Printer-friendly version
By Miriam Raftery
May 21, 2014 (San Francisco) –“I’m not here today to answer any of your goddamn questions. Shut up, shut up!” California Public Utilities Chairman Michael Peevey shouted at former City Attorney Mike Aguirre during a videotaped evidentiary hearing on the $3.3 billion settlement over the closed San Onofre nuclear facility. Aguirre had asked Peevey to confirm secret meetings with Southern California Edison representatives, accusing Peevey and Mike Florio of “collusion.”
Aguirre asked that SCE president Ronald Litzinger be required to confirm if his SCE stock rose $160,000 days after the settlement was allowed, but Administrative Law Judge Melanie Darling refused to require that the question be answered.
“His credibility is at issue,” Aguirre pressed, insisting that questions of financial motivations would be allowed in any other court of law.
East County’s Citizens Oversight Commission founder Ray Lutz had ceded his time to Aguirre to speak on behalf of ratepayers. Both have contended that the settlement, on close review, unfairly burdens ratepayers with costs of the failed nuclear facility.
Peevey has long been accused of being overly cozy with utilities, including accepting thousands of dollars in expenses paid for by SDG&E or its parent corporation, Sempra including a European trip. Darling drew criticism for banning criticism from a prior hearing, a move Lutz contended was illegal.
The Reader offered these interesting insights into Peevey's past: "Peevey was president of Edison and its parent, Edison International. When he got the job, San Diegans were shocked because he had completely bungled Edison's attempt to take over SDG&E in the early 1990s."
Ratepayer advocates posted an 18 minute condensed video of the highlights (or lowlights) of the hearing here:
The full-length one-hour video is available here, with all objections.
Recent comments