cross-posted from Diablo Rising Tide
We shouldn’t have to choose between deadly blackouts or deadly fires. We shouldn’t be at the mercy of PG&E’s negligence while vulnerable communities who need #PowerToLive and the public continue to pay the price.
Join us on December 16th at noon at the PG&E corporate headquarters on 77 Beale St in San Francisco to #ReclaimOurPower and let’s start a wave of action that continues through the winter. There will be speakers, programming, and more! Accessible and kid-friendly.
PG&E, we demand you:
1. GIVE BACK ALL SHAREHOLDER PROFITS UNTIL PG&E CAN SAFELY PROVIDE POWER. STOP PROFITING OFF PEOPLE’S LIVES.
PG&E has paid out billions in shareholder dividends to predatory investors, while people are dying due to PG&E’s negligence. PG&E has failed to upgrade infrastructure for the stresses we face amidst climate change. Their equipment failures start fires that burn down cities, displace whole communities, and poison the air we breathe across entire regions. PG&E dodges accountability by continuing to seek executive bonuses amidst bankruptcy, shutting down power instead of repairing their equipment, and spending thousands on an exclusive retreat the day before the largest shutoffs.
2. INVEST IN VULNERABLE PEOPLE’S BASIC POWER NEEDS. STOP PUTTING PEOPLE AT RISK.
Disabled people have died in the shut offs — even one loss is too many. Ten more years of blackouts are unacceptable because blackouts kill disabled people and harm Black and Brown, working class and poor communities. #NoBodyIsDisposable! PG&E must invest in: solar-powered batteries to power the equipment of every medical baseline customer during power outages; HEPA air filters for chronically ill people, elders, and children in areas impacted by fire smoke; groceries for people who live paycheck to paycheck; alternative lodging for people whose homes depend on power to survive; compensation for small businesses who experienced losses during the shutoffs; and, payouts to victims of PG&E-caused fires.
3. TURN PG&E OVER TO THE PEOPLE.
PG&E has a well documented history of criminal negligence of its infrastructure, which has caused fires, death, and destruction. Now, PG&E has claimed that it will take ten years to fix California’s grid — that means 10 more years of rolling black outs with the public footing the bill. This is unacceptable and will consistently put so many lives at risk. We won’t let PG&E continue with their negligence. A public takeover of the grid will allow for the needs of the public, rather than shareholders, to be the priority. By switching to a publicly owned grid, California can create a more democratized, decentralized, and sustainable power grid for all.