Full disclosure: I worked for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) from May of 2009 until my retirement in September of last year. Originally employed as an Electrical Mechanic; I constructed and maintained gas-fired generation plants, substations, transmission facilities, and distribution stations. I later became a solar power, energy storage, and EV charging station inspector.

Throughout my tenure at LADWP, I advocated sustainable transportation, renewable energy, and energy storage — creating a chasm between myself and many of my fellow workers.

I am pro-Union; my family and I have directly benefited from Union negotiated wages, benefits, and retirement plans. That said, Unions exist just as any other organization, with positive aspects including all of their warts, missteps, and corruption.

It is important to recognize not only regulatory capture; but also the confluence of utility management/supervision and Union influence—and how each contributes to bureaucratic corruption.

I am posting because I believe it is important to recognize all of the players in these matters, and their agendas.

Each of the California utilities is managed by a combination of management/Union influences.

Environmental Trickle-Down

Working as a solar inspector I was assigned to Beverly Hills, Bel Air, Brentwood, and the Pacific Palisades. Over the years, I witnessed many of the wealthiest people in the world investing in solar energy, electric vehicles, and energy storage. While I have always taken umbrage at the conservative notion of “Trickle Down,” I am convinced that the rich and famous have played pivotal roles fighting climate change, certainly in my own anecdotal experience. I also believe they are a foundational resource in political fights; and this gentleman is a knife fight.