Existing law vests the Public Utilities Commission with regulatory authority over public utilities, including electrical corporations and gas corporations. Existing law authorizes the commission to fix the rates and charges for every public utility and requires that those rates and charges be just and reasonable. Existing law requires each electrical corporation and gas corporation to disclose on the billing statement of a residential customer certain information, including itemized components in the bill to identify state and local taxes, identification of delivery, generation, public purpose, and other charges, and the contact information for the commission's Consumer Affairs Branch.
This bill would require each public utility to provide to its customers information on the additional costs that are attributable to state requirements or programs, including those imposed by statute, regulation, the commission, or the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission. The bill would require this information to be provided quarterly on the customer billing statement in a visible area and in a similar size and font as the billing information.
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 provisions of this bill would be a part of the act and because a violation of an order or decision of the commission implementing its requirements would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program by creating a new crime or expanding the application of a crime.
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.