Watching the Sunset (Feature) Mass Privatization of Philadelphia Schools Worries APAs (in National News) Report Released on the Plight of the Asian Pacific American Worker (in Bay Area News) Ultimate Diversions: ‘Warcraft III’: Blizzard Does it Again (in Business) Fok Leads Golden State to Second Place Finish in Pro-Am (in Sports) From the Director’s Chair (in A&E) Emil Amok: APA Male TV Anchors: Invisibility and Emasculation (in Opinion)

PG&E Gears Up For Battle

ETHNIC TARGETING: Pacific Gas and Electric is conducting a high-profile public relations campaign targeting Chinese American ratepayers. The effort coincides with a local ballot proposal to take electrical utility distribution in San Francisco from the mammoth utility that serves 4.5 million customers from Chico to Bakersfield and put it in the hands of the public.

In recent weeks, the utility has sent out mailers targeting Chinese American households. One mailer details job and contracting opportunities, while Cantonese television commercials have focused on energy conservation.

At a July 26 PG&E sponsored Chinatown press luncheon, the utility company’s vice president, Kathryn Fong, said that the campaign was an effort to “put a face on” on the utility. The luncheon introduced her and two other Asian Pacific American female veeps, An Lin Ting and Linda Chin.

Fong, a former executive director of Chinese for Affirmative Action, noted the number of APAs in PG&E’s workforce, especially in management positions. Some 22 percent of its corporate officers — including vice-presidents — are APAs, as are 11 percent of its directors, 10 percent of its managers and 17 percent of its supervisors. According to Fong, APAs made up many of the engineers 10 to 15 years ago, but there was “no one in management ranks.” The utility giant gave $22 million, or 11 percent of total contracts, last year to APA businesses.

EARLY PUBLIC POWER SENTIMENT: The outreach campaign coincides with a third attempt to take over distribution of electrical power from PG&E this November. During last year’s two public power campaigns, the utility took a beating over skyrocketing energy rates, bankruptcy and fears of blackouts. At the same time, voters were considering a takeover of PG&E’s distribution system through two elected bodies, a S.F. Public Utilities Commission or a municipal utility district. Voters rejected both measures by narrow margins.

Both public power measures lost in the APA community last year. Sentiment out of the APA, African American and Latino communities was that public power supporters did not outreach to ethnic communities during campaigns. Latinos will also be the target of PG&E community outreach.

Response to the November public power measure has waned, according to a recent Chinese American Voters Education Committee sponsored-poll of 400 likely voters. Thirty-two percent were in support, 48 percent were against and 20 percent were undecided in the poll, which was conducted by Fairbank, Maslin, Maullin & Associates. Of APA voters (8 percent of voters interviewed), 32 percent supported the measure, 38 percent opposed it and 30 percent were undecided. Among Chinese American voters (6 percent of voters interviewed), 20 percent supported the measure, 52 percent were against and 29 percent were undecided.

PUBLIC POWER STICKER SHOCK: Travis Kiyota, PG&E manager for government relations, opposes the latest public power measure. He noted that a revamped S.F. Public Utilities Commission could issue “revenue bonds without voter approval for the purpose of taking over PG&E distribution.” PG&E could focus on this — borrowing money in return for future cash from customer rate payments — as a tactic in its campaign to defeat the public power bond.

A proposition to authorize bonds without voter approval comes at a time when there’s increasing opposition to bonds (an average 35 percent of voters since 1990 have opposed general obligation bonds), calls for increasing oversight of bonds after a school bond scandal, and a stressed economy that forced the city to make up a $175 million budget shortfall. Added to that, city supervisors and the BART system will ask voters to pass $2 billion in general obligation bonds for affordable housing, transit and a veterans building, and $1.6 billion in revenue bonds for a water-system infrastructure. Plus, supervisors have asked to double the real estate transfer tax on sales of properties exceeding $1 million.

The average property owner, who pays $4,500 tax on a property worth $400,000, will think long and hard about these measures, plus over $18 billion in state bonds for water, housing and schools. Tenants, who make up three-fifths of likely voters, may have to foot the bill depending on whether bonds limit passthroughs from their landlords.

YOUR TIME TO FRY THE POTSTICKER: Send comments to Samson Wong at samson@sfindependent.com.