Bill Text: CA AB1410 | 2025-2026 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Public utilities: service outages and updates: alerts.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2025-02-21 - Introduced. To print. [AB1410 Detail]
Download: California-2025-AB1410-Introduced.html
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE—
2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION
Assembly Bill
No. 1410
| Introduced by Assembly Member Garcia |
February 21, 2025 |
An act to add Section 761.6 to the Public Utilities Code, relating to public utilities.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 1410, as introduced, Garcia.
Public utilities: service outages and updates: alerts.
Existing law vests the Public Utilities Commission with regulatory authority over public utilities. If the commission finds after a hearing that the rules, practices, equipment, appliances, facilities, or service of any public utility, or the methods of manufacture, distribution, transmission, storage, or supply employed by the public utility, are unjust, unreasonable, unsafe, improper, inadequate, or insufficient, the Public Utilities Act requires the commission to determine and, by order or rule, fix the rules, practices, equipment, appliances, facilities, service, or methods to be observed, furnished, constructed, enforced, or employed.
This bill would require each public utility to automatically enroll customers in alerts for service outages and updates. The bill would require customers to be provided with the opportunity to opt-out of any
alerts the customer does not wish to receive, except as provided. The bill would require each public utility to annually verify a customer’s preferred contact method.
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 the provisions of this bill would be a part of the act and because a violation of a commission action implementing the bill’s requirements would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
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.
Digest Key
Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: YESBill Text
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
Section 761.6 is added to the Public Utilities Code, to read:761.6.
(a) Each public utility shall automatically enroll its customers in alerts for service outages and updates.(b) Customers shall be provided with the opportunity to opt-out of alerts for service outage alerts and updates that the customer does not wish to receive, except for required emergency and safety notifications.
(c) Each public utility shall annually verify a customer’s preferred contact method and allow a customer to update the customer’s contact information by email or by phone.
