Angela Ford
Sebastopol, CA 95472
April 5, 2022
I am entering this document into the public record.
Hello Mayor Slayter, Councilmembers, Staff and Citizens of Sebastopol:
IT'S TIME TO MOVE FORWARD by
RETURNING TO OUR ROOTS . . .
Last fall, the City Council hastily passed a multi-million dollar “Energy Services Project”, with $2.2 million of this for converting all Sebastopol's 3,000 water meters into EMF-emitting 'smart' water meters.
Climate change has been one of the major thrusts of this project - conserving energy, water and green-house gases.
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There's an old time strategy amongst wheelers and dealers that goes like this:
Treat folks like mushrooms . . .
Keep them in the dark.
And bury them with bull.
Our Sebastopol community has been treated like mushrooms.
We've been kept in the dark about real costs, benefits and downsides of this water-meter project. And, most importantly, offered no alternatives.
And “Bull”?
All along Syserco been incorporating 'green' claims - like “save water” “water conservation” “energy efficiency” - into its documents and presentations. Lulling so many into thinking, hoping, believing this water meter project might be Sebastopol's answer to saving water and addressing climate change, too.
And it turns out that THIS has been PURE BULL!
A February 7th email from Syserco's Gabe Johnson, states unequivocally to Public Works Director Dante Del Prete:
“there has never been a claim that the new meters 'save energy, save water, and reduce green house gas emissions'.”
In the face of this blatant green-washing revelation, how can we do anything else but sit down and have a Big Rethink?
IT'S TIME TO MOVE FORWARD by RETURNING TO OUR ROOTS:
• Maintain our traditional metal meters.
• Keep our residents and neighborhoods healthy with no additional EMF-emissions and pollution.
• Return to our political traditions of true transparency and citizen engagement.
Bring this back to the Council.
Let's do this together!
Thank you.
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