State’s failure to plan largely to blame for rolling blackouts

Today, Oct. 1, I was listening to the morning news on CBS’s KNX from Los Angeles. It is supposed to be very warm again, especially in So Cal valleys, perhaps over 108 or higher. PG&E and So Cal Edison are indicating there may be electric power outages or brown outs, depending on demand later. I believe this may be the second time this summer. Gov. Gavin Newsom comes on with a statement and says “… we failed to plan ...” for this much demand.

The announcer than says we should try to conserve electricity use especially this afternoon from about 3 to 9 or 10 p.m. this evening. “And be sure to charge your electric cars.” As mountain residents, we will get warm, but not as hot as valley residents, and most of us do not have central A/C anyway. My point is the current California’s government foolish headlong rush to “save the planet from global climate change.”

No more additional use of fossil fuels in new homes and no gas powered vehicles after 2034. Just renewable energy — with almost no plan for a gradual transition. (Please note climate change has been going on for billions of years, hot and cold.)

This is just one example of failure to plan. So far, just over the past two years, current California government has failed to plan to issue proper real ID driver’s licenses, had to stop EDD’s effort to pay unemployment checks to give staff additional training and has a health department that can’t seem to keep accurate count of COVID-19 tests, active cases, hospitalizations or recoveries. Convicts being released into communities early from prisons; overcrowding? Grant money given to the state to help maintain and clear forests has sat in environmental review committees for two years while they decide how or if to spend it.

It must seem to this group in Sacramento that all can be solved if they just can get a little bit more taxes from us.

Hence the number of propositions on our coming ballet to approve — NOT. Oh, and my overall favorite is still the High Speed Rail. State gas taxes are increased every year so that our roads can be improved and repaired. Even voter approved, I believe.

Yet, I understand that the governor is just “borrowing” some of these funds to keep the useless, completely outdated HSR from being built. Just thinking.

— Jake Anzulis, Bear Valley Springs