Georgia Today: Food banks prepare for more demand; Low turnout for Public Service Commission election

Peter Biello: Welcome to the Georgia Today podcast. Here, we bring you the latest reports from the GPB newsroom. On today's episode, Georgia food banks prepare for increased demand after federal cuts to food assistance programs. The Securities and Exchange Commission sues a Georgia lawmaker over an alleged Ponzi scheme, and an important Georgia election is coming up next week, so why has voter turnout been so low?

Peter Hubbard: The Public Service Commission is the best-kept secret in Georgia. It is incredibly important. This is the most important election in Georgia this year.

Peter Biello: Today is Friday, July 11. I'm Peter Biello, and this is Georgia Today.

Story 1:

Peter Biello: A group that represents teachers and school employees across Georgia is asking Gov. Brian Kemp to call a special session to address federal cuts to education funding. GPB's Sarah Kallis explains.

Sarah Kallis: The Georgia Federation of Teachers sent a letter to Kemp saying lawmakers need to re-appropriate surplus funds to teachers after the federal Department of Education froze billions of dollars in promised grants. GFT President Verdelia Turner says some school districts in Georgia could be forced to cut programs or staff if they do not receive the funding they were promised.

Verdelia Turner: Georgia should step up to the plate where these school districts, where they're already inadequately funded, could at least do business this year with what they have decided in terms of their plan.

Sarah Kallis: A spokesperson for Kemp says there are no plans for a special session. For GPB News, I'm Sarah Kallis.

Story 2:

Peter Biello: Georgia food banks are preparing for a major increase in demand over the next few years in the wake of federal cuts to food assistance benefits. GPB's Amanda Andrews reports on how the Atlanta Food Bank is responding.

Amanda Andrews: Over 1 million Georgians rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to eat. New federal cuts to SNAP could force more people to rely on The Food Bank. The Atlanta Community Food Bank is already strategizing to maintain services with less food. Cuts to the U.S. Department of Agriculture budget canceled millions of dollars' worth of food purchases headed to Georgia. Kyle Waide is The Food Banks' CEO. He says they might distribute less food to feed more families.

Kyle Waide: So instead of getting five cans of vegetables, they can get three cans of vegetables. Instead of giving a bag of produce, they're going to get a half a bag or produce.

Amanda Andrews: Food banks are working with each other to find new sources of food and mobilize volunteers. For GPB News, I'm Amanda Andrews.

Story 3:

Peter Biello: Federal officials are accusing Georgia Republican Brant Frost IV of running a Ponzi scheme that defrauded 300 investors of $140 million. The Securities and Exchange Commission filed a federal civil lawsuit yesterday in Atlanta. It alleges that Frost's company, First Liberty Building and Loan, lied about making high-interest business loans. Investigators say the company instead used new investments to pay earlier investors. Frost allegedly took $19 million for personal use. The company stopped operations last month. The SEC claims up to 90% of loans defaulted and says Frost has agreed to enforcement actions with the court deciding monetary penalties later.

Story 4:

Peter Biello: Georgia voters have a choice to make next week, but so far, very few of them are opting to make it. GPB's Orlando Montoya has more.

Orlando Montoya: We're talking about the Democratic runoff election for a seat on the state’s Public Service Commission. In early voting this week, the turnout has been exceptionally low. It could end up being less than 1% of active voters. The two candidates in the race, Peter Hubbard and Keisha Waites, are talking to as many voters as they can, trying to get them to understand just what the statewide elected, five-member commission does.

Hubbard is a clean energy advocate and the founder of the Georgia Center for Energy Solutions.

Peter Hubbard: This Public Service Commission is the best-kept secret in Georgia. It is incredibly important. This is the most important election in Georgia this year, and will pave the way for how elections will turn out in November of 2026.

Orlando Montoya: PSC effectively controls the bills for 2.3 million customers of Georgia Power, the state's largest utility, and those bills have gone up sharply in recent years. Most published reports say the average Georgia Power customer is now paying more than $175 per month, up $43 from 2022, although Hubbard says the increase is more like $52. But what if you're not a Georgia Power consumer? Maybe you get your power from an EMC, one of Georgia's electric membership cooperatives. This little-known elected body still controls your rates and a whole lot more. Waites is a former state representative and Atlanta city councilwoman.

Keisha Waites: The Public Service Commission, it regulates telecommunications, natural gas, and even pipeline safety. The policies that it approves shape Georgia's economy, it shapes our environment and our long-term energy strategies, which actually impacts everybody.

Orlando Montoya: Think climate-warming emissions, data centers, solar power and battery development, and nuclear power, all of which impact job creation. The PSC even was involved in a widely reported legal battle over a Georgia railroad's attempt to seize land by eminent domain from Black landowners in Hancock County. I spoke with both candidates and asked them the same questions about many of these issues. You can read their full answers at GPB.org/news. Here, we'll present their answers to perhaps the most pressing question on the minds of Georgia Power customers: How would you approach the issue of Georgia power rate hikes? Hubbard speaks first, then Waites.

Peter Hubbard: I believe there is a significant amount of excess capacity in the grid that we have. And there's a surplus in the return on equity that Georgia Power Company receives. And, and there's number of things that we're doing that are inefficient. And when you gather all of that together, there is way to provide almost instantaneous rate release.  And, in fact, the overages are enough, in terms of the rate of return on equity of Georgia Power Company, that if it were adjusted down to the market rate, we could provide roughly 20% bill relief to everyone immediately. Now, that's going to be a difficult thing to accomplish. But the point is that there are ways that we can provide rate relief to those who need it, who have seen these increases. And I believe the rate freeze was our chance to make an argument that there is room for improvement and we're not getting that chance. We were promised at least $2.89 in bill relief in the ‘23 IRP update and now that's been erased. And so there's this cycle of not being able to make that case before the commission. That's really why I'm running for Public Service Commission: Time and again, we're not being heard.

Keisha Waites: I think if I were in that position, I would have approached it with a greater level of transparency, public accountability and long-term consumer protection in mind. And here's what I would've done differently. I would have held full rate case hearings. Instead of passing a traditional rate case process, I would have insisted on full public hearings where voters can weigh in, right? Consumers. These allow consumer advocates, municipalities, and everyday Georgians to scrutinize Georgia Power's financials, which we are not allowed to do. We're allowed to challenge assumptions, especially around projected demand, storms and recovery costs, which is what they said these rate increases were about. Secondly, separate storm recovery base rate. So, the current deal allows Georgia Power to recover $860 million in storm costs from Hurricane Helene, right? This is outside of the freeze. So I would have pushed for transparent, capped recovery mechanisms with strict oversight, ensuring that ratepayers were not blindsided by future bill increases. So even though we have a rate freeze, it's disingenuous.  It’s almost like buying an airline ticket, and when you get on a plane, you're going to be billed for your bags, you're going to be billed to use the restroom, you're going be billed for a Coke or a water. And essentially, that's kind of what they are doing, right? So the surprise billing is still an option. And then lastly, I would protect ratepayers against deferred cost surges. Deferring costs now could lead to a massive rate hike in 2028. So I advocate for a phased recovery plan that spreads costs out over a period of time. And this provides safeguards to prevent rates shot down the road.

Orlando Montoya: That was Peter Hubbard and Keisha Waites, vying in a Democratic runoff for a public service commission seat. The winner of the election on Tuesday won't get to vote on issues immediately. Either Hubbard or Waites will first have to face the Republican incumbent, Fitz Johnson, on a general election ballot in November. Johnson, appointed to the seat by Gov. Brian Kemp in 2022, is facing his first election challenge. The PSC's five members are currently all Republicans. For GPB News, I'm Orlando Montoya.

Story 4:

Peter Biello: The former city manager of Columbus, who was fired by the Columbus council in May, has filed paperwork indicating that he might want to lead the council as mayor. Isaiah Hughley, yesterday, formally declared his intentions to accept campaign contributions for a mayoral run in the 2026 election. Hughley was the first Black city manager of Columbus and served in that role for 20 years before councilors voted to terminate his employment after a series of legal and financial controversies. The current mayor, Skip Henderson, is in his second term and is not allowed to run again. If elected, Hughley would become the city's first Black mayor. Qualifying for the race isn't until March of next year, with election day in the nonpartisan contest on May 19, 2026.

Story 5:

Peter Biello: A new report shows a 75% decline in the number of journalists in the U.S. Since 2002, and Georgia lags far behind other states when it comes to the number reporters working here. The report, released yesterday by Rebuild Local News and Muckrake, shows an average of 5.8 journalists per 100,000 people in the state. That puts Georgia 46th out of 50 states in the ranking. The report shows dozens of Georgia counties without a single news reporter. While the decline of local journalism is not new and the report doesn't identify clear-cut solutions, its creators hope their findings can help improve the viability and sustainability of local news.

Story 6:

Peter Biello: A Savannah coffee shop and cafe is being sanctioned for firing employees because they participated in union activities. A National Labor Relations Board administrative law judge on Wednesday found the Foxy Loxy family of businesses violated federal labor laws. The actions date to a one-day strike in 2023 that led to 11 workers being discharged.

Story 7:

Peter Biello: Fifty student athletes from historically Black colleges and universities will compete this evening in the HBCU Swingman Classic at Truist Park. The event is part of All-Star Week festivities and includes athletes from 16 HBCUs, including Atlanta's Morehouse College. Former Atlanta Braves players Brian Jordan and David Justice were named managers for the contest, with Jordan leading the National League team and Justice managing the American League. Honorary VIPs during the event include Hall of Famer and HBCU alumni Andre Dawson, former major league manager Dusty Baker and three-time All-Star and two-time World Series champion Ken Griffey Sr. The game is scheduled for 7 p.m.

And that's a wrap on this edition of Georgia Today. Thanks so much for tuning in. We hope you have a great weekend. Be sure to check GPB.org/news over the weekend for the latest news updates from Georgia. And if you haven't subscribed to this podcast yet, make sure you do so now. We will be back in your feed on Monday. I'm Peter Biello. Thanks again for listening. Have a great weekend.

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For more on these stories and more, go to GPB.org/news