The California Public Utilities Commission will be holding  public hearings  in December about the Smart Meter Opt Out Program.  This is an opportunity for the public to speak to the administrative law judge about the many proposals the utility companies and their lawyers are making to increase fees which will, in effect, kill the opt out program.

Examples:  SoCal Gas wants to charge its customers (who already pay opt out fees to Southern California Edison) an additional opt out fee, which would double the price of the opt outs for all SCE Customers.  SoCal Gas is in the beginning stages of installing what  they call an “advanced meter” (which will be the same meter you currently have but with a  wireless device attached to it).  The CPUC approved “advanced meters”  even though, according to Turn.org., they will do nothing to reduce gas usage.  This is because California residents’ gas usage is stable.

2.  The utility companies and their lawyers also want to increase  the current opt out fee to cover various dubious expenses. These include requiring opt-out customers to cover the costs of a smart meter to be installed when the customer moves.  If the new owner also doesn’t want the smart meter, the utilities will then get to charge again to reinstall the analog.

The hearings will be held in five locations: Bakersfield, December 13, Santa Barbara, December 14; Los Angeles, December 17;  San Clemente, December 18; and Santa Rosa, December 20.

Josh Hart of Stop Smart Meters! writes  “IT IS CRITICAL TO ATTEND THESE HEARINGS AND TO ENCOURAGE OTHERS TO ATTEND.  Approach your family, neighbors, friends, and local elected officials now about attending and speaking at one of these hearings.”

Meeting Locations and Time (from StopSmartMeters!):

BAKERSFIELD (PG&E and SoCalGas territories)
December 13, 2012 at 6:00 p.m.
Bakersfield City Hall Council Chambers
1501 Truxtun Avenue
Bakersfield, CA 93301
 
SANTA BARBARA (PG&E, SCE and SoCalGas territories)
December 14, 2012 at 3:00 p.m.
County Administration Building Board Hearing Room, 4th Floor
105 East Anapamu Street
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
 
LOS ANGELES (SCE and SoCalGas territories)
December 17, 2012 at 6:00 p.m.
Junipero Serra State Office Building
Carmel Room – Auditorium, 1st Floor
320 West 4th Street
Los Angeles, CA 90013
 
SAN CLEMENTE (SCE, SoCalGas and SDG&E territories)
December 18, 2012 at 6:00 p.m.
San Clemente Community Center – Ole Hanson Fireside Room
100 N. Calle Seville
San Clemente, CA 92672

SANTA ROSA  Dec 20, 2012 at 2:00 p.m. Steel Lane Community Center – Dohn Room 415 Steele Lane

For more information and updates, see  StopSmartMeters, Burbank Action, EMF SafetyNetwork, StopOCMeters and Center for Electrosmog Prevention.