A public forum will be held tomorrow at the California Public Utilities Commission to discuss Proposition 16, the ballot initiative that PG&E is bankrolling in order to require a two-thirds majority vote before any municipality can become an electricity provider.
The Guardian has received word that former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown will be speaking in support of Prop. 16. We initially heard that he would be speaking on behalf of the California Chamber of Commerce, so we placed a call with the COC to verify whether that was the case. That prompted Robin Swanson, spokesperson for the Yes on 16 Campaign, to call and clarify that Brown is speaking on his own behalf. “He’s just speaking in support of Prop 16,” she said, speculating that maybe he was interested in the issue due to his own experience in local government.
Willie Brown formerly worked for PG&E providing “consulting services,” according to a 2007 annual report.
When asked whether Brown was approached by either PG&E or the Yes on 16 Campaign to speak in support of the initiative, Swanson said, “I don’t know how that came about.”
We placed a call to Brown to ask him directly, but haven’t heard back yet.
The public forum, which will begin with a press conference on the steps of the CPUC building at 505 Van Ness, will be held from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Additional information can be found here.