MEDIA ADVISORY Contact: Joshua Hart, Stop Smart Meters!
joshuanoahhart[at]gmail[at]com
August 25th, 2010
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY RESIDENTS TO PROTEST FORCED SMART METER INSTALLATIONS
PG&E Contractors Invited to Cease Work, Join Picket Line to Protect Health and Safety of Families
Tomorrow morning starting at 7:30am, residents of Santa Cruz County will gather at the gates of Wellington Energy in Capitola to protest what they say is a forced installation of radiating ‘smart’ meters against the will of residents and nearly two dozen local governments throughout the Greater Bay Area. PG&E has contracted with Wellington Energy to install the new wireless meters throughout the County. Despite the fact that the $2.2 billion program is being funded by ratepayers, and the new meters installed on people’s homes, there has been virtually no public consultation in advance of one of the largest rollouts of technology in history.
Tuesday night, Watsonville unanimously passed the most stringent law in the state banning smart meters within city limits, following the lead of Fairfax in Marin County. Santa Cruz County, Capitola and numerous other local governments throughout the state are planning to follow their lead, responding to inaction by PG&E and the CA Public Utilities Commission in the face of peer-reviewed scientific studies that suggest the meters may have serious unintended health consequences, similar to cell phones which have been linked with brain tumors in many recent studies.
The following local governments, politicians, and organizations are calling for a moratorium, have enacted a ban, or are opposing Smart Meters:
The Utility Reform Network, State Senator Dean Florez, the City and County of San Francisco, Santa Cruz and Marin County Board of Supervisors, Sonoma County Supervisor Efren Carrillo, the cities of Sebastopol, Berkeley, Cotati, Fairfax, Santa Cruz, Piedmont, Scotts Valley, Capitola, Watsonville, Sausalito, Belvedere, Monte Sereno, Novato, Richmond, Ross, Bolinas, Camp Meeker, the Peace and Freedom Party, the Marin Association of Realtors and The EMF Safety Network.
Details of tomorrow’s emergency protest:
Where: Corner of 38th and Portola, Capitola
When: Thursday, August 26th 7:30am- 9:30am or longer
Who: Alarmed local residents angry about the lack of democracy
Visuals: Protesters holding banners across the Wellington driveway, workers arriving and having discussions with outraged local residents
