Letter: Still Time for City Council to Oppose New Power Plant

With 9,500+ signatures submitted, Redondo Beach residents want to vote on a rezoning initiative preventing AES from building a new power plant, likely to stand another 50 years.  For those City Government leaders who ask, “How could this happen?”—look in the mirror. You only have yourselves to blame.

On this entire issue of whether AES builds a new power plant in Redondo’s King Harbor, located within a 9-iron of 10,000-15,000 residents per square mile, our mayor and city council have been AWOL. Councilman Bill Brand is the lone exception. This absence of city leadership created a vacuum, now filled by passionate, dedicated people that stepped up to stay, “Stop!” And leadership, like nature, abhors a vacuum.

It’s a shame. Most initiative supporters only support it because it’s a last resort. They have seen council take little substantive action the last several years, despite numerous opportunities. They heard directly from state agencies that local wishes factor heavily in decisions to approve new power plants in residential areas. Yet council fiddles while the timeline for voicing our wishes burns.

Notice that AES keeps pushing back its formal submission of rebuilding plans to the California Energy Commission. Submission was originally for June 2012. Then August.  Then September.  Now, AES says “November” so they can include a design enclosing their new plant in beautiful Mediterranean stucco with a clay tile roof. Lovely.

Sarcasm aside, it’s plausible that AES keeps pushing out its formal submission because it does NOT want the public to see its real plans before the initiative, if validated, comes to a vote. 

What’s really sad is every councilman claims he doesn’t want a new power plant, but he won’t even officially commit the city to that basic point. Thus, 9,500+ residents resort to an Initiative instead. Why can’t our council enthusiastically pass a resolution that simply says “Redondo doesn’t want another Power Plant!”? Council doesn’t have to agree on what comes next or how to do it or whether AES’ feelings will be hurt.

You say you don’t want AES to rebuild, so prove it. Put it in writing. Please. There’s still time. 

Don Vangeloff
Redondo Beach

Letters to the editor do not necessarily reflect the views of Redondo Beach Patch. Letters must be less than 500 words and are subject to editing for space, spelling, punctuation and grammar. Also, anonymous letters will not be published, so remember to include your real name. You can email your letter to Redondo Beach Patch editor Nicole Mooradian at nicole.mooradian@patch.com.