Mayor Ed Lee met with reporters in the bowels of a dark parking garage today, but it wasn’t as sketchy as it sounds. He was there to show off an electric vehicle charging station, one of 49 now available on city owned property. There are 26 newly installed stations in parking garages around the city, plus previously installed ones on Treasure Island and at the airport.

The mayor touted the stations as offering “100 percent greenhouse gas-free Hetch Hetchy power” and used the event to slam as “insane” the proposed November ballot measure to drain Hetch Hetchy and create a sustainable water supply for the city.

Assemblywoman Fiona Ma was with Lee to hail Gov. Jerry Brown’s passage of her bill mandating that e.v. charging stations not be regulated as utilities. She said she’s on her fourth Toyota Prius and anticipates purchasing an electric vehicle soon. By the end of the year, e.v. charging stations should be available at more garages, Civic Center Plaza and the zoo.