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By Kelly Rayburn

Daily Bruin Contributor

Freshman assemblyman Paul Koretz (D-West Hollywood), whose district includes UCLA, suggests it is better to shut down state offices than to leave private businesses or residences in the dark during California’s power crisis.

A Bruin alumnus, Koretz has introduced Assembly Bill 22x that would require state facilities, not essential to public health and safety, be the first to go without power in the case of rolling blackouts.

“This way we ourselves are part of the solution directly,” Koretz said.

“Our concept is not to shut down state buildings for a whole day, but to take a chunk of time out of the day, like 12 to 2 p.m., when a lot of people aren’t there anyway, and shut off the electricity,” he continued.

The bill will require a two-thirds vote in both the senate and the assembly to pass because it is an urgency statute.

If it does pass, the state capitol could be among the buildings to go without electricity, but not state prisons or state hospitals, Koretz spokesman Scott Svonkin told The Associated Press.

But it is too early to predict how popular the bill will be among other legislators, according to Koretz.

“I’ve just introduced the bill and it is still very new,” he said. “It has generated a fair amount of interest and discussion.”

“Some people will like the fact that we’re physically helping – that we’re sharing the pain,” he added.

Director of UCLA Energy Services, David Johnson, said the impact of shutting down any type of facility needs to be carefully considered.

“The priority in which entities go – meaning whether they have to shut their power off or not – should be based on the function of the entity, not its general classification,” he said.

While some UCLA facilities could go powerless without significant consequences, shutting down others, like those used for research could seriously hinder the academic process, he said.

Since the legislative term’s opening this year, members’ efforts have been almost completely consumed by the energy crisis.

“This is a start that’s been like no other in 100 years,” Koretz said. “Two months ago energy was one of the few things not on my platform.”

Koretz added that the crisis has taken away from the rest of his agenda of gun control, labor, the environment and AIDS and tobacco-related issues, which he focused on as a West Hollywood city councilman.

“All our efforts have gone toward solving this dramatic crisis,” he said.

While attending UCLA, Koretz helped to establish Bruin Democrats and he graduated with a degree in history in 1979.

Last November, Koretz won the 42nd district by defeating four opponents, including UCLA student Ivka Adam, who ran as the Natural Law candidate.

BILL ADDRESSES ENERGY CRISIS AB 22x would require state facilities to shut down before businesses or residences in the event of an emergency. SOURCE: Assembly Bill 22x Original graphic by CONNIE WU/Daily Bruin Senior Staff Web adaptation by CHRISTINE TAN/Daily Bruin