Marin County Outlaws ‘Smart’ Meters as Local Government Resistance Spreads

Posted on January 6, 2011 by Josh Hart

courtesy http://eon3emfblog.net

The County of Marin- north of San Francisco- on Tuesday became the 2nd County in California, after Santa Cruz, to pass a law banning PG&E’s new wireless smart meters.  The move comes after two successive board meetings were packed by over 100 outraged members of the community, and a successful blockade of a dozen Wellington Energy ‘smart’ meter installation trucks was carried out in West Marin in late December, resulting in the arrests of two local mothers.

Other local governments are poised to follow Marin County’s lead, including San Luis Obispo County, the City of San Clemente, and the City of Monterey.  The Chronicle reports that PG&E says they will continue to install the meters despite the growing revolt against them:

In Marin County, PG&E has already held about 35 community meetings and open houses, (PG&E spokesperson Jeff) Smith said. The company, therefore, doesn’t need to pause the program, he said.

“Continuing the program will allow all our customers to enjoy these benefits,” he said.

This is a little bit like a rapist, who refuses to hear his victim when she says “NO” repeatedly.  In convincing himself that she will benefit- or receive pleasure from what he is doing, he carries on regardless of her increasing protests.  Smith uses the fact that PG&E has held a number of meetings in the County as justification for their continued installation.   “Sweetheart, you’ve gone on 4 dates with me already, therefore I don’t need to pause my advances.”

If PG&E won’t respect the wishes of the population, and our democratically elected representatives, perhaps the sheriff will have to shift his attention from peaceful protesters to Wellington installers.   These are guys just doing their job though.  What would be most appropriate in this situation would be to jail the criminal thugs at the top of the corporation- for espionage, home invasion, and crimes against humanity.

Listen to Stop Smart Meters! Director Josh Hart and Rebecca, an electrically sensitive woman from San Diego who was forced to give up her professional practice and home and move out of state because of the ‘smart’ meter program, interviewed on the KPFA morning show yesterday.

Posted in Citizen rebellion, Democracy, Environmental Concerns, PG&E | 6 Comments

“Holiday Smart Meter Showdown” In West Marin: PG&E Orders Arrests Of Marin County Moms Defending Their Kids’ Health

Posted on December 29, 2010 by Josh Hart

Group of Inverness Residents Stand up to PG&E, Block Trucks, Demand a Stop to Smart Meters.

Point Reyes Station, CA-  Two mothers from West Marin County were arrested this morning after PG&E ordered Sheriffs deputies to clear the two out of the way as a group of concerned residents gathered on Sir Francis Drake Blvd. in Inverness Park to deny access to PG&E’s ‘smart’ meter contractors Wellington Energy. According to Elizabeth Whitney, a local who was present at the scene, “there was a group of about two dozen residents blocking about ten Wellington Energy trucks on Sir Francis Drake Blvd this morning. After some indecision and confusion amid stopped traffic, sheriffs deputies arrived on the scene. Under the direction of the sheriffs, eight of the trucks cooperated in making U-turns and turning back while the group stepped aside. The remaining two trucks lingered at the location (in front of a local delicatessen) in friendly conversation with the locals but then turned toward Inverness unexpectedly and caused the protest group to resume their blockade. Two local mothers were arrested and taken into custody for failure to disperse. Sir Francis Drake Blvd. is the only access to Inverness and the incident took place in Inverness Park, two miles south of the town.”

Residents are reacting in part to numerous reports of people getting sick from the high intensity microwave radiation pulses from the new meters.  Wireless impulses from the new meters radiate 24 hours a day and are approximately 2-3 times the intensity of a cell phone according to independent experts.  Cell phones are increasingly being linked to brain tumors, and other health problems.  Despite widespread calls for a moratorium until assurances can be made about the meters’ safety, PG&E- with the help of the industry backed CA Public Utilities Commission (CPUC)- continues to force the meters onto homes and businesses, even while a state-ordered investigation into ‘smart’ meter health impacts is under way.  The utility has been refusing to remove meters that are making people sick, despite more than 2000 health complaints to the CPUC.

[slideshow]

PG&E and its subcontractors Wellington Energy have been using more aggressive installation tactics, and according to locals, appear to be almost waging war on its customers. “Why are they in such a hurry?  If this technology is safe and their goal is to reach out to the customer and listen to their concerns, then why are they trying to install smart meters as fast as possible in West Marin? Why aggressively roll out a technology on an unwilling customer base, it just doesn’t make sense in terms of their PR.”  Said Scott McMorrow of Inverness.

According to Katharina Sandizell of Point Reyes Station, a mother of two, and one of the women who was arrested this morning, “PG&E is using shock and awe tactics on it’s customers.  Smart meters are being installed without public consent, without even knocking on doors to check if it’s safe to turn off the electricity.  They are rolling over civil liberties and getting these things installed as quickly as possible so that people don’t have time to consider the implications or ask questions.  If they have nothing to hide, then what’s the rush?”

“We will continue to risk arrest to protect our children, our community, and our civil liberties…the only way that I know to stop installation of smart meters is to put a body between the installer and the meter, and I will continue to do this until I don’t have to anymore.  But I would rather be at home with my daughter” said Miss June of Inverness, a working mother who was also arrested today.

KQED radio reports from the scene

Marin IJ Report

CBS5 Report

ABC7/ Bay City News Service Report

SF Weekly

Treehugger

Stimulating Broadband- a look at what the first arrests of smart meter protesters signal for the US wireless industry

Posted in Cell phones, Citizen rebellion, CPUC, Democracy, Environmental Concerns, Health studies, PG&E | 10 Comments

“Insurgency” Grows in Northern California

Posted on December 21, 2010 by Josh Hart

[From eon3emfblog] Mothers concerned about the health of their families (or as PG&E refers to them, “insurgents”) outraged by County Boards of Supervisors inaction and by PG&E’s refusal to respond to their privacy, security, accuracy, health and civil rights concerns about wireless ‘smart’ meters and declare a moratorium on installation, close down PG&E service centers simultaneously in San Rafael and and Capitola, CA.
The coordinated actions show the growing public movement in opposition to the Northern California power monopoly’s attempt to force wireless meters on non-consenting rate payers, property owners and people being made sick by exposure to the radiation emitted by the untested devices.

Posted in Citizen rebellion, Democracy, PG&E | 1 Comment

(Not so Smart) Meter Making People Sick in West Marin?

Posted on December 20, 2010 by Josh Hart

We were in Marin County last week, just north of San Francisco, speaking with people about ‘smart’ meters.  Many Marin residents have researched a thing or two about the smart meter program, and as a result they are extremely angry about this undemocratic, corporate intrusion into their lives and their communities.  A recent Forbes article describes a new poll showing that knowledge of smart meters equals distaste for smart meters.  The more you know, the less you’re gonna like ’em.

So people are getting angry.  Really angry.  Angry enough for a group of outraged mothers from West Marin to shut down PG&E’s main billing office in San Rafael for two hours last Tuesday, demanding a halt to forced installations.  Over the last two weeks, protests have shut down PG&E offices in Sonoma, Marin, and Santa Cruz counties.  More are being planned.

In the video above, we interview a man working in close proximity to a meter who suddenly became ill and had to go to the hospital.  Note the clicking sound that comes up on the audio track when the camera gets close to the meter. (1:06)

Our hearts go out during this holiday season to those whose health has been affected by wireless meter programs and other EMF pollution.  Particularly those forced to flee their homes. Where do you go, particularly at this time of year?  Why isn’t our government doing more to protect people’s rights?

When all this comes out, trust us- there will be hell to pay.

Posted in Democracy, Environmental Concerns, Health studies, PG&E | 1 Comment

‘Smart’ Meter Protests Spread as PG&E Officials Implicated in Spy Scandal

Posted on December 15, 2010 by Josh Hart

This protest shut down the Capitola PG&E service center, on the same day that Marin residents shut down PG&E's San Rafael offices

Utility Company and State Regulators Ignoring Illnesses Associated with Wireless Meters

Hundreds of PG&E customers- outraged about the health damage caused by wireless ‘smart’ meters- today ramped up protests, testifying at county government meetings and shutting down payment centers in both Santa Cruz and Marin Counties, demanding an immediate halt to the program.  Protesters are also angry about PG&E’s attempts to cover up the growing health scandal and recently revealed espionage carried out against their own customers concerned with increasing reports of nausea, headaches, and bouts of dizziness from the meters. The protesters, backed by 22 local governments, and an increasing number of scientists and medical professionals, are demanding that PG&E halt any further installation of smart meters.   A statewide investigation is underway into the health impacts from the wireless radiation from the meters, which are suspected of sickening thousands throughout the state.

The EMF Safety Network today also released documents alleging that PG&E ‘smart’ meters violate Federal Communications Commission (FCC) compliance rules.  Sandi Maurer, founder of the EMF Safety Network, says, “These rules exist to protect public safety.  We are calling for an immediate halt to ‘smart’ meter installation in California and a statewide investigation into these FCC compliance violations.”

On Monday, PG&E sent a number of internal e-mails that it had released to the CPUC, attempting to offer up a sanitized version of the emerging scandal to the regional media.  Despite the fact that PG&E had censored the release, there are still a number of alarming revelations:

1)     It has become clear that PG&E- using falsified identities- gained access to private e-mail lists to obtain information about how much their customers knew about health impacts from the new meters, what their political activities were, their movements, personal details and other private information.

2)     PG&E senior staff referred to their customers who were alarmed about health impacts as ‘insurgents’ and ‘the opposition’

3)     An employee that PG&E apparently ordered to monitor the activities of protesters said in a report back to head office, “This is fun- no one said ‘espionage’ in the job description”

4)     Confirming that PG&E has declined to order protesters arrested who are obstructing their business, to avoid media attention, one of the e-mails states, “No coffee and donuts. (police arrests)  We will give them the platform they are looking for if we do that.”

“Not only are PG&E spying on their own customers in an attempt to cover up health damage from their new meters, they are also insulting our law enforcement officers with an old tired stereotype.  Reading over these e-mails, it is clear that PG&E senior officials whose job it is to deliver reliable energy supplies and keep the public safe, are just a bunch of overgrown frat boys who think the health of California families is just a game. The time for removal of ‘smart’ meters and publicly run utilities is now.” said Joshua Hart, director of Stop Smart Meters!

Video of the protests will be available shortly

We’re trying to protect their children and they call us ‘insurgents’
Posted in Citizen rebellion, Democracy, Health studies, PG&E, Privacy | 5 Comments