Palo Alto shifts plan to issue gas rebates to customers

According to previous news stories, the gas overcharge settlement refund can also be requested as a single upfront check if you are 65 or over or in ill health. I checked with the City today and they don't yet have things set up.

""We don't want to give money to people who don't really need it and we're not 100% clear on how to identify who does have needs," Lythcott-Haims said during the Monday discussion."

Incredible comment on so many fronts from a member of the Finance Committee! who thinks the CC should focused on big global issues like racism and mental health and who routinely lobs fact-free claims like Doria Summa is just another Jim Crow politician, that tiny PASZ is the "loudest voice in the room" and that her neighbors are racist because they dare to object to her building plans??

First, did CPAU consider "need" when they raised the rates for everyone? Or when they delayed paying us back for YEARS in the Miriam Green suit? Or when CPAU continues to waste our money paying for a mailing to compare our water usage vs our neighbors' during the huge storms even though that practice was found to be ridiculously flawed years ago?

How about paying back EVERYONE who's been effected as soon as possible?

How's that audit of all the absurd CPAU fees that make up 1/3 of our monthly bills coming?

Any government official who says things like ""We don't want to give money to people who don't really need it and we're not 100% clear on how to identify who does have needs," Lythcott-Haims said during the Monday discussion.", is very worrying. Does she mean a means test and do we really want our city government doing this?

It isn't just the size of the property, but more likely the number of people living in the house. The more people the more need for hot showers, and heating each and every room. As for water consumption, things like laundry loads are also affected.

Everyone who lives in Palo Alto has been affected by these high bills. All deserve equal consideration of rebate.

Rebates issued to City of Palo Alto Utility gas customers should be exactly proportional to the amount of money that each customer paid the City of Palo Alto for the gas service. The funds that the City of Palo Alto received were because overcharging of gas occurred. The City was overcharged and the City overcharged its customers. There should be no wealth redistribution process going on.

Anything else will just result in a class action lawsuit by the Palo Alto Community against the City of Palo Alto. Didn't Miriam Greeen just prove this same point in her lawsuit???

Received very high bill for first time since becoming a resident (20 yrs). 2300 sq ft gouse is not a “mansion.”
I think we all should get a rebate - that’s fair.
City Council represents all residents.

I am definitely thinking I did the right thing not voting for Julie Lythcott-Haims. My decision then was based on the outsize campaign contributions from developers. Now I see she doesn't represent all of us in Palo Alto. Instead we see the knee-jerk comments about social justice. Everyone has been affected by these high utility bills. I remember that, when I took a tour of the house I eventually bought, a Palo Alto utility bill was prominently displayed by the realtor. City of Palo Alto utilities were considered a selling point back then. Some people may have higher incomes (not me by the way) but are paying through the nose for house payments and property taxes so their kids can attend the vaunted Palo Alto Schools. Why should they not also get a decent rebate?

Sometimes the easy way is the correct way! Give everyone an equal rebate and stop overthinking it.

Just based it on our individual bills. When you return something to a store, you want a refund based on your purchase price, not on what someone else bought and returned.

Or maybe the problem is that CPAU is unable to figure that out just like Palo Alto lacks a database to collect employment numbers when planning its business tax like all the other surrounding communities.