Having at last crawled out of debt, Southern California Edison is
prepared to give customers the benefit of its renewed fortune in the
form of rate reductions.
The California Public Utilities Commission last week approved $1.2
billion in rate reductions for Southern California Edison customers,
which means many Surf City residents and business owners will see a
drop in their electricity rates as of Aug. 1.
The reduction, the first since rates were increased during
California's power crisis, are a result of the power company
recovering about $3.6 billion in rates.
For residential customers, rates will drop by about 8%, for
businesses, anywhere from 13% to 19%.
"I think it is great, however we can save money during these
times," Huntington Beach resident Evan Wride said.
While rate reductions should benefit all Southern California
Edison customers, it will effect large-scale electricity users the
most.
"Those hardest hit receive the greatest relief," said Gil
Alexander, a spokesman for Edison. "Everyone will benefit
commensurate to what they paid."
Residents and business owners who managed to keep consumption to a
minimum by following the recommendations of the state power
commission will likely see no change in their bills. There will be no
decrease for these customers because their rates did not increase
during the power crisis.
News of rate reductions has come as a welcome surprise to many,
especially those whose businesses depend on it.
Mark Bhataravidhya, technical coordinator for Cyberimage
International, a local Web site design and development company, said
it should give business a boost.
"That is a surprise. I thought we were at a shortage,"
Bhataravidhya said. "It should be very helpful."
It may be a bit more a mixed bag for the city of Huntington Beach.
While its electricity costs will go down like everyone else's, there
will also be a loss of utility tax revenue from Edison, City
Administrator Ray Silver said.
"Obviously, it's a good thing because costs are less. The question
is, is the loss of utility tax greater," Silver said. "We're still
trying to understand how it affects what we pay."
Shipley Nature Center opens gates to public
The Shipley Nature Center will open to the public Sunday for the
first time since the city yanked funding from the center in September
2002.
"It's the start of getting it open for people to do anything they
want," said Stephanie Pacheco, president of the Friends of the
Shipley Nature Center, the volunteer group that is struggling to
