By Special to the Town Crier

At a public forum scheduled for Saturday, a panel of experts will shed some light on California’s power shortage and what lies ahead. The countywide event is sponsored by the Leagues of Women Voters of Palo Alto, Los Altos-Mountain View Area, Cupertino-Sunnyvale and Southwest Santa Clara County.

In March 1998, three investor-owned electric utilities in California were deregulated, leading to a selloff of more than half of the fossil fuel generating capacity. Management of transmission lines was delegated to a new Independent System Operator and power was to be bought and sold on a Power Exchange. Consumers would be free to select a provider other than their local utility.

More than two years later, Californians witnessed Pacific Gas and Electric’s declaration of bankruptcy as prices on the spot market far exceeded revenue from consumers. Rolling blackouts became a reality and the state and federal governments stepped in to address the crisis.

The question is, where do we go from here? Representatives from Pacific Gas & Electric, Calpine Corporation, the Union of Concerned Citizens and the California Energy Commission (CEC), along with Congresswoman Anna Eshoo and Senators Byron Sher and John Vasconcellos, have been invited to participate in the panel discussion. A question and answer session will follow.

The event will be held 1-4:30 p.m at Agilent Technologies (Santa Cruz Conference Room), 5300 Stevens Creek Blvd., Santa Clara. Cross streets are Lawrence Expressway and Highway 280.

For more information, call the League of Women Voters of the Los Altos-Mountain View Area at 941-4846.