California: Hissing noise issues forth from PUC

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I trust Peevey about as much as Benjamin Netanyahu trusts Yassir Arafat.

Lynch fell out of favor with the governor last year, when she pushed through an electricity rate hike at a time when Davis was saying that no such increases were necessary.

Excuse me, but doesn't it take three of the five members to "push through a rate hike"?

Oh, lookie here. The original post:

California To OK 20 Percent Rate Hike For Utilities Tuesday - Commissioner

Love the title. Of course in San Francisco, it can mean anything... But for the record, her bio:

Loretta Lynch was appointed by Governor Gray Davis as President of the California Public Utilities Commission on March 22, 2000. Ms. Lynch is responsible for managing 900 employees and is one of five Commissioners charged with regulating telecommunications, utilities, and commercial transportation and water companies. The California PUC enforces consumer protection mandates as well as provides a fair and competitive environment for business and economic development in California, while ensuring that energy, water and phone services are provided in an efficient and cost-effective manner. Ms. Lynch’s term expires in January, 2005.
Prior to her appointment to the CPUC, Ms. Lynch was the director of Governor Davis’ Office of Planning and Research. OPR’s mission is two-fold: fulfilling statutory land use and environmental requirements and developing affirmative policy proposals and projects at the direction of the Governor. OPR’s statutory mandates include: coordinating California’s environmental justice efforts; overseeing review of land developments of regional and state significance; reviewing local governments’ general plans; and, through the State Clearinghouse, coordinating environmental and land use filings from local entities. OPR also functions as the Governor’s liaison with local governments and Ms. Lynch assisted with the Governor’s Commission on Building for the 21st Century and with the development of budget and policy proposals.
Prior to her service in state government, Ms. Lynch was a partner in the San Francisco litigation firm of Keker & Van Nest, where she represented businesses and their employees in class action suits, white collar criminal cases, and intellectual property disputes. In 1994, Ms. Lynch took a leave from her firm to manage State Superintendent of Public Instruction Delaine Eastin’s first successful statewide campaign. In 1992, Ms. Lynch moved to Little Rock to help start the quick response team for President Clinton’s first presidential bid. In the 1992 general election, she became the deputy campaign manager for Senator Dianne Feinstein where she coordinated policy development and policy communications. In 1990, Ms. Lynch served as assistant campaign manager for Attorney General John Van de Kamp’s gubernatorial bid. Ms. Lynch also has served as a legislative assistant for California Assemblymember Johan Klehs.
Ms. Lynch also has worked as special counsel litigating class actions on behalf of the homeless for the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles and as an associate at the Washington D.C. law firm of Shea & Gardner. In 1988-89, she served as a judicial clerk to the Honorable Dorothy Nelson, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. In 1987, she received her law degree from Yale University Law School, where she was an articles editor for the Yale Law & Policy Review, a member of the Moot Court Board of Directors, a member of the Yale Homelessness Legal Clinic, and a tax research assistant for Professor Michael Graetz. She received her bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Southern California, where she was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and President of Mortar Board Honor Society. Ms. Lynch was born and raised in Independence, Missouri.

I trust Peevey about as much as Benjamin Netanyahu trusts Yassir Arafat.

Yes, but do you have an opinion about him?

When is Ashcroft going to appoint a US attorney to investigate racketeering between SCE, Bray Davis, the Whirled Bunk, and the NRDC?

Steve Peace too.

OPR’s mission is two-fold: fulfilling statutory land use and environmental requirements and developing affirmative policy proposals and projects at the direction of the Governor. OPR’s statutory mandates include: coordinating California’s environmental justice efforts; overseeing review of land developments of regional and state significance; reviewing local governments’ general plans; and, through the State Clearinghouse, coordinating environmental and land use filings from local entities.

Read: OPR's mission is to coordinate payoffs between candidates for State office and campaign donors with specific local interests, while symmitrically focussing harassment upon the supporters of political opponents.

With a resume like that how did Lynch get on the PUC? Sorry, the anwer is obvious, her resume is full of political jobs where she helped raise money and get people elected, her lack of background in Public Utilities was not important in determining who to place on the important state board.

One well-placed PUC source described Peevey as "a bantam rooster," who moved quickly after his appointment to dominate the henhouse. "Peevey feels that Lynch is disloyal to the governor, and he sees himself doing God's work," the source said. Lynch fell out of favor with the governor last year, when she pushed through an electricity rate hike at a time when Davis was saying that no such increases were necessary

Someone should remind Peevey that at the Nurenburg trials men were hanged who tried to defend their actions by saying that they were just following orders. People in state Commissions have legal and ethical responsibilities to the public, not to just the folks that appoint them. I hope that some Cal-ISO and DWR officials may find this out when FERC and Ashcroft finish their investigations.