(1) Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission has regulatory authority over public utilities, including gas and electrical corporations. The Public Utilities Act requires the commission to investigate the cause of all accidents occurring upon the property of any public utility or directly or indirectly arising from or connected with its maintenance or operation, resulting in loss of life or injury to person or property and requiring, in the judgment of the commission, investigation by it. Existing law authorizes the commission to make any order or recommendation with respect to the investigation that it determines to be just and reasonable. Existing law requires the commission to develop and implement a safety enforcement program that is applicable to gas and electrical corporations and that includes procedures for monitoring, data tracking and analysis,
and investigations, as well as issuance of citations by commission staff, under the direction of the executive director of the commission. Existing law requires gas and electrical corporations to report various information to the commission.
This bill would require gas and electrical corporations to expeditiously report to the commission, upon discovery, any potential self-identified violation of an applicable law, or order or rule of the commission, that poses a significant safety threat, causes a systemwide impact, affects a large geographic region, or involves fraud, sabotage, falsification of records, or any other instance of deception by a gas or electrical corporation’s agent, employee, contractor, or subcontractor, as specified.
(2) 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 a commission order or other action would be required to implement the provisions of this bill and because a violation of that commission order or action would be a crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program by creating a new crime.
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.