Ventura County Puts Foot Down Against Opt Out Fees

The utilities and their pals on the CPUC have tried to portray the battle against smart meters as a Northern California phenomenon.  Well, after this week it’s a lot harder to make that argument.  On Tuesday, Ventura County (pop. 800,000) in Southern California joined the growing list of local governments demanding a Statewide No Fee Analog Opt Out program.  According to our calculations that makes 53 local governments all over California – representing more than 3.5 million people- united in seeking to reign in smart meter madness.

Ventura County’s utility is Southern California Edison, a company that makes PG&E look like saints.  Edison and San Diego Gas and Electric are pushing to deny residents the right to retain their reliable analog meters and instead be forced to pay hundreds for a digital “non-transmitting” meter.  Residents who ‘opt out’ are being told they will have to pay the highest tier if tiered rates are approved.  The bullies have also vandalized private property in order to force smart meters onto unwilling homes.

People are not taking it lying down however.  According to the Ventura County Star:

“Residents all over the state, including in Ventura County, have said (smart) meters are intrusive and pose health risks.

‘It is my position that they have no right to install a probable health hazard on my home, and I will not pay a penalty fee to prevent them from doing so,’ Newbury Park resident Nathan Borin wrote in an email last week to supervisors.”

Read more at: http://www.vcstar.com/news/2012/mar/27/supervisors-push-for-revising-opt-out-program/

Congratulations to Consumers Power Alliance, the Center for Electrosmog Prevention and allied organizations and individuals who have been working hard to encourage local governments in Southern California and beyond to act in the interests of public safety.  Because of your efforts, the call for change is growing louder.

Opt out fees are punitive, illegal, and extortionate.  Demand they be dropped.  Join hundreds of other people and refuse to pay.  We are the many.  They are the few.

Thank you Ventura County Supervisors for standing up for the many!

Speaking of the many, Occupy Ventura is planning to protest smart meter installations in Ventura County this Saturday March 31st 12-1pm at the corner of Rose & Gonzales Rd.
 Meet at the corner in front of the Shell Gas Station

.  More info on the protest and reports of ordinary residents taking direct action to defend their homes on their website.

This entry was posted in California, Citizen rebellion, Democracy, health effects, Smart Grid, Ventura County. Bookmark the permalink.

11 Responses to Ventura County Puts Foot Down Against Opt Out Fees

  1. Robert Williams says:

    SMART METERS ARE ONLY GOOD FOR UTILITY COMPANY EXECUTIVES.

    A. Utility bills are increasing where smart meters are installed.

    B. Customer information from smart meters is NOT formatted for customers and does NOT change customer behavior towards conservation.

    The information available to customers shows up on the utility company website 18-24 hours later WITH ALL ELECTRICAL DEVICES GROUPED TOGETHER in TOTAL, so no individual electrical device can be isolated by the customer.

    Without knowing how much EACH electrical device uses, the customer CANNOT use the smart meter information to improve or conserve their energy use.

    Utility companies through deceptive advertising get people to BELIEVE that the Smart Meter information will automatically assist them, but it does NOT.

    C. The cost – benefit of smart meters is horrendous and is being promoted to profit the utility companies and their suppliers, not customers or our society or our environment, but paid for by customers, our society and our environment.

    D. The Smart Grid does NOT use or require a smart meter on each home. The necessary utility information can be gathered much more efficiently, timely and inexpensively at energy distribution points. (The smart grid does not care how much power any one home uses.)

    E. This massive Billions-of-dollars smart meter program will cost customers $ Billions and the public will not be receptive to real energy solutions after being burned by these Smart meters.

    F. New Competitive Energy Innovations will be BLOCKED by existing Utility companies that use their smart meter system to increase their monopoly restrictive powers to prevent others from competing or contributing.

    G. Utility companies and skilled hackers can use the information from smart meters to know every detail of the activities in our homes. They will know the patterns of days and times when we are not home. Worse, they will be able to recognize patterns such as young children in the home without adults Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:30pm to 6:00pm.

    Customers do NOT get this detailed information so skilled hackers see it, but we don’t.

  2. ShuckstheExplorer says:

    So I never officially signed up for the delay program, although I did kick Wellington off of my property when they were doing their ninja installations. But I recently received a certified letter from PG&E saying I will need to sign it and return it by May 1st to retain an analog meter, at a high cost.

    What should I do?

  3. scott fasthorse says:

    I live at ventura west apts they started a week ago installing smart meter panels and have not told any tenants about the meters they said I don’t know anything about them but the guys are unloading big panels with three holes for what you guessed it smart meters I havr three kids all under nine years of age.very concerned on why they are keeping it a secret from all my neighbors,I want to move now I feel deceived and lied to,I’ve lived here for five years utillities included with my high rent

  4. SOS FL says:

    If having large banks of smart meters (called co-locations) on one wall in apartments and condos etc. is an FCC violation, where is the oversight! Are these people just left to fend for themselves?

    Perhaps this has already been done, but can someone print the FCC rule for all to see? Thanks to those who made the great video showing high readings in multi housing buildings.

  5. scott fasthorse says:

    We now know our management is trying to hide the fact that they are installing smart meters in our apts.

    They are putting at least 12 together in a laundry room right next to a apt with four young kids.

    Management here haven’t said a word about smart meters — coverup big time — lost all faith in gold coast mgt — they don’t care enough about us to inform us of the possible health hazards????? Ventura needs an Erin Brokovitch now!!!

  6. wayland says:

    i got a letter form edison stating if i opted out i would be charged extra 10$ a month and yearly 125$ extra. the meater is right between the master and the guest room. no i dont want a smart meater and sent a letter to edison. but at the same time i dont feel it is right to be charged for something i dont want or need. so not knowing if i could do anything about it i finally said ok i dont like it but if i am being forced. now i feel stupid. they were going to be here today between 9-12 no one showed. so the two bolted gates with pad locks went back up and the pit bull is patroling her yard once again. oh well guess ill just sit and wait to see what happens next.

  7. Felkel says:

    I called today to notify PG&E that I do not want a smart meter and they told me the deadline to stop and installation in Newbury Park was three days ago. Whats up with this??? Thanks for a response

  8. John Puccetti says:

    I wish to help fight smart meters in anyway I can. How can I do that?

  9. John Puccetti says:

    How can we start a class action lawsuit against Edison?

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