Minutes of the Meeting

So Cal 350 Climate Action

06/23/19   3:00-5:00 pm

St. Athanasius Church

840 Echo Park Ave, Los Angeles, CA

Our Mission Statement:  To organize, activate, and engage across class, gender, racial, and ethnic lines to build a mass movement across Southern California for a healthy climate and a 100% clean energy future with full employment.

Our Vision

We envision equitable clean air and water and a stable climate through a fossil-fuel-free future, empowering our Southern California communities to join together for environmental, social, and economic justice.

Matt Packuko Save Porter Ranch

The Aliso Canyon gas blowout and the fight to permanently shut down that gas storage facility is not just a Porter Ranch issue. The problem is ongoing. The facility is still shut down; it can only be used as an asset of last resort. So Cal Gas constantly manipulates the facts to make it appear as though we NEED the gas storage capacity. The health issues:  so many people still getting sick. Residents can smell the leaks. A local doctor has been doing some self-funded surveys and a local health study. No AGENCIES are doing health studies. An independent Root Cause Study of the blow out has finally been completed. It showed that the failed maintenance on the part of So Cal Gas, a complete LACK of maintenance, was responsible. 60 leaks and 2 blow outs were never investigated. Neighbors had been smelling gas for decades. A blow out was inevitable because maintenance was not routinely done. A settlement regarding the blowout has been reached. So Cal Gas will reimburse the city, county, and state for their costs, but NO RESIDENTS received any compensation! Xavier Beccera said, “We settled with the city, county, and state, but the victims should go get a lawyer!” 51 firefighters are suing So Cal Gas. SCG told the firefighters that there was no danger, that they didn’t need protective gear, that there would be no long term health effects. Among the residents and first responders, there have been numerous cancers, female reproductive problems, and other rare cancers. The Public Utilities Commission manager who was onsite now has a rare form of cancer. There has been an increase in incidents of people with acid reflux (GERD). Residents suffer from rashes, nosebleeds, mental fog, heart palpitations. So Cal Gas says that the well is sealed; all is well. Not true. Wells were drilled as far back as the 1930s.

New, million  dollar homes are still being built and sold in the area. Is there disclosure of the gas storage facility issues? There used to be a one sentence disclosure; now there’s ½ page.

Real estate agents are suing So Cal Gas. Reporting only needs to be done on the larger leaks, but the cumulative effects of numerous small leaks is significant. Methane isn’t even the main problem; toxic chemicals are. Homeowners have their own monitoring system. So Cal Gas’s monitoring system SHUTS OFF when it detects the occurrence of a spike in levels!

Will Loraine Lundquist be able to do anything?  The City has already signed-off with the settlement of the lawsuit. They SETTLED. The state governs what’s under the ground. Public nuisance laws. Everyone’s trying to pass the buck. Deteriorating infrastructure. More than just a Porter Ranch issue. So Cal Gas has done pathetically shoddy maintenance for the last 40 years. There are several other facilities in the L.A. area  that aren’t getting the proper needed maintenance, also. All of the pipes, etc. Three studies have determined that we don’t need the Aliso Canyon facility in order to provide an adequate supply of energy to the So Cal region.

What can we do now? Educate people. Let’s open a really serious clean energy conversation. The CA Public Utilities Commission is doing studies trying to prove that we need that gas. Aliso Canyon is a gas storage facility. So Cal Gas stores gas there that belongs to other utility entities. So Cal Gas schedules their routine maintenance of pipelines during the coldest parts of winter so that gas will be unavailable to the public–trying to create the illusion that we need this facility.  Brad Sherman has scheduled some kind of oversight hearing. Seems to be more for looks than substance. Henry Stern’s committee, also. The biggest part of the fight has not been with So Cal Gas. The AGENCIES, ELECTED OFFICIALS, and the REGULATORS are the real enemies.

SavePorterRanch.org. Facebook: Save Porter Ranch

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Nikola Tesla, born 1856, proved that electricity can move through the air wirelessly.

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Glendale Environmental Coalition

No New Gas at Grayson!

The City of Glendale is trying to increase the capacity of the Grayson Power Plant which processes natural gas. Glendale Water and Power is seeking a permit to produce 262 MW of natural gas. The Glendale Environmental Coalition has pressured the City of Glendale to go back and review, revisit the plan. Now proposed:  a 100-MW capacity natural gas facility + conservation. Jack Eidt has helped them very much in this fight. Of course, we know what an active, core role Dan Brotman has played. Several of our members have shown up in Glendale at City Council meetings, rallies, press releases. Glendale Environmental Coalition is asking for our presence, support now again, as the fight comes to its culmination. They need a HUGE crowd to show up to the GLENDALE CITY COUNCIL MEETING on JULY 9. This will be the last meeting of the City Council before the final vote on the power plant issue on July 27. The City Council members need to see a huge outpouring of support by the public for TURNING AWAY FROM FOSSIL FUELS. Spread the word about the Glendale City Council mtg July 9. Alert the media. It’s now decision-making time. No gas! Glendale has limited transmission potential. They need to look inward to local renewables. Zero carbon-based economies. If their plan to expand the capacity of this gas power plant is granted; 15 years from now they won’t need the facility, yet it will continue to threaten the environment and living things long after that. Numbers matter on July 9:  We need to show the City of Glendale that the people demand conversion to renewable energy NOW. Again, the final vote on this issue is scheduled for July 27. Has any analysis been done to compare the cost of installing rooftop solar to everyone in Glendale compared to the cost of a new gas power plant? A feasibility study was done by the Rocky Mountain Institute which, in the end, offered five scenarios for Glendale to choose from. Their recommendation was for the middle choice.

Glendale is saying that they need more power than they actually do.

TUESDAY, July 9. Glendale City Hall, 613 E. Broadway, Glendale

Assemble:  5:30 pm Rally:  5:45 pm www.gec.eco Wear a green t-shirt!

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Batteries go bad after just a few years. Tesla and MacIntosh are working on battery storage. Solar panels don’t last forever either. How will we dispose of the used solar panels?

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Aura Vasquez

Is a long-time activist who has been fighting for social and environmental justice in her native Colombia and in various parts of this country for many years. Her activism began at age 11 when she recognized an unjust practice occurring at her school and organized her fellow students. She has fought for immigrant rights, for the election of Obama, and various environmental and other issues. She was an organizer with Sierra Club Beyond Coal, playing a major role in convincing then-Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa to proclaim that L.A. would be coal-free by 2025. She was appointed by Mayor Garcetti to be a commissioner to the Department of Water and Power. In that capacity, she asked the hard questions and stood alone and steadfast in the fight to stop the re-powering of three coastal gas plants several months ago. Mayor Garcetti agreed with her and he announced that those three coastal plants would not be restarted, but, rather, L.A. would join the fight for a Green New Deal. Aura’s fellow commissioners at the DWP were not happy with her rogue stance and, eventually, she decided that it was time to move on from that appointment.

She is now running for the L.A. City Council, Herb Wesson’s seat in Council District 10. Wesson is termed-out by term limits. Her opponent for that seat is Mark Ridley-Thomas, long-time L.A. Supervisor who, also, is termed-out.

Ridley-Thomas vows to raise $2-$10 million for his race. Aura cannot match that financially, but she knows how to organize the community and encourages all of us that are interested and able to join her in bringing a voice for justice and the environment to L.A. City Hall. Ridley-Thomas can only hold one term on the City Council because he has previously been a Council member. He is using the City Council seat as a stepping stone to a run for Mayor of L.A.

The IBEW, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers labor union is opposed to Aura’s campaign as she has been critical of them.

What can we do for Aura? Canvass, make phone calls. She cannot win through fundraising; she needs to win by organizing.

This City Council election will be on Tuesday, March 3, 2020.

#Aura2020

Aura2020.com

@auramvasquez

Facebook:  auravasquezofficial

Regarding the fight, in Glendale, over the gas power plant,

Aura recommends that the Glendale group find an advocate on the Glendale City Council who will ask the tough questions, etc.

Aura reminds us that even if we generated solar power from every rooftop, it would only meet 10% of our energy needs. Battery storage is now improving. Can the government subsidize solar panels for people? Now $20,000-$30,000.  $6 billion will be saved from not restarting the gas plants. The labor unions want the increase of transmission lines. The unions are strongly protesting the switch to renewable energy. They are hugely frightened of the job losses that they will face with the transition to new technologies. Labor unions often show up in force at meetings where environmentalists are advocating for transition to renewables. Recently, this was apparent at an Air Quality Management District meeting on the subject of toxic chemicals. Mark Morris, a member of the Communications Workers Union tries to talk to these union members to show them that we can all play on the same team, fighting for environmental justice and well-paying jobs.

Aura reminds us that Jessica and Jack had the dream of forming our coalition of So Cal environmental groups which then became So Cal 350. Our first issue was fighting the Keystone XL pipeline.

Re: Porter Ranch: an independent coalition of City Council members could be formed. If Loraine Lundquist and Aura Vasquez were on the City Council, they would be powerful voices for social, environmental, and economic justice.

Starting at the end of May, renters can choose to have their energy come from renewable sources such as rooftop solar.

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Scott Trimingham came to our meeting. He passed out cards to all of those in attendance. Here is what the card states:

Hi.

First of all, this isn’t just Climate Change, it’s Climate Crisis.

We need to start taking drastic steps now, or the window we have to do something to mitigate our climate will close. We need to determine priorities and act now.

20% of all greenhouse gases come from cars and light trucks. These vehicles are not going anywhere soon. Their emissions need to be controlled or eliminated in a practical manner as part of any strategy to reduce CO2. We can’t wait for electric cars.

I’m developing a device that can be installed on virtually any vehicle and immediately reduces emissions.

It’s called the TEF, and it can be viewed at:

https://patents.google.com/patent/US20080163615A1/en

I need a partner or partners to get this product to market as soon as possible.

If you know someone who might be interested then please pass this on to them.

Thank you.

310 633 0253

evergreentea2000@yahoo.com

Emissions go through a filter and come out much cleaner. It cleans up 20% of emissions. Trying to raise $50,000 to make prototypes.

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Our Campaign to Demand that the Media includes Climate Change as a Regular Part of their Reporting

M and R met with executives at the local NBC affiliate. The executives have the frame of mind that climate change is a controversial issue. M counters:  “If it’s raining outside, there is no need to give time to a counter argument.” M and R feel that this meeting was a good start. It gave M and R insight as to how the executives think and, therefore, how our side should craft its arguments.

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Other news

100 members of the group Indivisible were arrested in a New York action demanding action on the climate crisis.

September strike for the climate. Supported by Bill McKibbon. Working with Sunrise to do some shutdowns. Matt suggests that we shut down the Aliso Canyon gas facility.

Mass non-violent protests.

Betty Yee, State Controller. Meeting at Vatican. Supporting the Vatican’s Statement on Climate Action. Google it.

Lisa Lubow. A memorial will be held for her on Saturday, July 20th at Glendale Community College’s Kraider Hall from 1-3 pm. Contact Marian Gordon for more information, including parking. (323) 661 1905 home. (323) 394-2800 cell.

Our next meeting will be on Sunday, July 21 at

St. Athanasius Episcopal Church

840 Echo Park Ave.

3:00-5:00 pm

Come join us in the fight for a cleaner, more equitable world!