Feature Archives

On March 3rd, the Seaside City Council voted unanimously to outlaw PG&E's wireless smart meter installation within city limits. On March 8th, Lake and San Luis Obispo Counties joined the list, calling upon the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to stop installing wireless meters until more is known about short and long term health impacts and potential privacy violations. Residents from all over California will attend the CPUC meeting on March 10th starting at 9am at 505 Van Ness Avenue in San Francisco.

On March 1st, Monterey City Council unanimously adopted a resolution demanding Pacific Gas and Electric immediately halt the installation of Smart Meters and related infrastructure within city limits. Monterey is the first city in Monterey County to take formal action against Smart meters, and joins 28 other cities, towns, and counties around California in taking action opposing them.

On February 11th, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker and Republican state legislators introduced legislation to end collective bargaining for public employees on the premise that the attack on unions was motivated by budgetary concerns. Within a week, tens of thousands of public employees and labor supporters were demonstrating daily in the capital of Madison. Protests and solidarity rallies have since spread across the U.S. On February 26th, rallies were held in over 50 U.S. cities as part of a national day of action to demand an end to the attacks on workers' rights and public services across the country.

During a meeting on February 10th in which they joined six other local governments who have passed laws criminalizing the installation of wireless Smart Meters, the Capitola City Council discovered that the wireless Smart Meters that CA utilities are trying to install are not certified by Underwriters Laboratory, a certification that is required under the state electrical code for all electrical appliances and equipment within the home. A demonstration was scheduled for San Francisco on February 16th.

On February 3rd and 4th, students at the University of California Berkeley and Stanford University held campus demonstrations calling for solidarity with those uprising in Egypt. In Berkeley students gathered in front of Sather Gate and staged a die-in under the watchful eye of campus police.

Wellington Energy is the company that is installing PG&E’s new wireless ‘smart’ meters in California. A former Wellington Energy employee contacted the Scotts Valley Neighbors Against Smart Meters about his experience installing smart meters from June through September in 2010. The 'Wellington Whistleblower' warns, "I do feel that Scotts Valley, Boulder Creek, Ben Lomond, Corralitos, to name a few should be informed enough to prepare for what could realistically turn into another San Bruno."

Anarchists Against the Wall (AATW) is an Israeli direct action group established in 2003 to resist the Annexation Wall being built by Israel on Palestinian land in the Occupied West Bank. They support Palestinian civilian resistance to massive confiscation of land and denial of freedom of movement caused by construction of the Wall. AATW activists have joined thousands of demonstrations against the Wall and against the Occupation in dozens of villages throughout the West Bank. They are currently touring in the US, including giving several presentations in Northern California.