Coalition Defends its Victory Against the City of Glendale at the Court of Appeals.
The Glendale Coalition filed today its brief with the California Court of Appeals. The Coalition had obtained a judgment of $57 Million in favor of all electric rate payers against the city of Glendale for violation of proposition 26. (Charging for electric fees to ratepayers and siphoning funds to pay for services not related to delivery of electricity). The city of Glendale has appealed that verdict. Now the Coalition has filed it Brief to defend that victory for all Glendale electric rate payers.
We would like to express our immense gratitude to our attorneys handling this appeal. Attorneys Benjamin T. Benumof, Ph.D. and Eric Benink.
Below you will find the brief.
PREFATORY STATEMENT
“Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts
absolutely.”
British Nobleman John Acton (1834-1902)
“Honesty is for the most part less profitable than
dishonesty.”
Plato (428-347 B.C.)
At the heart of this matter lies the City of Glendale’s (“City” or “Appellant”) purposeful neglect and persistent failure to properly fund wear-and-tear maintenance of its own electric utility at the great expense of, and with great detriment to, its citizen ratepayers.
Respondent Glendale Coalition for Better Government (“the Coalition”) could not, and cannot now, sit on the sidelines and silently allow the City to be the architect of its own financial demise when the City’s Charter – its “supreme law” – provides a “roadmap” for sustainability and transparency.
For years on end, and continuing today, the City chose to use its electric utility (Glendale Water & Power (“GWP”) as its More…