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CBSNews /

CBS/ May 20, 2010, 11:39 AM

Arizona Threatens to Turn Lights off in L.A.

You boycott our state, we'll shut off your lights.

That's essentially the message Arizona Corporation Commissioner Gary Pierce delivered to Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa after the L.A. City Council voted to boycott Arizona in protest over its new and controversial immigration law.

In a letter to Villaraigosa, available on the conservative blog Hot Air, Pierce writes that he was "dismayed" by the city council's vote and threatened to respond by shutting off the city's Arizona-based electricity, which accounts for 25 percent of Los Angeles' power.

"If an economic boycott is truly what you desire, I will be happy to encourage Arizona utilities to renegotiate your power agreements so Los Angeles no longer receives any power from Arizona-based generation. I am confident that Arizona's utilities would be happy to take those electrons off your hands. If, however, you find that the City Council lacks the strength of its convictions to turn off the lights in Los Angeles and boycott Arizona power, please reconsider the wisdom of attempting to harm Arizona's economy," Pierce wrote.

The immigration legislation allows law enforcement to ask anyone suspected of being an illegal immigrant to furnish proof of citizenship or legal residency. Critics have blasted the law as encouraging racial profile, a claim that Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer denies.

The law, which goes into effect in July, is being challenged in court.

In his letter, Pierce said that "people of goodwill can disagree over the merits of [the immigration law]. A state-wide economic boycott is not a message sent in goodwill."
Copyright 2010 CBS. All rights reserved.
643 Comments Add a Comment
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K. Daraa says:
Way to go Gary! The infantile LA Chamber of Commerce is learning the hard way about how real life can be. They accuse the Arizona majority voters of racism, when in all actuality they are guilty of the same, and worse. They made their choice and voted purely along racial lines. The Arizona issue is one of security, not racism. Mexico arrested almost 500,000 people for illegally entering Mexico along ITS southern border in 2006. They used nearly the same legal criteria for stop, search, and detainment as passed recently by Arizona.
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legalamericancitizen says:
miami_don: Shut the Hell up, quit harassing people ! How did you get here? Did someone leave your cage open? Don't you realize that there are enough people to hate in the world already without your working so hard to give us another? Here's 20 cents. Call all your friends and bring back some change!
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MekhongKurt says:
I can see the logic of Arizona's threat. However, I wonder about unintended consequences. For example, what if Nevada were to decide to divert the waters of Lake Mead within Nevada, instead of letting them flow over Hoover Dam? By Arizona's logic, would Nevada be equally justified in so doing?
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nmmi1972 replies:
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justified - smuckified - who cares!
let Nevada pick! it's still a free-will american society in this moment, but not likely for long if the regressive socialist demorats have their way!
let them side with the maoist-socialist-knuckleheads in la la land or let them side with regular usa citizens of all origins all colors who have had it with the grossly greedy increasing larger govt with it's rock-star all promising the One ruler & his inept minions running around like rats looking for more monies to confiscate and redistribute to their depressed constituents.
nov 2010.
miami_don replies:
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by nmmi1972 May 21, 2010 10:44 PM EDT
justified - smuckified - who cares!
let Nevada pick! it's still a free-will american society in this moment, but not likely for long if the regressive socialist demorats have their way!
let them side with the maoist-socialist-knuckleheads in la la land or let them side with regular usa citizens of all origins all colors who have had it with the grossly greedy increasing larger govt with it's rock-star all promising the One ruler & his inept minions running around like rats looking for more monies to confiscate and redistribute to their depressed constituents.
nov 2010.

NMMI there you go using big words again! I swear, I read what you writing in wonder. That a human mind could be so disorganized, uninformed, and well, just plain stupid makes me curious how you make it through a day? Do you wear an army helmet and thick sunglasses even at dinner?
Sorry to break this to you but we?ve already had our one ruler; Dick Chaney, and I know you must miss him. You really enjoyed those weekends of water boarding together down at GITMO. Remembering you and Dick taking turns looking through the binoculars at the Cuban Regulars on the other side of the fence and counting the land mines must be hard. How about those Saturday night home movies from Abu Grey prison? Those were the days. This is a good day to give ole Dick a call and tell him about those new Joe McCarthy coasters you bought to put tea cup on.
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legalamericancitizen says:
desertdwellr: Not all California cities are like L.A. or San Fransisco........... You are so right about that!!! Los Angeles has more Mexican gangs in it, than anywhere else in California. There are places there that I would not even think about going, it's that dangerous. San Francisco has an assortment of fruits and nuts and they protests about "EVERYTHING"! California, has more illegal aliens in it than any other state...even Arizona. Now that Arizona has passed that law, guess what state they are going to head for? You guessed it...California! As for the politicians, I do not trust "ANY" politician, no matter what party they are from or what state...they are all crooks and liars to me.
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propitiation says:
What is truly amazing is that the Los Angeles DWP is controlled by the City and gets around 50% of it's power still from coal. Most of the remaining amount of energy is nuclear, (around 10%, geo-thermal, and hydroelectric takes most of the rest. What is crazy is that only a minor percentatge, (less than 5%), comes from other renewable energy sources such as wind, or SOLAR. There aree a bunch of looney environmental Democrats quacking about this city that talk a talk, but don't walk the walk. This would not be an issue if there was more SOLAR power, and Wind power...but these guys are a bunch of flakes.

These politicians made this an issue and it didn't have to be.
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Ericka45 says:
QUITE FRANKLY, IF L.A. FOUND ANOTHER SOURCE OF LIGHTING, i.e. ELECTRICITY -- ARIZONA WOULD LOSE ALL THE MONEY L.A. PAYS THEM FOR THIS SERVICE. AGAIN, ARIZONA, YOU WOULDN'T WANT THAT. . .
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FreeSpeechandPress replies:
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That's a big "IF" ..... I'd guess there aren't too many choices for L.A. to go out shopping for a large provider of electricity.

Which begs the question .... "IF" there was a local, better, more cost effective source, wouldn't L.A. already be getting their electricity from them?

I support a national boycott of L.A. and San Francisco .... just say no to going there, booking a convention there ect.

Visit Costa Mesa Calif vs. L.A. "if" you must visit the area - Costa Mesa says their not a 'sanctuary city' and will uphold immigration laws.
Overruled1 replies:
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Mexico can easily make up the difference....can you imagine that!
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Ericka45 says:
THE TRUTH IS THE COMMISSIONER OF THE STATE OF ARIZONA COULD NOT TURN OFF THE LIGHTS IN L.A. IF HE WANTED TO. JUST LIKE SARAH PALIN, HE IS BLOWING A LOT OF HOT AIR.
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legalamericancitizen says:
fiddlestickawshucks: So, California probably has more cult members and loonies than any other State huh? That's a stupid statement, since most of the people who live in California have come from other States to live here. I support Arizona and what they have done, just because California has a mixed bag of people, does not mean we all are loonies and cult members!!! I do not know anyone who is not in favor of the Arizona law. Plus, I do "NOT" support illegal aliens sneaking over our border and stealing our jobs, just plain stealing, selling drugs, asking for handouts and getting everything for free!!! Oh, I forgot to add I do "NOT" support any of the thousands of Mexican gangs we have here either...there are about 9 different Mexican gangs here and 1 black gang.
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doctor_know says:
Nobody is for ILLEGAL immigration! OK!

It's simply how you enforce it, and this law MAY allow it to be enforced in an ILLEGAL way.
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FreeSpeechandPress replies:
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An estimated 12 million chose the path of ILLEGAL immigration/entry, meanwhile there have probably been large numbers of those that chose the path of legal immigration/entry also.

MAY or MAY NOT .... there are probably many hundreds of laws on the books that are enforced across this country on a daily basis .... overall, law enforcement probably does an excellent job the majority of the time.

"If" you've had a chance to read SB1070, you'll see this .... "This section shall be implemented in a manner consistent with federal laws regulating immigration, protecting the civil rights of all persons and respecting the privileges and immunities of United States citizens".
legalamericancitizen replies:
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doctor_know: Nobody is for ILLEGAL immigration! OK! It's simply how you enforce it, and this law MAY allow it to be enforced in an ILLEGAL way.

Are you kidding me? What do you think all the bleeding hearts hearts out there are all whining about? Every-time we try to enforce the law, then they whine and cry, racism. Try to get this through that thick skull of yours...Illegal means it is against the law! If you cross over our border illegally, then you are breaking the law. I am for shipping all the illegal aliens back to Mexico...that is where most of them came from anyway and they are the one's protesting. They have their nerve protesting too, since they have no rights here. If they want into our country so bad...then they need to apply for citizenship and all that goes with it, but they don't want too. The reason for that is; they do not want to learn, our laws, read, write, and speak English, pay taxes, pay for their own medical, dental, rent, and everything else they get for free now. No amnesty either, no one should be rewarded for breaking the law. Do you understand that now???
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noloyalisti says:
When the big corporations passed NAFTA we destroyed the small Mexican farms by turning our greedy, predatory big corporations loose. So they invited them in. Also the big corporations invited them in so they could drive wages of American workers down.
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