Senate Standing Committee on Energy, Utilities and Communications

The Senate Committee on Energy, Utilities and Communications will come to order. Good evening. The Senate continues to welcome the public in person and via the teleconference service for individuals wishing to provide public comments at today's hearing, the participant number is 877-226-8163. That's 877-226-8163. An access code is 736-2832. That's 736-2832. We're holding our Committee in the O Street building.

So I would ask all Members of the Committee to make themselves available in room 1200 so we can establish a quorum and begin our hearing. As stated, we'll start as a Subcommittee. We have two bills on today's agenda, and we will start with our first Bill, and I'll hand the gavel over to Senator Dahle.

Okay, we have SB 429. Bradford, you may present.

All right. SB 429 will modernize the current vehicle inspection requirements for transportation network company drivers by authorizing them to utilize a remote or virtual vehicle inspection. Virtual inspections are already being performed at Caltrans, and over 2000 TNC drivers have submitted their support for this Bill. This Bill will make work opportunities more accessible to drivers and ensure that drivers are compensated for the time it takes to complete the inspection.

Testifying today in support is Dylan Hoffman representing TechNet, and I thank you and respectfully ask for aye vote thank you.

You got a couple minutes.

Thank you, Mr. Chair and Senators Dylan Hoffman on behalf of TechNet. Typically, one of our rideshare platform's drivers would be testifying as they have done so throughout the process. But due to the timing, I'm here on their behalf. I'll just also note that over 3000 of our drivers have signed on to a letter in support of this Bill.

TechNet and our Members are proud to stand alongside them in support of SB 429, which will allow rideshare drivers to complete their required vehicle inspections remotely or virtually, and compensate them for the time spent completing those inspections. Over half of drivers must drive more than 35 miles for an inspection, disproportionately impacting drivers in rural areas and contributing to average lost earnings of $181 per driver.

SB 429 will uphold the same safety standards in place today, while easing a significant burden faced by tens of thousands of Californians that choose this work by modernizing the requirement to permit a virtual convenience option. We respectfully request your aye vote.

Thank you. Is that your only witness. Only primary witness. Okay, we will go to opposition. Is there any opposition.

Mr. Chair, Members, Sarah Flocks, California Labor Federation. And we are here in regretful, opposition. Regretful, because we understand that the intent of the author and the intent of his Bill is really to ease the burden on ride-share drivers. He truly is taking a requirement that the PUC already has in place for safety inspections, and he's making it easier for drivers to do by allowing the remote inspection process. And we very much appreciate that.

And in a different world, where we didn't have Proposition 22 and the unlawful misclassification of TNC drivers, this would be a great Bill, except that under Prop 22, the TNC companies aren't required to reimburse drivers for the cost of this vehicle inspections. They were not required to compensate drivers for the time that it took to do the vehicle inspection.

We really appreciate that the author took amendments for the compensation of drivers, but we do have to oppose because drivers are still on the hook to pay for the vehicle inspections that the so called employers, the TNCs, are not providing. That can be $40 for each inspection annually, or every, I believe it's 50,000 miles. And so we would hope in the future that would be incorporated and drivers would be reimbursed by their employers. Thank you.

Thank you. So those are our two primary witnesses. Anybody else want to speak in opposition or support, please come to the podium here in room 1200. Seeing none, we can go to the call in lines. Is there anyone wishing to call in and speak? Moderator, would you please queue up people who want to speak in support or opposition of SB 429?

Thank you. Mr. Chair, for those who wish to speak in support or opposition to this Bill, please press one, then zero. Press one, then zero. Mr. Chair, there is no one who signaled that they wish to speak.

Awesome. Okay, we'll bring it back to the dais. Does any Members have any questions or comments on the Bill? Seeing none, we will put that Bill on call until we get a quorum and take a vote on it. Mr. Bradford, would you like to close?

Thank you. Mr. Chair, this is straightforward measure. Just make sure that these vehicles are inspected on a routine basis. It compensates the drivers for their time, because we know time is money. Most of these drivers have an average of two hour wait in order to have these vehicle inspections done, and they lose on the average of $181 per driver when they do this. So this is a way of just making affordable and accessible. And again, Caltrans is doing it with the majority of their vehicles already. So I respectfully ask for aye vote.

Thank you. As soon as we get a quorum, we will take a vote on that Bill.

Consultant, please call a roll.

For a quorum. This is for a quorum. Bradford here. Dahle here. Ashby here. Becker. Caballero. Dodd here. Durazo here. Eggman. Gonzalez here. Grove. Mcguire. Min here. Newman here. Rubio. Seyarto here. Skinner here. Stern. Wilk.

A quorum has been established. I'll turn it back over to Vice Chair Dahle okay.

I'd like to entertain a motion on SB 429. Have a motion with the Clerk, please. Clerk we did it already. Please call the roll.

Okay. SB 429. Bradford. That the Assembly amendments be concurred in. Bradford aye, Dahle aye, Ashby aye, Becker aye, Caballero, Dodd aye, Durazo, Eggman aye, Gonzalez, Grove, Mcguire, Min, Newman aye, Rubio aye, Seyarto aye, Skinner, Stern, Wilk. 9-0.

9-0. We'll leave that Bill on call.

All right, next up is Senator Becker. He has SB 420. When you're ready, you may begin.

Opportunity to present the second version of SB 420. As you know, we have very ambitious goals to meet, and prior to 1994, the construction of projects below 200 kilovolts did not require utilities to obtain a permit. The order lowered the threshold to 50 kilovolts, and that's resulted in substantial delays for projects such as distribution substations that are needed to expand the grid and accommodate more demand for electrification.

SB 420 creates consistent fast track approvals for Low impact upgrades and new small transmission lines under 138 kilovolts that are needed to connect new renewable generation and energize customers. By reverting this existing exemption threshold, this would treat subtransmission infrastructure similar to distribution infrastructure. For the purposes of permitting approvals, all these projects will be subject to all other permits, including those of other state agencies that enforce other environmental protections.

With that, I just want to say this will reduce unnecessary administrative burdens to be consistent for smaller subtransmission lines, and I respectfully ask for your aye vote.

All right. Do you have any primary witnesses in support?

No, not today.

Okay. Are there any individuals here in room 1200 who are speaking in support? You can state your name and your organization, please.

Adam Smith, Southern California Edison. Strong support.

Brandon Ebeck, Pacific Gas and Electric strong support.

Obed Franco on behalf of the California Electric Transportation Coalition, in support.

Melissa Cortez on behalf of the California Wind Energy Association, in support.

Sean MacNeil on behalf of the California Community Choice Association in support.

Thank you. Are there any additional witnesses in support of 1200? Now let's move to opposition. Are there witnesses in opposition here in room 1200? Seeing none. Moderator let's go to our phone lines and see if there's individuals wishing to testify either in support or in opposition of SB- 420.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. For those who wish to speak in support or opposition to this Bill, please press one, then zero. At this time, press one, then zero, and we're going to go to line 10. Your line is now open. Pardon me. Line 10. Your line is open.

Good evening, Mr. Chair and Member. Sylvia Solis Shaw on behalf of Advanced Energy United in support. Thank you.

Bless you.

Mr. Chair. There is no one else in queue.

Okay. If there's no other callers online, we'll bring it back to the Committee. Are there any questions or concerns as it relates to SB 420? Senator Seyarto.

Thank you. In this particular, we're doing the smaller transmission lines, and there's options of either going above ground or below ground in CEQA, when you're going through the environmental process and going through that process, that gets evaluated, does this in any way keep that from happening? Because one of them is faster and cheaper, and one of them is slower and more expensive, but safer, and there are environmental differences in each of them. And how does that get evaluated in this process? If this Bill passes?

Yeah, I'll see. If any, we have some folks I know who have some expertise in the audience of who may want to join in here, but my understanding is that this does not stop those kind of reviews from happening. There's a longer part I did not read that says, in addition to what I mentioned, that there was subject to all other permits, including those of state agencies that enforce other environmental protections. I believe that that analysis would still be included in the process.

Okay, thank you.

Any additional questions or concerns? Senator Dahle?

I just like to say I built power lines a long time ago. The difference between a 50 KV and a 75 KV, most people would not even know the difference. I'm going to move the Bill. I think it's a good way to go.

Thank you. We have a motion, is there any other discussions or concerns by Members? We have a motion do pass to the Senate Floor consultant, please call the role on SB 420

That the Assembly amendments be concurred in, Bradford aye, Dahle aye, Ashby aye, Becker aye, Caballero, Dodd aye, Durazo aye, Eggman aye, Gonzalez aye, Grove, Mcguire, Min aye, Newman aye, Rubio aye, Seyarto aye, Skinner aye, Stern, Wilk aye. 14-14.

That measure has 14 votes. It's out. Congratulations. Yeah.

Members, we're going to open the roll on SB 429. Please make please call rolls.

Gonzalez, Grove, McGuire, Min aye. Skinner. Stern, Wilk aye.

Yeah. For all the Members who want to cast vote, we're good. We're going to leave the roll open for what, another five minutes for absent Members to come and add on here in 1200. So we would encourage them to come now, but for the Members who have cast their votes, you're free to go. We'll leave the roll open for the next five minutes.

Thank you. I don't know. It's out right. Yeah. Really? Wait five minutes. That's.

In the meantime, I just want to thank you for all the individuals who participated in today's public testimony today. If you were not able to testify today, please submit your comments or suggestions in writing to the but zero, this again, this is wrong. To the Senate Energy and Utility Committee or visit our website. Your comments and suggestions are important to us, and we want to include your testimony and official hearing records. And we want to thank you for your participation today.

All right, consultant you can open the roll on SB 420. The current vote is 14:00 A.m. I. Correct. Please call the absent Members.

Stern aye. Stern aye.

That Bill is out 14150. We can open a row now on SB 429. The current vote is 1-11. Abstain on that one.

Stern not voting. Not voting.

That vote is out 1-10. Thank you for everyone for your participation today. That concludes our hearing. The Senate Committee on Energy, Utilize and Communications is now adjourned.