AB 2070

Bill Subjects

Abstract

Under the Public Utilities Act, the Public Utilities Commission has regulatory authority over electrical corporations, while local publicly owned electric utilities are under the direction of their governing boards. Existing law requires each electrical corporation and local publicly owned electric utility to annually prepare and submit a wildfire mitigation plan, which includes a description of its procedures for notifying customers who may be impacted by the deenergizing of electrical lines. Existing law requires those procedures to direct notification to all affected public safety offices, critical first responders, health care facilities, and operators of telecommunications infrastructure. Existing law prohibits an electrical corporation from recovering a fine or penalty through a rate approved by the commission. This bill would authorize a fire protection district, as defined, to require an electrical corporation or local publicly owned electric utility to notify the district at least 24 hours before performing scheduled, nonemergency hot work, deploying a safety and infrastructure protection team, or performing a prescribed or controlled burn within the district's jurisdiction, except as provided. The bill would subject an electrical corporation that fails to provide that notice to a civil penalty of $500. 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 above provisions would be part of the act and a violation of a commission action implementing this bill's requirements would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. Additionally, to the extent this bill would mandate that a local publicly owned electric utility, which is an entity of local government, provide a new program or higher level of service, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. 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 specified reasons.