NELA's 1925 annual convention was held between June 16-19 in San Francisco California.
Besides being two weeks later than usual, it just happened to coincide with the San Francisco Board of Supervisors vote the day after the convention that gave away 30 years of work by the city to build its own municipal power facility.
On May 26th, 1898, after years of political struggle, San Francisco passed a new city charter calling for the public ownership of all utility services.
It was in need of a new water supply and the replacement of the corrupt Spring Valley Water Company.
 The city identified a candidate site in Yosemite National Park for the construction of a new water and power supply known as Hetch Hetchy.
It would take years of fighting the water company, private interests and John Muir before the dust settled and construction began in 1914.

By the spring of 1925, the dam was complete, the city's new water supply was almost done and power lines had been strung within a mile of a newly constructed Pacific Gas & Electric Company substation, when the mayor lied about the city running out of wire.
 With 4,000 electric company executives from across the U.S. in town, the conservative San Francisco Chronicle filled its front pages with speeches touting the benefits of private ownership of electricity.
On June 20th, openly defying the 1913 federal Raker Act that banned private sale of Hetch Hetchy power, the Board of Supervisors voted to lease all power from the facility to the Pacific Gas & Electric Company.
 Attempts to reverse the contract, including a 1940 U.S. Supreme Court decision, and decades of political campaigns have failed to break the agreement.
NELA's 1925 annual convention was held between June 16-19 in San Francisco California. Besides being two weeks later than usual, it just happened to coincide with the San Francisco Board of Supervisors vote the day after the convention that gave away 30 years of work by the city to build its own municipal power facility. On May 26th, 1898, after years of political struggle, San Francisco passed a new city charter calling for the public ownership of all utility services. It was in need of a new water supply and the replacement of the corrupt Spring Valley Water Company.  The city identified a candidate site in Yosemite National Park for the construction of a new water and power supply known as Hetch Hetchy. It would take years of fighting the water company, private interests and John Muir before the dust settled and construction began in 1914. 
By the spring of 1925, the dam was complete, the city's new water supply was almost done and power lines had been strung within a mile of a newly constructed Pacific Gas & Electric Company substation, when the mayor lied about the city running out of wire.  With 4,000 electric company executives from across the U.S. in town, the conservative San Francisco Chronicle filled its front pages with speeches touting the benefits of private ownership of electricity. On June 20th, openly defying the 1913 federal Raker Act that banned private sale of Hetch Hetchy power, the Board of Supervisors voted to lease all power from the facility to the Pacific Gas & Electric Company.  Attempts to reverse the contract, including a 1940 U.S. Supreme Court decision, and decades of political campaigns have failed to break the agreement.
National Electric Light Association