The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) has a time line on its hand and a noose around its neck. The 4 Combustible Turbines it has inherited from Williams Energy Company as part of the mitigation following the Energy Crisis should be in place by December 2003. There are two individuals who have taken charge of the situation Edward Smeloff and his boss Patricia Martel. These two individuals with the backing of the inept District 10 Supervisor Sophie Maxwell think they can place 3 combustible turbines on San Francisco Port Authority Property (SFPAP) and get away with murder! W R O N G ! Months ago when no one even thought about where to put the Combustible Turbines I ventured to suggest some locations all over the City and County of San Francisco and one on Federal Property at the Presidio of San Francisco. It is wrong to put 3 combustible turbines closer to two large communities who have had their share of pollution from the two existing aging, toxic polluting Power Plants Ð the Mirant Power Plant and the worse of the two PG&E Power Plant at Hunters Point. There are many sites that can accommodate the Combustible Turbines closer to the transmission lines by the Larkin sub station, the Mission, and even closer to the Jefferson-Martin sub station. Placing one at 5th and Mission is practical but it may pose many environmental problems that adversely impact the constituents to live and work close by. Edward Smeloff was brought to the City of San Francisco to address the issues dealing with Hetch Hetchy. Suddenly, he is off the hook and made the Czar of the 4 Combustible Turbines. He has aligned himself with PG&E and some inept politicians. Hired some consultants to win over the residents in some areas of San Francisco. Hired staff to deal with the 4 combustible turbine engines as if it is a done deal. In the back ground his boss Patricia Martel and a host of others think that for the second time around they can get bond money to finance this deal. W R O N G ! The Mayor Willie Brown has given his tacit approval on the sites and the decision made by Ed Smeloff. The Mayor does not really care, he is on his way out and he would like to leave a legacy wrong or right it does not matter. This was the same Mayor who promised that the PG&E Power Pant by Hunters Point would be shut down in 1998. It is 2003 and the way PG&E is posing itself Ð the Hunters Point will not be shut down till 2010 if not later. SFPUC has no say over the transmission lines. It does not have the ability to operate nor maintain high power lines within the City and County of San Francisco. Its owns little power operation within SFPUC has been dismal. More over the Electricians from the Union do not want to work for SFPUC. SFPUC is trying to sell a dream that will hit them square in the face when they wake up and find out that they are not capable of handing what they have now nor ever will. SFPUC has failed the Public and all the ratepayers in its delivery of clean water from Hetch Hetchy. It has failed the constituents in its operation of Raw Sewage. Today all the raw sewage from Colma, Daly City, Brisbane, and Burlingame flows down by gravity to the Southeast Phelps Raw Sewage and Treatment Facility in the Bayview. The plant is old and cannot handle the sewage from the counties PLUS 80% of the raw sewage from the City and County of San Francisco. The half-treated sewage is then pumped into the Bay some 80 million gallons plus. Shame on the SFPUC. I challenge SFPUC to fix this problem first. Now these same inept inconsiderate SFPUC officials want to take charge of Electricity and manage the City and County of San FranciscoÕs Energy Plan. In my opinion and that of qualified experts who have participated in deliberations before the CPUC, Cal ISO, FERC, other forums Ð all say SFPUC is the least qualified to make a decision and worse still to run any reliable organization. The paradox is that both Pat and Ed are not from San Francisco. One comes with unqualified baggage from Sacramento and the other played some minor role in a County called San Mateo and Daly City. The Mayor has planted these cronies so that he could destroy what good was left in San Francisco. This would be the ept time to remember Mr. Moran who was fired by the Mayor for telling the truth and was the past Director of the SFPUC. Truth always wins and it may take time. The sooner we have a new Mayor and the sooner we reorganize SFPUC the better. One has just to study the SFPUC organizational chart to see how it operates. A den of crooks closely knit and following a life style that is not the norm but which the Mayor flouts as being good for this City. This is the City that knows how and with Ed and Pat at the helm of affairs we the constituents of San Francisco are worse of. No one wants to state this fact but I better state it before it is too, too late. The four combustible turbines do not belong anywhere in the Southeast Sector. Time for an audit to be done thoroughly investigating SFPUC and how they doctor their accounting. We need to have the Federal Bureau of Investigation investigate the moving of funds from one account to another. The spending of the recently approved Bond permits the maintenance, repair, and replacement of infrastructure. We need to investigate why so many consultants play such an important role in the affairs of SFPUC? We should find out why the UNIONS are kept out and not given a full say in the deliberations of the daily planning and Scope of Work at SFPUC? We should find out who makes the calls? It is time that we all find out more about SFPUC and how it manages its affairs. This is only fair because no audit has been done in ages. Ask Mr. Rose from the City. It is fair because we the constituents foot the bill and have been since the Raker Act was passed and not implemented as it was supposed to be. Since the land was stolen from the Miwoks and Hetch Hetchy created! We have crooks who have created a dirty nest and with some inept politicians are destroying San Francisco. Finally this land belonged to the Ohlone. This area we call home was pristine when crooks like SFPUC polluted it. Now we know better and it is time to stop the nonsense once and for all. Get rid of the scumbags and put them on notice before the Mayor flees and leaves us with fleas.

top - back