While Enron was bragging about the 'rape of the grandmas' in much of Southern California a decade ago, Los Angeles enjoyed stable, low prices due to having the City of Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. They are huge, with hydro from the Sierras and gas fired generators. Adjacent cities with their own power departments were not all so lucky, especially those that relied on purchasing power at spot. The Republican State legislature was unable to break DWP up, no matter how they tried. The worst they could do was privatize those portions of the grid not owned by DWP. Libertarian stronghold San Diego paid a high price for their views, with some of the highest electricity prices in the state those months.

"It is not necessary to have hope in order to persevere."