Public Utilities Commission: membership: reports.

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide specific details on how regional diversity is considered or what happens if a member cannot represent their assigned geographic area.

Public Utilities Commission: Membership and Reporting Requirements

This bill changes how members of the Public Utilities Commission are chosen, requiring that they represent different parts of California, and it adds new reporting requirements for the commission.

What This Bill Does

• Requires four out of five members of the Public Utilities Commission to come from specific geographic areas in California as defined by State Board of Equalization districts existing as of January 1, 2026.
• Adds one member who has experience with public advocacy or law but does not work for a government agency.
• Tells the Governor and Senate to consider regional diversity when choosing commission members.
• Requires the president of the commission to discuss rates affordability during their yearly meeting with lawmakers.
• Makes the commission report on cases they couldn't finish by the deadline.

Who It Names or Affects

• Members of the Public Utilities Commission
• The Governor and Senate when choosing new members for the commission
• Lawmakers who receive reports from the commission

Terms To Know

Public Utilities Commission

A group that makes rules about things like electricity, water, and phone services in California.

Ratesetting cases

Decisions made by the commission about how much people should pay for utilities.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not specify what happens if a member cannot represent their assigned geographic area.
• It is unclear how this will affect current members of the Public Utilities Commission.
• There are no details on how to choose candidates from specific regions for the commission.

Official Summary Text

AB 13, as amended, Ransom.
Public Utilities Commission: membership: reports.
The California Constitution establishes the Public Utilities Commission consisting of 5 members appointed by the Governor and approved by the Senate.
This bill would require that
4 members of the commission represent the geographic locations of the 4 State Board of Equalization districts, existing as of January 1, 2026, and
one member be an at-large member with expertise in nongovernmental public advocacy or public interest law and with a nongovernmental background, as specified.
The bill would require the Governor, in selecting, and the Senate, in confirming, members of the commission to consider regional diversity in the membership of the commission. The bill would require the
Governor, in appointing a candidate for membership in the commission, to consider using a candidate pool that comprises persons with permanent residences in certain regions of the state, as specified.
Existing law requires the president of the commission to appear annually before the appropriate policy committees of the Senate and the Assembly to present certain information. Existing law authorizes the commission to fix the rates and charges for public utilities, and requires that those rates and charges be just and reasonable.
This bill would require the president of the commission, at the annual appearance before those committees, to also present information related to rates affordability and ratesetting cases decided by, or pending before, the commission.
Existing law requires the commission to report annually to the Legislature on the timeliness in
resolving cases, including the number of orders issued extending the statutory deadline.
This bill would specify that the above information includes the number of cases in which the commission failed to issue a decision within the statutory deadline. The bill would require the commission, within 15 days of adopting a final decision on a ratesetting case, to submit to the Legislature a report containing certain information regarding the ratesetting case.

Current Bill Text

Download Bill PDF