Urgent Alert: SMUD Board Votes on Annexation of Yolo County on May 19!

HELP SMUD GROW AND MAKE IT STRONGER

Act Now!  The SMUD Board votes on annexation of Yolo County on Thursday, May 19 at 9 am (SMUD Auditorium - 6201 S Street).  PG&E just placed a full-page ad in the Bee urging people to call the SMUD Board members in opposition. Supporters for growing SMUD need to speak up now to counter their campaign to keep Yolo and its profits within their monopoly.  Here is the contact information in PG&E©ˆs ad. Use it for the greater good.

SMUD Board of Directors (916) 732-6155, Voice mail (916) 732-5350

Director Linda Davis <caron> blowry [at] smud.org
Director Susan Patterson <caron> smudsusan [at] smud.org
Director Howard Posner <caron> hposner [at] aol.com
Director Genevieve Shiroma <caron> gshiroma4 [at] aol.com
Director Peter Keat <caron> keatdavis [at] aol.com
Director Larry Carr <caron> carrward6 [at] aol.com
Director Bill Slaton <caron> bslaton [at] smud.org

Please pass this on today. Thank you.  Every call will make a difference, especially from constituents.

Kevin Wolf
530-758-4211

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The analysis of the Sacramento Municipal Utility District©ˆs consultants and staff shows that annexing the area in Yolo County adjacent to Sacramento County which contains the cities of West Sacramento, Woodland and Davis would be good for present ratepayers in Sacramento and for PG&E©ˆs customers in the adjacent area of Yolo County. 

Annexing the adjacent part of Yolo County would be good for SMUD ratepayers because:

1.  Economies of scale will improve. Administrative costs would be shared over 85,000 more customers.  Purchases of resources will be cheaper with a larger customer base. While the electric load increases by 13 percent, the work force would increase only by about 6 percent.

2.  These Yolo County cities have a better ©¯load factor©˜ than Sacramento.  This means that more of the power SMUD produces at off times will be purchased by their new customers at a better price.  

3.  Yolo County customers will expand SMUD©ˆs renewable energy program.  PG&E provides little help to its customers to use renewables.  For example, the wind resources SMUD owns in Solano County will be better utilized.   More photovoltaic purchases will lower everyone©ˆs costs.

4.  All costs of annexation--such as the costs of buying PG&E's system and the legal costs associated with eminent domain -- will be paid exclusively by Yolo County customers through a surcharge on their rates.

5. Due to municipal ownership, the savings would increase over time as net income from new customers is reinvested in SMUD equipment and facilities instead of being paid out to shareholders

Existing and new SMUD customers could share $180 million in savings over the next 20 years.

PG&E doesn©ˆt like losing Yolo customers to SMUD for the same reasons these customers will benefit SMUD.  Elected officials in Yolo County have unanimously voted to support SMUD annexation because its residents are expected to save 8% and get better services and greener energy by joining one of the best utility districts in the nation

PG&E has already begun an expensive effort to convince the public and elected officials to oppose the proposal.  The monopoly corporation is not making much progress in Yolo County as the three cities and the Yolo Board of Supervisors all voted unanimously to join SMUD. Therefore PG&E has begun an expensive campaign to convince existing SMUD customers to oppose the annexation. The best way to protect ourselves from PG&E©ˆs coming campaign is to help get a unanimous vote of support by the SMUD board of director when they vote on May 19.  You can help by sending them a post card, calling or meeting with them, or best, attending an upcoming hearing on the proposal and speaking in favor of it. For more details on these, see the other side of this flyer.   Thank you for helping SMUD grow economically and environmentally stronger.


An important document supporting this information is the SMUD Staff Assessment and Recommendations, Yolo Annexation Feasibility Study (April 6, 2005, 18 pp).  For a copy, go to http://www.smud.org or call 916-732-6252

SMUD Customers for the Power to do More (SCPM)

For more information and to RSVP, contact: 
Judy Ashley, 916-444-9806 jotrip2 [at] aol.com
John Burton, 916-920-2356 johnwb [at] netzero.net

Send contributions to: SCPM, 820 Alhambra Blvd, Sacramento, CA  95816

For other information see http://www.publicpowernow.org/.