Dear City Council,
Help me understand if this is how we arrived at the Menlo Park City Council voting (3-2) to restrict the use of natural gas.
1. Government entities in San Mateo County promoted the establishment of an enterprise to provide “green, less expensive” electricity to residents in the county.
2. The entity that was formed has no assets to generate energy, and no assets to deliver energy to homes. It is a broker, similar to the infamous Enron. The power is bought and then a margin is added to cover administrative and promotional expenses, primarily salaries and consultant fees.
3. The marketing plan was based on the assumption that citizens would opt to use the new entity because it claimed to provide “green, cheaper” electricity than its competitor, P G & E.
4. The board of directors for the new entity is composed of one each city council member from those that helped promote and form the new entity.
5. As time progressed, business growth fell short of the original business plan and projections.
6. The staff of the new entity proposed to the board that money be spent to draft a legislative template and promote the effort to ban the use of a competing form of energy, natural gas. This would require an increased use of electricity, thus help put their original business plan back on track.
7. The board members returned to their respective city councils and brought the legislative template with them. These council members then began the promotion process by encouraging their city staff and environmental committees to get behind adoption of the legislative template.
This scenario begets some questions:
1. Who is the Menlo Park city council member that has sat on the new entity board during the time the staff of the new entity proposed the drafting and promotion of the legislative template? This should be announced to the public.
2. Why was this member of the Menlo Park city council allowed to vote on this legislation? The potential of increased revenue of an entity they guided created a clear conflict of interest?
3. Did the city attorney investigate and give an opinion on the potential conflict? Has the county district attorney began investigating this potential conflict of interest?
4. Why was it that the citizens of Menlo Park had to wait for the article in “The Daily Post” to learn how this shady deal was plotted and executed?
5. Will there be a council vote to reconsider this ordinance WITHOUT THE PARTICIPATION OF THE COUNCIL MEMBER WHO IS ON THE BOARD OF THE NEW ELECTRICITY ENTITY?
I trust you will provide me and the citizens of Menlo Park with answers to these questions.
Edward Moritz
1185 Hillview Drive
Menlo Park, CA 94025
