Sacramento, CA- Relief is one step closer for millions of Californians fed up with skyrocketing utility bills. AB 13, the Utility Reform Act authored by Assemblymember Rhodesia Ransom (D-Tracy), has officially passed the Senate Energy, Utilities, and Communications Committee with bipartisan support and now heads to Senate Appropriations.
AB 13 is the only CPUC reform bill passed by the State Assembly this year- and it’s answering the urgent call for transparency, regional representation, and accountability from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), the powerful agency that oversees utility rate increases for over 39 million Californians.
Public trust in the CPUC continues to erode as PG&E rakes in $2.47 billion in profits in 2024 while repeatedly raising rates. AB 13 responds with structural reform and demands accountability to voters. Too often, unelected commissioners make major decisions without oversight- leaving legislators to take the heat for choices they didn’t make.
With ratepayers facing another wave of utility hikes and growing distrust in a CPUC dominated by appointees from a single region, AB 13 requires the Governor to consider geographic diversity by appointing commissioners from each of the four State Board of Equalization districts, along with one at-large member from a nongovernmental background.
“When my constituents see their utility bills rising, they ask me why no one is held accountable,” said Assemblymember Ransom. “I introduced this bill because our communities need answers and it’s time for real reform that puts people first.”
As California families face yet another wave of utility hikes, including PG&E’s latest push to raise rates to pay shareholders, AB 13 heads to Senate Appropriations.
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