the case before thereby fine tuning the cause of action. Eventually, someone would win. Once they won in small claims court, new actions could be filed in Superior Court with an unlimited jurisdiction for damages. This could all be done Pro Se reducing costs. In a Class Action Suit, it would be a group represented by one attorney against the SCE attorney. In my opinion, this is not the way to go.
The small claims approach could be initiated while we work to get Ojai off the electrical grid with alternative energy sources such as the Sterling Hot Air Motor.
If the Ojai Smart Meter Ban is unenforceable, then why hasn’t the CPUC taken Ojai to court?
In the past couple of year, why haven’t they taken to court any of many other California jurisdictions who also banned or curtailed the use of Smart Meters?
The CPUC only needs one court victory and the rest of the municipalities would then have to submit too. Yet all the CPUC does is send out spooky letters to them and say scary things to the press.
So why has the CPUC not taken any legal action against any local jurisdiction who only wants to protect the health, wealth and privacy of their citizens? Could it be that local jurisdictions do indeed have sovereign rights over the CPUC regarding the use and placement of Smart Meters? Is that why the CPUC is reluctant to press the issue in California Courts?
I think it’s because they aren’t bothered by the token gestures of the cities, they are going to make money off of the numbskulls who can’t understand you can’t have successful solar, wind, conservation without smart meters. You can’t plan for the future if you can’t project peak loads and manage them.
You gotta be kidding me? Now the gas company wants to use smart meters? I already pay more to keep my analog and now I don’t even know if I can opt out of the gas meters or if there even is going to be an opt out available or ban on them or what.