"Make the victims pay ... "

On Wednesday, October 7, the San Diego Reader's Don Bauder exposed the ugly underbelly of SDG&E's efforts to improve the paychecks of top executives at the ratepayer's expense. It is well worth reading.

Here are a few other facts you may not be aware of:

SDG&E's faulty powerlines started the Rice and Witch Creek firestorms in 2007, killing two, injuring 40, and incinerating thousands of homes.

The firestorms of '07 were so horrific that they shut down a major freeway and resulted in one of the largest mass evacuations in U.S. history.

SDG&E's solution to that ever happening again is to shut off power during high winds to prevent fire risks from its own equipment. UCAN's exhaustively researched testimony shows that this is a bad idea: Shutting off power will increase the risk of fires and put more citizens in danger.

SDG&E's faulty power lines have started as many as 167 fires in the last few years.

Now, SDG&E wants you to pay for its mistakes, and Don Bauder, one of the most respected business reporters in San Diego, says it's wrong.

Get the full story at the San Diego Reader.

Related stories and comments from UCAN:

SDG&E wants fire victims to "collaborate" in its efforts toimprove profits by shutting off your power during fires.

When SDG&E talks, hot air walks. Santa Ana brings hot winds and fire hazards ... from SDG&E

ARSONIST SQUIRRELS ON THE LOOSE! One expert says SDG&E's lines are so shaky that even falling squirrels can start a fire.

Shut-off plan shut off by CPUC? Perhaps not.

Head of Assembly Utilities Committee brags about having sex with an SDG&E Lobbyist.

SDG&E's ABC Rate Hike: Arrogant, Bizzare, and Callow. SDG&E wants you to pay for its fire-safety negligence.

Columnist Don Bauder: The California Public Utilities Commission, CPUC, is "owned and operated" by the utilities.

Utility-paid travel junkets degrade CPUC's ability to regulate.

Public Officials taking dictation (and donations) from SDG&E ... then they write letters in support of fire shut-offs.

Fire Risks from SDG&E Sunrise PowerLink "Jaw Dropping."

LA Times Story: "You could see this red-hot [SDG&E] power line pulsing and throwing sparks in the riverbed down there ..."

And the list goes on and on at UCAN's Energy Section.

If you are tired of SDG&E having its way with politicians, regulators, and you, then please consider joining the fight by supporting UCAN, the Utility Consumers' Action Network.