Arizona official suggests cutting off power to L.A. over boycott on illegal immigration crackdown

A member of an Arizona board that oversees utilities has suggested that they cut power transfers to Los Angeles because of the city's boycott in connection with the state's anti-immigration crackdown.

Gary Pierce, a member of the Arizona Corporate Commission, sent a letter to L.A. officials Tuesday discussing the possibility that Arizona cut power to L.A. from generators in that state. It's unclear whether Pierce's suggestion has any support from other members of the commission -- or whether such a cutoff is legally allowed.

"If an economic boycott is truly what you desire, I will be happy to encourage Arizona utilities to renegotiate your power agreements so Los Angeles no longer receives any power from Arizona-based generation," he wrote in the letter. "I am confident that Arizona’s utilities would be happy to take those electrons off your hands. If, however, you find that the City Council lacks the strength of its convictions to turn off the lights in Los Angeles and boycott Arizona power, please reconsider the wisdom of attempting to harm Arizona’s economy."

Pierce's letter is the latest chatter about some sort of Arizona backlash over the L.A. City Council's boycott vote last week.

Councilman Tom LaBonge told KNBC News that he met with Department of Water and Power officials about the letter on Wednesday. "We have right of ownership of the power plants," he told the station. "We partially own them."

-- Shelby Grad

Photo: AP

Comments

[domestic terrorist]

If you are going to iclude the letter, at least include the whole thing.

Dear Mayor Villaraigosa,

I was dismayed to learn that the Los Angeles City Council voted to boycott Arizona and Arizona-based companies — a vote you strongly supported — to show opposition to SB 1070 (Support our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act).

You explained your support of the boycott as follows: “While we recognize that as neighbors, we share resources and ties with the State of Arizona that may be difficult to sever, our goal is not to hurt the local economy of Los Angeles, but to impact the economy of Arizona. Our intent is to use our dollars — or the withholding of our dollars — to send a message.” (emphasis added)

I received your message; please receive mine. As a state-wide elected member of the Arizona Corporation Commission overseeing Arizona’s electric and water utilities, I too am keenly aware of the “resources and ties” we share with the City of Los Angeles. In fact, approximately twenty-five percent of the electricity consumed in Los Angeles is generated by power plants in Arizona.

If an economic boycott is truly what you desire, I will be happy to encourage Arizona utilities to renegotiate your power agreements so Los Angeles no longer receives any power from Arizona-based generation. I am confident that Arizona’s utilities would be happy to take those electrons off your hands. If, however, you find that the City Council lacks the strength of its convictions to turn off the lights in Los Angeles and boycott Arizona power, please reconsider the wisdom of attempting to harm Arizona’s economy.

People of goodwill can disagree over the merits of SB 1070. A state-wide economic boycott of Arizona is not a message sent in goodwill.

Sincerely,

Commissioner Gary Pierce

Ball’s in your court now, LA.

[JoeSixPack]

HA HA HA! That is awesome!

[skylar]

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

[Dan]

Way to go Arizona!!! Start making a bunch of empty threats that you can't possibly back up and make yourselves look even more ignorant!!!!

Stay classy Arizona....

[Nova yos Galen]

Cool! LA is at war with Arizona. I wonder who'll win... Damn the torpedos; full speed ahead!

[Hmph]

"Right of ownership" and partial ownership are two different things, Mr. LaBonge (you idiot)! I'm in love with Gary Pierce for telling the Council to put up or shut up!

And I'm looking forward to going to Arizona next week on vacation...I plan to spend a LOT of money and am happy to do it. Let the Council to continue to pander to the illegals so they'll come to California and sink it once and for all, so the rest of us can move to Arizona and live in peace!

[YURI]

I like it!! Now that's a threat :)

[BK]

Everyone knows that the Mayor of LA and the city council all support illegal immigration and the crime associated with it. That is why Los Angeles is a sanctuary city for illegals, they refuse the differentiate between illegal and legal immigration, they fail to read or understand Arizona's SB1070 and specifically misrepresent it, and the crime level is as high as it is in LA.

These people are so phony that they have become a laughing stock and are extremely pathetic.

[joey]

Is the Los Angeles City Council are such purely retarded? If they seek to cut the economic ties with any other state, then Arizona pulling the plug is correct. If LA love illegal activities in thier neighborhoods,, then they belong in a lawless society. What does that mex Caldero knows about human right?

[johathan pitre]

We shouldn't stick our noses in other people's business. Who is our mayor anyway to call for such actions? I get it, you don't agreee. Neither do I, but to continue this with a state that doesn't care is dumb. Los Angeles will not win this fight.

[just_joe2]

"We have right of ownership of the power plants," he told the station. "We partially own them."

So if power is cut partially that would be OK?

Children, and I call you you children because when I speak to you as adults you don't listen, it's time to stop this squabbling. Boycotts and such only hurt those that can least afford the pain. Those on the bottom (many of those you are trying to protect) will loose their jobs, homes and and have their families broken up simply to make you, the boycotter, feel good about yourself. Stop the mob mentality and pursue those avenues that will not hurt the bystanders.

[rich]

Do it!!! ( LA resident)

[Remery]

About time. Lets see how the Mayor's solar imitative works at night

[LA90014]

Awesome.

[DavidAdner]

hahahahahahaha

[FLSupport]

Good for Arizona. Any city that thinks they can bully Arizona should be in the dark or be paying $800/mo electric bills. It will only take 1 day of being in the dark to have LA screaming at the very same politicians that think they can throw their weight around to lose their nerve and revoke the boycot.

[Daryl Williams]

Now what? LA will receive all the unwanted ILLEGALS from AZ and they will end up with no power! Sound fun huh? Well maybe LA shouldn't bite the had that feeds them, and reconsider how they treat AZ. Maybe LA should take a look in their own back yard and see how this law could help us out!!!! Listen to the citizens not the ILLEGALS!!!

[thatcher]

Ha-Ha! Serves your mayor and board right. First they bankrupt the city and then they get invovled with something that has nothing to do with their job.
Hope they cut you off. Symbolic gestures are for phonies.

[Wise AZ]

When and where does this end? It seems that some in the political area are bending over backwards to accommodate the illegals, instead of protecting the citizens and LEGAL immigrants of this country. Absolutely pathetic. Grow up, and butt out of Arizona's laws. Illegals cost us 2.7 billion dollars annually. We aren't going to take it anymore.

[tom1201]

Touche' Arizona! The liberal idiots in California who have caused fiscal chaos in our state, yet want to tell other states what THEY should do, deserve this response from Arizona! We gotta concentrate on our own affairs, not impose our idiotic beliefs on others. I would love to see California politicians have to grovel back to Arizona and apologize when they experience the fallout of highter energy prices caused by political stupidity.

[SpartanMB.]

Do it, shut-um up! Turn it off!

[FLSupport]

Here's how this will turn out if you keep the boycott... California cannot provide all of its own power and the state is in such deep debt it has no ability to try and do it within the next 10 years. You shut off our power and we litteraly are in the dark. We will declare a state emergency and Obama won't be able to cough up any money because its political suicide if he tries to use federal money to aid in something most of the country is against. It would single handedly lose him 2012, so he can only offer vocal support. California would be forced to pass a law outlawing boycotting Arizona.

[Dartanyan]

Of course LA City Officials lack the strength of their convictions. The Arizona Boycott was about Political expediance and posturing. It no more had to do with principle than the Health Care law recently passed has to do with reform. What a bunch of charlatans !!

[Tornadoes28]

Better yet would be to just cut off power to the mayor and city council members houses and city hall itself.

He's not my mayor.

[Nemo]

Buycott Arizona. Vacation there. Buy what they make. Get your relatives in other states to get their utilities to buy Arizona Power.

If you support Arizona against Los Angeles, buy Arizona Power and Water.