Arizona Official Threatens to Cut Off Los Angeles Power as Payback for Boycott
62 replies, posted
[quote=Fox as per usual]If Los Angeles wants to boycott Arizona, it had better get used to reading by candlelight.
That's the message from a member of Arizona's top government utilities agency, who threw down the gauntlet Tuesday in a letter to Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa by threatening to cut off the city's power supply as retribution.
Gary Pierce, a commissioner on the five-member Arizona Corporation Commission, wrote the letter in response to the Los Angeles City Council's decision last week to boycott the Grand Canyon State -- in protest of its immigration law -- by suspending official travel there and ending future contracts with state businesses.
Noting that a quarter of Los Angeles' electricity comes from Arizona power plants, Pierce threatened to pull the plug if the City Council does not reconsider.
"Doggone it -- if you're going to boycott this candy store ... then don't come in for any of it," Pierce told FoxNews.com.
In the letter, he ridiculed Villaraigosa for saying that the point of the boycott was to "send a message" by severing the "resources and ties" they share.
"I received your message; please receive mine. As a statewide 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," Pierce wrote.
"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."
Appearing to tap into local frustration in Arizona over the raft of boycotts and threatened boycotts from cities across the country, including Los Angeles, Pierce warned that Arizona companies are willing and ready to fight boycott with boycott.
"I am confident that Arizona's utilities would be happy to take those electrons off your hands," Pierce wrote. "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 told FoxNews.com that he was speaking for himself, not the entire commission, though he has the support of at least one other member. But Arizona has some serious leverage over Los Angeles, as well as the rest of California. The state and city get electricity from a nuclear power plant outside Phoenix, as well as from coal-fired power plants in northern Arizona and two giant hydroelectric power generators along the Colorado River.
Despite that, the Los Angeles City Council voted overwhelmingly last week to ban future business with Arizona -- a decision that could cost Arizona millions of dollars in lost contracts.
Los Angeles officials were furious with the Arizona immigration law passed last month and joined local officials in cities across the country in pushing boycotts to register their dismay. Critics say the law will lead to racial profiling and civil rights abuses.
Arizona officials have defended the law, saying the state needed to take its illegal immigration problem into its own hands. Pierce said he's "supportive" of the state's efforts to control the border.
The law requires local law enforcement to try to verify the immigration status of anyone they have contact with whom they suspect of being an illegal immigrant. It empowers them to turn over verified illegal immigrants to federal custody. The legislation explicitly prohibits screening people based solely on race or national origin.[/quote]
[url]http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/05/19/arizona-official-threatens-cut-los-angeles-power-payback-boycott/[/url]
[quote=pullable quote]"Doggone it -- if you're going to boycott this candy store ... then don't come in for any of it,"[/quote]
See also Left 4 Dead 2 Boycott for effectiveness of California's Boycott.
That's just life... don't screw with another state you depend on, especially if you have a similar law on the books.
The fuck Arizona. I support your bill.
Are elected officials of any office even allowed to squabble and make threats like this? And is it even possible, since it's not like the government owns the power plants.
[QUOTE=Ishmael12;22053177]Are elected officials of any office even allowed to squabble and make threats like this? And is it even possible?[/QUOTE]
They can probably do it with the support of the proper state agencies.
Personally, I think boycotting(by both sides) is a little ridiculous.
[QUOTE=dogmachines;22053213]They can probably do it with the support of the proper state agencies.
Personally, I think boycotting(by both sides) is a little ridiculous.[/QUOTE]
What do you expect coming from Los Angeles?
Arizona is pretty fucking badass.
It's not like losing 1/4 of their electricity is going to do much, they'll just get it from other power plants.
[QUOTE=jeimizu;22053385]It's not like losing 1/4 of their electricity is going to do much, they'll just get it from other power plants.[/QUOTE]
are you stupid
los angeles is fucking colossal and uses a shitton of electricity 24/7
[img]http://youthfuldiscretion.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/la-skyline.jpg[/img]
look how far the city goes on
Let Arizona do it, it will accelerate the legalization of cannabis in Cali :D.
Umm, did Los Angeles like not already sorta plan for this?
Doggone it who cares? Arizona is worthless, power can be had from anywhere.
This almost seems like Arizona trying to appear to have the upper hand by saying they're making the threat, but California sorta already said they weren't going to do any future business with them?
Not doing business with us? how about we don't do business with you? How do you guys like that, huh?
wait..
[QUOTE=teh pirate;22054296]are you stupid
los angeles is fucking colossal and uses a shitton of electricity 24/7
[img_thumb]http://youthfuldiscretion.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/la-skyline.jpg[/img_thumb]
look how far the city goes on[/QUOTE]
And for this reason, no longer selling power to LA would be devastating to Arizona's economy. Think about the millions upon millions of dollars they get from that city.
[QUOTE=zombiefreak;22053162]The fuck Arizona. I support your bill.[/QUOTE]
Right on! I do too, and I live in Arizona, where we get tons of crime from Mexico. Unfortunately it is a fact that most of our criminals are Mexican, and it doesn't make Arizona racist.
I would love to see LA have their power cut off, but I doubt it will happen. They are such dicks though.
[QUOTE=dogmachines;22053157]That's just life... don't screw with [b]another state[/b] you depend on, especially if you have a similar law on the books.[/QUOTE]
los angeles isn't a state
[QUOTE=Zeke129;22054510]And for this reason, no longer selling power to LA would be devastating to Arizona's economy. Think about the millions upon millions of dollars they get from that city.[/QUOTE]
California is already threating to devastate Arizona's economy by boycotting it.
Either way I think this was a clever way to reveal a flaw with the boycott.
How does boycotting Arizona do anything?
This is ridiculous and childish, in my opinion.
[QUOTE=Kyle902;22055268]How does boycotting Arizona do anything?[/QUOTE]
It fucks over unrelated people so they will beg the rest of the state to repeal it. It's a stupid idea. Probably worse than the bill itself.
[QUOTE=Soulbrother;22054390]Doggone it who cares? Arizona is worthless, power can be had from anywhere.[/QUOTE]
I live there :smith:
[QUOTE=Handsome Pete;22055340]I live there :smith:[/QUOTE]
:sympathy:
holy shit guys their going to do it during e3 i bet.
[QUOTE=Glaber;22055248]California is already threating to devastate Arizona's economy by boycotting it.
Either way I think this was a clever way to reveal a flaw with the boycott.[/QUOTE]
Honestly Arizona relies on the electricity sales as a source of revenue more than LA needs it.
The only reason why LA has to bring its power in from outside is due to the fact that keeping all the coal-fired plants in its vicinity would create even more pollution.
The only people standing to benefit from this are the other two states who provide LA with power, being Utah and Nevada, who can step in and take the money that LA ordinarily would pay to power plants in Arizona in exchange for increased production.
[QUOTE=Handsome Pete;22055340]I live there :smith:[/QUOTE]
Did you use a messenger pigeon to send that reply or what?
SPECIAL BULLETIN: Arizona Boycott Response Given By Governor, Governor states "There's nothing bad you can do that we can't do to ourselves!"
can't tell if i'm on reddit or facepunch atm
[QUOTE=Quo Vadi;22055159]los angeles isn't a state[/QUOTE]
But Arizona is. BTW, being the grammar police stopped being cool in... well, it never really was cool.
This is childish.
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