At our April meeting, we heard from Haylie Cantiller and Elisa Rodriguez Furey from the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) and from Tim Redmond from 48 Hills.  They are all advocates of San Francisco taking over PG&E’s electrical distribution system.  Instead of $800 million in annual profit going to PG&E, that money could go to San Francisco and could pay for municipal services and / or reduce electric rates.  Haylie and Elisa presented online, while Tim presented in person. 

Among the points raised by the SFPUC presentation, we learned that San Francisco pays PG&E for the use of the distribution grid to deliver its electricity supplies (this is an obstacle for the Clean Power SF program), and that PG&E requirements have obstructed over 187 local projects.

Tim Redmond advocated for San Francisco to begin eminent domain proceedings to take over the PG&E grid.  His reasoning is that the California Public Utilities Commission has been dragging its feet on providing a value for PG&E’s assets—the price San Francisco should pay.  They (the CPUC) were asked to provide a value in 2021, and have not yet done so.  Even if they eventually do come through, PG&E will object to the valuation and take it to court, so why not start the court proceedings now?  HANC will be drafting a letter to the City Attorney encouraging him to begin eminent domain proceedings against PG&E.  We will print the letter in the HANC Voice.

A few days after the meeting, we asked Elisa (via email), “What steps has San Francisco taken to make public power expansion a reality?” and received this response:

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By Richard Ivanhoe, HANC President

Dean Preston launched PUML (Punch Up Media Lab) in March.  Its website (https://pu.ml/) describes itself this way:  “PUML is a San Francisco Bay Area-based media group amplifying working-class perspectives that corporate media ignores. We equip journalists, content creators and our readers with the information to set the record straight.”  An article in another site (https://sf.gazetteer.co/dean-prestons-puml-is-punching-up) listed some of PUML’s collaborators:  48 Hills (https://48hills.org/), Broke-Ass Stuart (  https://brokeassstuart.com/), The Phoenix Project (https://www.phoenixprojectnow.com/), Sad Francisco (https://www.patreon.com/cw/sadfrancisco) and Doom Loop Dispatch (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHG4Ge-T6Qg).

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Remember to vote on or before June 2!

HANC, as a 501(c)(3) non-profit, cannot endorse candidates.  We can endorse or oppose ballot measures, and have endorsed the following ballot measures (descriptions are as they appear on the ballot:

 We will explain our endorsements at our May 14 meeting.

For our May meeting, we will discuss our ballot endorsements and have invited various local groups to let us know what they are doing.

Who better than Aaron Peskin, who is targeted by Proposition B, to explain why we have endorsed No on B?  Aaron has agreed to join our May meeting.  We have also invited proponents of No on C and Yes on D to further explain those measures.

In addition to our ballot endorsements, we are focusing on lesser-known groups active in the neighborhood.

Big Art Loop (https://www.bigartloop.org/)  plans to place two large sculptures in the Panhandle at the end of May.  Catherine Roscart, Senior Producer for Big Art Loop will provide further information about this project (online from Los Angeles).

FACES (Family and Child Empowerment Services) (https://facessf.org/) , located at the corner of Page and Masonic asked to present at our meeting, and we have invited them to join us.

We have invited other groups who have been active locally, but at the time our newsletter is being printed, we are waiting for them to confirm :

We heard about a radio station being operated out of the former photo booth at the corner of Haight and Shrader (https://www.kqed.org/arts/13988094/program-audio-online-radio-san-francisco-haight ) and invited them to our meeting.

There is a Haigh Street Affinity Group who sometimes gives away free items in the Panhandle.  We have been in contact with them and have invited them to our meeting.

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By Lisa Awbrey, HANC Board

Thanks to local community, the public, and HANC members for an informative congressional candidates’ forum on 3/12/26. The Park Branch Library Community Room was filled to maximum capacity and dozens joined the forum via Zoom.

Journalist, writer, editor, concerned citizen and local legend Leah Garchik moderated. Candidates Saikat Chakrabarti and Supervisor Connie Chan participated while Scott Weiner was absent.

HANC hosts queried the public for questions beforehand and live during the forum. Topics of discussion included land use,  tenants’ rights, rent control, local, state and federal funding for the implementation of socialized/affordable housing, safe and fair elections, protecting and funding independent media, healthcare priorities, taxing billionaires, the climate crisis and the local impact of coastal sea rise, privatization of PG&E and public power, and public transit and Muni. 

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By Bruce Wolfe, HANC Board

Please join HANC on Thursday, April 9, as we discuss San Francisco’s effort to acquire PG&E’s local grid.  Haylie Cantiller and Elisa Rodriguez Furey from the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission will share information about the Our City, Our Power Campaign.  Tim Redmond from 48Hills will provide his perspective on the issue.  We will also hear an update on the Doolan-Larson House from Tia Lombardi.  See the accompanying article for instructions on how to join the meeting

San Francisco's path toward energy independence began with Community Choice Aggregation (CCA), a revolutionary model pioneered by Paul Fenn and championed by then-Assembly Member Carole Migden. Their landmark 2002 legislation (AB 117) empowered municipalities to purchase electricity directly, bypassing investor-owned utilities like PG&E.

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