PG&E Responds to Stop Smart Meters! Director Arrest

As Capitola-Soquel Patch reported earlier, Joshua Hart, director of Stop Smart Meters!, was .  

PG&E has since clarified the issue from its perspective. 

"When [Hart] arrived there, he ended up passing out informational flyers outside the building," PG&E Spokesman Greg Snapper said. "The demonstrators entered the building, well Josh did, and then he prevented customers from entering or leaving the building by sitting in the front."

Employees then led customers out the rear exit, "to ensure their safety," Snapper said. 

"We value our customers' opinions and respect their rights to voice their opinions peacefully and consistent with law," Snapper Said. "But protests and demonstrators cannot risk public or employee safety, or the ability of PG&E customers to safely do business." 

Hart has acknowledged that he did, indeed, put the PG&E customers in a tough spot on Tuesday.

"It was certainly an inconvenience to the public and we apologize for that, but it was only about an hour that we shut them down for," Hart said.

Much more than inconvenience, though, PG&E is stressing that Hart's position in the doorway was a safety issue.

"It's really clear that if you're blocking the entrance to a place, that that could be a risk for public or employee safety," Snapper said.

The heart of the controversy still lies in the fact that many claim that SmartMeters present potential carcinogenic health risks. The World Health Organization recently published a study on the danger of wireless devices. PG&E however, backed by the FCC, insists there are no ill effects from SmartMeters. 

"We've been very clear in the past that SmartMeters are safe and there is a large amount of scientific studies out there. SmartMeters are safe," Snapper said.

Safety aside, there is still a Capitola city ordinance against the installation of SmartMeters. The ordinance, however, is irrelevant as far as PG&E is concerned.

"Cities don't have jurisdiction when it comes to the deployment of our SmartMeters and our program," Snapper said. "Only the CPUC (California Public Utilities Commission) has jurisdiction over the program."