After all, it was caused by a know-it-all overhaul of the system four years earlier by then-Gov. Pete Wilson and the Legislature, and successor Gray Davis’ mishandling of the crisis contributed mightily to his recall three years later.
Nevertheless, Davis’ successor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and legislators began fiddling with the system again in 2006, dictating that it begin shifting to “renewable” power sources – regardless of the effect on ratepayers – in the name of curbing greenhouse gas emissions.
Since then, politicians and the power grid’s major stakeholders have tinkered constantly with its extremely complex technical and financial details, each seeking some advantage.
