The Choice for Local Jobs and the Environment: Vote NO on Prop 16? 
By David Cortese, Supervisor, County of Santa Clara, District 3 
I am asking you to vote NO on Prop 16 because it will hurt local government. Despite the difficult economic times, one industry that has been in a period of boom is solar energy.  Homeowners across the United States are adding features to their home in order to harness the energy of the sun.  
You may have seen your neighbor recently install a solar panel atop their roof - this is a great way to not only generate your own electricity but also offset your monthly electricity bill.  It is amazing how much electricity the average family uses in the United States and this can add up to a hefty monthly payment.  And if you thought YOUR electricity bill was high, you should see the county’s bill!
The county of Santa Clara spends nearly $20 million per year on electricity.  Granted, we have many facilities to power, from Palo Alto to Gilroy, Milpitas to Los Gatos. County libraries, Valley Medical Center, Main Jail, medical clinics in Sunnyvale and East San Jose – that’s a lot of square footage to keep lit and heated.  
Still, if we are asking homeowners to do their part to manage their electricity bill, through solar panels and other renewable energy ideas, then the county should do the same.  
And we want to.  In the last year, the county has embarked on an ambitious plan to identify which buildings, vacant parcels - any property owned by the county – is suitable for installing solar arrays.  Just last month we joined forces with other cities in the county to purchase renewable energy through a power purchase agreement to reduce the high upfront costs of solar panels.  
Earlier this year, a new parking garage at the Valley Medical Center opened to the public, equipped with solar panels to draw the sun’s energy and feed back into patient care services within the hospital.
But our goal isn’t just to generate electricity to fuel our own operations, but to offer the electricity to homeowners at a rate competitively below what you pay your utility.  Imagine not having to pay for the extra overhead and profit of your utility provider. You’d be surprised at how much your bill would go down.  Did I mention that solar energy, unlike coal or natural gas, produces fewer pollutants?
Unfortunately, all of the good efforts of local governments to help residents purchase cheaper and cleaner energy may come to a very swift and sudden stop, unless you, the voter, can help us.  
Proposition 16 is on the June 8th ballot and threatens to take away local governments’ ability to purchase cheap, clean electricity for our use, and yours too.
Why would someone want to do that? Because PG&E wants to maintain its monopoly on electricity service, PG&E is the sponsor of Proposition 16 and its number one contributor.
I am sure you have seen the ads in support of Prop 16. Called the “Taxpayers Right to Vote Act,” the bill would require any government who wishes to provide electricity to its residents to hold an election and obtain a 2/3rds majority vote.
Getting at 2/3rds vote on any issue is extremely difficult, and unfortunately will result in local government stepping backwards from innovation. Please take the time to learn about Prop 16.  Take note of who is paying for the campaign and who is financing the ads you are seeing on television and reading in the newspaper. Then, please go to the polls on June 8th (or fill out your “vote-by-mail”). On the June 8th ballot Vote NO on Prop 16.