Bill Text: CA SB572 | 2023-2024 | Regular Session | Introduced

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

---

Bill Title: Surplus state real property: community land trusts.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)

Status: (Passed) 2024-09-27 - Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 770, Statutes of 2024. [SB572 Detail]

Download: California-2023-SB572-Introduced.html

---

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2023–2024 REGULAR SESSION

Senate Bill

No. 572

---

Introduced by Senator Stern
(Coauthors: Senators Menjivar and Min)
(Coauthors: Assembly Members Luz Rivas and Schiavo)

February 15, 2023

---

An act to add Section 451.4 to, and to add Part 3 (commencing with Section 9530) to Division 4.8 of, the Public Utilities Code, relating to energy.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

SB 572, as introduced, Stern. Energy: ratepayer protections.

Existing law vests the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) with regulatory authority over public utilities, including electrical corporations and gas corporations, while local publicly owned electric utilities are under the direction of their governing boards. Existing law authorizes the commission to fix the rates and charges for every public utility and requires that those rates and charges be just and reasonable.

Existing law requires the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission (Energy Commission) to undertake various actions in furtherance of meeting the state’s clean energy and pollution reduction objectives, including actions related to energy infrastructure. Existing law vests the Energy Commission with certain authority over local publicly owned electric utilities, as specified.

This bill would require the PUC and Energy Commission, in coordination with each other and in consultation with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the Public Advocate’s Office of the Public Utilities Commission, in undertaking their respective gas and electrical system planning, and in order to ensure that gas corporations, electrical corporations, local publicly owned electric utilities, and local publicly owned gas utilities, as applicable, maintain safe and reliable energy at just and reasonable rates consistent with, and in furtherance of, the state’s climate and energy goals, to each consider imposing additional requirements to protect ratepayers from price spikes, stranded assets, duplication of services, and the risk of windfall profiteering and market manipulation in wholesale and retail markets.

Under existing law, a violation of any order, decision, rule, direction, demand, or requirement of the PUC is a crime.

Because a violation of a PUC action implementing this 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: YES  

---

Bill Text

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

 Section 451.4 is added to the Public Utilities Code, to read:

451.4.

 In consultation with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the Public Advocate’s Office of the Public Utilities Commission, the commission, in coordination with the Energy Commission, in undertaking its gas and electrical system planning and in order to ensure that gas corporations and electrical corporations maintain safe and reliable energy at just and reasonable rates consistent with, and in furtherance of, the state’s climate and energy goals, shall consider imposing additional requirements to protect ratepayers from price spikes, stranded assets, duplication of services, and the risk of windfall profiteering and market manipulation in wholesale and retail markets.

SEC. 2.

 Part 3 (commencing with Section 9530) is added to Division 4.8 of the Public Utilities Code, to read:

PART 3. Ratepayer Protections

9530.

 In consultation with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the Public Advocate’s Office of the Public Utilities Commission, the Energy Commission, in coordination with the commission, in undertaking its gas and electrical system planning and in order to ensure that local publicly owned electric utilities and local publicly owned gas utilities maintain safe and reliable energy at just and reasonable rates consistent with, and in furtherance of, the state’s climate and energy goals, shall consider imposing additional requirements to protect ratepayers from price spikes, stranded assets, duplication of services, and the risk of windfall profiteering and market manipulation in wholesale and retail markets.

SEC. 3.

 No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution because the only costs that may be incurred by a local agency or school district will be incurred because this act creates a new crime or infraction, eliminates a crime or infraction, or changes the penalty for a crime or infraction, within the meaning of Section 17556 of the Government Code, or changes the definition of a crime within the meaning of Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution.