Pacific Grove City Watch

CRITICAL ACTION
- "You MUST PROTECT YOURSELF"
- "Box Your Analog Meters - Frame, Chain, Wooden"
- "Utility Commission Committee emails"
- "Protest Sign Ideas"


RED ALERT - ACT NOW
4/19/11 - print and send letter or email to the Ca State Utility Commission Committee - find the letter
in "Utility Commission Committee emails" folder.



ACTION ALERT - Everyone must get involved - or we will all be surrounded.

--give information to your neighbors, including Wellington’s phone number: 1- 866 - 671 - 1001

--with your neighbors, watch your neighborhood

--take flyers with you and let people know

- check back here for updates, and share this page.

Protest (pick 1, 2 or more to do as you have time):

--stand with a protest sign with a buddy on a busy street corner for an hour or two, have flyers to hand out if people want more information

--contact

--------the PUC -- regarding the opt-out proposal and Smart Meter program

--------Governor Brown

--------Bill Monning, Sam Blakeslee, Luis Alejo, state senators and Assemblymembers

--write letters to the editor

--------Monterey Herald

--------Salinas Californian

--------Monterey County Weekly

--------other newspapers

--file a complaint with the county district attorney




Monterey County Update Bulletins


Please take flyers with you wherever you go, and give to businesses and people you meet. Write Wellington phone number on your flyers (1-866-671-1001) so that people can call that number when they get their letters from PG&E. We need everyone’s help to get this stopped. Flyering, or holding signs protesting Smart Meters with a friend for an hour or two at busy intersections gets the word out.


OTHER RESOURCES


- EMF Safety Network now has a page devoted to the California Council on Science and Technology study and the critiques – great scientific information. It is under the Smart Meter Hazards tab at the top. www.emfsafetynetwork.org

Monterey and Pacific Grove libraries have books with Smart Meter documentation that I’ve put there, for those who don’t have computers. Seaside, Carmel and Salinas will be getting copies as soon as I can get there – this week. The libraries may be reluctant to keep these books. Call the libraries or go by and ask to see these books. Most of the libraries will have a three-volume set.

The District Attorney complaint form is in Vol. 1 to copy.









You Must Protect Yourself

1 - Box and chain up your electric and gas meters - YOU ARE ON YOUR OWN - see intructions and photos TOP RIGHT.
2 - get your keys back from PG&E, change your security code on your gate - If you have a gate lock or code to get to your meter and you’re changing it to keep Wellington and PG&E out, call Kathy at to let them know 831-241-1893

3 - Once you receive a letter from PG&E stating that they "will be installing SmartMeters in your neighborhood soon", call Wellington (the installation company) at 1-866-671-1001 - M-F, 8am-8pm, and ask them if they have a "work order" for your house. Give them your physical address and they can check. If they do have a work order for your location, tell them you don't want a SmartMeter. They won't argue with you. They will send your "work order" back to PG&E, and they will not schedule your house for installation.

4 - If they don't have a work order for your house, then you'll need to check back with them again. If at any point you receive a letter from PG&E, saying that they are about to install in your neighborhood, that is the point at which to make certain to call Wellington and strongly decline a SmartMeter. (They don't want trouble, and they feel this is PG&E's problem, not theirs, so they'll send the "work order" back to them.)

5 - Then, call PG&E 3 or 4 business days after speaking to Wellington, to make certain that they received back the work order from Wellington. Call this number: 1-866-743-0263.

These steps should hopefully buy us enough time for the "Opt -Out program" from PG&E to come into being.

6 - If you want to, you can also call PG&E at 1-866-743-0263, and insist on being put on their "delay" list. (This doesn't guarantee anything, however, and shouldn't be considered your "protection". But, it's probably a good idea to do this, too.)

Even if you aren't worried about SmartMeters, those of your neighbors who are electrically sensitive or have compromised health would be very grateful if you could PLEASE take these steps to help keep our neighborhoods protected from unnecessary and toxic radiation from these meters.

It will also help us prevent rising PG&E rates during peak usage hours, and also prevent the loss of privacy that these meters inherently are.

Nothing will stop them from getting to your meter except you.

Protests - Signs

Ban Smart Meters

Stop Smart Meters

Smart Meters harm our communities

Microwave rf harms DNA

PG&E puts profits before people

Safety first

Halt Smart Meter program

Smart Meters make people sick

Smart Meters = problems

Gov. Brown, halt this program!

Smart Meter Opt out is a Joke

I will not pay for your mistake.

Utility Commission Committee

NOTE: below email addresses are all in one building. To email ALL, simply copy and paste the whole list.


California State Assembly

Committee on Utilities and Commerce

Committee Phone (916) 319-2083

Assemblymember.Bradford@assembly.ca.gov, Assemblymember.Fletcher@assembly.ca.gov, Assemblymember.Buchanan@assembly.ca.gov, Assemblymember.Fong@assembly.ca.gov, Assemblymember.Fuentes@assembly.ca.gov, Assemblymember.Furutani@assembly.ca.gov, Assemblymember.Gorell@assembly.ca.gov, Assemblymember.Hernandez@assembly.ca.gov, Assemblymember.Huffman@assembly.ca.gov, Assemblymember.Knight@assembly.ca.gov, Assemblymember.Nestande@assembly.ca.gov, Assemblymember.Skinner@assembly.ca.gov, Assemblymember.Swanson@assembly.ca.gov, Assemblymember.Valadao@assembly.ca.gov


4/19/11 - Letter to the Utility Commission Committee

California State Assembly

Committee on Utilities and Commerce Committee

You are considering Smart Meters and their future.

Below is an article about the uproar in Maine and proposed legislation there, and an outstanding comment regarding Smart Meters and why they and the much-touted Smart Grid don’t work in reality.

A mistake is a mistake. The ramifications of this program were never sufficiently investigated, and we are dealing with the fall-out from that now.

Introduce this legislation for the residents of California:

Whereas, substantial and serious problems and issues have arisen with the deployment of the Smart Grid/Smart Meter program in the state of California and in other states,

Including billing increases, health problems, environmental impacts, privacy issues, interference, and job loss, brought to our attention by the public,

Whereas, the California Public Utilities Commission has not undertaken thorough, substantive investigations into these issues, dismissing applications filed with them, disregarding the advice of the Division of Ratepayer Advocates, and disregarding the growing opposition and concerns of the public and their elected officials; and

Whereas the actual benefit to the public, and the energy savings from, the Smart Meter/AMI program is questionable, leading the Attorney General of Connecticut to file a brief opposing their proposed AMI program; and

Whereas the continued use and deployment of Smart Meters in California poses a clear and present threat to the well-being of the residents of the state of California, risks including privacy, security, health, accuracy, and consumer fraud; and

Whereas immediate action is needed to address these issues, because inaction will allow these problems to continue and, in all probability, compound, to the serious detriment of our constituents throughout the state,

Whereas the California Constitution, Article 1, Section 1, is very clear about the substantial “inalienable” rights of the residents of this state, including the right to enjoy and defend our life and liberty, protect our property, and pursue and obtain “safety, happiness, and privacy;” and

Whereas the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act states: "The people of this state do not yield their sovereignty to the agencies which serve them...The people insist on remaining informed so that they may retain control over the instruments they have created." The people of California, not the public agencies they have appointed, have the ultimate authority to decide on their own behalf; and

Whereas, common sense concurs,

We, the legislators of the State of California, do take the following immediate actions:

  • An immediate halt to the Smart Meter/Smart Grid program statewide, including a halt to the installation or activation of Smart Meters and infrastructure and including water meters
  • Immediate deactivation of existing Smart Meters and infrastructure statewide
  • A prohibition on the disposal of analog meters, and a requirement that they be securely stored in California, in the areas from which they were removed.
  • Immediate public hearings and investigation into Smart Meter problems, including rf health, safety, and environmental issues
  • An investigation into the California Public Utilities Commission and its ties to industry, and recommendations made for reform, including replacement of staff and commissioners, including those with conflicts of interest, and an examination of all records related to consumer complaints and health problems related to Smart Meters, including phone conversations, correspondence, and contacts with customers including site visits.
  • An investigation into California utility companies, consultants, and contractors, including subpoena of all records related to consumer complaints and health problems related to Smart Meters, including phone conversations, correspondence, and contacts with customers including site visits.

Sincerely,

Your constituent,


Thursday, March 17, 2011

Monterey BOS Review of Health Issues Related to Smart Meters

Smart Meters - Monterey BOS Review of Health Issues Related to Smart Meters


Attend the Monterey County BOS - 3/22/11 - extended public comment period all afternoon - starts at 1:30pm. more info here
Read The entire Health Report
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2 comments:

  1. AnonymousMarch 19, 2011 at 10:27 AM

    Yep, we will be surround, according to the Health Commission Report to the Monterey Board of Supervisors. But nobody knows when or where you will run into HOT SPOTS of elevated EMF. There has been no mapping.

    Multiply your current exposure now by a wireless transmitting gas, electric & water meter per household, building etc.

    "Smart meters in households or businesses will generally transmit data to an access point (most usually on utility poles) once every four hours, for about 50 milliseconds at a time (Tell 2008).

    Once the smart grid is fully active, it is expected that smart meters will transmit more frequently than once every four hours resulting in a higher duty cycle. Exposure levels are expressed as .tW/cm2. There are few reports providing detailed
    modeling of the potential exposure patterns that may be associated with individual or arrays of smart meters.

    A recent report from the California Council on Science and Technology (CCST) presented a chart
    (Attachment 1; CCST, 2011) showing minimum and maximum exposure levels for various sources, including
    a smart meter that is always on and from two distances from the body (3 and 10 feet). The CCST concluded
    that RF exposure levels for smart meters in either scenario would be less than microwave ovens and
    considerably less than cell phones, but more than WiFi Routers or FM Radio/TV Broadcasts (CCST, 2011).

    A 2011 report from the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) assessed exposures in front of and behind smart meters. It determined that the average exposure levels from smart meters, measured near to a meter and to an array of meters, were at levels similar to those from other devices that produce RF in the home and surrounding environment (EPRI, 2011). While some of these findings are being contested (see Sage
    Associates at sagereports.com for more information) they provide a platform for investigating the literature on the association of adverse health outcomes and devices that use technology similar to smart meters."

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousMarch 19, 2011 at 2:27 PM

    What's wrong with this report? It makes no sense, especially their recommendations. The Health Commission is supposed to be concerned about our health, right. Think again. They missed the boat completely.

    This report pulls out an apple; tells us the apple has been studied; people are warned about the apple, then states they are fairly confident the orange studies are so similar to the apples; they reassure us that the apple is safe so therefore the orange must also be safe, but they need more studies to make sure. Meanwhile, our Health Commission recommends doing studies that won't happen before we are all surrounded by a NEW, non escapable web of EMF's. You call this public health protection?

    1. Comparing cell phones (apples) to smart meters (oranges)

    Not every household has three cell phones transmitting 24/7/365. They are voluntary, and there are warnings on their use. All homes and buildings will now have three wireless utility meters transmitting at various times on top of the wireless devices already in use by the population. This new concentrated web of EMF is new, no enviromental impact study has been done on this phenomenon and even this report states:

    "Once the smart grid is fully active, it is expected that smart meters will transmit more frequently than once every four hours resulting in a higher duty cycle. Exposure levels are expressed as .tW/cm2. There are few reports providing detailed modeling of the potential exposure patterns that may be associated with individual or arrays of smart meters."

    What!!! No exposure pattern map?

    What will be your exposure as you stand outside of Church with your child in a baby buggy and two children while you visit with friends for 10 or 15 minutes? What is the exact exposure of that specific spot?

    What will be your exposure if you are throwing a BBQ party in your own back yard?

    You can't see the EMF's web hot spot. How do you know what your exposure is, does it exceed FCC standard? Does anyone know?

    Who will test every square inch of our cities to find out where not to stand for certain periods of time. The answer is no one knows, the exposure map is missing.



    So this New potential health hazard is not even being considered, given little weight, yet the Health Commission simply recommends more studies! How about a specific study, like exposure mapping of every inch of real estate in our county.

    "It is the recommendation of the Monterey County Health Department that the Board of Supervisors direct staff to send a letter to the PUC requesting the PUC continue to study through independent experts the effects of long-term exposure to low level EMFs and report out findings to all county health departments."

    Are you people insane. How about a full blown ban with the wireless smeters removed until which time the entire county can be mapped, along with warnings on the patches of real estate where people, plants and animals (including insects) will get a blast of EMF's that will surpass the FCC safety limits on the non-thermal, low frequency microwaves. Neither me nor my family want to be your lab rats. I am not convinced you believe we should not be.

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