Thread by @RL_Miller

hey peeps. Y'all wanna listen to me spout off about @PGE4Me in light of #PGEBankruptcy?

Sure ya do. Short thread to add to national stories, from a Cal point of view. Sorta-insider dirt will be dished. Journos, pols, activists -- listen up! I'll tag it #PGEBankruptcy.

@PGE4Me First, because it is the most important point: 88 people died in the Camp fire.

8 people died in the 2010 San Bruno explosion.

So when you talk about securitization and Chapter 11 plans and trustees, please start here. People have died. #PGEBankruptcy

@PGE4Me Second point. PG&E has given more to Democratic pols than practically any other entity in the state. And I need to expand on this a bit, so thread-within-thread.

@PGE4Me if you've followed me for more than 30 seconds, you know that I try to get fossil fuel money out of politics. And PG&E gives a LOT away. But because it's a fairly greenish utility, it's not counted as fossil fuel money. #PGEBankruptcy

@PGE4Me So Democratic politicians who won't touch oil money happily take PG&E's money. I'm alerted whenever a FPPC filing is made. I've lost track. Hundreds? Closer to thousands of donations in the $1000-and-up range to California Democrats. #PGEBankruptcy

@PGE4Me and PG&E's workers are unionized, which means lots of labor support for PG&E. #PGEBankruptcy

@PGE4Me so, bottom line on point 2: you will not see a lot of Dems speechifying and thundering outrage the way they were with VW, BP, or other high profile corporate failures. #PGEBankruptcy

@PGE4Me third point on PG&E.

8 people died in an explosion in 2010 and 88 people died in November's Camp Fire and I'm repeating myself because the point is so important.

@PGE4Me 4th point on PG&E. Despite all the bribes, ooops I mean donations to Democratic politicians, ordinary Californians and climate activists hate PG&E. The company has NO reservoir of good will. NONE. #PGEBankruptcy

@PGE4Me climate activists hate PG&E because PG&E has done everything it could, including Prop 16 in 2010 to make CCAs much harder to create.

ordinary folk hate the utility to whom their monthly checks are written. #PGEBankruptcy

@PGE4Me PG&E buys a lot of greener power, yes, but would it have done so without Cal's PUC basically ordering purchase of green power? I dunno. Anyway, point is: no reservoir of good will. #PGEBankruptcy

@PGE4Me Fifth point. As you read the NYTimes piece on the financial casualty of climate change, remember that 88 people are actual casualties thanks to the PG&E-started Camp fire.

In case you forgot. People have died thanks to PG&E. #PGEBankruptcy

Sixth point. Cal legislators passed a bailout bill (all those checks I mentioned in 2d point paid off!) in the waning hours of the 2018 legislative session, but then the Camp fire happened, and lawmakers didn't want to do more. So... #PGEBankruptcy instead.

The smart progressive legislators I talk with (and pretend to listen to me, ha) have been sorta stuck trying to figure out what to do with PG&E. I suspect they're quietly relieved by a bky filing. #PGEBankruptcy

7th point. in the middle of my tweetstorm, @GavinNewsom began talking on PG&E -- I didn't plan this! so I'll RT some quotes. (So far, he's saying smart things.) But do not forget my 1st point.

PEOPLE HAVE DIED BECAUSE OF PG&E's actions. The end, more or less. #PGEBankruptcy