Rate hike an outrage in light of PG&E waste

Re: “PG&E is seeking to increase bills to meet energy demands, more” (Page A1, Nov. 26).

Is PG&E seeking to increase bills to meet energy demands, or is it to cover the cost of their endless TV commercials about burying cables?

This tiring commercial has been running for years, over and over again, on multiple TV channels, several times a day. Why? Bury the cables instead of just talking about it. We got it, years ago, so why keep wasting more of our money? A slip about it in connection with the bill would have been more than enough.

Is there no oversight? Who is responsible for such enormous waste? Should PG&E have been taken over by the state? And on top of it, their CEO made $17 million in 2023 — for doing what? How can that be justified?

— Jorg Aadahl, San Mateo

PG&E rate hikes must have accountaility

Re: “PG&E is seeking to increase bills to meet energy demands, more” (Page A1, Nov. 26).

PG&E, enough with the rate increases. California’s largest investor-owned utility has paid out billions of dollars in profits to its shareholders. PG&E has also paid millions of dollars in bonuses to its executives. Both payouts were in the shadow of some of California’s largest utility-related disasters. In support of these expenses, customers will be paying another rate increase just as winter approaches.

PG&E needs to reinvest profits, not demand a handout from current customers. PG&E needs to also be accountable to its customers by providing them with a safe and reasonably priced product.

And the PUC needs to be accountable to the ratepayers by holding them to it.

— Conrad Garcia, Sunnyvale

Musk unlikely to make government efficient

We can all breathe a sigh of relief, now that President-elect Donald Trump announced he will appoint Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to head a new Department of Government Efficiency, responsible for rooting out wasteful government spending.

Also promised by the new administration is a massive reduction in the government workforce, an area where Musk has expertise. When he bought Twitter, he reduced its workforce by 80%, and since then his investment has lost a corresponding 80% of its value.

This time may be different, but the first Trump administration was unconcerned with spending and racked up more debt than at any time in history. One area the new department should immediately focus on is the excessive lodging costs charged by the Trump Organization for Secret Service protection when the president is staying at his own properties.

— Warren Seifert, Gilroy