All-

Here are the notes for the January wg meeting. I look forward to seeing everyone at tonight''s Sustainability meeting.

I spoke with Cal Broomhead today and he is concerned about Ross' opposition to solar and conservation funding, partly because it undercuts his ability to bring good energy service providers to SF. I invited him to come to the meeting to discuss his concerns, but he probably will not make it. But we should give it some thought.

I keep saying I don't want to throw the baby out.... you know the rest.

Anyway, see you soon,

don

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SFGP Sustainability WG 1/24/08

Present: Eric Brooks, Jeanne Rosenmeier, JM Chandonia, Don Eichelberger

Agenda: I. WG Membership; II. Peak Oil Taskforce; III. Anti-privatization; IV. CCA; V. Charter Amendment; VI. Combustion Turbines/CCA Impacts; VII. A. Philip Randolph Institute and the Mayor-

I.                   Working Group Membership- Eric- After discussion, we settled on the following list of wg members. Our criterion was generally attendance and participation in at least two meetings or other events sponsored by the wg in the past year. Online participation was factored in if it was substantive and relevant to the work the wg is engaged in.

WORKING GROUP Members: Eric Brooks, Jeanne Rosenmeier, Dennis Brumm, Don Eichelberger, Toni Truong, and Ahimsa Sumchai

II.                Peak Oil Taskforce- Jeanne- SF Bay Guardian will be doing a cover story in their 1/30 issue on the taskforce. Jeanne was also happy that she spoke with the Mayor’s Office of Economic Opportunity and they are willing to help with analyses.

Discussion:

·         Q. re: OEO’s trustworthiness. Do they reflect any of the baser mayoral attitudes?
·         A. No. They seem to be good people.
·         One thing that needs to be factored in is privatization of city services To what extent does that delocalize local issues?
·         Eric is working with the Non-Privatization Institute on these kinds of issues.
·         Question about how much leeway the taskforce has in defining social strategies, especially around consumerism to address global warming?
·         The fear is “not much”.

III.             Anti-Privatization- Eric- Anti-privatization community trying to put together a “Public Commons Commission” to keep corporations and non-profits from moving in on the commons.

Discussion:

·         Feedback is it sounds Communistic.
·         This needs to be brought as an issue every time proposals are brought to contract out services, like the zoo and golf courses.
·         Concerns were raised about Barbara Hall and her support for PG&E and other corporate privatization answers to city problems. She is pursuing the privatization agenda and we need to pay attention to what she is saying.
IV.             CCA-Eric- Things are heating up and we need to have more CCA coalition meetings. Tomorrow (1/25) LAFCO may be making ready to hire a contractor for oversite. People can tune in to LAFCO at :

http://sanfrancisco.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php?view_id=16

V.                Charter Amendment- Maxwell, Peskin and other supervisors are trying to get a Charter Amendment passed that would allow SFPUC appointments to be split among the mayor and supervisors Currently, onl the mayor appoints, with supe confirmation.

It is a step in the right direction, although we would prefer elected commissioners.

VI.             Combustion Turbines and effects on CCA- Eric- There will be a meeting Monday (1/28) of Land Use Commission to discuss the CT’s .. Eric will try to turn people out for it. The CT deal is still opposed by many who worry it will undercut the CCA and its conservation and renewables goals. Also because of small particulate emissions and because it continues to offer a continued fossil fuel solution. Alternatives are available, including use of renewable energy, load redistribution and conservation. A CCA is needed so we can offer a “No CO2” response to energy policy.

Discussion:

Ross has done legislation to prevent PG&E from developing wave generation pending CCA
PG&E also opposes the CT’s and have submitted a plan to redistribute the load at key times to allow the city to meet its needs without the CT’s
CalISO opposes their plan, and insists the CT’s are needed for load stability
Michaela Alioto-Pier has been a key ally in the fight against the CT’s and given the campaign viability
The Green Action suit may cause the CT issue to go back to te BAAQMD to schedule proper hearings
EPA needs to set standards on CO2 emissions. It will be argued in court that EPA needs to limit CO2, and that will give us an opening to have it sent back to the BAAQMD
Eric has been trying to reactivate the anti-CT coalition and get people to speak at the hearing.
The call has been no CT’s are needed due to the trans-bay cable, and large scale renewables coming soon under CCA
Mirant operation would be extended. Mirant is cooled by bay water, and water groups want it shut, which is causing friction in the coalition
BVoS was called on by a group that got $50K from PG&E to go against the CalISO and deny the CT’s.
Ross developed a counter proposal to mount the CT’s on a barge, owned by he city CCA, and hook it in I the city grid near the airport
The barge would be considered a temporary solution and would be disconnected when CCA renewables and conservation started to take hold
BCDC and Save The Bay consider barges “bay fill” and do not support the barge idea. Green Action will probably not support unless Save The Bay does

VII. A. Philip Randolph Institute and the Mayor- Eric- SFPUC has been holding back CCA from the start. David Hotchild, SFPUC Commissioner, claims to be an environmentalist. Started “Vote Solar” and is pro-solar, but does not appear to support other technologies and seems to oppose CCA.

Discussion:

SFOV TV Mayor’s press conference on 12/11. Phil Teng announcing a new solar program to subsidize home solar. Is funded out of the mayor’s office seismic retrofit funds and SFPUC.

Discussion:

Tidal power by PG&E is promoted to draw attention away from CCA
Call for solar jobe building solar panels in the Southeast section
Race card will be pulled if we oppose it
Mayor’s solar plan would sell panels to home owners
CCA would retain ownership
Panels owned by tenant, excess, power goes to PG&E. Panels owned by the city go for the city to sell on the market.
Mayor’s plan calls for 50 MW. CCA is 30 MW of solar plus 70 MW of other technologies, including conservation
Mayor’s plan would weaken CCA incentives to build 370 MW of renewables and conservation
These solar and tidal programs make PGE look good, and when it comes time, people may choose not to opt out of PG&E.
CCA concern is that any fight with the mayor will lose at the BoS
We should be able to critique the mayors plan and lay out hoe CCA is better
Mayor is likely to escalate the rhetoric and play the race card
We need to respond carefully.
A slar initiative could be on the June ballot, putting CCA in toe position of campaigning against it
Panel funding could be coming out of the mayor’s environmental account- the same account promising $3 million to LAFCO oversight of CCA

Don Eichelberger
DJ Fix Independent Productions

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The Hegelian/Marxist goal is emancipation. Marx said it best in 1843:

"Human emancipation wll only be complete when the real, individual man (sic) is absorbed into himself the abstract citizen; when as an individual man, in his every day life, in his work and in his relationships, he has become a species-being (politically accountabe to the whole); and when he recognizes and realizes his own power as social powers, so that he no longer separates this social power from himself as political power."