Santa Cruz, CA- Less than two weeks before Christmas, Pacific Gas and Electric Company has disconnected power to more than half a dozen households in Santa Cruz and Calaveras Counties who had swapped out their ‘smart’ meters for analogs after suffering health effects from the pulsed wireless radiation.   Opponents of the ‘smart’ meter program denounced the switchoffs as illegal and immoral.  “PG&E has crossed a line” said Joshua Hart of the Scotts Valley based Stop Smart Meters!  “When a mother taking reasonable steps to protect her sick children has her power cut off in the middle of December and the government and regulatory agencies stand idly by, that’s a pretty strong signal that our system is broken.”

Consumers have been confused by what critics call a schizophrenic response to the ‘smart’ meter crisis by the California Public Utilities Commission.  In September, President Michael Peevey directed PG&E to replace an analog on Santa Cruz resident Caitlin Philip’s house, creating a widespread expectation that others suffering health effects would be granted a similar courtesy.  When customers denied by PG&E hired an electrician to install an analog, instead PG&E disconnected power- in some cases without any notice.

Video of ‘Smart’ Meter victims speaking about their experiences last Wednesday can be viewed at: https://stopsmartmeters.org/2011/12/08/the-great-smart-meter-return/

“The ‘smart’ meter was installed outside my children’s bedroom,” says Bianca Carn resident of Santa Cruz and mother of an 8 and a 6 year old.  “Since the meter was installed, they are both complaining of headaches and my son had bloody noses.  I asked PG&E multiple times to take it off- they refused.  So we hired an electrician and had it removed.  Now PG&E has cut our power in retaliation.”

PG&E’s ‘smart’ meters emit radiation bursts that are more powerful than wireless consumer devices and have been measured at levels that would exceed safety limits for microwave exposure in much of Europe.

The County of Santa Cruz, all 4 municipalities in the county, and 42 other local governments throughout the state have demanded a halt to deployment because of health damage, privacy violations, and safety concerns.  At the time Santa Cruz County was “deployed” with ‘smart’ meters, a County Ordinance prohibiting their installation was in force and PG&E chose to ignore it.