I sort of get it. You're just back from the long Labor Day weekend. The news is slow unless you want to talk about the heat and blackouts. So what to do as a Daily Journal reporter? Curtis Driscoll pulled out his abacus and dashed off an article about the percentages of supporters who want to ban natural gas in San Mateo. It's an impressive show of support!
Public sentiment is in favor of more stringent reach codes in San Mateo around new construction and home renovations to eliminate gas, with most speakers at an Aug. 30 meeting supporting the city’s potential updates.
Polling at the end of the meeting following discussions found the vast majority strongly supported stricter electric reach codes around home renovations, new construction and electric vehicle infrastructure. More than 80% strongly supported requiring heat pump water heater installation for projects, including a water heater replacement in homes, requiring new pools to use electric or solar heating, and prohibiting extending the use of gas fire pits, grills and water heating in residences.
Wow! Four out of five dentists recommend it. Go big on Green. Save the planet now. I guess the message is getting through to people. But wait!
The poll had 25 respondents of the 35 people who attended the meeting.
Now hold on. Depending on which data source used and which iteration of some data sources, like the US Census, San Mateo has between 102,200 and 105,674 residents. You don't have to spend 30 years in market research like I did to know that somethin' ain't right. Were the 25 respondents self-selected by attending in the first place? Yup. Were they all even from San Mateo? Dunno, but knowing how these greenie flash mobs go, I'll bet maybe half were. Were the votes visible to all? Did the 10 people who did not respond feel pressure to support the natural gas ban, but chose to abstain because they don't? Good bet. So the headline should read "Will apathy allow climate fanatics to load new costs on homeowners?" With the meeting in question taking place virtually on Aug. 30, that is closer to the true story.
If you learned nothing from this week's events, it is that putting all of your household energy eggs in one basket is unwise.

Here is some additional information to buttress the argument about dual-sourcing your energy needs:

Birds, squirrels, balloons, Oh My.
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