In the Beyond Chron yesterday, Randy Shaw floated the idea of the Residential Builders Association teaming up with the Bay Guardian to go after PG&E. Shaw cites the utility’s inability to speedily accomodate the needs of developers, general incompetence and arrogance as causes for the RBA’s frustration.

Since the utility defeated a municipalization ballot initiative during the height of the energy crisis, PG & E has acted as if its future in San Francisco was safe. But public power advocates may soon find they have a new ally: builders fed up with PG &E’s inability to meet San Francisco’s construction needs.

Builders have become accustomed to having projects delayed at Planning, but they have been left fuming by PG & E’s cavalier approach to construction projects. Unable to get the utility’s attention through conventional means, builders could form an alliance of convenience with the Guardian and other public power advocates behind a new initiative that could prove unbeatable at the polls.

This would be a surprising alliance indeed, since the Guardian–along with other anti-gentrification forces–have long had problems with O’Donoghue and the RBA because of their eagerness to build upscale loft projectrs in industrial neighborhoods. Not to mention O’Donoghue’s sexist shots against Amy Lee this year. The RBA has also run afoul of the carpenters’ union for their inattention to things like prevailing wage and working conditions.

I am not convinced that the RBA would help in a fight for public power. I am not sure they have that much to offer the campaign beside money and I am not at all convinced that they can turn out people, either to vote or to do outreach. And given their role in gentrifying the East side of the city, and O’Donoghue’s history, it seems likely that any RBA-led campaign would have a pretty tough time pulling together enough people to overcome PG&E’s money and inevitable kid-gloves treatment from the Chronicle.

It’s most likely that Randy is not idly speculating here. He is tight with O’Donoghue (and the latter has, in fact, invested in Beyond Chron). I think this is probably a trial balloon being floated for Joe.