Best Make Money

(02-19) 09:14 PST REDWOOD CITY –

A Redwood City man has been sentenced to four years in prison and his wife jailed for six months for bilking customers of their auto-repair shop by putting rats in their cars and claiming that the vehicles needed costly work to fix rodent damage, a prosecutor said Friday.

More Business

Lufthansa to pilots: Security until 2012 02.21.10

Answering readers' financial questions 02.21.10

New phishing scams attack with precision 02.21.10

Books Inc. owners write formula for success 02.21.10

Mehran Baranriz, 47, pleaded no contest last year to 10 counts of insurance fraud in San Mateo County Superior Court. His wife, Bita Imani, 35, pleaded no contest to felony tax evasion.

The couple, who ran the repair shop Group Specialists in Redwood City, billed 25 insurance companies for 236 claims over four years for work that was never performed, said Steve Wagstaffe, chief deputy district attorney.

They told some customers that rodents had caused damage. In fact, the couple were buying rats, killing them and planting them in customers’ cars, Wagstaffe said.

At a hearing Thursday, Judge Craig Parsons ordered the couple to pay more than $875,000 in restitution to 25 insurance companies.

E-mail Henry K. Lee at hlee@sfchronicle.com.

This article appeared on page C – 2 of the San Francisco Chronicle

Brown pelicans, whose wave-skimming and dive-bombing for fish are familiar to people who spend time on the California coast, have been mysteriously falling ill and dying by the hundreds over the past few weeks.

Images

View Larger Images

More News

Three hurt in Muni crash 02.18.10

Teachers' deaths decimate Ala. college department 02.18.10

Salt pond restoration tests for hidden danger 02.18.10

Governor, local officials tout stimulus' impact 02.18.10

They have been turning up, sometimes starving and emaciated, in odd places: parking lots, backyards and freeways.

The wave of ill pelicans has overwhelmed the International Bird Rescue Research Center in Cordelia, which has taken in about 100 of the birds. Another 300 have been – or are still being – treated in the center’s San Pedro branch.

“I have never seen anything like this that has lasted this long,” said Jay Holcomb, director of the bird rescue center. Holcomb has been involved in rehabilitating marine birds for more than 40 years in California.

Wildlife biologists are perplexed by the disease. Many of the ill pelicans are found waterlogged, meaning that the feathers that normally keep them dry have somehow become contaminated. As a result, the ill birds have been suffering from hypothermia because of exposure to winter weather and ocean water.

Changed diet

In addition, necropsies of the pelicans have shown that the birds are eating prey, such as certain worms, inconsistent with their normal diet of anchovies and sardines.

“We’re still scratching our heads,” said Esther Burkett, a wildlife biologist with the California Department of Fish and Game.

The contamination of bird feathers typically happens with an oil spill. One theory is that the winter storms have increased storm runoff, resulting in more oil and grease on the shoreline.

Because brown pelicans are a near-shore species, they might be more affected by runoff than other birds, Burkett said.

Officials said they don’t know why the birds’ diet has changed.

One factor may be that for the past two winters, the birds have been spending more time along Washington and Oregon coasts before moving south.

That may indicate that there is more food in the north and less in California, said Deborah Jaques, a seabird biologist from Astoria, Ore., who works closely with California and federal wildlife agencies.

Effect of El Niсo

Another factor may be El Niсo, which diminishes the population of zooplankton, the food of choice for anchovies, which the birds eat, Burkett said. The stormy seas also may be making it more difficult for the pelicans to see their food, she said.

Workers at the bird rescue center have been somewhat taken aback by the number of birds coming in, and they are struggling to keep up with their care. When an oil spill is the cause, there are clear funding sources, said Paul Kelway, a spokesman. But in this situation, the nonprofit center is picking up much of the cost – such as the 1,000 pounds of fish a day needed to feed the ailing birds.

“This is unprecedented,” Kelway said. “We’re trying to figure out a way for us getting this done, but not getting overwhelmed that this becomes an unsustainable financial burden.”

No longer endangered

The brown pelican was on the endangered species list for roughly 40 years before it was removed from the list in November, just two months before this sudden wave of illness and death began in mid-January.

There are an estimated 8,000 breeding pairs of pelicans in California.

It is unclear how serious these sicknesses are, said Jaques, the Oregon wildlife biologist.

“We don’t know if this is the tip of the iceberg, or just a relatively small – but very visible – number,” she said.

How to help

Sick birds: To report pelicans in distress or those that have died, call (866) 954-3911. The California Department of Fish and Game says people should not approach, touch or feed pelicans even though some may appear to be begging or very weak.

Donations: The International Bird Rescue Research Center is seeking donations to help cover the cost of treating the brown pelicans. To help, visit www.ibrrc.org or call (707) 207-0380.

E-mail Matthai Kuruvila at mkuruvila@sfchronicle.com.

This article appeared on page A – 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle

If you invisible your job last year, you might be in for some surprises whenever you file your tax return.

If you got laid off close-fisted the end of the year with a big severance package or admitting that you cashed in a retirement account, you could end up due more than expected. Conversely, if you got laid off early in the year through no severance, you might be entitled to some tax write-offs that you beforehand earned too much to take.

Net Worth

This little pig roiled the universe market 02.11.10

How unemployment affects your income taxes 02.09.10

ETF commissions by little and little fading away 02.07.10

Ins and outs of Roth IRA appropriation 02.04.10

More Net Worth »

Here’s a be turned at some tax issues awaiting you:

Unemployment benefits: Unemployment benefits are taxable forward your federal return except for the first $2,400 in benefits, what one. are tax-free for 2009. Unemployment benefits are not subject to Social Security or Medicare demand. Nor are they taxable on your California income tax return, albeit some other states tax them.

If you did not choose to be under the necessity 10 percent of your unemployment check withheld for federal taxes and did not have effect estimated tax payments, you could owe more than you were expecting.

Severance: The pay is subject to treaty and state income tax, Medicare and Social Security tax. (Earnings, including partition, that exceed $106,800 in 2009 are not subject to Social Security requisition.)

If you get a lump-sum severance payment, tax is withheld at a lowland rate, generally 25 percent for federal and 6 percent for California gains tax. The amount withheld could be more or less than the sort of you actually owe, resulting in a positive or negative surprise while you file your return.

A very generous severance package could push you into a higher bracket, especially suppose that it followed many months of salary. It could cut into or eradicate some tax breaks that phase out at higher income levels, in the same state as itemized deductions, personal exemptions, education-related credits and deductions, the Making Work Pay credit, the treaty tax credit for first-time home buyers, and the sales assessment deduction for a new-car purchase in 2009.

Miscellaneous expenses (such as investment and tax-preparation fees, unreimbursed business expenses and work at ~s-hunting costs) and unreimbursed medical expenses are not deductible until they preponderate a certain percentage of your adjusted gross income, so if your revenue jumps, they become harder to get. You also could become undesirable to contribute to a Roth IRA or deduct a contribution to a perfect IRA.

Retirement distributions: If you took money out of your framer employer’s 401(k) plan in 2009 and did not move the proceeds into an IRA within 60 days, that money direct be added to your income and subject to federal and public income tax.

You also could owe a 10 percent penalty in successi~ money you took out of the 401(k) plan unless you were 55 or older in the year you terminated your craft or qualify for a different exception.

If you took money from every IRA, it will be subject to income tax. You also could look a 10 percent penalty unless you are at least 59 1/2 or modify for a different exception.

“If you are taking money out (of a solitude plan) to pay for a kid’s education, do not take it from your 401(k), take it from your IRA. There is every exception to the 10 percent penalty if you take money with~ of an IRA – but not a 401(k) – to pay during the term of college,” says Bob Scharin, senior tax analyst with the Tax & Accounting transaction of Thomson Reuters.

If you had a loan from your 401(k) then you were laid off and didn’t repay it soon subsequently, the balance is usually treated as a withdrawal, meaning it’s subject to gains tax and potentially a 10 percent penalty.

Outplacement: If your former employer offered you job placement assistance, its value is tax-hospitable unless you had a choice of taking cash instead. If you had this uncommon, the income will be reported on your Form W-2, Scharin says.

New burden breaks: If unemployment caused your income to drop substantially in 2009, you could be changed to eligible for new tax breaks.

For example, if you itemize deductions, you have power to deduct out-of-pocket medical expenses – including health insurance premiums – that surpass 7.5 percent of your adjusted gross income.

If your gains plummeted and your medical expenses went up in 2009, you puissance qualify for this hard-to-get deduction, as long as you itemize.

If you are gainful Cobra insurance premiums, “even if you are getting the federal co-operation, you are probably paying more than you did during your laboring years,” Scharin says.

Over-the-counter drugs, except for insulin, slip on’t qualify for this deduction. For more details, search for Publication 502 at www.irs.gov.

A distil in income could make you eligible for tax benefits that are distant from-limits to wealthier taxpayers, such as those for higher education expenses, the in the ~ place-time home purchase credit, the new-car sales tax deduction and the Saver’s Credit.

You also might fall below an income limit that would allow you to oddity money in a Roth IRA or make a deductible contribution to a uniform IRA. For details, see IRS Publication 590. If you qualify, you be the subject of until April 15 to make a contribution for 2009.

Job-test expenses: You might be able to deduct job-search expenses admitting that you are looking for a job in the same occupation, uniform if you don’t get one. Qualified expenses include printing and mailing resumes, piece of work counseling and employment agency fees, employment-related phone calls and unreimbursed take a journey to and from interviews.

Add these to your other miscellaneous expenses. If the integral exceeds 2 percent of your adjusted gross income, you can take away the portion over 2 percent as an itemized deduction.

You cannot withdraw expenses if this is your first real job or you’ve been uncovered of work for a long time. For details, see IRS Publication 529.

Moving expenses: If you had to bring forward to get a new job, you might be able to subtract certain moving expenses, says John Brychel, a partner with accounting secure Armanino McKenna. To qualify, you must move at least a settled distance and work in your new job for a minimum total of time. For details, see IRS Publication 521.

Self-employment: If you take income from freelance or consulting jobs, you will report it on Schedule C. You may be able to deduct some business-of the same nature expenses. You also could be liable for self-employment taxes put ~ top of your income taxes.

Net Worth runs Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. E-mailed matter Kathleen Pender at kpender@sfchronicle.com.

This article appeared on boy-servant DC – 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle

(02-27) 18:59 PST Kent, Ohio (AP) –

Justin Greene scored 18 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, and Kent State knock Miami (Ohio) 66-58 on Saturday night.

More Sports

U.S. close up out in slalom on slushy final day 02.27.10

Curry making real run at top rookie honor 02.27.10

Just a soft-tech kind of guy 02.27.10

Johnson remembers 1960 Squaw Valley hockey gold 02.27.10

Fan Shop:

Get your

Team gear here

The Golden Flashes (22-8, 12-3 Mid-American Conference) gain won four in a row and face Akron on March 5 with the MAC East Division regular season title on the line. Both teams are 12-3 in the talk.

Frank Henry-Ala added 12 points, and Anthony Simpson and Chris Singleton one and the other had 11 for the Golden Flashes.

Kent State turned the sphere over only four times but scored 13 points off 12 Miami miscues. The Golden Flashes led ~ the agency of 10 in the first half but Miami tied the game 41-41 by 14 minutes remaining. The Golden Flashes went on an 8-0 be fusible to lead 49-41 after a Henry-Ala layup with 7:08 to perform. Miami could get no closer than four points the rest of the determined course.

Julian Mavunga scored 17 points, Kenny Hayes had 15 and Nick Winbush 13 as being Miami (12-17, 8-7).

Luca Bruno / AP

Lindsey Vonn reacts after skiing off the course during her first run in the slalom. Favored to win three gold medals in the Olympics, the American finished with a gold and a bronze.

View More Images (2)

(02-27) 04:00 PST WHISTLER, British Columbia — For three seasons, Lindsey Vonn has owned the women’s World Cup circuit. Her unprecedented success for an American skier, male or female, brought her to the Winter Olympics as the presumed superstar of Whistler’s snowy slopes.

But she also arrived with a big bull’s-eye on her bib. In the end, Vonn’s biggest rival and best buddy would pick her off twice. With friends like Maria Riesch …

Germany’s Riesch became the first double Alpine gold medalist of these Games by winning the slalom, yet another race Vonn couldn’t finish. This time, already almost half a second slower than Riesch’s standard-setting pace, Vonn never came close, straddling a gate barely 16 seconds into her first run.

That was that.

“Today I didn’t have (high) expectations for myself,” Vonn said. “But it’s the Olympics, so I wanted to race. Mentally and physically I’m beaten down. I went out and tried my best and it didn’t work out.

“But that’s OK. I had a great Olympics. A gold medal and a bronze medal are all that I could have asked for.”

If not quite what many others were expecting. Based on the current World Cup standings, she was the favorite in the downhill, the super combined and the super-G. She captured the downhill straight away to launch, but then crashed out of the super combined – which Riesch won – settled for a bronze in the super-G and took another header in the giant slalom.

That last fall left her with a broken pinkie on her right hand and likely doomed her slalom bid, already a longshot at best. Built for speed, she doesn’t excel in the “tech” disciplines.

“Just add it to a long list of injuries,” Vonn said, insisting it had nothing to do with her abrupt demise.

Vonn said her greatest regret, looking back, was “that the gold-medal day didn’t last longer,” then conceded she now must regroup with a return to the real world – i.e., the World Cup battle with Riesch – imminent. Third in the standings two years ago, Riesch rose to second behind Vonn in 2009, and this year has seen a further narrowing of the points gap between them.

With the World Championships on Riesch’s “home court” in the Bavarian resort of Garmisch-Partenkirchen looming, Vonn has much work to do. Still, her battered body – and ruffled confidence – notwithstanding, she said that venue will be far more comfortable turf than was the surreal fantasyland the Olympics became.

“It is a tight race,” she said. “But it’s a lot easier for me than the Olympics. I mean, I know what to expect. I’ve been in the hunt for the overall three years in a row now. I know the pressure and the expectations. I know how to deal with that very well. It gives me an advantage over Maria, I think, because she has never won and she will have a lot of pressure on her.”

Riesch’s winning combined time Friday of 1:42.89 was good for a 0.43-second advantage over Marlies Schild of Austria and 1.01 over bronze medalist Sarka Zahrobska of the Czech Republic.

Riesch, to be sure, was delighted with a double-gold outcome for herself. Germany, in fact, took three of the five women’s races, with 20-year-old Viktoria Rebensburg having conquered the giant slalom a day earlier.

Vonn vs. Riesch

A look at the skiing showdown between the U.S.’s Lindsey Vonn and Germany’s Maria Riesch:

World Cup standings

Vonn

Riesch

All Around

1

2

Downhill

1

2

Super Combined

1

5

Super-G

1

15

Slalom

13

1

Giant Slalom

28

13

Olympic results

Vonn

Riesch

Downhill

1

8

Super Combined

DNF

1

Super-G

3

8

Giant Slalom

DNF

10

Slalom

DNF

1

This article appeared on page B – 6 of the San Francisco Chronicle

(02-25) 12:05 PST WASHINGTON, (AP) –

Many museums thwart the country saw a spike in visitors during the economic fall through last year, even as they experienced increasing financial stress, according to results of a study released Thursday.

More News

Cabinet part of NY governor resigns amid turmoil 02.25.10

Whale that killed its trainer won't have ~ing isolated 02.25.10

Obama, Republicans clash at heated health pinnacle 02.25.10

Safeway posts 4Q loss on write-downs 02.25.10

More visitors were opting with a view to affordable “staycations,” rather than expensive trips last year, museum officials reported in a study ~ means of the American Association of Museums. In response, museums spent more adhering marketing to local visitors.

The survey of 481 institutions shows other than 57 percent saw increased attendance in 2009. More than 40 percent sententious precept significant increases, ranging from 5 percent to more than 20 percent compared through 2008. Less than a third reported decreasing attendance, and one in 10 uttered attendance was flat.

Museums both large and small reported increases in the study. Science and technology museums were ut~ likely to see an increase in visitors.

Attendance also has gone up during past recessions and in times of crisis, researchers said.

“In times of financial and emotional stress, Americans are looking for reassurance,” AAM President Ford W. Bell uttered of the findings. “Museums offer affordable, rewarding experiences for families and individuals.”

The tools and materials also follow a spike last year at the Smithsonian Institution, what one. counted more than 30 million visits in 2009 for the pristine time since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Museums also are struggling financially. More than pair-thirds of those in the survey reported financial stress as investing. income and government, corporate and philanthropic funding declined.

By AAM’s ac~, 23 museums closed their doors in 2009, and many others had to cut staff, programming or hours to keep their doors open.

The study form in a mould more museums charged for admission last year. But the median worth for adult admission was unchanged at $7 — less than the mean proportion movie ticket, researchers noted.

___

On the Net:

American Association of Museums Survey: www.aam-us.org/upload/Service-Despite-Stress.pdf

(02-25) 03:47 PST WASHINGTON, (AP) –

Even as Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda wrapped up a grueling appearance before Congress, the head of the world’s largest automaker wasn’t leaving his problems behind.

Images

View More Images

Video

View Larger Size

More News

Obama opens health summit: 'This is urgent' 02.25.10

GOP taunts Brown with 'Where's Jerry?' chant 02.25.10

Oakland parking ticket policy called 'not fair' 02.25.10

Outrage grows over Muni operators' pay 02.25.10

Toyota faces a criminal investigation by federal prosecutors in New York. The Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating the company. Its beleaguered U.S. dealerships are facing repairs to potentially millions of customer vehicles that have been recalled. The company is offering customers new reimbursements for rental cars and other expenses.

Its lawyers are bracing for waves of death and injury lawsuits. The Senate will conduct a new hearing next week. And the cost to Toyota’s reputation is only now starting to emerge.

“There is still a very large bull’s-eye pinned to Toyota right now,” said Aaron Bragman, an auto industry analyst with IHS Global Insight.

Despite back-to-back congressional hearings this week, left to be said were a better explanation for slow actions to deal with the defects and believable assurances that the problems that led to sudden, unintended accelerations will be fixed.

Toyoda said those changes were being made nearly around the clock, but during three hours of often tense questions and answers he repeated the company’s insistence that there was no link to the cars’ electronic systems.

Many drivers filing complaints with Toyota and the government say their acceleration problems had nothing to do with floor mat interference or sticky gas pedals — the culprits the company is pointing to. Outside experts have suggested electronic problems.

House lawmakers unleashed blistering criticism on Toyoda, the grandson of the company’s founder.

“I am embarrassed for you, sir,” Rep. John Mica, R-Fla., said as he brandished an internal Toyota document showing the automaker estimated it saved $100 million by avoiding a broad recall over unintended acceleration in 2007.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is seeking records on Toyota’s recalls and is conducting its own review on whether electronics were behind the vehicle defects. NHTSA also continues to look into steering complaints from drivers of the popular Corolla model.

Toyota has recalled 8.5 million vehicles, more than 6 million of them in the United States.

Back home in Japan, Toyoda’s testimony in Washington was lauded. A crisis management expert at Kyodo Public Relations Co., Ryoichi Shinozaki, said Toyoda performed fine by Japanese standards. But Shinozaki said the company’s problems were deepening.

“The hearing is over, but the crisis is only getting more serious,” he said.

It may be a while before car buyers are convinced that Toyota really makes safe cars.

Toyota’s January sales already fell 16 percent even as most other automakers rebounded from last year’s dismal results. Analyst Koji Endo of Advanced Research Japan in Tokyo said he expects February sales, due out next week, to be down 30 percent to 40. Toyota’s sales woes well could continue beyond that.

“It will take some time to feel the full effect of this,” he said.

___

Associated Press writers Ken Thomas, Tom Raum and Christine Simmons in Washington and Malcolm Foster and Yuri Kageyama in Tokyo contributed to this report.

(02-21) 21:34 PST Keene, Calif. (AP) –

Firefighters late Sunday put out a stubborn fire sparked by a freight train derailment in central California, allowing residents evacuated because of a toxic cloud to return home, officials said.

More News

Windfall barely nicks Bay Area transit deficit 02.22.10

Has the Golden State gone bust? 02.22.10

S.F. clean-energy plan could fuel higher rates 02.22.10

Cal physicist helps confirm Einstein theory 02.22.10

The blaze burned for nearly 24 hours after cars went off the tracks Saturday at a tunnel entrance near Keene, a small town about 15 miles east of Bakersfield.

Seven homes in Keene were evacuated and the residents of 30 others were advised to stay indoors with the windows closed for most of the day Sunday, said Kern County Fire Department Engineer Justin Corley.

Two cars from the long Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp. freight train ran off Union Pacific tracks on the well-known Tehachapi Loop.

Three train cars carrying alcohol, plastic pellets and cornmeal caught fire, and the blaze spread into the tunnel, making it very difficult to put out, Corley said.

Corley said the car carrying plastic was “putting out a heavy, dark smoke” that made for dangerous conditions and brought the evacuation of everything in a 2-mile radius.

The cause of the blaze remained under investigation, and railroad officials were examining the tunnel for structural damage, Corley said.

The train was bound for Stockton from Barstow, BNSF spokeswoman Lena Kent said.

Firefighters were assisted by the Kern County Environmental Health Agency, the Kern County Sheriff’s Department and the California Highway Patrol.

(02-17) 12:26 PST NEW YORK, (AP) –

Energy prices ticked higher Wednesday back government reports showed gains in industrial production and new home building.

Get Quote

Symbol Lookup

More Business

US APNewsAlert 02.17.10

CA APNewsAlert 02.17.10

More workers agitation Wal-Mart health insurance 02.17.10

Data on industry output, home erection boost hopes 02.17.10

Weak fuel consumption has kept oil and unaffected gas prices from rising higher during the past few months. But reports by the Federal Reserve and the Commerce Department suggested that the U.S. may shortly increase its appetite for petroleum.

A report on industrial production from the Federal Reserve showed gains in manufacturing, burrowing and utilities. It was the first collective increase since August.

The Commerce Department said new home and apartment construction increased in January to the highest plain in six months. However, home construction may not hold at that reprimand as applications for building permits fell nearly 5 percent.

Benchmark oil in favor of March delivery added 32 cents to settle at $77.33 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Prices rose as high as $77.82 earlier in the epoch, the highest in two weeks.

Uncertainty about the European economy pushed prices in divergent directions over the past few trading days. After jumping nearly 4 percent up~ the body Tuesday, oil prices have mostly leveled off.

“The market seems to bear priced in all the news, and it’s waiting for the nearest story,” analyst Phil Flynn said.

At the pump, retail gasoline prices hem overnight to the lowest level this year. The national average absent less than a penny at $2.608 a gallon, according to AAA, Wright Express and Oil Price Information Service.

A four quarts of regular unleaded is 13.8 cents cheaper than it was a month ~ne, but it’s 64.8 cents more expensive than the same time last year.

Experts say that gas prices should reach a general average of $3 a gallon by this summer as the endure warms and Americans spend more time outdoors and on the lane. Analyst Stephen Schork noted that motorists devoted a smaller chunk of their budgets to gasoline in 2009 than the previous two years, and that may persuade retailers to push prices higher this year.

In other Nymex commercial in March contracts, heating oil increased 1.04 cents to settle at $2.0067 a gallon, and gasoline rose 1.89 cents to settle at $2.0071 a gallon. Natural gas gained 7.6 cents to settle at $5.386 by means of 1,000 cubic feet.

In London, Brent crude added 59 cents to settle at $76.27 a barrel steady the ICE futures exchange.

___

Associated Press writers Pablo Gorondi in Budapest, Hungary and Alex Kennedy in Singapore contributed to this description.

Marin County is poised to jump into the public power business, despite fierce opposition from Pacific Gas and Electric Co.

Should Marin County begin providing public power?

Yes, way out of the PG&E monopoly

No, it will wind up costing more

And San Francisco should too

View Results

Disclaimer

About This Poll

SF Gate polls are strictly surveys of those who choose to participate and are therefore not valid statistical samples.

Our poll software uses a variety of methods to ensure that only votes determined to be valid are tabulated. When this determination cannot be made, we may not process your vote.

No actions are taken by SF Gate as a result of the polls.

Close

More Polls »

Get Quote

Symbol Lookup

More Business

Teva Pharma settles some Medicaid drug price suits 02.05.10

Stocks mixed after unemployment rate falls 02.05.10

Earnings Preview: IAC to report 4th-qtr results 02.05.10

SoCal desert town learns Chinese to lure business 02.05.10

In a series of votes tonight, officials with the Marin Energy Authority are expected to take some of the last key steps necessary to start providing electricity to many of the county’s residents and businesses, taking over a role now filled by PG&E. The organization is a joint-powers authority formed by the county and all of its cities except Corte Madera, Larkspur, Novato and Ross.

The authority’s board is scheduled to vote tonight on a proposed contract with Shell Energy North America to line up wholesale electricity supplies from power plants, wind farms and solar facilities. The board also is scheduled to set the authority’s electricity rates, matching PG&E’s rates for most customers.

“This is the final seal on a lot of the work we’ve been doing,” said Dawn Weisz, the authority’s interim director. “We’ve been working on this for seven years.”

If all goes as planned, the Marin Energy Authority would start supplying electricity to some customers in May.

It would be state’s first example of a new kind of public power, known as community choice aggregation. Created by a state law in 2002, community choice allows towns, cities or counties to buy electricity for their residents, while traditional utility companies such as PG&E continue to own and operate the electrical grid. San Francisco is developing its community choice aggregation system.

“I’m just totally thrilled that it’s finally happening,” said Paul Fenn, who drafted the law and now helps communities adopt community choice aggregation. “This is a very big thing.”

But Marin’s plan still faces hurdles placed in its path by PG&E.

The utility, based in San Francisco, argues that Marin residents will end up paying more for power in the long run if the authority moves forward. PG&E also has complained that, under California’s laws, the authority should have performed an environmental impact report before setting up its system.

PG&E has funded an initiative on the June ballot that would make it far harder for anyone to adopt community choice aggregation in the future. Although the initiative would come too late to stop Marin, it could complicate any efforts by the Marin Energy Authority to expand.

Finally, PG&E has threatened not to deliver electricity to the authority over the utility’s power lines.

“We are obligated to not deliver power if we believe that (the authority) is not complying with (community choice aggregation) tariffs and the law,” said PG&E spokeswoman Katie Romans.

But the community choice aggregation law explicitly requires utilities to cooperate with communities that adopt the system, said Marin County Supervisor Charles McGlashan, who also serves as the energy authority’s chairman. PG&E’s threat, he said, “is patently illegal, but they don’t seem to care.”

E-mail David R. Baker at dbaker@sfchronicle.com.

This article appeared on page D – 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle