Health & Fitness
Blog: Power Plant or No Power Plant, It Is Up to Us
if you want residents to have a say on the power plant, sign the initiative.
The question of whether you want to sign the Power Plant Phase Out Initiative petition boils down to one question: Do you believe the people of Redondo should have a voice on the matter or not?
In all but one case we are aware of, the California Energy Commission has approved new power plants when there is no local opposition. If we do nothing, we get a new power plant.
So, by taking no action, the council has left residents with only one choice to let our voices be heard by the state agencies that regulate the power grid and that choice is a rezoning initiative that phases out the power plant.
Find out what's happening in Redondo Beachfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
- Complete coverage: AES Redondo Beach Power Plant Debate
In 97 percent of the cases the California Energy Commission has sided with cities that oppose a new plant. So if voters oppose the power plant, we have a high likelihood of ridding our waterfront of industrial blight and our biggest single source of air pollution. it would be difficult for state agencies to ignore the will of the voters.
Signing the initiative does not say you oppose the power plant. It just gets the issue on the ballot. The vote itself will measure the will of Redondo residents.
Find out what's happening in Redondo Beachfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
You can argue the details of the zoning in the initiative. But the initiaitve sunsets itself right after the council and California Coastal Commission approve its zoning. The details of the zoning can be changed through normal city processes after that with a few important exceptions: adding back a power plant or industrial uses or decreasing the view and open space requirements. The real vote is whether we want a power plant or not.
There is no more time for quibbling. has turned in their application for a new plant in Huntington Beach, and our plant is next.
We only get one shot at this. It is now or never.
If you want to relinquish any local say on the power plant decision, don't sign the initiative petition.
But, if you support the right of Redondo residents to vote and have some say on this huge issue that will affect our waterfront for generations to come, sign the petition and help us get the issue before the voters of Redondo.
