Voiceover: The feed for this streaming event
brought to you by adminmonitor.com
will begin momentarily.
Thank you for...
Operator: Welcome to the California
Public Utilities Commission on this day,
Thursday, March 4th, 2021.
President Batjer, you may begin.
-: Thank you very much, Operator
and good morning, everyone.
We need to establish a quorum.
Will the agenda clerk please call the roll?
Clerk: Commissioner Houck?
-: Here.
Clerk: Commissioner Shiroma?
-: Present.
Clerk: Commissioner Rechtschaffen?
-: Here.
Clerk: Commissioner Guzman Aceves?
-: Here.
Clerk: President Batjer?
-: Here, thank you, we have established a quorum.
Welcome to the California Public Utilities Commission.
I'm calling this meeting of March 4th, 2021,
Public Agenda 3480 to order.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic
and the shelter-in-place order,
we are conducting today's business meeting online
and by remote participation.
The meeting is livestreamed through the CPUC's website.
You can view the meeting at ww.adminmonitor.com/CA/CPUC.
Admin monitor is one word.
Closed captioning is available in English and Spanish
through the webcast.
You can click on the green button
to select your language of choice.
Public engagement is critical to the CPUC process.
If you wish to make a public comment,
please dial into (800) 857-1917
and enter passcode 9899501 and press star one.
You will be placed into a queue and the operator
will take your name and information.
You will be called upon to speak
when we get to the public comment period in today's agenda.
If you encounter difficulty into the calling
into the public telephone line, please email
votingmeetinghelp@cpuc.ca.gov,
votingmeetinghelp@cpuc.ca.gov.
Before we commence with public comment,
I would like to welcome to the virtual diocese
and back to the CPUC our newest Commissioner Darcy Houk.
Commissioner Houk was most recently chief counsel
at the California Energy Commission.
Prior to that, she served as an Administrative Law Judge
here at the CPUC, a role in which many of you
have had the opportunity to work with her before.
Commissioner Houk brings with her a wealth of knowledge.
And we welcome her back and we are very glad
to have her with us for her first voting meeting.
Commissioner Houk, I would like to invite you
to make any opening comments, if you would like
-: Thank you, President Batjer
for the warm welcome back to the Commission.
I wanna thank Governor Newsome for this opportunity
to serve California in my new role as a Commissioner.
I appreciate all the support and kind words
from so many people since returning last week.
And I'm excited to work with each of you
in meeting the Commission's goals of ensuring safe,
reliable and affordable services for all Californians.
And doing so, I understand the importance
of being a collaborative partner with our sister agencies
and engaging with the public.
I look forward to working on the many energy issues
before the Commission increasing broadband access
to our most vulnerable communities, water affordability
and transportation safety.
I hope to contribute to improving access
to an information regarding Commission processes
to underrepresented rural and tribal communities.
This includes how best to implement the Commissions
tribal land transfer policy and realigning our policies
to address COVID and post COVID pandemic issues
such as disconnections and arrearages.
I'm ready for the challenge and plan to do my part
along with my fellow Commissioners,
the Governor's office, the legislature
and our sister agencies to create programs and policies
that benefit and protect California.
So thank you and I'm looking forward
to working with all of you as a Commissioner.
-: Thank you Commissioner Houk.
With you joining us today, we returned to having
four of the five Commissioners seats filled by women.
I think this is especially noteworthy
given March is women's history month.
This month allows us the opportunity
to celebrate the contributions of women
that women have made to the United States
and of course, to California.
We must recognize the countless women
who have demonstrated leadership in small and large ways,
many times unseen and often unappreciated,
but we're persevered and whose wisdom and determination
have shaped every aspect of our lives today.
With the arrival of the month of March,
I would also like to recognize it is been almost one year
since many at the Commission have been working virtually
because of the global pandemic.
Last week, the United States reached over 500,000 deaths
resulting from COVID-19.
And we as a state have lost 52,000 California souls.
That is 500,000 people who were somebody's family member,
friend, coworker, or neighbor.
As President Biden said, we must resist
becoming numb to the sorrow.
It's important to remember how we have persisted this year
but always also to remain steadfast
in our commitment to overcoming this deadly virus.
I remain hopeful that the resilience
of our collective spirits will help us
weather this trying time.
I'm especially proud, especially proud of all of the work
we as a Commission have accomplished over this last year
mostly working remotely with a core staff
who have continued to provide essential services
in the office and are all
under such stressful circumstances.
Thank you to all the CPUC staff who have worked
so diligently to continue serving the people of California
over the last year as we have all sheltered in place
and learn to adapt to a new way of working.
Thank you all for what you have done
and please keep up the good work.
We're almost there.
I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Okay, we will now turn to public comment.
If you wish to make a public comment
and you have already dialed
into the public comment telephone line,
please press star one to get into the public comment queue.
CPUC rules do not allow for comments
for parties in proceedings to speak about open proceedings.
The public can make comments addressing items
on the consent and regular agenda
and including items not on today's agenda.
Please note that there will not be public comment
on item 33 and all items on the closed session agenda.
You will have two minutes to speak.
You will hear a bell sound.
You will hear a bell sound when your time is up.
Please be mindful of other speakers in the queue.
And please keep to your lot at time.
With that guidance in mind, I welcome today's speakers.
I will now turn to the operator for the public comments.
Operator.
Operator: The first comment is from Patrick Kerns.
Your line is now open.
The first comment is from Patrick Kerns.
Your line is now open.
Mr. Kerns, please check your mute button.
Patrick: I'm not on mute.
-: We can hear you now Mr. Kerns, go ahead.
Patrick: Thank you, madam president and Commissioners.
(indistinct) is grateful for the powerful leadership
from the CPUC and highlighting the pandemic
and ways that we can protect our community.
I am presenting the basis
for South Bay Water Utility Repairs Assertion
that the Commission's culture has been transformed
to an adversarial for judicial process
and anathema to a transparent rate payer friendly
regulatory process.
We do acknowledge the value and action
of the executive director, Rachel Peterson
in denying the extension of the deadline for application
to set cost of capital for Class A water utility.
Secondly, rate withes to compare the CPUC actions
to follow up audit CT and D sailors perform
Woodland maintenance to reduce fire danger
and requiring action based on that follow-up audit.
Rates compares this to San Jose water company's compliance
with Commission orders from the last year CRC 2018.
And understaffed follow-up audit failed to reveal
the slight of hand used by San Jose water
to manipulate and subvert the intent
and understanding of the Commission's orders.
The Commission ordered and authorized an increase of 4.55%
in decision 1811025.
Yet residential customers have ended up paying 15.3%
based on selective charges to different categories.
Residential customers have been assessed as 15.3%
which subsidizes other categories.
Other classes of customers for San Jose water company
which have actually had a reduction rate
of increase up to 13% reduction.
The CPUC has been cited on it's lack of audit
and rate is requesting a fiduciary audit
be contemplated with any future requests
for increase in funds to detect post-talk.
Thank you very much.
-: Thank you, Mr. Kerns.
Operator, the next caller, please.
Operator: The next caller is Dr. Jim Stewart.
Your line is now open.
Jim: Well, welcome Commissioner Houk.
We are certainly depending on you to uphold equity
and justice for all.
And a part of that includes addressing the issue
of our high electricity rates.
They're the highest in the country, except for Hawaii.
But as you know, Hawaii has much higher rooftop
solar penetration than does California.
And part of the reason for that is that California
almost uniquely among the states adds over 2 cents
a kilowatt hour transmission access charge
to every kilowatt hour,
whether they use the transmission system or not.
And this is expensive as last week's
on bonk revealed was that there are billions of dollars
of investment by the utilities into these transmission lines
and 60% of them or solar self approved.
So we don't even get you the Commissioners
to approve whether or not they're adding
excess transmission or not.
This is inexcusable.
And if you want to help the Governor
in a potential recall election, you will address this issue
of the fact that the transmission access charge
and the whole transmission is way out of control
and you need to reign it in.
And a good example is just look at the municipal utilities.
They don't add that charge to people who don't use it.
So fix it now.
Thank you very much.
-: Thank you, Dr. Stewart.
Operators, the next caller, please.
Operator: The next caller is resident
of Palm Springs, California.
Your line is now open.
Joan: Good morning, my name is Joan Taylor.
I live in the desert Palm Springs.
I would like to echo Dr. Stewart's comments
about the self approved projects, it's outrageous.
Also the transmission costs are already extraordinarily high
and will certainly spiral out of control
in this energy efficiency and especially distributed energy
resources are compensated fairly.
Compensation for those resources
should include the values of resilience,
avoided transmission costs
and also customers that are self-generating energy
since stopped being charged the TAC.
Thank you for your time.
-: Thank you, Ms. Taylor.
Operator, the next caller, please.
Operator: The next caller, Claire Broom.
Your line is now open.
Claire: Good morning, President Batjer
and welcome to Commissioner Houk.
My name is Claire Broom,
I'm a professor of public health
and I'm a resident of California, rate payer.
I congratulate the Commission on last week's on bunk.
It was a potential opportunity to be forward looking
and visionary.
As Anthony Kinslow told you in the final panel,
the future is not centralized generation.
The answer to affordable energy and we're talking energy,
we're talking electricity and methane gas
and gasoline, affordable energy for households
requires the Commission to look at flexible
community-based solutions.
Solar and storage in front of the meter,
behind the meter and flexible demand management.
That's the answer that also permits a focus on equity.
Please compensate DERs fairly.
You've heard about correcting the distortion
of the transmission access charge which the CPUC
has the power to do.
Also compensating DERs for resiliency.
We all want reliable power.
Why don't we pay DERs to provide it
instead of encouraging use of diesel generators.
And finally, please look at real answers
to controlling costs of transmission,
which was demonstrated to be the most rapidly
rising part of our bills.
Ignore the utilities campaign against rooftop solar.
Their purported cost shift is a diversionary tactic.
So thank you for being visionary and looking ahead
to true solutions for reliable, affordable, clean energy
which will prevent the climate crisis.
Thank you.
-: Thank you.
Operator next, please.
Operator: The next caller is Lee Miller.
Your line is now open.
Lee: I'm Lee Miller, a rooftop solar owner in Sacramento.
California monopolies oppose rooftop solar
for one reason, every electron I generate
is one they cannot sell me.
The result is an aggressive spin campaign
to crush net metering.
Utilities have been raising rates,
destroying our environment and causing California wildfires.
They blame rooftop solar, but the problem
is they're overspending on power lines,
failure to maintain those lines
while getting a guaranteed profit.
Last summer state officials begged us to share
our battery power.
Over 30,000 solar battery customers answered the call.
We delivered as much as 310 megawatts of electricity
to the grid on August 15th alone.
Dr. Baker, deputy director of for energy justice
at the U.S. Department of Energy said in a recent interview,
rooftop solar isn't the insult,
the insult is placing fossil fuel generation
in communities of color, the insult is disproportionate
burden that the low and moderate income homes
are paying for electricity.
Electricity rate design is regressive.
That means poorest people are paying more
of their overall income just to keep the lights on,
that's the insult.
The issue that the utilities should be tackling
rather than trying to end rooftop solar,
which actually lowers emissions
in the very communities that they care about.
The utilities are using their influence
to derail beneficial aspects of net metering.
This isn't the time to slow down rooftop solar,
please resist the efforts, keep net metering and tac
while strengthening it to help more middle
and low income people get solar plus battery installations.
Thank you.
-: Thank you.
Operator, the next caller, please.
Operator: The next caller is Bianca Tylek.
Your line is now open.
Bianca: Hello, my name is Bianca Tylek.
I am the executive director at Worth Rises
and representing here today Californians for jail
and prison phone justice.
Wanting to make a quick comment.
Thank you very much to all the Commissioners
regarding a public hearing that will be held
on April 28th and 29th that is regarding the rates of prison
and jail phone calls and perhaps regulatory efforts
that might be taken there.
We really wanna commend the Commission
for making an intentional effort to have incarcerated people
who are actually directly impacted
by whatever regulation the Commission takes
voices heard during the actual hearing.
But we do have some concerns
that we would like to Commissioners to consider
and the staff at the Commission to consider.
And that is really twofold.
One is about privacy.
There are serious concerns among the incarcerated advocates
about retaliation or retribution for speaking up
during the public hearings.
So there's questions about whether or not
anonymity can be guaranteed, can people the perhaps recorded
offline but without their names actually being stated
during the public hearing.
Various different options that might be available,
we understand this is a completely new thing.
So just wanting to make sure we really think
about people's safety as we ask people
to participate in the hearings.
Secondly, is that the logistical aspect
of actually having people from inside call
is not very straightforward.
Folks from inside have to call
and that call has to be accepted by a person.
It actually will not work for somebody
from inside a prison or jail facility to call
in a number that is answered by an automated message.
And not somebody has to actively accept the call.
So just thinking about how that is,
like how these calls are gonna be accepted
and if there's a way to prioritize those
because there are long lines inside
and they only have a few minutes.
So just wanted to raise those two things.
Thank you very much for your time.
-: Thank you for calling.
Operator, the next caller, please.
Operator: The next caller is Fatima Malik,
your line is now open.
Fatima: Good morning Commissioners.
My name is Fatima Malik and I'm a resident
of a disadvantaged community of Del Paso Heights
in North Sacramento.
I became a solar customer in 2016
and I became an electric vehicle driver in 2018.
My desire to save the planet from the devastating impacts
of climate change recognize the value and benefits
that our natural world provide to all life
and living things, plants, people, and animals.
Today, I asked the CPUC to support the variety of benefits
provided by solar and keep rooftop solar
and battery storage growing in California.
Last year, California suffered from record shattering
climate change induced extreme heat waves,
over 800,000 people without power.
This is preventable and can be avoided in the future
by strengthening net metering
so that millions of California can make, store
and share solar energy.
Please do not slow down so rooftop solar or net metering,
I request that you continue to support
and strengthen the benefits and value of net metering.
And I encourage you to promote more virtual net metering.
In summary, I urge you to promote more net metering
not less.
to address climate change resiliency and social equity,
net metering is a valuable tool and resource
to further advance your mission of increasing safe,
reliable and affordable access to services in California.
As the president mentioned, it's been a year since COVID
and this is a new reality.
Many people are on the verge of having their lights
turned off on April 1st if they are not able
to pay up their bills.
And so I really encourage to think
about how we must continue to change
the way we do business that is better for the planet,
people and especially in disadvantaged communities
so that all living plants and animals can thrive.
I encourage you to support equity
and justice for all, especially for vulnerable populations
and disadvantaged communities.
I echo the sentiment that has already been shared
around a lot of different funds.
And I thank you very much for your time
and consideration today.
-: Thank you for your call.
Operator, the next caller, please.
Operator: The next caller is Leslie Sal.
Your line is now open.
Leslie: Hi, can you hear me?
-: Yes, we can please go ahead.
Leslie: Great, thank you.
I'm calling from Ventura
and I would just like to support the last speaker.
I thought she was very eloquent in her delivery
in the points that she made.
So as well as some of the earlier speakers.
I think we need to look at distributed energy resources,
local energy production.
We certainly experienced the Thomas fire now here
that was a real issue for our power
and having a lot more local production micro grids
could benefit the communities all up and down California.
And we have a lot more available now
in terms of battery storage, reliability.
And we have community choice energy here
that we've voted to have at 100% as our basic default.
So we need we need to facilitate more rooftop,
more commercial, more parking lot, solar,
municipal buildings.
There are any number of ways this could be done
very quickly if the will and the structure,
the economic structure was made available.
So I hope you all will work in that direction.
I just wanted to mention that film I saw
yesterday evening, 2040.
It was very interesting.
The filmmaker went around to different parts of the world
and demonstrated these local solar,
even very very small grids that were producing energy
for people in different parts of the world.
And Paul Hawkin was also featured, and he mentioned
that during one of the Northern California wildfires,
the only people that had energy was a local tribe
that had a micro grid.
So I would like to put that out there too
that these micro grids are in the local production
is where we need to go.
Thank you.
-: Thank you for calling.
Operator, next caller, please.
Operator: The next caller is Barry Toronto.
Your line is now open.
Barry: Yes, hi, I'm Barry Toronto.
I am a taxi driver and want to refer to item number 11
on the consent calendar regarding the wheelchair
accessible vehicles.
I see a lot of contradictions in the documents
and the filing, a colleague of mine who drives
a ramp taxi regularly named Jessica Felix.
She mentioned that the entire reason for the regulation
and the fund was established to create on-demand service
for wheelchair users.
The ramp taxis in San Francisco the only on demand service
in San Francisco.
If you're gonna make it a requirement
that only CPUC permitted vehicles are allowed,
then there are a lot of questions to be asked.
What do you charge?
If you're gonna use the TNC method,
then you're using a soft meter
and what are they using a flat rate?
Because TCP carriers are supposed to have
particular listed rates and not go by a meter.
So is there any way that ramp taxis can have access
to a CPUC permit?
Because in San Francisco they provide the service
and they also get the proper training
and the proper inspections.
And so it's kind of ludicrous to leave out ramp taxis
and not have access to this fund
in order to provide the service to the people.
They buy their own vehicles, they get the proper training
and they develop relationships with the wheelchair users.
And all of these wheelchair users are not able
to use an app or use an app on a smartphone
due to their disabilities.
So I'm very much concerned about how this was written
and how this was set up to block ramp taxis
from being able to take advantage of the fund.
I appreciate that maybe you misinterpreted SB 1376
and I'm hoping that this one of the Commissioners
can take this out of consent calendar
and have further exploration as to what is going on here.
Thank you very much.
-: Thank you for calling.
Operator, the next caller, please.
Operator: The next caller is Paul Briley.
Your line is now open.
Paul: Hello, my name is Paul Briley.
I'm a regional coordinator for All of Us or None.
We advocate for the civil and human rights.
So formerly and currently incarcerated individuals.
I would like to echo one of the callers earlier,
and I just would like to know how is the Commission
planning to handle issues of privacy
right by incarcerated people and their families
who are experiencing some fear of retaliation or retribution
for speaking up at public hearings,
specifically the hearing scheduled on April 28th and 29th.
And secondly, how is the Commission prepared to identify
and prioritize calls coming from incarcerated people
who have limited time and access to communication
joining the public participation hearings
on April 28th and April 29th.
Lastly, how does the Commission plan to notice
incarcerated people and their families
of the privacy protocols that would be put in place
as well as the participation protocols
for incarcerated and detained people
to speak up at the public participation hearings.
Thank you.
-: Thank you for your call.
Operator, the next caller, please.
Operator: The next caller is Laura Rosenberger Hyder.
Your line is now open.
Laura: This is Laura, a recent LA Times story
repeated that she thinks national greenhouse gas goals
with a grid that strategically increased
distributed energy resources would be $473 billion
cheaper than relying on central generation
that would avoid transmission costs.
And the Commission should also scrutinize
the transmission projects that they think
they're paying too much for those projects
and maybe some mismanagement of money there.
All right, thank you.
-: Thank you for your call.
Operator, next caller please. -: President Batjer.
-: Yes.
-: I'm sorry to interrupt the flow.
I just wanted to encourage the callers
related to the incarcerated people workshop
to reach out to our office.
Our contact information is on our website.
And just to note that we are looking at these issues
and we'll welcome a follow-up conversation with them.
Thank you.
-: Thank you Commissioner Guzman Aceves.
That's very helpful information
for the two callers that have called in
and those that are listening.
Thank you for that clarification.
Okay, operator next caller, please.
Operator: There are no more speakers
on the public comment telephone line.
-: Okay, thank you operator.
With no more callers on the line,
the public comment period is now closed.
Thank you all who called in, appreciate it.
Before I read the whole list for today from the agenda,
I understand that Commissioner Guzman Aceves
would like to make a motion to hold an item.
Commissioner Guzman Aceves.
-: Thank you, President Batjer.
I would like to request a hold on item 12,
the microgrid proceeding.
-: Okay, we will need a motion and a second.
-: So moved.
-: Okay, Martha yours was a motion, correct,
in your statement?
-: Yes, thank you.
-: Okay, thank you.
We have a motion and a second to hold item number 12,
and I believe you wanna hold it,
we will hold it for one meeting under our rules.
That would be March 18th of 2021.
Will the agenda court please call the roll.
Clerk: Commissioner Houk.
-: Yes.
Clerk: Commissioner Shiroma.
-: Aye.
Clerk: Commissioner Rechtschaffen.
-: Yes.
Clerk: Commissioner Guzman Aceves.
-: Aye.
Clerk: President Batjer.
Marybel: Yes.
The vote to hold item number 12
to the March 18th, 2021 meeting is approved unanimously.
Okay, I will move now onto those changes
to the agenda items.
These are the following changes.
Item two will be held until the March 18th, 2021 meeting.
Item seven, we will take up with a regular agenda today.
Item 28 will be held until 18th 2021 meeting
and item 12 will be held until the March 18th,
2021 meetings.
Okay, we will now take up the consent items.
Is there a motion?
-: So moved.
-: And second
Marybel: Thank you.
We have a motion and a second on the Consent Agenda items.
Will the agenda clerk please call the role?
Clerk: Commissioner Houck.
-: Yes.
Clerk: Commissioner Shiroma.
-: Aye.
Clerk: Commissioner Rechtschaffen.
-: Yes.
Clerk: Commissioner Guzman Aceves.
-: Aye.
Clerk: President Batjer.
-: Aye.
The Consent Agenda has been approved unanimously
Commissioner Guzman Aceves,
I believe you have a remark to make on item 13.
-: Yeah, thank you President Batjer.
Just to highlight and thank all of the team
that's been working on the California Ground Service Fund.
As you know, this is our largest infrastructure fund
for broadband and we had a couple of provisions
in this decision.
One really improving some of the data requirements
for actually knowing the state of hairs in our areas
of being unserved and some of the investments
that some of the carriers are actually making.
So this is really a transparency provision
that I'm glad to have received your support on today.
And the other very important provision
was actually something that was in place previously
and reinstated here of an open access requirement
with these publicly funded infrastructure projects.
And I can't tell you how much, how important this is
particularly for the middle mile investments
to have this non-discriminatory provision.
Sorry, my son is yelling at our new puppy.
but it really has led to successful projects
throughout the state.
I wanna just highlight the city of Gonzalez
being one that actually provides universal service
to the entire town.
Largely far more than town only made possible
because they have this non-discriminatory access
to the middle mile.
So I thank you for your support on that.
Again, also wanting to thank this incredible team
that I had the privilege of working with for four years
under the leadership of Celina Juan
and all the great legal contribution
particularly from (indistinct) and I can go on and on
with all the folks in the communications division.
So for this particular decision, Lou Fisher and James Tang
and of course our judge Joanna Guvman.
I wanna thank them for this and I wanted to just share
that after this decision, and of course, President Batjer,
your partnership, your Bagley King partnerships
and particularly your staff, Michael Malaney.
But as we finish up this decision,
this proceeding will be now in the hands
of Commissioner Houck, which I have complete confidence in.
She will be doing much more to expand all the work
under this proceeding and getting further
on our universal broadband access goals.
So thank you for letting me share that
and for your support on this item today
-: Thank you, Commissioner Guzman Aceves.
I believe that Commissioner Shiroma
will make a remark on item 11.
-: Yes, thank you, President Batjer.
I wanted to take a moment to highlight the track three
wheelchair accessible vehicles decision
that we just voted out.
Thank you.
I would like to note for our commentary today
that the legislature saw fit or a few years ago
to have a taxis regulated by local jurisdictions
rather than the CPUC.
But meanwhile the Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle Program
was created by the TNC Assets For All Act
NC 1376 by Senator Hill in 2018.
At this time there are TNC companies
providing wheelchair accessible service,
but this decision works towards ensuring
that that service receives continuously improved
reliable and available service.
And this decision we have created refinements
to the requirements for wheelchair accessible
vehicle service providers to receive a financial offsets
for the incremental cost they incurred that are grounded
in improving service and expanding access.
And this includes benchmarks to ensure that transportation
that were companies that are providing services
continues to grow and also improve
in terms of response times and so forth
that are similar to non wheelchair users.
Mission to the TNC is providing these services
with this position is also creating opportunities
for other regulated transportation providers
such as (indistinct) transit to be able to access
these funds to safely expand access
to wheelchair accessible vehicles for more Californians.
Now having what did out this track three decision,
I anticipate issuing a stopping memo very soon
for our track four, where we will continue to expand
transmission access to those with access
and functional needs beyond wheelchair access.
I do wanna thank the team that has been working on this,
Administrative Law Judge, Debbie Shift,
Supervisor Jared Curtis, analysts Anna Chu,
Reagan Rocksford, our trainee Tricia Buckley,
my former advisor, Karen Schia who is now
the water division director
and my chief of staff (indistinct).
Again, thank you for your support.
-: Thank you very much, Commissioner Shiroma.
Okay, no other comments on the consent calendar,
we'll move on to the regular agenda item.
The first item is number seven (indistinct).
Item to discuss and present.
-: Thank you.
This item and the resolution is the culmination
of a several year effort to revise the PUC's rules
of procedure and practice.
Our goal has been to achieve greater transparency,
greater effectiveness
and more accessibility in our proceeding.
And of course, these rules of practice and procedure
will govern how utilities advocacy groups
and others participate in our decision-making process.
So this resolution actually is the last step in our process
before the state office of administrative law
reviews the proposed rules.
We adopted by Commission vote an earlier version
of these rules changes in September
and this resolution contained some relatively
minor revisions to improve the clarity of the rules.
So I'll just take a step back and highlight
a few of the big changes that this rules reform
package accomplishes.
We've integrated through these rules
the new catastrophic wildfire proceeding category
and it's expedited schedule throughout the rules.
This is of course mandated by the legislature in AB 1054.
We've also created a new rule
for other expedited proceedings
establishing a streamlined process
for a limited category of applications
Those that concern exceptionally time-sensitive matters
with a public safety or financial impact.
We want to improve accessibility to do that,
the rules provide that our proceedings
should include the option for remote participation
whenever possible.
We want to extend the lessons we've learned
through the pandemic to the post pandemic period.
We revised the structure of a subset of our proceedings,
quasi legislative proceedings
so that they're better defined
and so that we can distinguish these matters
from other types of Commission proceedings.
The rules go on to identify the tools
that we should presumptively use
in quasi legislative proceedings for engaging the public.
And these include tools like staff reports, workshops
and public outreach.
We've also clarified how members of the public
who are not formal parties to our proceedings
can nonetheless comment on these formal proceedings
and we've indicated how their comments may be reflected
in our decisions.
So those are just some of the highlights of this package.
Next steps.
The office of administrative law
will review the proposed changes,
which hopefully we'll adapt today.
And if they're approved, the normal schedule
would be for them to go into effect
by July 1st of this year.
We intend to request an earlier effective date
of May 1st so that we can get these rules in place.
I gave a lot of thanks the last time
these rules were before us, but I wanna reiterate.
My many thanks to the numerous stakeholders
who've engaged throughout this process,
including our workshops and public hearings
and to the mini Commission staff members who worked on this.
I wanna especially single out judges Park and Yacktman
for their institutional knowledge
and for very skillfully managing our filings
with the office of administrative law.
I wanna give a shout out to former Commissioner
Leanne Randolph.
She co-led this initiative during her term
and her chair and co-chair stints
on the policy and governance committee,
as well as the many staff who worked on this
in our offices, Sean Simon, and Sydney George in my staff
and in conditional Randolph Staff, Suzanne Kasasa
and Annan Basila.
So with that, I asked for your support.
-: Thank you very much Commissioner Rechtschaffen.
And I just want to add my voice to that of yours
in thanking the staff.
This was an incredible undertaking
and people talk all the time about our archaic processes
and that we need to streamlining
and we need to be more accessible and indeed more effective.
And all of the hard work that you and Commissioner Randolph
put in along with the staff was really quite tremendous
and really moved our meter forward.
So I wanna thank you very much,
and I'm excited about these changes.
And as you mentioned in the post pandemic era,
we've really made strides during the pandemic
and these changes will continue
and it's a positive thoughtful approach
to doing some streamlining
and making our processes more effective.
So thank you and I certainly will have my support.
Any other comments on item number seven?
Okay, see none, will the agenda clerk please call the role.
-: President Batjer, sorry.
Unfortunately--
(distorted sound)
-: Sorry, Martha, I can't see you.
So either way everybody just speak up if you want.
Mrs. Guzman Aceves.
-: Thank you Commissioner Rechtschaffen
has been a tremendous amount of work and interesting,
some of the clarifications I think no language
are even clear.
I want to maybe go back to an item on page 17,
the striking of the reference to the tribal land policy
and implementing guidelines and request
if it's not a issue with any the timing,
a friendly amendment here to strike that provision.
I know at the time we had assessed
that given that we had yet to adopt the guidelines,
it was like many of these changes, you said something
and we miss an opportunity for a new change.
So just to see your thoughts on the ability to strike that
now that the guidelines have been formally adopted.
-: I'm gonna try to pull up the reference.
Unfortunately, what I'm worried about is that any change
at this slight late date might disrupt our process
since we have been working closely
with the office of administrative law
to make sure that we're copacetic with their suggestions.
I'm leery about even introducing anything even minor
because if we delay the time of submission,
we get off their six month calendar,
we might have to start from scratch.
So, that's my concern.
I'm a little bit worried about doing anything.
I'm risk averse.
-: Yeah, I share that concern, Commissioner Rechtschaffen.
I take your point well, Commissioner Guzman Aceves.
However a minor change can put us back off calendar
as well as back out for a 15 day comment if not 45,
depending on how the office of administrative law
sees the change.
Maybe it's another additional,
I mean, we will continue reforms,
we must continue reform.
So perhaps we can take that particular concern up
in our next processes of change and reform.
-: Well, we certainly can do that.
And as you say, we've grouped a bunch of changes
in this package, but it's not the end of the story.
And there are things we never got to
that we hope to get to going forward.
-: President Batjer, I did have some comments for this item.
I'm gonna defer to Commissioner Rechtschaffen
on the issue regarding the tribal land policy
so that it's not delayed.
And I don't think that it prevents us
from further considering it or implementing the policy
with the current regulations.
But I did have some brief comments.
-: Sure, go ahead please.
-: So I wanted to thank Commissioner Rechtschaffen
and former Commissioner Randolph for all the work
and leading this effort to revise the rules of practice
and procedure.
The amendments will ensure consistency
with the statutory requirements
and enhanced transparency and effectiveness
of the process and echo Commissioner Rechtschaffen's
thanks to everyone that was part of this initiative
including the stakeholders, ALJ and legal divisions
and the many PUC staff who worked on the project,
specifically recognizing the contributions
of the lead drafters and ALJ division
Judge Jackman and Judge Park, as well as Christine Powell
my interim chief of staff and my advisors, Suzanne Kasasa
who supported Commissioner Randolph in this effort.
And I'm supporting moving this forward.
-: Okay, I'm going to ask Anne if we need to take
any formal action on Commissioner Guzman Aceves'
suggestion on a friendly amendment.
Do we need to literally have a motion for that
and then vote on it?
-: President Batjer, you don't need a motion.
You could consider it as part of the discussion
unless Commissioner Guzman Aceves wants to make a motion
and then you would vote separately
on the proposed amendment and then on the main item.
-: Thank you for that clarification.
Commissioner Guzman Aceves, did you want something
-: It didn't sound like Commissioner Rechtschaffen
wants to risk that.
So I will no make a motion.
-: Okay, thank you Commissioner.
Okay, with that, I will ask the agenda clerk
to please call the roll in this item number seven.
Clerk: Commissioner Houck.
-: Yes.
Clerk: Commissioner Shiroma.
-: Aye.
Clerk: Commissioner Rechtschaffen.
-: Yes.
Clerk: Commissioner Guzman Aceves.
-: Aye.
Clerk: President Batjer.
-: Aye.
The vote is unanimous.
Thank you.
We're moving on now to item number 27,
the order instituting rulemaking to update
the surcharge mechanism for the public purpose program.
Director Rob Osborn and Felix Robert
from the communications division will give the presentation.
We will take a vote after the presentation.
Rob: Thank you, President Batjer.
Can you hear me?
Marybel: Yes, we can hear you fine, Rob.
-: Thank you for your time today, Commissioners
in allowing me to present.
I'm joined by Felix Roblis,
the program and project supervisor of the high cost
fund A and B and surcharge collection.
I have four slides to present and falling that,
Felix and I are available for questions.
The purpose of this OIR and maybe we could pull
the slides up or the presentation.
If we could go back to the first line before we go on this,
thank you.
The purpose of this OIR is to address the need
for sustainable and cost-effective methods for funding
the state's universal service, public purpose programs.
The current funding mechanism is based
on a percentage surcharge applied
to intrastate telecommunication services revenue
and it's not sustainable due to the continuing decline
of interest state revenue billing base
reported by service providers.
This rulemaking seeks to implement a straightforward
and flexible structure for providers
to collect and remit surcharges
to support the public purpose programs
while also collecting user fees.
We see very significant upsides for consumers,
carriers and the state.
For consumers, it's more equitable
because there will no longer be differences
based on technology where a traditional landline customer
pays two to 10 times more than a wireless
or a VIP customer.
For carriers, a flat rate mechanism or a per connection
surcharge is easier to calculate and remit
than calculating interest state revenue.
And for the state, a per connection surcharges
is easier to track and audit and it provides a more reliable
and predictable revenue base for the PUC to plan
and fund universal service programs.
This OIR would be separated into two phases.
Phase one would consider reforming the surcharge mechanism
as it is today and the user fee
from the existing revenue based approach
to a per access line flat rate and user mechanism
by January, 2022.
Phase two would review the reasonableness
of the surcharges and user fees,
the telecommunications service providers impose
on end-users as well as additional taxes
fees and surcharges assessed by federal state
and local governments.
Governor Newsome's 2021/2022 budget highlights the effect
of hidden fees and surcharges on broadband service.
It said even for those with an available connection
broadband service can still be out of reach
because it is on affordable.
Hidden fees and expensive devices
can make access unattainable.
An estimated 31% of Californians with internet access
have not adopted broadband had benchmark speeds.
And the national model review
stated that the federal universal service fund
contribution factor which 31.8% for the first quarter
of 2021 and the widespread recognition
of broadband as an essential service,
particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic
may prove to be the tipping point
on universal service contribution reform.
Next slide, please.
The billing base is the total of interest state revenue
reported by all the authorized carriers
and the data is collected and maintained
through the Commissions telecommunication
user fee filing system, otherwise known as TUFS.
This graph shows the declining reported intrastate
billing base against which the state's universal
service program surcharges are assessed.
You can see there's a downward trend
that has been continuing since 2012.
In a later slide, I'll show some examples
of how the surcharges vary by technology.
You can see the yellow up above the wireless
is declining rather rapidly.
And there's several reasons for that.
So for wireless, which is also mobile service,
text messaging and data are classified
as information services effective December 12th, 2018
pursuant to the FCC and are not subject to CPC surcharges.
This contributed to an immediate and sizable decline
in wireless intrastate revenue reporting.
Also competition amongst cellular providers
have driven down the cost of retail monthly service plans
for end users resulting in decreased intrastate
revenue reporting.
Voicemail services are also classified
as information services.
So that's not no longer included in intrastate revenue.
And then finally, as we're all aware the subscribership
for plain old telephone service for your land line
is declining gradually as well.
And you'll see that on the blue graph
in the reported revenue intrastate revenue
for wireline is declining.
Next slide, please.
The graph at the center shows how the Commission
has had to raise surcharges over time
as the reported intrastate revenue has declined.
So you can see in 2012, the total surcharges
for all six programs was 2.27%
and it has gone up to 7.749% in 2020.
The table at the top shows the current surcharges
and just going from the left, we have the ULTS,
which is the Universal Lifeline Telephone Service,
4.75 DDTP is Deaf and Disabled Program.
That surcharge is set in statute at 0.5%.
High cost fund aid, California High Cost Fund A,
CHCF A is 0.7, High Cost Fund B is currently zero.
And that we reduced that to zero back in 2014
because we had an abundance of money in that account
and we wanted to spend down the balance.
California Teleconnect CTF is 0.78%,
and the California Events Services Fund is 1.019%
totaling 7.749%.
Next slide please.
So this slide shows specific examples
of how public purpose program surcharges are assessed
on different kinds of telephone service.
At the top, we have an example from a traditional AT&T
of landline bill, and this bill is from 2018.
So you'll see that the surcharge total
which is in the first, sorry, just to the left
of the first red box, which says 6.94%.
That's below the current rate of 7.749.
And that's because the the surcharges
were lower back in 2018, so we're using older bill.
But even back then you can see how the total surcharge
amount collected for that wireline bill
is significantly larger than the one right below it.
So the $2.89 cents for the ATT plain old telephone service
is the amount collected for that customer.
And then the AT$T mobile right below that is only 29 cents.
And this kind of underscores the difference
in how the surcharges are assessed
against different technologies.
So I've spoken a little bit about why the difference
between wireline and wireless.
If you think about your wire line
on your plain old telephone, all you're using that for
is telephone service.
You're not going on to YouTube, or you're not doing
all sorts of other activities like surfing the web,
it's simply for telephone.
And that's why it's significantly higher
in terms of reported intrastate revenue.
Next slide please.
So according to near route 20 states
have already transitioned from an intrastate
revenue based funding mechanism
to a per connection charge.
And you can see the list of states here.
And just as an example, New Mexico,
they had a per connection surcharge
that was $1.17 per month per subscriber in 2018.
That was based on roughly 3 million connections.
And that monthly fee pays for the state's rural universal
service fund.
It's essentially like our high cost fund aid
paying for rural telephone service in high cost areas.
And just then for other state comparisons,
there's 33 states that are collecting
for our equivalent of DDTP the deaf and disabled
telephone program.
Lifeline, there's 17 states collecting surcharges
for lifeline and there's also broadband programs
that are collected.
And again, all of that is included
in a single per connection surcharge
as opposed to based on intrastate revenue.
So I know we've gone through a lot
and I wanted to open it up for questions.
And as I said earlier, Felix and I are available
to answer any questions you may have.
-: Thank you, Director Osborne for your presentation
very helpful information.
This truly is becoming a dire situation.
It was concerning to me when we voted just a few months ago
to double the surcharge rate for CASF
and the high cost fund programs.
And that was just to maintain and not even increase
in the same amount of revenue
those programs were collecting.
Looking forward, I'm most concerned that the deaf
and disabled telecommunications programs
will become insolvent.
It's been eye opening to see the discrepancies
between how much users of different services
they in surcharges.
There are even significant discrepancies
in what different companies are offering
the same service charge customers.
It seems that the system is a little broken
and I'm looking forward to this proceeding
to fix these issues and set our public policy programs
on a solid and equitable foundation.
That is of course those areas
that we have the authority to fix.
So thank you again, and I will be supporting this OIR.
I'm going to ask my fellow Commissioners,
if any of them have comments on this item,
which is item 27.
-: Yes, thank you, President Batjer.
-: Yes, thank you.
Commissioner Shiroma, please, go ahead.
-: Thank you.
Yes, I'm also in support of opening this rulemaking
and I want to thank communications division staff.
Thank you, Rob, for your presentation
to the administrative division on the work
on putting together this proposed OIR.
The CPUP six public purpose programs
provide essential services and assistance
to me as a household.
And for example, the lifeline program
currently provides free or discounted phone
and broadband service to about 1.7 million
California households.
This is essential services.
However, even in providing that service,
that is only about 40% of the eligible households
that could be enrolled in the program.
Now that is actually one of the highest rates
for lifeline programs in the nation.
But from our standards that's still considered
a low enrollment.
So as a CPUC works to increase that enrollment,
we must also work to make sure the funding
is adequate and sustainable.
And all the more that is why is OIR is needed.
We're fortunate to be living in a time of rapid
technological developments,
where new methods of communication make it easier to connect
and its essential to connect.
Yet, we need to align our public purpose programs funding
for this shift.
So otherwise we risk the future
of these vital services for so many Californians.
So thank you to everyone who worked on this proposed OIR
and I'm pleased to support it.
Thank you.
-: Okay, thank you.
Are there any other comments?
-: Yes, President Batjer, this is Commissioner Houck.
Just a brief comment, I wanted to thank the communications
division staff for presenting the item and ALJ fortune
for preparing the order.
Our public purpose programs are important tools
for increasing access to phone and internet services
for all Californians and the communications industry
and related technologies have changed drastically
since the inception of these programs.
This rulemaking will provide the Commission
a forum to hear from stakeholders and a vehicle
to modernize the public purpose program funding mechanisms.
I'm also mindful that the surcharges
are out up on customer bills, and in particular
out up on customer bills, and in particular
for those customers that rely on wireline service.
And with that, I will be supporting the decision
-: Thank you, Commissioner Houck.
Any other comments.
Yes, Commissioner Rechtschaffen.
-: I wanna echo what my colleagues have said.
This is an extremely important
and very very timely rulemaking.
It's way past debate that access to communication
is essential in today's world.
that access to communication is essential in today's world.
We've seen dramatically during the pandemic
our surcharge to keep up with the changing market.
And it is critical that we have a sustainable
And it's critical that we have a sustainable
and predictable source of funding
programs that Rob and Commissioner Shiroma described.
programs that Robyn Commissioner Shiroma described.
-: Thank you Commissioner Rechtschaffen.
Yes, Commissioner Guzman Aceves.
-: Commissioner Guzman Aceves.
for finally bringing this forward.
It's so long overdue a forum, and I look forward
to a quick PD.
overdue a forum, and I look forward to a quick PD.
Thank you Commissioner Guzman Aceves.
Thank you.
And I just wanna say again, thank you,
Rob and Felix, for all your hard work
and those of your colleagues on this effort.
-: So with that, I'm going to ask the agenda clerk
to please call the roll on item number 27.
Clerk: Commissioner Houck.
-: Commissioner Houck.
Clerk: Commissioner Guzman, excuse me.
Commissioner Shiroma.
-: Commissioner Shiroma.
Clerk: Commissioner Rechtschaffen.
-: Yes.
Clerk: Commissioner Guzman Aceves.
-: Commissioner Guzman Aceves.
Clerk: President Batjer.
-: Aye.
Thank you very much, item 27 is passed unanimously.
Moving on now to item 29
Item 27 is passed unanimously moving on now to item 29
which is Commissioner Rechtschaffen to present.
-: This is an extension order.
This proceeding relates to the proposed acquisition
by California American Water Company.
by California American water company.
and it was subsequently withdrawn
as we decided to reopen the record
to take additional evidence
take additional evidence
of the Bellflower Water System.
As directed by the assigned judge Callahan,
has submitted a list of contractors
qualified to conduct the evaluation.
of contractors qualified to conduct the evaluation.
The water division is reviewing that list
in extension of the deadline until next March,
March 15th, 2022, is needed to allow sufficient time
for the evaluation to be completed
for the parties to respond to the evaluation
and for a proposed decision to be issued in and voted on.
-: Okay, thank you.
Thank you.
Okay, seeing none, will the agenda clerk
please call the roll.
Clerk: Commissioner Houck.
-: Commissioner Houck.
Clerk: Commissioner Shiroma.
-: Commissioner Shiroma.
Clerk: Commissioner Rechtschaffen.
-: Yes.
Clerk: Commissioner Guzman Aceves.
-: Commissioner Guzman Aceves.
Clerk: President Batjer.
-: Aye.
Thank you.
Item 29 is passed unanimously, thank you.
Moving on now to item 30, Commissioner Guzman Aceves
will present.
on now to item 30 Commissioner Guzman Surveys will present.
-: Thank you.
This item is the order extending the statutory deadline
for the direct access proceeding.
We are in phase two of this proceeding
and we've been considering the legislative mandates
under SPC 37, and particularly to provide a recommendation
on how potentially to reopen the direct access cap.
but since the deadline is March 15th,
but since the deadline is March 15th
I wanted to extend the deadline to June 30th of this year.
Thank you.
Are there any questions on item number 30 or comments?.
Okay, seeing none, will the agenda clerk,
please call the roll?
Clerk: Commissioner Houck.
-: Commissioner Houck.
Clerk: Commissioner Shiroma.
-: Commissioner Shiroma.
Clerk: Commissioner Rechtschaffen.
-: Michelle Rechtschaffen.
-: Yes.
-: Commissioner Guzman Aceves.
Clerk: President Batjer.
-: President Batjer.
Thank you.
Item number 30 is passed unanimously.
Moving on now to item 31, which is assigned to me.
to item 31, which is assigned to me.
This decision extends the statutory deadline
for the proceeding.
Reviewing the application of prop SF, a ferry service
operating in the San Francisco Bay area.
For additional authority to change their rates
and modify their service territory.
Additional time was necessary to provide appropriate
due process to the parties that filed protests.
A proposed decision is expected imminently
and therefore a short extension to June 7th, 2021
is necessary to allow the parties to and deliberate.
allow the parties to and deliberate.
I ask for your support for this extension.
Thank you.
Seeing none, will the agenda clerk, please call the roll?
Clerk: Commissioner Houck.
-: Commissioner Houck.
Clerk: Commissioner Shiroma.
-: Commissioner Shiroma.
Clerk: Commissioner Rechtschaffen.
-: Commissioner Rechtschaffen.
Clerk: Commissioner Guzman Aceves.
-: Commissioner Guzman Aceves.
Clerk: President Batjer.
-: President Batjer.
-: Aye.
Item 31 is passed unanimously.
Item 32 is also assigned to me,
this order extending statutory deadline
is for the consolidated proceeding to consider PG&E 2018
nuclear deCommissioning POS triennial application
and authorization to establish the Diablo Canyon
application and authorization to establish the Diablo Canyon
In joint motion for adoption of a settlement agreement
was filed by the majority of the parties in the proceeding
in 2020.
The Administrative Law Judge has reviewed the terms
in 2020. The Administrative Law Judge has reviewed the terms
of the settlement and is currently drafting a proposed
An extension of the statutory deadline
to September 13th, 2021, is necessary
in order to allow enough time for the judge
to issue a proposed decision and to allow the Commission
enough time to deliberate and issue its final decision.
and issue its final decision.
I ask for your support.
Any questions or comments?
Okay, thank you.
Clerk: Commissioner Houck?
-: Commissioner Houck?
Clerk: Commissioner Shiroma?
-: Commissioner Shiroma?
Clerk: Commissioner Rechtschaffen.
-: Commissioner Rechtschaffen.
Clerk: Commissioner Guzman Aceves?
-: Commissioner Guzman Aceves?
Clerk: President Batjer?
-: Aye, thank you.
-: Aye. Thank you.
Commissioner Rechtschaffen that is yours to present.
-: This extension order concerns our investigation
into California 1 million new internet users
coalitions misuse of CASF funds.
The parties engaged in ADR last year
through 2019 to 2020 rather,
through 2019 through 2020 rather,
and a partial settlement was reached with several parties.
A one party community union declined to settle
and has not been dismissed from the investigation.
It was an evidentiary hearing held last August.
That party filed the motion to disqualify me
as the assigned Commissioner
We need to extend the proceeding deadline
to address the party's motion
and resolve the remaining claims of this one party
that has not settled.
of this one party that has not settled.
I request your support to extend the deadline
to September of this year.
-: Thank you.
Are there any comments or questions
Okay, seeing none, will the agenda clerk
please call the roll?
Clerk: Commissioner Houck?
-: Commissioner Houck?
Clerk: Commissioner Shiroma.
-: Commissioner Schannoma.
Clerk: Commissioner Rechtschaffen.
-: Commissioner Rechtschaffen..
Clerk: Commissioner Guzman Aceves.
-: Commissioner Guzman Aceves.
Clerk: President Batjer.
-: President Batjer.
-: Aye.
Thank you.
Item 33 has passed unanimously.
That completes our regular agenda items.
There is no report for item 34,
report and discussion on recent consumer protections
and discussion on recent consumer protections
and safety activities management report.
And there is no report on item 35,
which is the management report on administrative activities.
We are now at the Commissioner reports on the agenda,
Commissioner reports.
Mission reports?
-: President Batjer.
-: Yes.
-: I have one announcement.
This is an announcement in of an IRP workshop.
March 10th in the afternoon, from 2:00 to 4:30
we'll be holding a workshop on the ALJ's ruling
that was issued last month on midterm reliability analysis
on midterm reliability analysis
The ruling proposes requiring load serving entities
to procure 700 megawatts
procure 700 megawatts
of new net qualifying capacity for 2024 to 2026.
Now that's nameplate capacity is much harder than that.
So it's a lot of new megawatts of clean energy.
And the ruling asked the parties to weigh in
These include revising our planning reserve margin,
the amount of capacity that we propose over and above
expected demand to cushion against unexpected events.
The types of resources load serving entities should procure,
which load serving entities should be responsible
for that procurement, how cost allocation
should be carried out among the different entities,
among other issues.
out among the different entities among other issues.
So this is a workshop.
This workshop is a very good opportunity
for our staff to explain the proposal
and the underlying data and analysis that went into it.
of the comments that they will be filing later this month
and early next month.
this month and early next month.
This is really where the rubber hits the road
while strengthening electric reliability.
So we encourage as many people as possible
to join in the workshop.
I wanna also extend my welcome to Commissioner Houck.
I want to also extend my welcome to Commissioner Houck.
We've already given her an internal welcome
and President Batjer gave a very gracious introduction
at the start, but we're delighted to have you back
and to have you here working with us.
And we very much look forward
to your leadership and collaboration.
-: Thank you, Commissioner Rechtschaffen.
Who would like to go next?
Okay, yes Commissioner Shiroma.
-: Yes, thank you President Batjer.
I have a number of reports to share
and I also want to welcome Commissioner Houck
back to the desk and to returning back to the Commission.
Look forward to working with you.
So I wanted to take a moment to thank my advisor
Terrence Schia for his time, working in my office
and to congratulate him and his new role as a CPCU
water division director.
Terrence served in my office almost two years,
helped me on water, telecommunications, transportation.
Provided leadership on our Commission initiatives
related to greater water affordability,
bringing broadband to the lifeline program,
intimating access to transportation
for users of wheelchairs,
greater deployment of autonomous vehicles.
So I want to thank him for his contributions
to team Shiroma.
And I look forward to working with Terrance
as the water division director.
I also want to welcome Gerald Kelly to my office
as an interim advisor.
in the Administrative Law Judge division since 2015.
in the administrative watch judge division since 2015.
As the ALJ, he has worked on a wide spectrum of matters,
including a right making across the industries,
the enforcement transportation emergency preparedness
and consumer protection.
Gerald began his legal career as a deputy attorney general
working on toes in implement litigation defense
for the state of California.
And he joined my team as an interim advisor on Monday.
I also want to take a moment to reflect on our CPUC
race on mars we hosted last week Wednesday
and a companion white paper that was released
by our energy division for comments
which are due by March 19th.
All the Commissioners along with the Commissioners
from the California energy Commission,
the Governors from the California
independent system operator,
Matt Baker from the natural resources agency
and assemblyman Holder of central Queso attending this
and working in a timely event.
And he heard that we should expect rates to continue to rise
over the next 10 years on constant living
and that affordability is essential to California
achieving its climate goals.
The impact of the energy burden on California today
is something we need to pay attention to,
first providing for affordability
and meeting those very important climate goals.
We've heard ideas from utilities right here,
advocates and academia on opportunities
to reduce utility costs towards assessing our business
as usual and garnering savings for taxpayers.
I found it insightful to hear the research
on how dollar spent on utility bills to fund things
like wildfire mitigation also create jobs
and economic benefits for California customers
towards helping to lift households.
But that we also need to be strategic
to ensure that we are raising wages
and appropriate workforce training is available
to get people ready to participate
in the next phase of our clean economy.
And finally, we heard that while here here's the Commission,
we are hard at work leveraging rate per dollars
to fund wildfire mitigation, climate change initiatives
and so forth through our general rate cases and proceedings,
there may be opportunities to really think outside
of the current box, look at restructuring rates
and seek other funding sources as well.
So it would be interesting to see the path forward
that we take.
I wanna thank the team for this effort.
Alphonse Chang, David Bismore, Julia ND,
Oncate Jane, Bridget Sharon Smith, Nathan Barsik,
Elaine Sisi Libria, Nate.
I'm sorry, Gene Spencer, Elizabeth Lapur,
Christopher Wrestling, Paul Phillips, Sonny Baker
Terry Fosper, Mary Claire Brown and the (indistinct).
Terry Prosper, Mary Claire Brown and the (indistinct).
It's a team that covers a wide spectrum
of energy across our CTC.
Everything from breaks to transmission,
in affordability and reaching our clean climate goals.
in affordability and reaching are our clean climate goals.
I also wanna highlight that we have a couple meetings
coming up.
quarterly meeting of the Universal Lifeline
Telephone Service Trust Administrative Committee or ULTSTAC.
telephone service trust administrative committee or ULTSTAC.
It will be held next week, Wednesday on March 10th
from 1:30 to 4:30 on WebEx, that committee advises us
on the lifeline program.
At the meeting, we'll be...
Well, I'm not asking as official member for the charter.
I have a Commissioner, that's a member
but I am the sponsor of this committee.
They will be voting on new board members
and officers and receiving an update
on the status of a boost mobile care pilot program.
And the iFoster pilot that we voted out in 2019
and hearing what they're doing connects with customers
enrolled in our low-income NG programs
and how those programs are doing
in progress of its planning.
Again, these are pilot programs.
We do have a few vacancies on the committee.
We need a few more members and alternate
that needs to be dominated by other organizations
We need some community-based organization members.
Weed some community-based organization members.
We need some consumer advocate members.
And so I'm intending to work with the committee
towards filling those vacancies.
They are appointed by our executive director.
So anyone who is interested to take a look at our website
and also our daily calendar gets for the details
in the meeting.
And then the next day on March 11th,
the low income oversight board meeting
is holding its first quarterly meeting of 2021.
The board advises Commission on low income energy
and water issues and programs and served as a liaison
to our low income communities.
And the focus of this courting meeting
is to hear the energy and water utilities
on their transition plans in anticipation of a moratorium
for emergency consumer protections
that are expiring on June 30th.
It hurts my comments today saying April 1st,
but actually June 30th.
and 48/49 and we voted out at our January voting meeting
to extend the moratorium and to provide very clear guidance
to extend the Moratorium and to provide very clear guidance
to the utilities on how to prepare.
I understand that all the Commissioners planted 10
to hear those presentations, which will be in the morning.
Again, the meeting starts at 9:00 a.m.
And that should be a good insight
to how utilities are planning.
The goal again, is to assure that the customers
who are experiencing urges and experiencing problems
and being able to pay the utility bill to guide them
on what happened when the Moratorium is rested
and how the utilities will be working with those customers
on payment plans and so forth.
They are on the LIOB website.
They are on the LAOB website.
through the venue of the lower income oversight board
through the venue of the Rowan's oversight board
and then provide their finalized and replies responses
by April 1st.
I'm sorry, there are comments due by...
Let me look at this again.
Okay, they have to file their arise plan cycle first
and responses and the process are due April 21st.
All of this information is on our website.
So I just wanna thank a little and some oversight board
for providing the venue for hearing about these plans.
And again, more can be seen at the CTC website,
NFC LIOB website, liob.org.
our very own President Batjer on her recent appointment
our very own President Batjeron her recent appointment
to the executive board of a National Association
of Regulatory Utility Commissioners or NARUC.
NARUC is a nationwide organization
and best practices towards improving the quality
and best processes towards improving the quality
and effectiveness of public utility regulation.
Commissioners from all of the 50 states and territories
and water, communications.
and water communications.
Each of us serve on various NARUC committees.
And with president Badtjer's appointment
to the governing board, this will provide
an even greater opportunity to ensure that lessons learned
and innovation arising from our California work
But congratulations President Batjer.
But congratulations President Badger.
-: Thank you.
-: Okay, yes, Commissioner Guzman Aceves.
-: Thank you.
And yes, congratulations.
You needed another governing body to be a part of.
I'm very glad that you have accepted that role.
I really do think it's gonna lead to much more
of a California policy influence discussion
at the national level.
And I did wanna acknowledge also Commissioner Shiroma
I, and I did wanna acknowledge also Commissioner Shiroma
and just the tremendous boost
that you have given to these public advisory bodies.
It's really tremendous and how you succeeded
in integrating them into our direct policymaking,
most evidently with these transition plans
that will be presented at the LIOB.
So thank you for that and thank you for your consciousness
and intention in ensuring that there's community
representation on these bodies in particularly
some of the lifeline advisory committees.
I also wanted to acknowledge Commissioner Rechtschaffen
in your workshop on the IRP and just the utter importance
and timeliness of that forthcoming decisions.
I did wanna share that I also am looking forward
to that workshop.
And in particular would like as you evolve
in your consideration of all the input,
that we really take into account Aliso
and all the scenarios that we're looking at with Aliso,
really the ability to replace some of the gas generation
with a non gas dependent generation in the LA basin
is a very timely priority.
And I hope you consider frankly augmenting
what you're looking at now to accommodate
in any of the scenarios that we're currently deliberating
on Aliso.
And in addition, I also wanted to announce
as you mentioned the CASF program that Commissioner Houck
will now be leading up does have a mandated annual workshop.
And we will be holding this one March 30th
from 10:00 to 1:00 p.m. and very excited to announce
that STC, interim chair, woman Jessica Rosenworcel
has accepted our invitation to participate
and we also, yes, very excited about that.
She would like to have a fireside chat,
so expect a really good dialogue with her.
And also the legislative leadership Senator Gonzalez
and hopefully concerning student Aggie Curry
who both in the leaders on the CSS
So hopefully you can put that on your calendars,
March 30th 10:00 to 1:00.
In addition, as you know in our adoption
of the tribal land policy guidelines
and we committed to doing in that resolution
and implementation workshop
and also just to hold
on your calendars, that will be April 14th
for all of you interested in that
More details to come.
And I wasn't going to mention so early
the incarcerated people workshop
And since the public didn't mention it,
as you know we are working really
as unique circumstance here.
And as you heard from the public today,
there was an interest in seeing if there's a way for us
to hear directly from the incarcerated people.
We'll see if we meet that challenge.
For sure, we hope to obviously have friends and family
as an advocates as we have been engaged with them.
But that will be a new frontier for us on public engagement.
So open to any ideas on that front,
but we will be obviously Commissioner Shiroma
and myself working together on seeing how much
of that engagement we can get.
So that will be a later age in April,
April 28th and 29th, but more to come on details for that.
Thank you.
-: Thank you, Commissioner Guzman Aceves.
Commissioner Houck, did you have some comments
you'd like to make today.
-: Yes, thank you President Batjer.
I would like to, again, just thank everyone
for welcoming me back to the Commission
and helping me get acclimated to my new role.
I'd like to first think you again, President Batjer
and your staff, and also congratulate you
on the NARUC appointment.
Thank Commissioner Guzman Aceves, Commissioner Rechtschaffen
and Commissioner Shiroma, the office of the Commission,
our executive director, Rachel Peterson and her staff,
particularly Douglas Wilson.
And my transition team who I'll introduce in just a moment.
I also wanted to thank the Commission's IT
and HR departments for assisting me
in getting everything set up and with all the paperwork.
As many of you know, I'm not new to the Commission,
I'm really excited to be back and working with everyone.
Prior to my return, again as was mentioned earlier,
I was chief counsel of the California Energy Commission
and I wanted to also say thank you to chair Hawkshield
and all the Commissioners at the energy Commission,
Drew Bowen, the executive director and my former team
and the chief counsel's office for the opportunity
to serve as their chief counsel and all of the support
everyone at the energy Commission provided to me
during my transition
back to the public utilities Commission.
And I would now like to introduce my transition team.
First is Christine Powell, who is my interim chief of staff
and has just absolutely been amazing.
She's so organized and on top of everything.
I just appreciate her more than I can say.
Christine joined the Commission in 2018
and most recently served
as former Commissioner Randolph chief of staff.
Prior to that, she served as an ALJ here at the PUC
and as an attorney at the office of the general counsel
at FERC.
She also worked as a public accountant
for Price water house Coopers and an international
internal auditor for Abbott laboratories.
She holds a JD from Santa Clara University School of Law
and a BBA and accountancy from Howard University.
Again, Christine is just absolutely amazing
and I just can't thank her enough for everything she's done
since I've been here.
Next is Mary Claire Brown who's serving
as one of my interim energy policy advisors.
Mary Claire joined the PUC in 2014 and previously served
as an energy advisor to Commissioner Shiroma for two years
focusing on rate design and low-income assistance programs.
She also served as an analyst in energy division
on behind the meter energy storage incentives
rule 21 interconnection and demand response.
And as an advisor to the executive director.
Mary Clara holds a master's degree in public policy
from the university of California at Berkeley,
Goldman School of Public Policy and an undergraduate degree
in mathematics and physics from Middlebury.
And Mary Claire has also just been great support for me
in the last week.
Next to Suzanne Kasasa, who will serve as my interim legal
and energy advisor.
Suzanne joined the PUC in 2015 and previously served
as a legal and policy advisor for Commissioner Randolph
and as an analyst in the energy division
in her role as an advisor.
Suzanne focused on energy issues
including integrated resource planning,
electricity procurement, climate adaption,
general rate cases, COVID impacts to customers,
gas policy and community choice aggregator initiative.
Suzanne holds a JD from the University of California
and a BA from the University of California Irvine.
and a BA from the university of California Irvine.
And she has set up a number of briefings for me
that have just been really helpful.
And I appreciate all of Suzanne's work.
Next is Eileen Odell who will serve as my intern
water and telecommunications advisor.
Eileen joined the PUC public advocate's office in 2014
And has since served as a public utilities
regulatory analyst in the communications
and water policy branch.
Eileen has worked on telecommunications and water,
utility general rate cases and mergers and acquisitions
focusing on revenues, rate design and the impacts
Eileen holds a JD from the University of California Hastings
Eileen holds a JD from the university of California Hastings
from the University of California, San Diego.
from the university of California, San Diego.
And she is working to help me get up to speed
on the CASF proceeding that was mentioned earlier
by Commissioner Guzman Aceves.
Sarah Thomas will serve as my interim legal
transportation and safety policy advisor.
Sarah joined the PUC in 1999, and served as a lawyer
in the legal division and ALJ and a legal advisor
for Commissioner Mark Barron.
She has deep experience in wildfire mitigation,
climate adaption, greenhouse gas reduction,
the renewable portfolio standard, storage and solar energy,
electric vehicles and transportation electrification.
Among many other areas, Sarah's knowledge is invaluable.
She's worked on telecommunications
also early in her (indistinct) during her time,
early on as a Commission and she holds undergraduate
and law degrees from the University of California Berkeley.
And finally, I wanna recognize the support
provided by Elena Venus and Daisy Yi
who have graciously provided intern support for my office
while meeting the responsibilities
of their current assigned offices.
So Christine, Mary, Claire, Suzanne, Eileen, Sarah, Elena
and Daisy have all provided exceptional support
since I've arrived.
And I'm very lucky to have such a great intern team
and appreciate all of them.
And just in closing, I wanted to just comment
that my first week back I was able to participate
in the PUC rates and cost on bonk.
And I was very impressed with the event,
which included presentations from IOUs, staff
and other stakeholders on a number
of critical subject matters before the Commission.
I wanna thank everyone who prepared
the informative white paper and participated in that event
particularly Commissioner Shiroma's office
who was instrumental in putting this together.
Mary Claire Brown, who emceed the event at Randolph
and his team for the excellent work that they did
and all of the presenters during the workshop.
This was a really great way to start my term
as a Commissioner.
And I appreciated getting all of that information
so early on, and with that
I will conclude my report.
So thank you.
-: Thank you, Commissioner Houckin.
Again, we welcome you.
This is terrific and you do have an all-star team.
Very impressive.
So that's terrific.
I have a number of items to report on the day.
and I'm sure you all join me in this,
and I'm sure you all join me in thi,
of our staff who planned our interim
black history month events.
We were able to have insightful discussions
with a number of California's African-American leaders
and educators.
Thank you to the African American coalition for sponsoring
and thank you to the members of the planning committee
Janine Long Mona D Gostova, Savan Martin,
Janine Long Mona D (indistinct) Savan Martin,
Pasha Thompson, Patricia Miles, Deseret Lamar,
Nicole Cropper and my advisor am Nico Michelle.
I would like also to echo the comments
of Commissioner Shiroma and Commissioner Houk
on the on-body and particularly say Commissioner Shiroma
and her staff.
I express my enormous gratitude to everyone
who helped to put together such a well-organized
and thought provoking event
as my fellow Commissioners have said.
The on vamp and the white paper, both emphasized
our agency's collective mandate to ensure Californians
are served by the reliable electric grid,
a reliable electric grid.
And that over time it is decarbonized
at a rate needed to reach our clean energy goals.
And at a cost that Californians can afford.
As discussed at the on vamp, the CPUC
is working to implement policies to mitigate climate change
at an affordable cost while we are also in the midst
of experiencing and adapting to the effects
of climate change.
Last month, the country experienced
yet another extreme weather related disaster.
Our thoughts continue to be with those
who endured the impacts and suffered personal loss
due to the blackouts.
As a situation in Texas and the experience
here in California last summer have shown us
we must prepare the grid for more frequent
and extreme weather events.
A changing climate means that the level of reliability
that we require of the power system will likely come
an increasingly higher costs, which will be one more factor
putting upward pressure on our rates.
The question the on and the white paper articulated so well
is how do we as a state continue
with our essential de-carbonization work
while ensuring that the communities who are more sensitive
to rate increases are not unduly burdened.
I'm very much looking forward to continuing the conversation
and exploring additional ways that the CPUC
can promote more equitable outcomes in our decision-making.
Thank you again, Commissioner Shiroma and your staff
and the energy division for your tireless work
steering us in the right direction.
Well done.
And finally, I have a couple of staffing updates
to provide today.
First, I wanted to share that my energy advisor
Dave Peck has a wonderful opportunity to lead a team
in the Commission's public advocate's office
and will be joining that office this month.
I wanted to thank Dave so much for his service.
Dave was such a tremendous help to me
when I first joined the Commission.
Helped me get up to speed, he kept me up on a pace of things
and he has truly been a steady hand
and a calm and warm presence.
I very much have appreciated his insight and his understated
and right sense of humor.
Dave, you will be missed and I'm excited for you
as you open up your next chapter at the PUC.
On a related note I am very pleased to announce
that Nora Hawkins is joining our office
as an energy policy advisor.
Nora joined the Commission in 2018 and previously worked
in the Commissions energy division on customer sited
renewable energy and storage programs.
Before joining the Commission nor worked
for the Washington DC, in Washington DC, excuse me
on the income qualified solar programs
and at the U.S. office of management and budget
on the federal clean energy R and D policies.
She received a master's of environmental management
from a Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies
and a bachelor of arts degree from Whitman College.
I am so pleased to have Nora join our team.
And so welcome, Nora, thank you so much.
And I also want to thank my fellow Commissioners
for your kind remarks of me being appointed
nominated to the NARUC executive board.
I'm just gonna say it's gonna take a village guys.
I'm gonna depend on all of you.
I do appreciate Commissioner Guzman Aceves' comment
about one more assignment, but I do welcome it.
We have not been represented on the executive board
since Commissioner Carla Peterman left the Commission.
So this is a welcome opportunity for us.
And so I thank you for your comments,
but I said it's gonna depend on y'all.
So with that, that's an issue.
Our Commission reports and this public meeting
is now adjourned.
Thank you all.
So we need to be logging off and moving on
to our next agenda.
Thank you.