Federal law suit exposes unconstitutional taking of funds from 17-million Southern Californians for San Onofre Failure
Citizen’s Oversight and the law firm of Aguirre & Severson have filed a Federal lawsuit against two top public utility officials and Southern California Edison (SCE) for violating the constitutional rights of SCE and SDG&E ratepayers by taking money without just compensation.
WHO: Every single customer of SDG&E and Southern California Edison, Ray Lutz of Citizens Oversight, consumer attorney Maria Severson, former City Attorney Mike Aguirre, along with victims of utility overcharges.
WHAT: Federal lawsuit exposes how two public officials with a history of granting favors to utility executives allowed rates charging each citizen an estimated $229.00 (more than $1,000 per electric meter) for the failed San Onofre plant in violation of the “just compensation” provision in the U.S. Constitution.
WHY: Public Utilities Commission has allowed Southern California Edison to unlawfully take the property (money) of California citizens via illegal overcharges on SCE and SDG&E utility bills. More than 17-million citizens have been harmed by the unlawful billing scheme.
HOW: The legal action argues that the two most powerful public utilities Commissioners — Michel Florio and the disgraced president of the Commission, Michael Peevey — engaged in scheduling shenanigans that quashed a legally-required internal investigation into the “reasonableness” of charging SCE and SDG&E customers for electricity they never received.
By avoiding the legally required hearings, the CPUC, the California Public Utilities Commission allowed SCE to take the property of more than 17 million citizens without just compensation in violation of their 5th Amendment right.
A copy of the lawsuit can be viewed here.
For background or to arrange an exclusive interview, contact Charles Langley (858) 752-4600
Ray Lutz — 619-820-5321 raylutz@citizensoversight.org.
Edison did it to themselves– greed and incompetence !
Don’t let the CPUC do the same thing with the tons of nuclear waste. Edison wants to spend $400 million of ratepayer money to buy thin inferior waste storage canisters that may crack in less than 30 years and cannot be inspected or repaired. We’ll only know after they leak radiation. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission says it’s safe to keep this waste on our coast for centuries, but refuses to evaluated superior thick dry cask technology used in the rest of the world. Instead they lower safety standards. And there is no money in the San Onofre decommissioning fund for replacement canisters or casks. The CPUC should not approve spending any ratepayer decommissioning funds until these issues are resolved. See SanOnofreSafety.org for details.