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, or with promotional advertising, as defined, 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 public messages whether the costs of the public messages 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.
This bill would require the commission to assess a civil penalty against an electrical corporation or gas corporation that willfully violates the prohibition described above, or that willfully neglects to comply with any part or provision of any order, decision, decree, rule, direction, demand, or requirement of the commission related to implementing the bill's requirements, as provided.
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 any order, decision, rule, direction, demand, or requirement of the commission is a crime.
Because the above provisions would be part of the act and a violation of a commission action implementing this bill's requirements would be a crime, 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 a specified reason.

Statutes affected:
AB 1167: 451 PUC
02/21/25 - Introduced: 451 PUC
03/25/25 - Amended Assembly: 451 PUC
05/05/25 - Amended Assembly: 314 PUC, 314 PUC
05/23/25 - Amended Assembly: 314 PUC