Proposition 80 was rejected by voters in the November 2005 election.
PROP. 80
Electric Service Providers. Regulation
Should the state expand its regulation of the electric industry?
Subjects electric service providers to regulation by California Public Utilities Commission. Restricts electricity customers’ ability to switch from private utilities to other providers. Requires all retail electric sellers to increase renewable energy resource procurement by 2010.
Approved by the legislature last year, only to be vetoed by the governor, this initiative was also briefly yanked from the ballot this summer after energy companies brought suit. It could still be struck down in court, after the election, even if it is approved by voters who agree that: letting large-scale energy buyers go directly to energy vendors shifts costs to private consumers, vendors should keep reserves to prevent future blackouts, the cost of new power plants should be reduced and that more energy should come from renewable sources sooner.
- Background, key web sites, public opinion polls, select news and reports by the IGS Library at UC Berkeley
- In Depth Non-Partisan Analysis, League of Women Voters Ca.
- Pros & Cons Analysis, League of Women Voters Ca.
- Notable backers and detractors as well as major campaign contributors, California Voter Foundation
- Official Legislative Analysis, California Legislative Analyst’s Office (PDF)
- “ Judges take energy initiative off Nov. 8 ballot Prop. 80 would repeal some of ‘96 deregulation law,” San Francisco Chronicle, explains the measure’s multiple objectives clearly and concisely
- The Governor’s Reorganization Plan to Create a Department of Energy, Little Hoover Commission, details the governor’s counter strategy
- “Energy bill regulating industry is vetoed,” San Diego Union-Tribune, reported in 2004 that “[t]he veto of the measure, sponsored by Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez, leaves California dangling between opposing strategies: return to the electric regulation that the state employed for nearly a century, which the Legislature wants, or take another stab at deregulation, favored by Schwarzenegger.”
