Hello_there

Just came across this new rule, via this article: https://www.sfchronicle.com/climate/article/california-electric-19563602.php

2027 is when they ban sale of new replacement gas water heaters.

They talk about a few solutions, like low voltage electric heaters, and load sharing plugs to share a dryer plug among the water heater and a electric dryer. So that could do it for a lot of people.
But I'd guess a surge in panel replacements will happen within the next 2 years.
Especially since new gas furnaces will be banned in 2029.

Also, obligatory Fuck PGE. We have higher rates than most of the rest of the world and it's all the fault of the corrupt PUC and PGE.

Wondering what your take on this is.

A lot of kids movies/tv perpetuate harmful gender roles. The obvious culprit is Disney - and the 'a woman's role is to get married' storylines. Even the later Disney movies seem to be embracing the message even while appearing to refute it.

But it's larger than that. All the instances where a female character is only in a supporting role, or female characters have certain traits (empathy) but lack other traits (aggressiveness). Doing a gender swap and seeing the differences in how characters are portrayed has helped me see the double standards.

I've become more sensitive to this as I'm screening media for my young girls to watch.

A couple of the media that I've seen are the g rated Ghibli movies - Totoro and Kiki's shows young girls that are independent, aggressive, courageous, and go through problems and overcome them.

I'm looking for some more examples of movies - g rated especially - in that vein.

Fourteen state propositions have already qualified for the November 2024 ballot in California, including one to repeal a law that limits the type of housing subject to rent control and one to repeal a law that defines marriage as being between a man and a woman.

Voters in North Dakota will decide whether or not to set an age limit for the state’s members of Congress. The proposed amendment to the state constitution says lawmakers cannot be over 80 before the end of their term. Lisa Desjardins reports.

Test

Passing an initiative to call for their dissolution or public takeover seems impossible - given how profitable they have made themselves.

However, if we readjust their profitability, that makes a public takeover much cheaper. Chipping away here and there can make it actually possible for areas like San Diego or San Francisco to start electric coops or publicly owned utilities.
Here is what I'm thinking:

Targeting:

• I assume that there are some utilities out there that are doing a decent job - e.g., water, or smaller power utilities. To level the playing field and ensure the good players aren't affected, the reforms should only apply to: -- entities of a certain size. To hit the PGEs but leave the co-ops alone.
  -- utilities that have caused explosions in suburbs, or electric line failures that have led to the leveling of towns. I like this one because how are you going to argue that it isn't needed when the text of the legislation states that.

Billing Revisions

• Reduce or eliminate late payment fees, and prohibit late fees from being charged until 91 days after due date.
• utilities provide a bill credit for each hour the power goes out
• billing of all costs / charges has to occur every month. This gets rid of the true up system.
• minimum power delivery charge eliminated.

Utility structural reforms:

• there is currently an understanding that utilities are entitled to a certain amount of profit. Reduce that to something like 5%.
• utilities are essentially construction companies now. They want to find projects they can do so that they can charge their 10 or 15% to ratepayers. The reform is to reduce the allowable % that utilities can profit from infrastructure improvements, and heighten thresholds for need to be prove the requirements for construction.
• engaging in a stock buyback triggers reduced profitability for the company for a time.
• reduce barriers to takeovers by publicly owned utilities. My understanding is that the City of SF can only sign up new development to city power. They are prohibited from approaching or buying out existing customers.

PUC structural reforms

• increase restrictions on utility lobbyists
• change how the PUC board is chosen. Either add multiple ratepayers advocates, or make them directly elected, via ranked choice voting.

Solar reforms

• I'm unsure exactly what is right here, but it's clear the pendulum has swung way too hard against rooftop solar. I'm hoping there's a ngo we can lean on that has ideas about how to make solar systems profitable again.
• allow solar systems to be added or expanded without mandating a change in rate plan.
• get rid of minimum electric charges, or reduce them substantially.
• somehow apply the same incentives to rooftop solar that PGE gets for bulldozing habitat in the Mojave. A monthly rate reduction based on capital cost of the project?

I live in California and am sick of good legislation being sidelined by lobbyists. So, let's identify ideas for how voters (in any state) can improve their situation via direct democracy

My friend lives in Guam. Their electric price is around 0.27 per kWh. I'm getting 0.46 - 0.50 per kWh with PGE.
How is it cheaper to send refined oil by tanker to a tiny island in the Pacific than it is to get electricity in a state with massive solar, wind installs and multiple refineries?
I'm guessing public ownership of the Guam utility is part of the answer.

I live in an area with not so great air quality and no AC. We have little air filters inside the rooms, but at night we have to let the cool (and dirty) air inside to cool down the house.
I'd like a solution to blow air in while also filtering it - but aside from one Amazon listing and makeshift solutions with zip ties, I haven't seen great options.

Any recommendations you have?

Today marked the third time my spouse has lost their battle with the garage door opener.
We have historically been used to a smaller car. But upgrading to a new EV crossover (a year ago) has brought with it its own challenges.

The first time it happened, the lift gate was up when the door button was pressed. Minor scratch to the plastic covering the light bar.

The second time, a few months ago, a scratch in the back metal that is somewhat noticeable. They said they were tired after a long day and the washer door was open so it seemed like they needed more space and weren't thinking enough when they closed it.

The third time, tonight, they were also tired. No washer this time. Noticeable small dent in the metal panel accompanied with a scratch that went thru to the metal underneath.

I have gone ahead and finished putting up the tennis ball on a string as a guide. I started the idea after incident #2 but procrastinated on putting it up as I thought that was the end of it. I learned we needed it.

I have let them know that accidents can happen, but that they can be responsible for getting it fixed. It's ok. We just need to keep this car now until it dies.

Looking to see if you know of any restaurants doing anything interesting for reducing takeout plastic waste.
Deposit for using Pyrex? Discount for byo? Etc