Political Gumbo: So What’s the Rate Increase?

The City Council’s Municipal Services Committee will consider recommending a resolution to the City Council that would declare a climate emergency and set the City on a path to meet greenhouse gas reductions well ahead of the state’s 2045 target.

Newsom has already signed legislation that would achieve carbon neutrality no later than the aforementioned 2045 and 90% clean energy by 2035.

That legislation would also establish new setback measures protecting communities from oil drilling, capture carbon pollution from the air and advance nature-based solutions.

As part of the $54 billion investment, over the next two decades, the California Climate Commitment is scheduled to create 4 million new jobs, cut air pollution by 60%, reduce state oil consumption by 91%, save California $23 billion by avoiding the damages of pollution, reduce fossil fuel use in buildings and transportation by 92% and cut refinery pollution by 94%.
That’s pretty good.

So here’s the question, what happens if we speed up locally.

Well according to a City staff report, if the City accelerates its goals for carbon neutrality before the 2045 deadline, it’s going to lead to higher rates for local customers and at this point, no one knows how big those increases will be.

At least they weren’t in the staff report.

The committee should get that answer before going forward.

Local customers deserve not just answers and a chance to address the rate increases before the vote, but they also need a chance to reach out to their elected officials fully knowing how the rate increase will impact their family.

That’s part of that oversight everybody goes on and on about.

The rate increase has to be thoroughly discussed by all sides involved, the local utility, local residents and the activists in the Pasadena 100 Coalition.

Further, how do we take care of people that have been slammed by skyrocketing inflation and have already been hit by rising natural gas prices?

Respect to the mayor for speaking out on that matter.
Before the City Council passes this, a lot of research needs to be done by staff with the “how come, how much” and the “why now” included.

“We’re all gonna die,” is not exactly thorough research.

And let me say now, miss me with your comments if you’re going to act like your cause can’t be scrutinized.

We have too much of that in the City already.

Back on point, yes climate change is a real thing.

But so is the struggle to keep the lights on.

I’m not dogging the cause or even discounting the claims.

My point is the little guy always seems to get the shaft in these “causes.”

Seems like nobody takes up that cause.