l-jarrow/mike1st

Praise for Polanco

In response to Sen. Richard Polanco’s commentary regarding electricity deregulation (“Let’s not make the same deregulation mistakes,” March 24), it is refreshing to know that our elected officials are listening to the concerns of residential consumers and are responsibly addressing them.

With a product and service as fundamental to consumers as electricity, it is essential to ensure a certain level of stability, quality and consumer confidence. Residential consumers should be concerned because that stability is now being threatened by power-marketers’ pushing legislators and the California Public Utilities Commission to unbundle electric services before AB 1890 the landmark legislation that unlocked electricity generation has a chance to work. Consumers want to avoid the same confusion that was caused when phone services were fragmented.

Bravo to legislators such as Polanco for hearing and acting upon these concerns. Only through legislation such as Sen. Polanco’s, which would require strict consumer protection measures, will California demonstrate that it has learned from past mistakes made in other industries. All consumers regardless of size are entitled to the benefits of the new, competitive market adopted last year.

VIRGINIA JARROW

President

Consumers Coalition of California

Redondo Beach