Existing law vests the Public Utilities Commission with regulatory jurisdiction over public utilities, including electrical corporations. Existing law requires each public utility to furnish and maintain adequate, efficient, just, and reasonable service, instrumentalities, equipment, and facilities, as are necessary to promote the safety, health, comfort, and convenience of its patrons, employees, and the public. Existing law prohibits a public utility from making or granting any preference or advantage to any corporation or person, as provided.

This bill would require, until January 1, 2032, San Diego Gas and Electric Company (SDGE) to energize an affordable housing development project within 40 business days from the date on which SDGE determines the project to be construction ready, as defined, and to prioritize the energization of affordable housing development projects over other residential energization projects under specified circumstances, as provided.

Existing law requires the commission to establish annual reporting requirements for electrical corporations to report customer energization projects in order to evaluate the electrical corporation’s fulfillment of timely electrical service. Existing law requires the commission to require each electrical corporation to retain an independent third-party auditor to review the electrical corporation’s business practices and procedures for energizing new customers and how the electrical corporation is planning for demand growth, including new customer energizations. Existing law requires the third-party auditor to report to the commission on a biannual basis.

This bill would require, only until January 1, 2032, reporting on the energization of affordable housing development projects to be included in SDGE’s biannual energization reporting submitted to the commission.

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.