Dive Brief:
- A bill that included several reform measures for the California Public Utilities Commission did not come up for a vote before the end of the state's legislative session, and supporters are blaming Republican senate leadership, the Sacramento Bee reports.
- Assembly Bill 2903 was a part of sweeping reforms at the commission announced by Gov. Jerry Brown this summer. The bill called for an ethics ombudsman, public records reforms and an internal auditor.
- However, the Legislature did pass other bills aimed at increasing transparency at the CPUC and bumping up penalties for violations.
Dive Insight:
Assembly Bill 2903 was a part of the sweeping changes Gov. Brown announced in June, but The Sacramento Bee reports it failed in the final hours of California's legislative session when Republican leadership held it back from a vote.
“It just seems like it was one of those things where someone got tired and grouchy and they decided to kill the biggest utility reform bill of the year,” Assemblyman Mike Gatto (D) told the newspaper. “I don’t see how somebody could be so obstinate in the face of good policy.”
The failed bill would have required the CPUC to "appoint an independent ombudsman for ethics" who would take "complaints and comments from employees of the commission ... concerning how the commission is carrying out its functions. The ombudsman shall maintain the confidentiality of an employee’s identity unless the employee expressly indicates a desire to communicate his or her identity to the commission."
The bill would also require the commission to appoint an internal auditor. Some regulation of the transportation sector would also be moved from the CPUC's purview, and shifted to departments within the state's Transportation Agency.
Reform at the CPUC has been widely seen as necessary, after former CPUC chair Michael Peevey faced allegations of improper communications between himself and PG&E. Ex parte communications came under greater scrutiny following the San Bruno pipeline disaster that killed eight people. Peevey ultimately decided not seek reappointment to the commission two years ago, and PG&E wound up firing three executives, after emails appeared to show them attempting to gain a favorable administrative law judge in a rate case.
But earlier this month, California lawmakers passed a measure designed to bring more transparency to the CPUC, including requirements to disclose any ex parte communications and increasing penalties for each violation. Other prohibitions include "judge shopping" and "relocating responsibilities and making logistical changes that improve the commission's ability to function."