From: William Lin
To: Mayor and Council Members
Subject: Public Comment: Urging Union City to Create a Public Utility Agenda Item Date: Wednesday, October 22, 2025 8:27:47 AM
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To the Union City Council and Mayor Singh,
Hi my name is William, I am a resident of Union City. I urge you to take real action and create a City Council agenda item and study session to explore the formation of a publicly run electric utility, one that mirrors Silicon Valley Power in Santa Clara. This utility should deliver and generate electricity for the people, by the people. It must be owned and operated by the city, not by investor-driven corporations like PG&E.
Union City residents are already paying a 5% utility user's tax. Where is that money going? Should we be paying both PG&E and the city? Or should we pay the city directly without this egregious tax—so that Union City can actually help the community? Right now, that tax does not benefit the people. If residents are paying inflated rates, the city should stand behind them, not tax them for nothing.
That tax should be used to build and maintain public infrastructure, including clean energy projects. But we don’t see that happening—unless the city begins to run its own clean energy utility, or at least partners with providers like Ava Community Energy under public control.
Silicon Valley Power combines delivery and generation into one city-run department. They source clean energy and offer rates up to 59% lower than PG&E’s. That’s the model we need.
This is the center of possibility for Union City. If we build a public utility:
People will stay
Families will grow
Jobs and opportunity will flourish
But if we don’t act, the consequences are severe. Small businesses I’ve spoken to say they may be forced to shut down due to upcoming rate hikes. Families are already being forced to move. Many will become homeless if we don’t change course.
We must think about the residents of Union City—and the state as a whole. If you want a successful city, you must model what is right for the people, not what is authoritarian for the rich. We already see oligarchs controlling healthcare, grocery stores, and now electricity. That cannot continue.
PG&E continues to raise rates while passing wildfire mitigation costs onto communities like ours, communities that don’t even face wildfire risk. Why should Union City pay for their mistakes? Why should we fund a system that rewards executives with multimillion-dollar salaries while our sick, elderly, and low-income neighbors struggle to keep the lights on? Even with CARE discounts and programs like LIHEAP, many residents still cannot afford their bills. Measure W funds from Alameda County are not enough. The California Public Utilities Commission has failed to protect us. We need local solutions, not investor driven excuses.
Thank You
William Lin