Existing law vests the Public Utilities Commission with regulatory jurisdiction over public utilities, including electrical corporations, while local publicly owned electric utilities are under the direction of their governing boards.
This bill would require the commission, on or before January 1, 2027, to require electrical corporations to adjust their consumer protections to better protect customers from significant voltage changes that can result in damage to customers' equipment and appliances if the commission determines adjustments to the consumer protections are necessary. The bill would specify the factors that the commission would be required to evaluate when determining when to adjust the consumer protections, as provided.
The bill would also require the governing boards of local publicly owned electric utilities, on or before January 1, 2027, to adopt policies to protect customers from voltage changes that result in damage to customers' equipment and appliances. The bill would require each local publicly owned electric utility to post its policy, including its claims process to address damage caused by voltage changes, on its internet website.
Existing law requires the commission to annually publish a report that includes all investigations into gas or electric service safety incidents reported, pursuant to commission requirements, by any gas corporation or electrical corporation, as provided.
This bill would require that annual report to also include the number of significant voltage events that damaged customer equipment and appliances, the number of claims submitted, and the number and total dollar amount of the resolved claims.
Existing law also requires the commission to develop, publish, and annually update a report that contains specified information, including a summary of the staff safety investigations concluded during the prior calendar year and the staff safety investigations that remain open for any gas corporation or electrical corporation, as specified.
This bill would require the annual report that includes the summary described above to also include, for each investigation into an incident that is included in the annual report related to investigations, an explanation of why the investigation remains open if the investigation remains open for 12 or more months after a claim was filed.
Under existing law, a violation of any order, decision, rule, direction, demand, or requirement of the commission is a crime.
Because a violation of a commission action implementing this bill's requirements would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
Additionally, by imposing new duties on local publicly owned electric utilities, the 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 specified reasons.

Statutes affected:
04/10/25 - Amended Senate: 911 PUC, 911 PUC
06/16/25 - Amended Assembly: 911 PUC