apparently, they didn't use enough "protection " when screwing the public

Don - This is a perfect example of CYA by an ALJ.

It should now be obvious to everyone that for far too many at the CPUC, their concept of "servicing" ratepayers is akin to Bulls "servicing" cows.

• Salute & Happy Memorial Day To All

Don - What I call San Onofre Gate is getting bigger almost daily!

Instead of WaterGate's famous saying of "Follow the Money" which led to President Nixon leaving Office; in San Onofre Gate we now have "Follow the Email". You can be sure that many of our elected Officials are now wishing they never learned how to use emails since those same email could used to put their careers at risk, should they be implicated in some wrong doing, which is why so many in San Diego and elsewhere are trying to keep their emails private.

If Darling had immediately reported their phone call instead of emailing Worden back saying "I don't recall going beyond procedural matters, including broad concept of phases of testimony." then perhaps everyone might have "JUST" wondered about what they talked about during that 15 minute phone call. But now, it is painfully clear, that not only must she step down, but all her decisions, especially about investigation "discovery" into wrong doing must be revisited by an impartial Judge and hopefully one not in the employ of the CPUC and/or associated with the Utilities. Coming after both Peevey and another Commissioner disclosed their close connections with the Utilities, this additional revelation will blow up SCE/SDG&E "settlement" case (of having SoCal ratepayers foot bill for the 4-5 Billion Dollar San Onofre Replacement Steam Generator Debacle), as so many of us have been saying from the beginning.

Worden was very smart to email Darling since that document would link the two of them together, with a virtual paper trail that would be of great use by Worden, especially when he objected to what SD Attorney Michael Aguirre was saying during CPUC scheduled meetings, since he knew ahead of time that both he and Darling were literally "on the same page".

If this revelation does not initiate an immediate full public investigation by those elected Officials in Sacramento charged with oversight of the CPUC (like the Assembly Committee on Utilities and Commerce which is now Chaired by Anthony Rendon, the State Attorney General (who is now running for State Senate) and the Federal Government, then we must admit that our system of checks and balances has failed us in California and the USA! Con't.

Don - RE: "Worden wrote back and said he would like to file the notice of the meeting but limit it to a few issues. The filing was made December 7. Edison claimed the conversation was about "procedural issues," including Edison's relationship with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, the designer and fabricator of steam generators at the plant; the timing of a filing related to capital costs, and access to documents on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's website."

His statement is also a carefully crafted misdirection by SCE, since there are SCE documents proving that SCE not MHI had the final say/authority over the replacement steam generator (RSG) design and even some of SCE's own engineers said that the SCE RSG in house design team was not up to the task, since neither they nor MHI had never designed such a large RSG before. Lets give Darling the benefit of doubt and say that she did not know that; perhaps she only had Peevey and others at SCE's word for it, (since she did not allow Michael Aguirre to give evidence to refute their claims) either way, she was now "on board" with what I call the RSG Design Cover Up

By SCE 's Worden, "who was handling the San Onofre strategic review" telling Darling that MHI was the RSG Designer and not just the fabricator, he set her up by shifting all blame for the RSG debacle from SCE to MHI. Being generous, this might very well be why Darling would not allow any "discovery" (aka investigation and or questioning of SCE's personnel on the record) by Michael Aguirre into the reasonableness of SCE's actions since if Darling assumed that Worden was "correct" then it would be a perfect reason for her not to waste or allow any time during the investigation upon what was clearly not SCE's fault, especially it concerned highly technical engineering issues that might bog down the investigation.

What we do know is that SCE (not MHI) WAS RESPONSIBLE, therefore it means that the entire state mandated investigation was a just a mockery, especially since now it is clear that all the important decisions between SCE and the CPUC were made in private long before the public CPUC meetings even took place.

Expect a near future headline to read:

CA Utilities Found Responsible For Billion $ Debacle

Don - Don't you think it is amazing that the CPUC is still getting to make decisions concerning the Future of SoCal Energy when it is obvious that they are this "cozy" with the Utilities they supposedly regulate?

Our elected Officials are all looking the other way, while this farce continues all at ratepayer expense, I wonder why?

CaptD: You know why. You yourself referred to "follow the money." If legislators won't do anything, don't you think we should "follow the money" or the political gifts that utilities bestow? Best, Don Bauder

I believe state ALJ's generally do not need to have a law degree or education in law. So citizens often are subject to the judgment of people who have not had a rigorous study of case law, precedents, ethics, conflict of interest, etc. The gravity of the decisions put before these so-called judges in this era are too immense to let continue. There needs to be a body of people making these decisions rather than an individual. Even homeowners associations are run with more checks and balances.

Ray Lutz: You were there at hearings, so you are a better judge than I am. However, in the video of hearings over which she presided, I have to agree: the hearings were shams. The outcome had already been decided. I suspect she knew. Best, Don Bauder

Nuke Pro: Time in custody would be an ideal solution for a number of CPUC officials as well as utility executives. However, I wish I could be certain it will happen. Best, Don Bauder

want to bet if they seize some computers from these crooks the history will show searches for off shore banks and countries that don't extradite.

The CPUC hearings about SONGS were a disgusting charade designed to mislead the ratepayers and conceal the dangerous operation of a nuclear power station. If replacement pressure steam tubes could be designed to create vibrations leading to failure, and that failure could propagate throughout the facility, the public needs to have a bright light shined on the myriad of failure modes possible at such power plants. Allocation of the losses is important, too. Only by paying the losses can a message be sent to the Board of Directors by the shareholders. Otherwise there is moral hazard in the operation of a nuclear power plant. Maximization of profits rather than public safety will continue until a massive mishap.

The CPUC decided to pass the losses on to ratepayers and evade judicial inquiry into the lack of prudence by the operator and their contractors that caused the failure of the replacement steam pressure tubes.

It is well-known that no escape plan exists to evacuate the general population of Southern California in the event of a loss of coolant event leading to meltdown. No plans exist to safely store spent fuel rods.

The tsunami wall was not sufficient to protect against a large tsunami. A large earthquake or a terrorist attack, a mass coronal projection, or any of a number of other events could trigger a meltdown.

The nuclear cartel in all of its many manifestations, including nuclear energy generation, is a clear and present danger to the environment and human populations.

To have a smug Administrative Law Judge and a Chairman such as Michael Peevey in charge of the truth-finding in such an important proceeding as this is an outrage.It needs to be reopened, all the dirty laundry aired in public, with discovery of documents and cross-examination of the authors of those documents under penalty of perjury.

One meltdown in Southern California would finish off the economy of the state of California. I hope that these wrongdoers see the inside of a prison cell.

Judge Darling does not recall discussing anything but procedural matters. But she does not recall not discussing the cause of the accident and the damages either. That is unacceptable for a judge. Without a record of her ex parte contacts, we are left with her memory, which seems more than convenient under the circumstances. We have a factual dispute between a judge and a party without any actual record. The appearance of impropriety is overwhelming under these circumstances.

Senator Boxer's Committee was having difficulty in obtaining documents. The CPUC and the NRC are designed to protect the operators of nuclear power plants at the expense of public safety. Nothing could demonstrate this more than the SONGS settlement.

Nothing will happen as the ratepayers will pay and pay and pay while the investors collect and collect and collect and the executives get larger bonuses. The CPUC needs to be disbanded. The SONGS decommissioning should be paid for by the stockholders. The AG should investigate all involved. The utilities should be sized and turned over to the ratepayers. But nothing will happen except the rates will go up.

Here is some background information that many SD Readers may not know.

1. Gov. Brown (a long time friend of Peevey) has to date taken a hands off role regarding San Onofre, other than appointing Peevey’s replacement (since Peevey chose not to seek "reappointment") who has insured that the CPUC maintain the status quo.

2. Governor Brown’s sister is on the Board of Sempra Energy as are others that are familiar names to many in San Diego. www.sempra.com/about/governance/board-of-directors.shtml

3. Peevey’s wife is also an elected CA State Official.

4. Peevey (who is a graduate from UCB) made giving them $5 million a year for a number of years a key component of his San Onofre Settlement Deal. This money will fund Climate Change Research by UCB. This Research will then be used to justify Utility Energy Production instead of Residential Energy Production, much like Big Milk and/or Big Meat funds Research to then justify the consumption of ever more Milk and Meat in our diets because it has been shown to be healthful in University scientific studies.

5. SDG&E which is owned by Sempra Energy, has done a great job of staying out of the public spotlight regarding San Onofre Gate despite being a 20% Owner of San Onofre. SDG&E had to have knowledge of all Utility settlement discussions before agreeing to any settlement as proposed by the CPUC. Look for Freedom of Information (FOI) requests being filed with SDG&E in order to find out how much they knew, who knew it and when they knew it as San Onofre Gate expands.

6. Senator Boxer received notarized documents regarding replacement steam generators (RSG) Design Problems long before she started asking the NRC pointed questions about the replacement steam generators in Public, despite being the Chair of the US Committee on Environmental and Public Works, which has oversight of the NRC.

7. Since SoCal ratepayers will EACH be liable for about $1000 per Utility account if the CPUC “settlement” stands, expect the rate paying public to increase its demand for more information, regarding anything that might reduce or better yet transfer that $5 billion dollar debt to the Utility shareholders, which is why San Onofre Gate will continue to grow.

Don - RE:"Patience and persistence are two requirements" One other thing wold be most helpful and that is enough money to fund some Staff that would be able to amass the relevant documents and then formulate a PR plan to make the public aware of them.

The Utilities on the other hand are using unlimited amounts of "ratepayer" money to coverup their own wrong doings which is addition to the large sums they are already spending on their own staff of in-house Lawyers. In addition the CPUC, has hired outside expert legal help to defend their own wrong doing, again all at ratepayers expense.

For San Onofre Gate to bust wide open, what we really need is an Angel that would fund both Aguirre & Severson and their media campaign, which would enable a tipping point in public awareness concerning Energy Rip Offs in California.

CaptD: Yes, a staff to collect the documents, sort through them, and then disseminate the critical information widely would be a real bonus.

As you say, utilities have the funds to hoodwink their customers, buy off politicians, and put friendly regulators in place to do the dirty work. If the public had the means, it could catch the illegalities committed by the regulators. In this case, the public IS catching the conspirators and getting the word out.

Now there has to be justice. Keep your fingers crossed. Best, Don Bauder

UT (surprisingly) and our own Don Bauder at the Reader (not surprisingly) have kept on top of this 3.7 billion-dollar rip off of ratepayers.

If a taxicab company hires a mechanic to work on the cab, and does some of the work itself, should I pay full fair if the cab breaks down? Should I pay full fair while the cab company sues its own mechanic? That squabble is between the cab company and its mechanic.

I am concerned that the passenger in the cab was endangered because the cab had no brakes and was driving at 90 miles per hour. The cab regulatory agency did nothing, and the judge was overruling questions about the brakes as "irrelevant" while emailing with the cab company.

They wanted a big multi-million dollar tip to spread around to their favorite charities. Political campaign contributions help grease the wheels - not just the wheels of the cab.

Here is corporate welfare - they take massive risks, including endangering public safety, and get bailed out by taxpayers and ratepayers. The shareholders win either way. This encourages the CEO to take more risks. Heads we lose, tails they win.