With good news scarce, we have two important victories to celebrate.
Thanks to the “rage for justice” in our community, a Northern California beach closed off by a billionaire tech baron has been opened to the public. And a fossil fuel-powered electric plant in Ventura is slated for the trash heap.
Looking at an $11,000 per day state fine, the founder of Sun Microsystems Vinod Khosla finally unchained the gate at historic Martins beach and let the surfers in this week.
Khosla had been ignoring California’s open access laws and under fire for it from the conscience of San Francisco, attorney Joe Cotchett, our 2011 Lifetime Legal Achievement Award winner
Cotchett has doggedly defended open and historic spaces in California. If Khosla persists, Joe may have to go all the way to the US Supreme Court to defend the principle that California sand is common ground for all of us to walk on, not a billionaire’s.
The second win springs from our work exposing the overcapacity of electricity in California, corruption at the state’s utilities commission and the mounting pressure to shut down unneeded electric plants.
A key committee of the California Energy Commission has just recommending denying approval for a proposed Ventura electric plant that runs on fossil fuel-powered natural gas.
It’s a reversal of the power plant building spree and a change hastened by the support for the closure from another Rage for Justice recipient, 2011 Philip Burton Public Service Award Winner Tom Steyer. Tom gets a lot more respect in Sacramento than the average ratepayer.
The full Energy Commission still must vote, and the power plant lobby has plenty of tricks left, but for now the proposed plant’s prospects are dim.
You can read more about both developments on our blog at www.CapitolWatchdog.org
Enjoy your day, and some good news.
Thanks for all your support,
Sent to me by
Jamie
