California Pro Prop 80 Advocates Still T.U.R.N.-ing to the Hackneyed "Enron" Cliché

The Pasadena Pundit ^ | October 17, 2005 | Wayne Lusvardi

[WayneLusvardi]

Pro Prop 80 Advocates Still T.U.R.N.-ing to the Hackneyed "Enron" Cliché

Proponents and opponents of California Proposition 80 to re-regulate electricity on the November special election ballot both contend that voting YES or NO respectively would bring about lower electric rates. The state Legislative Analyst has concluded that there is no way of knowing which position or system might bring about lower electric rates. Pro Prop 80 advocates are using the overworked cliches "No More Enrons" and "No More Power Crises" to galvanize public opinion in favor of Prop 80. But are these slogans helpful or are they just "clichés for dummies?"

The hackneyed slogan "No More Enrons" for the Pro Prop 80 advocacy groups refers to the California Electricity Crisis of 2001 where it was widely believed that Enron's gaming of the energy pricing structure during deregulation caused massive rolling blackouts and huge spikes in electricity prices throughout the state. This explanation of what happened during the California energy crisis was so widespread that it was made into a movie and two popular books.

There is only one problem with this explanation - it is mostly, although not entirely, wrong. (see: http://www.chronwatch.com/content/contentDisplay.asp?aid=14289&catcode=33).

Which leads us to the question - if the media got the story about the 2001 California energy crisis so wrong, how can it get the story about Prop 80 right? And this begs the further question of who propagated such disinformation to the media about Enron's role in the California energy crisis of 2001 and what would motivate them to do so?

Among the "usual suspects" in the disinformation surrounding the 2001 California energy crisis is The Utility Reform Network (TURN). TURN is a San Francisco-based energy consumer advocacy organization which is subsidized to the tune of $1.5 million a year by what is called "intervenor compensation" mandated by the CPUC by siphoning monies from private electric utilities; which means from your utility bill.

Sociologists would say the "manifest function" of TURN is political and legal advocacy on behalf of California's electricity consumers. But its "latent function" is to serve as an information gate keeper to the major newspaper and television media for such complicated issues as electricity deregulation and understanding such highly technical issues as the state energy grid.

The average newspaper or TV reporter probably doesn't know the difference between a kilowatt and a megawatt, let alone the Byzantine regulatory system of electricity in California. Instead they often must rely on the consumer advocacy organizations to help them get the story straight because they cannot always consider the corporate or governmental version of events as reflecting a disinterested point of view.

One of the functions of such advocacy organizations as TURN is thus to fill the void created by the absence of knowledge by journalists and pundits by churning out clichés. Faced with bewildering facts, the function of mass media is to produce some simplistic catch phrases or clichés that will sell newspapers or TV watching.

Consider the cliché "blonds have more fun." Anyone who has been to Iceland or Ipanema Beach will find the assertion that "blondes have more fun" as blatantly absurd. Likewise, anyone who studies the California energy crisis of 2001 in depth would find the clichés that "Enron Gamed the System" or "Enron Caused Energy Crisis" as equally absurd. The demon-ization of private corporations is frequently a successful method used by journalists but hardly suffices for educating the public about Prop 80. It is what is called a "red herring" which distracts our attention from the real issues.

Which raises the question why would TURN and other advocacy organizations propagate such misinformation if they were truly a public interest organization?

To answer this question we might "turn" to the website for TURN and review the biographies of its staff (http://www.turn.org/about.shtml). While the legal pedigrees of its staff are beyond question, the backgrounds of most of its staff members are in union and labor advocacy, employment law, environmental advocacy and litigation, antitrust litigation, union organizing, immigrant legal assistance programs, peace activism, and so on. This hardly leads us to believe that TURN is an advocate for California electricity consumers over labor unions, or trial lawyers, or environmentalists opposed to coastal oil platform leases or LNG terminals, or peace activists who don't care about hostage prices set by oil cartels which hurt poor Americans most, or new immigrants who increase demands on the state energy grid.

So in judging whether to vote YES or NO on Prop 80, perhaps we should use a counter cliché: "consider the source" (see list of pro and con groups below).

FOR PROP 80: The Utility Consumer Action Network (TURN) The Consumer Federation of California The California Public Interest Research Group (liberal think tank) Retired managers of Southern California Edison Company Government employee unions (AFSCME) Alliance for a Better California - Educators, firefighters, school employees, health care givers, and labor organizations California Teacher's Association, PACE of California School Employees Association California State Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees PAC SEIU Local 1000 - State Employees Association Union PAC IBEW - International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Los Angeles Chapter of Peace and Freedom Party

AGAINST PROP 80: The California Public Utilities Commission (unanimous vote against) The California Chamber of Commerce Independent Power Companies including solar and geothermal companies Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger State Senator Tom McClintock Sacramento Bee The San Francisco Chronicle The Orange County Register Riverside Press-Enterprise Fresno Bee Howard Jarvis Taxpayer's Association San Diego County Taxpayer's Association Local Liberty Log, Claremont Institute

---The Pasadena Pundit