L.A. Mayor During Insane Heat Wave: ‘Use A Fan.’ Crenshaw Fires Back: ‘Alexa, Show Me What Happens When You Let Democrats Control Energy Policy’

On Sunday afternoon, in the midst of the insane heat in Los Angeles where the temperature in the San Fernando Valley reached near 120 degrees, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti issued an advisory for the city’s residents in which he told them to “turn off major appliances, set the thermostat to 78 degrees (or use a fan instead), turn off excess lights and unplug any appliances you’re not using.”

On Tuesday, Rep. Dan Crenshaw responded to Garcetti’s tweet with one of his own, writing, “Alexa, show me what happens when you let Democrats control energy policy.”

Crenshaw’s point is well-taken. The California Public Utilities Commission, which regulates services and utilities, is comprised of 5 members appointed by the governor and approved by the senate; California has had Democrat governors since 2011, and the California state Senate has been controlled by Democrats for 50 years.

The San Diego Union-Tribune noted in March 2020 that “nuclear power has long generated opposition in California and AB 2898 will face long odds in Sacramento. The Legislature is dominated by Democrats, who have expressed more interest in further developing wind and solar energy projects than offering a lifeline to nuclear.”

Michael Shellenberger, writing in Forbes in mid-August, before the September record-setting heat, explained, “The underlying reasons that California is experiencing rolling black-outs for the second time in less than a year stem from the state’s climate policies, which California policymakers have justified as necessary to prevent deaths from heatwaves.  In October, Pacific Gas and Electric cut off power to homes across California to avoid starting forest fires. The utility and California’s leaders had over the previous decade diverted billions meant for grid maintenance to renewables.”

The Los Angeles Times reported in 2018 that the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant, the last remaining operational plant in California, would be totally shut down by 2024:

The last remaining nuclear power plant in California will begin shutting down operations in six years as part of a plan approved Thursday by state regulators. “We chart a new energy future by phasing out nuclear power here in California,” Michael Picker, president of the California Public Utilities Commission, said prior to the 5-0 vote. “We agree the time has come.”

The Times wrote of Pacific Gas & Electric: “The utility said Diablo Canyon would be uneconomical to run in the near future because of changes in California’s power grid — specifically, the growth of renewable energy sources, increased energy efficiency measures and the migration of more customers from traditional utilities to new local suppliers under the state’s community choice aggregation program.”

“Established in 2002, California’s Renewables Portfolio Standard spells out the power sources eligible to count toward the state’s goals to wean itself of fossil fuels. The list includes solar, wind, biomass, geothermal, small hydroelectric facilities and even tidal currents. The standard has been updated, currently calling for 60 percent of California’s electricity to come from renewables by 2030 and 100 percent from carbon-free sources by 2045,” the San Diego Union-Tribune added.