Source: Canary Media | By Jeff St. John

We’re concerned that time is running out for the policymakers to do something,” said Mark Toney, executive director of The Utility Reform Network (TURN), a ratepayer advocacy group. In a Sunday statement, Toney accused the utilities of using their lobbying might to prevent securitization from making its way into law. There is overwhelming public support for reducing customer bills, holding utilities accountable for getting the most wildfire safety at the least cost to ratepayers, and making utility investors pay for overspending,” Toney told Canary Media, citing polling conducted by TURN

The state’s utilities have to expand their power grids to support the shift to carbon-free electricity, and they must harden those grids to reduce the risk that they’ll cause deadly wildfires. But these costly projects are the main driver of California’s sky-high and still-rising electricity rates, which have sparked an affordability crisis that threatens to derail the state’s energy transition.

Source: NBC Bay Area | By Velena Jones

The Utility Reform Network (TURN) opposes PG&E's rate hike request, arguing that it places an increased burden on ratepayers. The watchdog group noted this is the fourth rate hike this year. "PG&E customers were hit with a $34 increase at the beginning of the year," TURN Executive Director Mark Toney said. "Customers were hit with another $4 increase in March. Customers were hit with another increase of at least $6, and there is going to be more before the end of the year.” "As soon as it goes down, they come in with another request so that the bill goes back up," Toney said. "The fact is even with the decrease they are talking about, temporary decrease, customers are still paying far more today and later in the year than before the beginning of the year."

PG&E officials also noted that a temporary 9% rate decrease that began in July means that ultimately more customers should still be paying less even if the new hike is approved. Utility critics said all those reductions and credits are only temporary relief to what feels like an ongoing problem of repeated rate hikes.

Source: ABC7 News | By Cornell Barnard

"There are no limits to how much the Public Utilities Commission can grant in hikes, that's why TURN has been fighting for a cap on increases no more than the cost of living adjustment, provided by social security," said Mark Toney, Executive Director for TURN. TURN, The Utility Reform Network says, PG&E has been granted too many hikes this year alone. "We're looking at the fourth rate hike in 2024 alone, and every rate hike is like the tip of the iceberg, every hike stacks on top, that's why people are so angry," said Toney.

Your PG&E bill could jump another $6 per month before the end of the year. The price of natural gas rose in September, about $5.78 more on an average PG&E bill. The utility says a decrease in demand for gas is the reason. For months, utility watchdogs have been calling for fair utility rates but next week, the California Public Utilities Commission could grant PG&E yet another electricity rate increase of 2.7% about $6 more on an average bill.

Source: The Mercury News | By Tero Sforza

“The final budget deal with the Governor represents a total capitulation to PG&E and its shareholders,” Utility Reform Network attorney Matthew Freedman told the Sacramento Bee. “This $400 million will never be paid back to the general fund, forcing taxpayers to absorb the costs.”

In something of an all-for-one, one-for-all move, customers of Southern California Edison and San Diego Gas & Electric are slated to kick in another $1.25 or so a month (Edison) and 87 cents a month (SDG&E) to extend the life of the aging Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant, run by Pacific Gas & Electric (whose customers are slated to pay $2.07 a month). Worse is that, if PG&E collects more money than it needs for Diablo, it could keep it for projects in its area, while Southern Californians would get squat.

Source: San Luis Obispo Editorial Board | By McClatchy News Group

“PG&E is doing things to try to bring down bills,” said Mark Toney, executive director of The Utility Reform Network (TURN), ”but they aren’t working out right.” Not so fast, says TURN. It argues that PG&E is attempting to lease something it doesn’t have — the transmission projects have “yet to be identified or approved,” it says in a document submitted to the California Public Utilities Commission. It characterizes the $1 billion deal as more of a loan than a lease since PG&E customers would be on the hook if something were to go awry. In the long run, that could cost ratepayers more money, TURN says.

As detailed by the website Utility Dive, PG&E is proposing to enter into a lease agreement that would allow Citizens to use portions of up to five future transmission projects in exchange for up-front payments of up to $1 billion. That would allow PG&E to plan and develop the projects without having to borrow, translating into substantial savings for ratepayers. Citizens also would finance charitable programs in low-income communities within PG&E’s service area.

Source: Orange County Register/ SoCal News Group | By Teri Sfora

Edison, to its credit, decided to go the insulated overhead route as much as possible, costing some $800,000 a mile. PG&E, however, decided to bury many lines — slower and not measurably safer — costing some $4 million a mile, The Utility Reform Network’s Mark Toney recently told us. The fault lies squarely with the CPUC, Toney said — the “overly generous” regulator responsible for reviewing and approving increases. TURN’s Toney would agree. He’d love to see utilities face a cap in how much they can seek in increases, and new rules that would require utilities to use the least expensive solution when possible. He’d also like to see shareholders pay half of the cost of overruns when utilities overspend. That way it wouldn’t all fall on ratepayers. “That would reduce costs immediately!” Toney told us. “The sad truth is, companies are more accountable to their shareholders than they are to their ratepayers.”

It’s important to point out here that electric companies don’t make money by selling electricity. Instead, they make money from the CPUC-set rate of the return on their capital investments; that’s their profit. So there’s a built-in incentive for utilities to spend more money on capital investments than they might need to. The quicker and less expensive way for an electric company to harden its system is to use above-ground, insulated poles and wires rather than digging down in the dirt and burying lines. The safety profile is essentially the same, experts say.

Source: NBC Bay Area | By Scott Budman

Before seeing a price hike, Mark Toney, the executive director of Turn, said his bill went up to by $400. “My bill went to $500 from around $100," he said. PG&E said the price hikes were necessary to pay for wildfire safety improvements and to offset the rise in business costs. However, quarterly figures from the company show its profits rose 28%, or $520 million.

The Pacific Gas and Electric Company saw over $500 million in profits in the last three months. But the increase in profits has also left customers paying a higher bill. "Bills will be higher than what they've ever seen,” said Patricia Poppe, the utility company’s CEO. “It's really important, number one, that we let our customers know that we know." Poppe added that the company eventually foresees costs dropping, but there are challenges ahead.

Source: Times Standard | By George Avalos

“California residents need to brace themselves for the biggest bill shocks of their lives starting in late August when skyrocketing rates are multiplied by heavy air conditioning usage needed just to survive the record-breaking extreme heat in July,” said Mark Toney, executive director of The Utility Reform Network, or TURN, a consumer group.

The utility titan’s electricity rates could rise by an average of nearly 11% a year through 2027, the state Public Utilities Commission reported, which would continue a brutal pattern of skyrocketing monthly bills for PG&E’s customers. “The forecast in the CPUC report is speculative and should not be viewed as fact,” PG&E spokesperson Mike Gazda said. “PG&E has committed to limit average annual increases to no more than 3% through 2026.” The report forecasts the annual percentage increase in electric rates by comparing the actual year-end rates in 2023 to what the PUC expects will occur through 2027:— PG&E: 43% total increase through 2027, for an average annual increase of 10.8%. — Southern California Edison: 26% increase through 2027, for an average annual increase of 6.5%. — San Diego Gas & Electric: 22% overall increase through 2027, for an average annual increase of 5.6%.

Source: Mercury News | By George Avalos

The utility titan is unlikely to keep bill increases within the inflation rate, according to Mark Toney, executive director of The Utility Reform Network, or TURN, a consumer group. Toney believes this is the case because PG&E is expected to pursue multiple proceedings that could shove monthly bills even higher if the state Public Utilities Commission approves the requests. “PG&E has so many proposals that are pending or will be filed for rate increases,” Toney said. “I don’t believe PG&E is going to keep rate increases within inflation. PG&E has too many rate requests coming up.” Toney remained skeptical that PG&E can keep increases in monthly charges close to or below the pace of inflation. “I’ll believe it when I see it,” Toney said. “Customers are going to have to pay more.”

During the April through June second quarter, PG&E posted a profit of $520 million — up 28.1% from the utility titan’s profits from the same three-month period the year before, the company reported Thursday. Oakland-based PG&E generated $5.99 billion in operating revenue in the 2024 second quarter — up 13.2% from the same quarter in 2023.

Source: PR Newswire | By Pacific Gas & Electric Company

To provide additional financial assistance to more households with past-due energy bills, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) is modifying guidelines mid-year for the Relief for Energy Assistance through Community Help (REACH) program. REACH and REACH Triple Match help qualifying low- to moderate-income customers pay their past-due energy bill and help prevent service disconnections. "We want to ensure more customers have the support they need to get their energy bills back on track," said Vincent Davis, PG&E Senior Vice President, Customer Experience. "With a more robust bill credit and broader income eligibility, we can provide greater financial relief to the households that need it most."

Source: The Sacramento Bee | By Stephen Hobbs

“The fact that the insurance corporations are going after Consumer Watchdog, means Consumer Watchdog is doing their job extremely well,” said Mark Toney, executive director of The Utility Reform Network, and one of the letter signers. “In fact, I would call it a badge of honor.”

In the state’s tumultuous market, where prices are spiking and coverage is harder to find, the Department of Insurance is now considering a question that goes to the heart of the group’s work: Does Consumer Watchdog actually represent the interest of Californians? State lawmakers, companies and residents are all pressuring Lara to do more. In response, he is supporting rule changes meant to speed up reviews of proposed rate increases. Lara blames delays on companies – but he also claims Consumer Watchdog has slowed the process down by copying department work when it protests price hikes. He has accused the group of holding the reviews hostage at times. Representatives for 14 environmental, legal and other groups co-signed a letter to Lara that said it was “outrageous” for companies to suggest Consumer Watchdog wasn’t working on behalf of residents. It called on the department to grant the organization’s request immediately.

Source: ABC 10 | By Devin Trubey

Mark Toney, with the Utility Reform Network, said this increase in funding is on top of existing rate increases from earlier this year. So, while it might not seem like a lot, it all adds up. “The fault in this rate increase lies squarely with the legislatures who passed a bill that allowed PG&E to collect extra money for work they were already supposed to do and already receive money for,” Toney said.

As Californians face higher electric bills with the extreme heat, PG&E customers can expect to pay more. Thursday, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) allowed PG&E to increase their funding on expansion projects.

Source: CBS News | By Steve Large

Mark Toney is the executive director of The Utility Reform Network, or TURN. Toney said that PG&E should be covering more power lines above ground. He said that PG&E's effort to put 10,000 miles of power lines underground is too slow and costly. The state has authorized the utility company to bury only 1,300 miles by 2026. "It's delaying safety and costing a fortune," Toney said. "If you are in a place that's waiting to be buried, maybe you're not in this four-year round. Maybe you'll be in the next four years or maybe after.”

With triple-digit fire weather top of mind, some people who live in wildfire-prone areas like Foresthill in Placer County are getting their power lines put underground by Pacific Gas and Electric—and some are not. Mike Howard owns a home on one acre of property in Foresthill. He's had several close calls and mandatory evacuations in the ten years since moving there.

Source: Sacramento Bee | By Ari Plachta

“The final budget deal with the Governor represents a total capitulation to PG&E and its shareholders,” Utility Reform Network attorney Matthew Freedman wrote. “This $400 million will never be paid back to the general fund, forcing taxpayers to absorb the costs.”

California lawmakers agreed to loan Pacific Gas & Electric Co. an additional $400 million to extend the life of Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant, ceding to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s push for the loan after initially refusing to pay in a public budget spat. Newsom, who brokered a 2022 deal to extend the nuclear plant’s operations with state loans to be covered by the federal government, has argued that Diablo Canyon is critical to maintaining grid stability as the state transitions to clean energy.

Source: NBC Bay Area | By Jaxon Van Derbeken

“It’s outrageous to charge customers for promotional advertising that only promotes the utility,” said Katy Morsony, an attorney with the ratepayer advocacy group TURN. “The number one thing that people complain to me about regarding their utility,” she continued, “is that they see all these PG&E advertisements and they assume that they, as customers, are paying for them – and they ask me, are they paying for them?”

PG&E recently acknowledged that it intends to have customers pay for an ongoing $6 million ad campaign, calling it “safety communications.” But critics say the utility shouldn’t be allowed to tap funds earmarked to help prevent wildfires on what they consider blatantly promotional commercials. In the ad campaign that began last year, PG&E’s CEO Patti Poppe says that “to make our power system safer and more reliable…we’re transforming your local utility from the underground up.”

Source: Los Angeles Times | By The Times Editorial Board

Ratepayer advocates in California have floated the idea of legislation that would prohibit utilities from increasing their rates faster than inflation. The Utility Reform Network ratepayer advocacy group has suggested tying a cap on rate increases to the Social Security Administration’s annual Cost-of-Living Adjustment, which in 2023 was 8.7%.

Californians pay some of the highest electric rates in the country. In the last decade households have seen their electricity rates nearly double even while their budgets are squeezed by inflation and rising temperatures from climate change mean they have to use more energy to cool their homes. And it’s only going to get worse. State greenhouse gas reduction policies are pushing residents to adopt electric cars and appliances that will only increase their electricity consumption. Rate hikes have become bigger and more frequent, rising even faster than inflation for customers of the big three monopoly utility companies whose rates include costs for expensive wildfire mitigation, grid infrastructure projects and disaster-related payouts.

Source: The San Francisco Standard | By Kevin V. Nguyen and Kevin Truong

Mark Toney, executive director of The Utility Reform Network, said just like property taxes and insurance costs, utilities are becoming a more significant part of the operating cost of homeownership. “A mortgage for the most part is predictable over time; you can budget for that,” Toney said. “The one thing you know about a utility bill is that it will escalate year after year.”

An analysis from Redfin found that the salary necessary to afford a median-priced home in the Bay Area is $404,332 a year, a nearly 25% increase from the year before. A scan through Zillow confirms that math—the average price for a single-family home remains stubbornly well over $1 million. Paying for the upfront price of a home is still a buyer’s primary concern. But now, because of factors mostly outside of homeowners’ control, auxiliary costs—like utilities, property taxes, home insurance and maintenance work—are threatening to overtake already hefty monthly mortgage payments.

Source: The OC Register | By Teri Sforza

The largest group getting intervenor comp, by far, is TURN. It requested $26.4 million between 2020 and early 2024, and was awarded $24.8 million. Over that time, it has saved Californians hundreds of millions of dollars, its accounting shows. In a typical year, its legal staff of 12 attorneys and five policy analysts work on about 100 proceedings at the PUC. For example, TURN recently: Helped win a ruling preventing SDG&E from recovering $514 million from customers that it spent on wildfire mitigation before a reasonableness review by the PUC. Helped win a ruling preventing Edison from recovering $85 million from customers that it spent on tree trimming in non–high fire risk areas. Helped win $400 million in savings for PG&E, SCE, SoCal Gas and SDG&E ratepayers by getting PUC to reduce “Cost of Capital” profit rates (more on that in a minute)…

Electric rates, gas rates, water rates — they go up. And up. And up. Policing these regularly scheduled consumer agonies — or rubber-stamping them, as critics often charge — is the job of the California Public Utilities Commission. This powerful regulator is charged with ensuring that rate hikes and policy decisions are fair and justified

Source: Los Angeles Daily News | By Brooke Staggs

Ever-increasing rates are why Mark Toney, executive director of The Utility Reform Network, or TURN, said most people likely haven’t even noticed the climate credits they’ve received on their gas and electric bills over the past decade. The utility reform group TURN is backing a bill from Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi, D-Torrance, that would use revenue from cap-and-trade to create a Climate Equity Trust Fund. The idea, Toney said, is to have utilities use money from that fund to help, say, build out electric charging stations for trucks in Ontario rather than having Edison pass those costs along to all ratepayers on their monthly bills. Something’s gotta give when it comes to utility prices. So Toney said building on the successes of the cap-and-trade program just makes sense.

In April, Southern California Edison customers will see an $86 credit automatically appear on their monthly bill, while Southern California Gas customers will get a credit of $73. Then, in October, Edison customers will see their bills drop by another $86. Similar rebates are being doled out this year to customers of investor-owned utilities throughout California, with more than $1.6 billion due back to electric customers, $1 billion to natural gas customers and $160 million to small businesses.

Source: ABC 7 News | By Tim Johns

The Utility Reform Network, or TURN, says it's a move that would likely reduce the rates customers pay for power by anywhere from 5 to 7 cents per kilowatt hour. "It's going to make utility bills more affordable for low-income households and reduce the volatility of month-to-month bills. And it will promote electrification," said TURN's Matthew Freedman. A welcome response for people like Freedman, who says regulators have a lot more work to do to make bills more affordable. "PG&E is spending too much money. Collecting too much in profits and not being held accountable for its mismanagement of the system," he said.

At the historic Orinda Theatre, the past few weeks have been anything but business as usual. Owner Derek Zemrak says he made the decision to close the theater on Mondays and Tuesday after receiving a PG&E bill for nearly $6,300, almost double what he normally pays. "I was shocked. I knew PG&E had raised rates for commercial properties. I just didn't realize it was going to be that high," Zemrak said. The skyrocketing bills aren't just hitting Zemrak. To tackle the issue, the California Public Utilities Commission is proposing a new $24 fixed charge on monthly electric bills.