Hi all, Please spread this alert far and wide to every Californian you know. Tell The California Public Utilities Commission: Don't Let Fossil Fuel Energy Corporations Hijack Our Energy Efficiency Funds! This Thursday August 2, 9am, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) will vote on vital permissions to allow local communities to spend their own funds to greatly increase installation of energy efficiency, in order to lower electricity bills, fight the climate crisis, and provide badly needed local jobs. For decades, the monopoly fossil fuel energy corporations which control our electricity grid, PG&E, SDG&E, and Southern California Edison, have been allowed to manage these funds, which are generated from a state approved surcharge on every electricity customer's bill. But because it is not in the interest of corporations selling fossil fuel energy to get customers to buy less of that energy, the efficiency programs created under this corporate control have been wasteful and minimal. Marin County, the cities of Richmond and San Francisco, and other California cities, are now working hard to bring energy efficiency funds back to the communities and ratepayers that paid for them in the first place to engage much stronger local programs. If these communities succeed in asserting their clear right to these funds, it will set the stage for all other cities and counties in California to do the same. But the fossil energy monopolies are now putting massive lobbying pressure on the CPUC to reject local community use of energy efficiency funds. If Californians don't speak up, these monopolies will be sure to get their way. WHAT YOU CAN DO: EMAIL THE CPUC TODAY! (AND IF YOU CAN, SPEAK AT THE THURSDAY AUG 2ND HEARING IN SAN FRANCISCO!) Email the following sample, with a few of your own added words, to the CPUC at: public.advisor@cpuc.ca.gov Subject: Please Vote Yes On Res E-4518 - Marin Energy Authority Efficiency Plan "Dear CPUC Commissioners, Please vote yes on Resolution E-4518 to approve the Marin Energy Authority 2012 Energy Efficiency Plan. The funds that customers pay for energy efficiency programs should be overseen by their own local communities, not the fossil fuel based electricity monopolies. Sincerely, [your name, California city, and Zip Code]" SPEAK AT THE HEARING The Commission hearing will be held on Thursday, August 2, 9am, at the CPUC Auditorium, 505 Van Ness Avenue in San Francisco (cross-corner from San Francisco City Hall and 5 blocks from Civic Center BART). Show up a little early to sign a public comment form to address agenda item 24, or alternatively sign up online by noon on Wednesday August 1, at: https://ia.cpuc.ca.gov/requesttocomment <https://ia.cpuc.ca.gov/requesttocomment/> PLEASE NOTE THAT THE COMMISSION MAY DECIDE TO HOLD THIS ITEM UNTIL THEIR NEXT MEETING - So before you come to San Francisco to speak, check online after 5pm on Wednesday August 1, at http://docs.cpuc.ca.gov/PUBLISHED/AGENDA/171103.htm to make sure there has been no 'hold' placed on the item. Thanks for your public action on this crucial clean energy decision! Eric Brooks Campaign Coordinator, Our City http://our-city.org