With Measure A unfortunately defeated, that issue is no longer on the table for the mayoral race. So, I hope all local media will honor us voters and push the runoff mayoral candidates to clearly answer two fundamental questions:
Do you, Candidate _____, want AES to gain California Energy Commission approval for their new power plant? If not, what will you specifically do to stop it?
Specifics are important!
Both Messrs. Aspel and Kilroy previously said they don't want a new power plant; however, given their inability (or lack of desire) as councilmen to do anything of substance against a new Powerplant, we need to press them for answers now. It was easy for them to be against Measure A, but what are they for?
Measure A, whether you liked it or not, was a real solution to prevent AES' new power plant from being built within a 5-iron's shot of 10,000+ residents per square mile. But neither candidate offered any real solution of their own during the election. One took no "official" stance on "A," although last summer he refused to vote for a resolution against a new power plant while the public considered the initiative behind Measure A. Nice.
The other candidate at least took a stand on "A" but didn't necessarily distinguish himself with the quality of his arguments against the measure. At least not at the public debate I attended. Same with the council runoffs: We know Jim Light is against a new power plant, but what about his opponent?
Measure A barely lost, and most NO voters don’t want a new power plant. In the mayoral (and council) runoffs, we deserve to hear clearly from each candidate; just exactly where they stand on CEC approval of AES’ power plant; and what they'll do about it. They can't hide behind Measure A anymore.
Don Vangeloff
Redondo Beach
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As BIG-AND-POWERFUL as Edison and AES are, I'm convinced that they will not go out of business if they have to relocate the plant, what we fail to understand is that the real power lays in every member our comunity but we continue to blindly allow big financial interest to highjack our votes and the command and authority the ballot measures deserve. If there is still an opportunity for our local elected officials to improve life in our community, how can they possibly not do something about it??? Who's interest are they representing then... I would hope it is my children's and grand children, not AES or Edison.
This argument of a better neighborhood or increase land values doesn't seem to be very logical either. The plant, or a plant has here before pretty much everything else. So if it was ok to move here then why is it such an issue now? The better thing would be to get a new plant with less of a footprint rather than to keep the old exisitng plant there rusting away even more. Rezoning doesn't require AES to sell or take down what's in place.
Your numnbers are wrong. We needed 6000 signatures to get on the ballot. We got just under 7500 valid signatures. AES spent $500,000 on the campaign against A. The Chamber, former fire chief and several Councilman lent their names to the AES mailers, billboards, phone calls, TV and online ads. For the margin to be a paltry 257 votes against that tidal wave of advertising is a telling in and of itself. Had AES not thrown in hundreds of thousands of dollars in this effort, it is quite reasonable to conclude Measure A would have won.
Well you put your hands in your head, oh no I said, "Dreamer, you're nothing but a dreamer"