SB 1480: Low-Income Oversight Board: membership and duties.

Existing law establishes the Low-Income Oversight Board to advise the Public Utilities Commission on low-income electric, electricity, gas, and water customer issues and to serve as a liaison for the commission to low-income ratepayers and representatives. Existing law requires the board to carry out certain duties to advise the commission, including monitoring and evaluating implementation of all programs provided to low-income electricity, gas, and water customers. Existing law requires the commission, in conjunction with the board, among other things, to ensure that the energy burden of low-income electricity and gas customers is reduced. The board is comprised of 11 members, including 5 members selected by the commission who have expertise in the low-income community and who are not affiliated with any state agency or utility group, one member selected by the Governor, and one member selected by the Department of Community Services and Development.

This bill would expand the membership of the board to 15 members by adding one member selected by the State Department of Health Care Services, one member selected by the commission who is a representative of a low-income telecommunications provider, one member selected by the Speaker of the Assembly, and one member selected by the President pro Tempore of the Senate. The bill would expand the duties of the board to include establishing and monitoring participation goals in programs and advising the commission on telecommunications, working with the commission to establish a framework to facilitate the cross-system sharing of customer data, as provided, and facilitating eligibility verification in the enrollment and postenrollment process of programs for low-income customers. The bill would also make clarifying and conforming changes. 12 members by adding one member selected by the commission who is a representative of a low-income telecommunications provider. The bill would expand the duties of the board to include monitoring and evaluating implementation of all programs provided to low-income telecommunications customers. The bill would require the commission, in conjunction with the board, to ensure that the financial burden, rather than the energy burden, of low-income electricity, gas, water, and telecommunications customers is reduced. The bill would also require the commission, on or before January 1, 2026, to adopt a process by which a consumer enrolled in a commission-administered low-income utility program receives a notification at enrollment providing information about other utility assistance programs for which the consumer may be presumptively eligible, and information about how to apply for those programs. The bill would require the commission to work with the Low Income Oversight Board to develop an outreach strategy to improve enrollment of eligible households across low-income utility assistance programs.

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 certain provisions of this bill would be part of the Public Utilities Act and a violation of a commission action implementing certain provisions of the this bill would be a crime, this 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 a specified reason.