Assembly Standing Committee on Utilities and Energy

Who's at first? Let's go.

Alright. Good evening. Good evening, and welcome. We I would like to convene this evening's hearing of the Assembly Committee on Utilities and Energy. Before we move to the agenda, I have a few housekeeping announcements.

As is customary, I will maintain decorum throughout today's hearing. To hear as much as possible from the public within the limits of our time, we will not permit disruptions that impede the orderly conduct of legislative proceedings. Any disruptive individual may be removed from the room. Today, we have three measures on the agenda with one on consent. Reminder that testimony is limited to two witnesses in support, two witnesses in opposition, and each witness will get to two minutes.

For any additional witnesses on a measure, just state your name, position, and affiliation. Alright. Madam secretary, please call the roll.

[Roll Call]

Okay. We're going to start with file item number 1, Assembly member Burner, AB 353.

Thank you. Good evening, madam Chair and members. AB 353 is about good governance, accountability, and transparency at the CPUC. AB 353 would recast the existing office of internal audit services at the CPUC and create the inspector general position to oversee the office. This office is responsible for performing audits of key financial management and operational functions within the commission.

Although the CPUC does have an existing internal audit office, which was established in 2017, those reports are not regularly made public. The office of the inspector general is modeled modeled after independent inspector generals that exist in other states like the department exist in other state agencies like the Department of Transportation, Department of Corrections, and Rehabilitation. The CPUC has a massive impact on our constituents' lives.

We should ensure that the legislature and the CPUC is well informed about the commission's strengths and efficiencies and to ensure that the office can recommend ways to ensure that there is no inefficiencies, waste, or area of improvements within the CPUC. Lastly, although this bill is technically a gut and amend, all of you supported a substantially similar bill last year that passed the committee on consent AB 705.

I respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Thank you, Assemblymember. Alright. Witnesses in support. Anyone? Sorry.

This is a Tasha b special.

Okay. That is good. We love it. Alright. Any witnesses here in opposition?

Seeing none. Bringing it back to committee. Questions or comments? You've got a motion and a second. Assembly member, would you like to close?

Respectfully ask for your aye vote. Okay. Madam secretary, please call the roll.

[Roll Call]

13, 0. That bill is out, and we'll leave the roll open for absent members to add on. Assemblymember Patterson, AB 2700.

Move the bill.

Second.

K. You have a motion and a second, Mister vice Chair.

Okay. Well, thank you, madam Chair. I will therefore cut my presentation down by 90%. I'm here to present.

So for picking up what committee members are putting down.

AB 2700, a bill that would require the PC to prepare a report recommending mechanisms to provide restitution for victims of utility caused wildfires that occurred before 07/12/2019. As you know, I took this bill from now Congressman James Gallagher who, you know, represented Paradise, part of devastating fire, and a lot of those victims haven't been compensated as well as other fires that were caused before then. I was gonna invite Mister Abrams to testify and support, and with that would conclude my presentation.

Welcome.

Thanks very much, Chair and committee members. I will keep my testimony very brief. I know it's late. But I just wanted to remind the committee that there are thousands of wildfire survivors who are really counting on this bill and are suffering, and they are here in spirit. And we had a a larger delegation earlier in the day, but please understand that this is hugely important for them.

This really is about justice, about getting victims fairly, fully, and timely compensated, and there are just current suffering that's going on to victims. And that's what this bill is to address and to make sure that whatever remedies we identify are also there for Eaton fire survivors, future fire survivors. And, again, just hugely important that we're directing this bill, and I ask for your aye vote.

Thank you. Additional witnesses in support. Alright. Seeing none. Any witnesses here in opposition to AB 2700?

Seeing none, bringing it back to committee. Alright. Assembly member, would you like to close?

Yes. Thank you. Thank you very much. Just wanna acknowledge, Will and, also, all the victims, especially who were here at my first presentation, on the Senate side. I know that they've been through a lot.

Really appreciate, you know, the time and effort they put at being here, and we would respectfully ask for your aye vote.

Thank you. Madam secretary, please call the roll.

[Roll Call]

So the light last item is just to dispense with our consent calendar. Can we get a.

Second.

Thank you. Alright. Madam secretary, please call the roll.

[Roll Call]

15, 0. The consent calendar is out. I will leave the roll open for absent members to add on. And, so that does conclude our business members. For members who are absent, we are going to leave the roll open for five more minutes.

So we'll be adjourning the hearing at 10:25. Thank you, members, and we'll see you tomorrow morning. I think if we can call let's go ahead and open up the role for file item one.

Gonzales, Harabedian. No. My snaps. Erwin? Aye.

Erwin, Aye. Coleritt? Aye. Shielo, Aye.

Alright. Madam secretary, let's call reopen the roll on file item number 1.

[Roll Call].

17, 0. And we'll leave the roll open for our absent member.

Thank you.

[Roll Call]

17, 0. We'll leave the roll open.

[Roll Call]

Okay. 17, 0, and, that fills out. We'll leave the roll open.

Okay. Thank you, ma'am.

Thank you. Members, we shall see you tomorrow.

We'll see you Manana. Alright.

Good luck. Thank you. See you guys later.

Alright. Let's reopen the roll on file item one. 17, 0, that measure is out. File item number 3, 17, 0, that measure is out. And the consent calendar, 17, 0, that measure is out.

That concludes this evening's business of the Assembly Committee on Utilities and Energy. We are adjourned.