Earth Equity News

San Francisco Voters Defeat Public Power Initiative. By Heather Knight, SFChron, November 5, 2008. "Ballot measures to push San Francisco toward running its own public power system have failed 11 times over nearly a century, and on Tuesday voters rejected the idea again. Proposition H would have authorized a feasibility study of public power and set clean energy mandates culminating in all of the city's electricity coming from renewable sources by 2040. With 98.5 percent of the precincts counted, 41 percent of voters were in favor of the move toward public power and 59 percent were opposed. Supporters called it an important reform that would have put the city in charge of its own power rather than relying on profit-driven Pacific Gas and Electric Co. They also argued it would have put San Francisco at the forefront of fighting global warming. Opponents maintained the city has more important priorities in these tough economic times and that it would have been foolish to entrust city leaders with running a power system."