Existing law authorizes the Public Utilities Commission to fix the rates and charges for public utilities, including electrical corporations and gas corporations, and requires those rates and charges to be just and reasonable. Under existing law, a regulated public utility is prohibited from using ratepayer funds for advocacy-related activities that are political or do not otherwise benefit ratepayers.
This bill would prohibit, except as provided, an electrical corporation or gas corporation from recording various expenses associated with political influence activities, as defined, promotional advertising, as defined, or opposing the municipalization of electrical or gas service, to accounts that contain expenses that the electrical corporation or gas corporation recovers from ratepayers. The bill would require electrical corporations and gas corporations to clearly and conspicuously disclose in all of its advertising whether the costs of the advertising are paid for by the corporation's shareholders or ratepayers. The bill would require an electrical corporation or gas corporation, on or before April 30, 2026, and annually thereafter, to provide the commission with a report of expenses from the previous calendar year and would require that, for each business unit of the corporation that performs work associated with political influence activities or promotional advertising, the report contain specified information. The bill would require the commission to make the report publicly available and would authorize the commission to redact information that the commission deems to be confidential in the report.
The bill would require the commission to assess a civil penalty against an electrical corporation or gas corporation that violates certain prohibitions described above, or that fails or neglects to comply with any part or provision of any order, decision, decree, rule, direction, demand, or requirement of the commission related to implementing those provisions, as provided.
Existing law prohibits an electrical corporation or gas corporation from terminating a customer's residential service for nonpayment of a delinquent account in certain circumstances, including, among other circumstances, the corporation gives notice to the customer of the delinquency and impending termination, during the pendency of an investigation by the corporation of the customer's dispute or complaint, or when the customer has been granted an extension of the period for payment of a bill. Existing law requires an electrical corporation or gas corporation to restore service to a residential customer whose service was previously terminated for nonpayment of a delinquent amount upon the customer entering into an amortization agreement or other arrearage payment plan determined by the commission.
This bill would prohibit an electrical corporation or gas corporation from terminating residential service at a service address on a day in which the air quality index (AQI) of the ZIP Code area in which the service address is located is in the unhealthy for sensitive groups category or worse and for 3 days immediately after the AQI is no longer in the unhealthy for sensitive groups category. The bill would require an electrical corporation or gas corporation to restore residential service for which service is terminated due to nonpayment of a delinquent account on a day in which the ZIP Code area of the service address has an AQI in the unhealthy for sensitive groups category or worse and for 3 days immediately after the AQI is no longer in the unhealthy for sensitive groups category at the ZIP Code area.
Existing constitutional provisions require that a statute that limits the right of access to the meetings of public bodies or the writings of public officials and agencies be adopted with findings demonstrating the interest protected by the limitation and the need for protecting that interest.
This bill would make legislative findings to that effect.
Under existing law, a violation of the Public Utilities Act or an order, decision, rule, direction, demand, or requirement of the commission is a crime.
Because the above-described provisions would be part of the act and a violation of a commission action implementing the bill's requirements would be a crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.

Statutes affected:
SB24: 2771 PUC
12/02/24 - Introduced: 2771 PUC
03/25/25 - Amended Senate: 2771 PUC