Article 11 - Reports to the Legislature

California Public Utilities Code — §§ 910-920

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Sections (52)

Amended by Stats. 2024, Ch. 740, Sec. 1. (AB 2765) Effective January 1, 2025.

(a)The commission shall develop, publish, and annually update a report that contains all of the following information:

(1)A workplan that describes in clear detail the scheduled proceedings and other decisions that may be considered by the commission during the calendar year.

(2)Performance criteria for the commission and the executive director, and an evaluation of the performance of the executive director during the previous year based on criteria established in the prior year’s workplan.

(3)An accounting of the commission’s transactions and proceedings from the

prior year, together with other facts, suggestions, and recommendations that the commission deems of value to the people of the state. The accounting shall include the activities that the commission has taken, and plans to take, to reduce the costs of, and the rates for, water and energy, including electricity, to improve the competitiveness of the state’s industries, including agriculture, and, to the extent possible, shall include suggestions and recommendations for the reduction of those costs and rates.

(4)A description of activities taken and processes instituted to both solicit the input of customers from diverse regions of the state in ratesetting and quasi-legislative proceedings and to process that input in a way that makes it usable in commission decisionmaking. The report shall describe the successes and challenges of these processes,

the effect of resource constraints, and efforts to be made during the calendar year to further the goal of increased public participation.

(5)A list of the public meetings held outside San Francisco in the previous year, and a schedule of meetings anticipated to be held outside San Francisco during the coming year.

(6)A description of the actions taken by the commission using the information provided to it pursuant to Section 53122 of the Government Code, a summary of deenergization event trends and the effect of deenergization events on telecommunications service and public safety, and an analysis of how the impacts of deenergization events on telecommunications service could be mitigated.

(7)A description

of the audits and inspections conducted to ensure compliance with the commission’s backup electricity rules for providers of telecommunications service, including, but not limited to, the total number of violations identified by the commission in the prior year, aggregated by company, and a summary of enforcement actions taken for those violations.

(b)(1) The commission shall submit the report required pursuant to subdivision (a) to the Governor and the Legislature, in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code, no later than February 1 of each year.

(2)The commission shall post the report in a conspicuous area of its internet website and shall have a program to disseminate the information in the report using computer mailing lists to provide regular updates on the information to those members of the public and organizations that request that information.

§ 910.1

Amended by Stats. 2025, Ch. 205, Sec. 1. (AB 1532) Effective October 1, 2025.

(a)The commission shall annually submit a report to the Legislature on the commission’s timeliness in resolving cases, information on the disposition of applications for rehearings, and the days that commissioners presided in and attended hearings. The report shall include the number of scoping memos issued in each proceeding and the number of orders issued extending the statutory deadlines pursuant to subdivision (e) of Section 1701.2, for all adjudication cases, and pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 1701.5, for all ratesetting or quasi-legislative cases.

(b)For reporting on commissioner attendance at hearings, the report shall include reporting based on attendance at all types of hearings,

including by all of the following:

(1)Hearing type, including, but not limited to, prehearing conferences, evidentiary hearings, public participation hearings, and workshops.

(2)Proceeding type, including quasi-legislative, an adjudication, a rate-setting, or a catastrophic wildfire proceeding.

(3)Industry type, including electric, gas, water, telecommunications, or transportation.

§ 910.2

Added by renumbering Section 432.5 by Stats. 2015, Ch. 612, Sec. 14. (SB 697) Effective January 1, 2016.

(a)The commission shall report to the Legislature the collections from each class of utility and expenditures, both direct and indirect, for regulatory and other authorized commission activities affecting each class. Where expenditures are for overhead, allocations of services common to several classes, or for commission-wide activities, the methods used to calculate the expenditures attributed to the class shall be described in reasonable detail.

(b)The report shall be furnished to the Legislature within 60 days after the end of the fiscal year, and shall be subject to audit. The commission shall maintain information and reports necessary to perform an audit pursuant to this

section.

§ 910.3

Amended by Stats. 2024, Ch. 784, Sec. 2. (SB 1177) Effective January 1, 2025.

(a)(1) The commission shall provide a report to the Legislature on September 1 of each year, on the progress of activities undertaken by each electrical corporation, gas corporation, water corporation, wireless telecommunications service provider, electric service provider, and telephone corporation with gross annual California revenues exceeding twenty-five million dollars ($25,000,000), by each community choice aggregator with gross annual revenues exceeding fifteen million dollars ($15,000,000), and by each electrical corporation, gas corporation, water corporation, wireless telecommunications service provider, electric service provider, and telephone corporation with gross annual California revenues exceeding fifteen million dollars ($15,000,000), but not more than twenty-five million dollars

($25,000,000), in the implementation of women, minority, disabled veteran, and LGBT business enterprise development programs pursuant to Article 5 (commencing with Section 8281) of Chapter 7 of Division 4. The report shall include information about which procurements are made with women, minority, disabled veteran, and LGBT business enterprises with at least a majority of the enterprise’s workforce in California, to the extent that information is readily accessible. The commission shall recommend a program for carrying out the policy declared in Article 5 (commencing with Section 8281) of Chapter 7 of Division 4, together with recommendations for legislation that it deems necessary or desirable to further that policy. The commission shall make the report available on its internet website.

(2)(A) As part of the annual report, the commission may include an analysis of the information described in subdivision (b) of Section

8284 to gauge the efficacy of the programs established pursuant to Article 5 (commencing with Section 8281) of Chapter 7 of Division 4 in attracting business for contractors and subcontractors operating in California.

(B)If the commission includes the analysis described in subparagraph (A), the commission shall also, as part of that annual report, analyze the information provided to the commission pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 8290.2.

(b)In regard to disabled veteran business enterprises, the commission shall ensure that the programs and legislation recommended pursuant to subdivision (a) are consistent with the disabled veteran business enterprise certification eligibility requirements imposed by the Department of General Services and that the recommendations include only those disabled veteran business enterprises certified by the Department of General

Services.

§ 910.4

Amended by Stats. 2024, Ch. 353, Sec. 37. (AB 1533) Effective January 1, 2025.

By February 1 of each year, the commission shall report to the Joint Legislative Budget Committee and appropriate fiscal and policy committees of the Legislature, on all sources and amounts of funding and actual and proposed expenditures, both in the two prior fiscal years and for the proposed fiscal year, including any costs to ratepayers, related to all of the following:

(a)Entities or programs established by the commission by order, decision, motion, settlement, or other action, including, but not limited to, the California Clean Energy Fund, the California Emerging Technology Fund, and the Pacific Forest and Watershed Lands Stewardship Council. The report shall contain descriptions of relevant issues, including, but not limited to, all of the following:

(1)Any governance structure established for an entity or program.

(2)Any staff or employees hired by or for the entity or program and their salaries and expenses.

(3)Any staff or employees transferred or loaned internally or interdepartmentally for the entity or program and their salaries and expenses.

(4)Any contracts entered into by the entity or program, the funding sources for those contracts, and the legislative authority under which the commission entered into the contract.

(5)The public process and oversight governing the entity or program’s activities.

(b)Entities or programs established by the commission, other

than those expressly authorized by statute, under the following sections:

(1)Section 379.6.

(2)Section 399.8.

(3)Section 739.1.

(4)Section 2790.

(5)Section 2851.

(6)Section 921.1.

(7)Section 922.

(c)Upon an entity ceasing operations, or a program ending, because its activities, including receiving revenue or making expenditures, have concluded, commission reporting on the entity or program pursuant to this section shall continue for the subsequent two fiscal years following the entity

ceasing operations or the program ending. Following those subsequent two fiscal years, the commission shall note in the report submitted pursuant to this section which entity ceased operations or program ended, and the commission shall not be subject to any other reporting obligations related to the entity or program pursuant to this section.

§ 910.5

Added by Stats. 2017, Ch. 362, Sec. 4. (SB 598) Effective January 1, 2018.

(a)The commission shall submit a report by April 1 of each year to the Legislature on residential and household gas and electric service disconnections that includes the following information for each community choice aggregator and each of the four electrical and gas corporations that have the greatest number of customers:

(1)For the most recent five years, the total annual number of residential disconnections for nonpayment, reconnections following disconnection for nonpayment, and disconnections for nonpayment that did not result in a reconnection within 30 days.

(2)For the most recent five years,

the total annual number of

households disconnected for nonpayment, households reconnected following disconnection for nonpayment, and households not reconnected within 30 days of being disconnected for nonpayment. A household disconnected more than once in a calendar year shall be counted only once for purposes of this reporting requirement.

(b)The commission shall disaggregate the information specified in subdivision (a) to provide that information for each of the following populations:

(1)Customers enrolled in the California Alternate Rates for Energy or CARE program.

(2)Customers enrolled in a Family Electric Rate Assistance program.

(3)Customers receiving a

medical baseline allowance.

(4)Customers both enrolled in the CARE program and receiving a medical baseline allowance.

(5)Customers receiving assistance or a benefit under the federal Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) (42 U.S.C. Sec. 8621 et seq.).

(6)Customers of a community choice aggregator who, after disconnection, are reconnected to service provided by an electrical corporation.

(c)For each of the customer categories listed in subdivision (b), the commission shall further disaggregate the information for individual customers as follows:

(1)Disconnected one time.

(2)Disconnected two times.

(3)Disconnected three or more times.

(4)Reconnected one time.

(5)Reconnected two times.

(6)Reconnected three or more times.

(d)For a corporation included in the report pursuant to subdivision (a) that provides both gas and electric service to customers, the commission shall provide the information separately.

§ 910.6

Added by Stats. 2018, Ch. 51, Sec. 44. (SB 854) Effective June 27, 2018.

The commission shall annually submit a report to the Legislature on the commission’s advocacy efforts to keep transmission rates low for ratepayers through its participation in Federal Energy Regulatory Commission rate cases and the Independent System Operator’s transmission planning processes. The report shall include all of the following:

(a)The number of Federal Energy Regulatory Commission rate cases in which the commission participated.

(b)The amount of ratepayer moneys saved through the commission’s participation in Federal Energy Regulatory Commission rate cases.

(c)The nature of the commission’s participation in each rate case,

including a description of each issue analyzed in the rate case, such as return on equity, taxes, depreciation, cost-of-service ratemaking, and assumptions for justifying project needs.

§ 910.7

Added by Stats. 2016, Ch. 805, Sec. 5. (AB 2168) Effective January 1, 2017.

The commission shall annually provide the Legislature with an update on the status of its review of public utilities’ balancing accounts pursuant to Section 792.5. The commission shall provide this update as part of its annual report published pursuant to Section 910 or by posting it in a conspicuous area of its Internet Web site, or both.

§ 910.8

Added by Stats. 2022, Ch. 840, Sec. 3. (SB 1208) Effective January 1, 2023. Repealed as of January 1, 2027, by its own provisions.

(a)On or before June 30, 2023, the Low-Income Oversight Board established pursuant to Section 382.1 shall submit a report to the Legislature regarding the opportunity and process for expanding the third-party administrator contract used for the Universal Lifeline Telephone Service (ULTS) program, or establishing a similar new contract, to include water, gas, and electric utility service for purposes of facilitating enrollment between low-income assistance programs, minimizing privacy and data sharing concerns, and expediting eligibility verification processes. The report shall include a recommendation for funding the expansion of the contract or establishment of a new contract.

(b)Pursuant to Section 10231.5 of the Government Code, this

section is repealed on January 1, 2027.

§ 911

Added by renumbering Section 915 by Stats. 2015, Ch. 612, Sec. 49. (SB 697) Effective January 1, 2016.

(a)Beginning February 1, 2016, the commission shall 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. The report shall succinctly describe each safety investigation concluded during the prior calendar year and each investigation that remains open. The categories within the description shall include the month of the safety incident, the reason for the investigation, the facility type involved, and the owner of the facility.

(b)The commission shall include in its report required pursuant to Section 910, 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, with a link to the Internet Web site with the report that contains the information required pursuant to subdivision (a).

§ 911.1

Added by Stats. 2015, Ch. 612, Sec. 33. (SB 697) Effective January 1, 2016.

An action taken by the commission on a safety recommendation letter or advisory bulletin concerning gas pipeline safety issued by the federal National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) shall be reported annually, in detail, to the Legislature with the report required by Section 910. Correspondence from the NTSB that indicates that a recommendation of the NTSB has been closed following an action that the NTSB finds unacceptable shall be noted in the report required by Section 910.

§ 911.2

Added by Stats. 2017, Ch. 425, Sec. 6. (SB 385) Effective January 1, 2018.

The commission shall report the findings of any risk assessment required by Section 1103 to the Legislature.

§ 912

Added by Stats. 2015, Ch. 612, Sec. 34. (SB 697) Effective January 1, 2016.

A summary of the audits conducted by the commission pursuant to Section 314.5 shall be provided annually to the Legislature. The commission may provide this information as part of its annual report delivered pursuant to Section 910.

§ 912.1

Added by renumbering Section 5012 by Stats. 2015, Ch. 612, Sec. 61. (SB 697) Effective January 1, 2016.

The Public Utilities Commission shall conduct an audit of the expenditures of the funds received pursuant to Chapter 6 (commencing with Section 5001) of Division 2 each fiscal year. The results of this audit shall be reported in writing, on or before February 15th of each year thereafter, with respect to the audit for the fiscal year ending on the previous June 30th, to the appropriate policy and budget committees of the respective houses of the Legislature.

§ 912.2

Amended by Stats. 2021, Ch. 112, Sec. 9. (SB 156) Effective July 20, 2021.

On or before April 1, 2023, and biennially thereafter, the commission shall conduct a fiscal and performance audit of the implementation and effectiveness of the California Advanced Services Fund to ensure that funds have been expended in accordance with the approved terms of the grant awards and loan agreements pursuant to Section 281 or 281.2 and shall report its findings to the Legislature. The reports shall include an update to the maps in the final report of the California Broadband Task Force and data on the types and numbers of jobs created as a result of the program administered by the commission pursuant to Section 281 or 281.2 and shall include information specified in Section 914.7.

§ 912.3

Added by Stats. 2017, Ch. 421, Sec. 20. (SB 19) Effective January 1, 2018.

Immediately upon completion of an audit of any entity or program created by any order, decision, motion, settlement, or other action by the commission conducted pursuant to Section 314.6, the commission shall transmit a copy of the audit report to the Legislature, including to the appropriate policy and fiscal committees or subcommittees of the Legislature, and to the Governor. The audit report shall be submitted to the Legislature in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code.

§ 913

Added by Stats. 2015, Ch. 612, Sec. 36. (SB 697) Effective January 1, 2016.

(a)The reporting requirements of this section apply to electrical corporations with at least 1,000,000 retail customers in California and gas corporations with at least 500,000 retail customers in California.

(b)The commission shall prepare a written report on the costs of programs and activities conducted by each electrical corporation and gas corporation that is subject to this section, including activities conducted to comply with their duty to serve. The report shall be completed on an annual basis before April 1 of each year, and shall identify, clearly and concisely, all of the following:

(1)Each program mandated by statute and its

annual cost to ratepayers.

(2)Each program mandated by the commission and its annual cost to ratepayers.

(3)Energy purchase contract costs and bond-related costs incurred pursuant to Division 27 (commencing with Section 80000) of the Water Code.

(4)All other aggregated categories of costs currently recovered in retail rates as determined by the commission.

(c)The report required by subdivision (b) shall be submitted to the Governor and the Legislature no later than April 1 of each year.

(d)The commission shall post the report required by subdivision (b) in a conspicuous area of its Internet Web site.

§ 913.1

Amended by Stats. 2024, Ch. 569, Sec. 1. (AB 2462) Effective January 1, 2025.

(a)The commission, by May 1, 2010, and by each May 1 thereafter, shall prepare and submit a written report, separate from and in addition to the report required by Section 913, to the Governor and Legislature that contains all of the following:

(1)The commission’s recommendations for actions that can be undertaken during the succeeding 12 months to limit electrical corporations’ and gas corporations’ utility costs and rate increases.

(2)The commission’s recommendations that may take longer than 12 months to implement, but could lead to substantial reductions in monthly electricity and natural gas utility bills.

(3)Considerations of how the adoption of decarbonization policies, including electrification, may impact the total energy costs borne by consumers, including electricity, natural gas, and fuel for transportation, consistent with the state’s energy and environmental goals, including goals for reducing emissions of greenhouse gases.

(b)In preparing the report required by subdivision (a), the commission shall require electrical corporations with 1,000,000 or more retail customers in California, and gas corporations with 500,000 or more retail customers in California, to study and report on measures the corporation recommends be undertaken to limit costs and rate increases.

(c)The commission shall post the report required by subdivision (a) in a conspicuous area of its internet website.

§ 913.10

Added by Stats. 2024, Ch. 762, Sec. 5. (AB 3264) Effective January 1, 2025. Repealed as of January 1, 2030, by its own provisions.

(a)On or before July 1, 2025, the commission, in consultation with the Energy Commission, the California Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank, and the Independent System Operator, shall submit to the Governor and the Legislature a study, including findings and recommendations, identifying proposals to reduce the cost to ratepayers of expanding the state’s electrical transmission grid as necessary to achieve the state’s goals, to meet the state’s requirements, and to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases, as specified in statute, regulation, or executive order.

(b)In conducting the study, the commission shall evaluate, at minimum, all of the following:

(1)Public

financing of transmission projects, including approaches to lower the cost of financing, and the use of nonratepayer funds to pay, a portion of the costs of transmission projects necessary to achieve relevant public policy goals. The study shall identify nonratepayer funding sources that may be suitable for this purpose.

(2)The costs and benefits of different ownership models, lease agreements, or other public-private arrangements necessary to build the transmission projects using public financing.

(3)Other proposals identified by the commission or other consulted parties that, in the judgment of the commission, could accelerate the development of, and reduce the cost to ratepayers of expanding, the state’s electrical transmission grid.

(4)Estimated cost savings of each option.

(5)Thresholds or criteria for transmission projects to be considered eligible for public financing, including, but not limited to, project size, cost, location, or achievement of statewide policy.

(6)Appropriate cost limitations and protections in exercising public financing for this purpose.

(7)Relevant local, state, and federal statute applicable to public financing of transmission infrastructure.

(c)In conducting the study, the commission shall provide opportunities for public input on which proposals to consider and on draft findings and recommendations.

(d)Pursuant to Section 10231.5 of the Government Code, this section is repealed on January 1, 2030.

§ 913.11

Added by Stats. 2024, Ch. 353, Sec. 38. (AB 1533) Effective January 1, 2025.

(a)Notwithstanding Section 10231.5 of the Government Code, the commission, Energy Commission, and State Air Resources Board shall, in consultation with all California balancing authorities, as defined in subdivision (d) of Section 399.12, as part of a public process, issue a joint report to the Legislature by January 1, 2021, and at least every four years thereafter.

(b)The joint report shall include all of the following:

(1)A review of the policy described in subdivision (a) of Section 454.53, focused on technologies, forecasts, then-existing transmission, and maintaining safety, environmental and public safety protection, affordability, and system and local reliability.

(2)An evaluation identifying the potential benefits and impacts on system and local reliability associated with achieving the policy described in subdivision (a) of Section 454.53.

(3)An evaluation identifying the nature of any anticipated financial costs and benefits to electrical, gas, and water utilities, including customer rate impacts and benefits.

(4)The barriers to, and benefits of, achieving the policy described in subdivision (a) of Section 454.53.

(5)Alternative scenarios in which the policy described in subdivision (a) of Section 454.53 can be achieved and the estimated costs and benefits of each scenario.

§ 913.12