Passing an initiative to call for their dissolution or public takeover seems impossible - given how profitable they have made themselves.

However, if we readjust their profitability, that makes a public takeover much cheaper. Chipping away here and there can make it actually possible for areas like San Diego or San Francisco to start electric coops or publicly owned utilities.
Here is what I’m thinking:

Targeting:

  • I assume that there are some utilities out there that are doing a decent job - e.g., water, or smaller power utilities. To level the playing field and ensure the good players aren’t affected, the reforms should only apply to: – entities of a certain size. To hit the PGEs but leave the co-ops alone.
    – utilities that have caused explosions in suburbs, or electric line failures that have led to the leveling of towns. I like this one because how are you going to argue that it isn’t needed when the text of the legislation states that.

Billing Revisions

  • Reduce or eliminate late payment fees, and prohibit late fees from being charged until 91 days after due date.
  • utilities provide a bill credit for each hour the power goes out
  • billing of all costs / charges has to occur every month. This gets rid of the true up system.
  • minimum power delivery charge eliminated.

Utility structural reforms:

  • there is currently an understanding that utilities are entitled to a certain amount of profit. Reduce that to something like 5%.
  • utilities are essentially construction companies now. They want to find projects they can do so that they can charge their 10 or 15% to ratepayers. The reform is to reduce the allowable % that utilities can profit from infrastructure improvements, and heighten thresholds for need to be prove the requirements for construction.
  • engaging in a stock buyback triggers reduced profitability for the company for a time.
  • reduce barriers to takeovers by publicly owned utilities. My understanding is that the City of SF can only sign up new development to city power. They are prohibited from approaching or buying out existing customers.

PUC structural reforms

  • increase restrictions on utility lobbyists
  • change how the PUC board is chosen. Either add multiple ratepayers advocates, or make them directly elected, via ranked choice voting.

Solar reforms

  • I’m unsure exactly what is right here, but it’s clear the pendulum has swung way too hard against rooftop solar. I’m hoping there’s a ngo we can lean on that has ideas about how to make solar systems profitable again.
  • allow solar systems to be added or expanded without mandating a change in rate plan.
  • get rid of minimum electric charges, or reduce them substantially.
  • somehow apply the same incentives to rooftop solar that PGE gets for bulldozing habitat in the Mojave. A monthly rate reduction based on capital cost of the project?