To the editor: In fact Southern California Edison needs a charge hike to pay for the harm its tools was discovered to have precipitated in separate wildfires in 2017 and 2018. There’s no purpose that the corporate’s shareholders ought to pay if it may be pinned on ratepayers.
Pacific Fuel & Electrical received away with the identical factor after a hearth attributable to its tools burned down a lot of the city of Paradise, Calif., in 2018.
These utility firms needs to be public, similar to the Sacramento Municipal Utility District, or SMUD, which took a long time to interrupt away from PG&E’s sphere. The SMUD solutions to ratepayers somewhat than shareholders. Charges are decrease, and the utility has a very good report of placing in renewables comparable to wind.
California made a pact with the satan when it took a budget means out and let personal utilities be shaped.
Diane Lynch, Tiburon, Calif.
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To the editor: Edison mustn’t get approval to extend charges to its prospects for one thing that was the corporate’s fault.
As a substitute of getting its prospects to select up the tab, Edison ought to cease paying dividends to stockholders till the cash for tools upgrades is recouped. Perhaps then there could be extra accountability for damages.
Eric Garnier, Ventura
