Power Struggle: PG&E’s Rate Hikes Spark Outcry and Advocacy for Affordability
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Pacific Gas and Electric is set to increase its rates by nearly 13% starting January 1st. In a move that will leave some California residents grappling with financial strain, the utility giant requested an additional rate hike that will take effect in March 2024 2023, aiming to secure $2 billion from ratepayers to fund the undergrounding of its electric lines. However, critics argue that this move is another instance of PG&E exploiting Californians.
*KMUD News created this table to clarify rate increases and their respective timing.
According to a poll on the KMUD News Facebook page, the annual increase may leave some households powerless, particularly as community members are already grappling with current bills. Advocacy groups, such as TURN, (The Utility Reform Network), are at the forefront of campaigning for affordable power. They assert that power, broadband, and phone services should be considered basic rights for all families.
Mark Toney, Executive Director of TURN, expressed concern, stating, “When the bills get too high, so many people get their utility service shut off… This year alone, PG&E has disconnected power to over 100,000 families, contributing to the homelessness problem.”
PG&E secured a 12.8% rate hike in November, and on December 1, returned to the CPUC seeking an additional increase, anticipated to add $12 to $20 on customers’ bills monthly, on top of the January 1 increase. According to Toney, this implies an overall monthly increase ranging from $40 to $60 compared to the amounts customers were paying in 2023.
KMUD News contacted PG&E for a response. PG&E spokesperson Megan McFarland emailed that the details of the second rate hike would be disclosed by the end of this week, but no further comment was available at this time.
TURN is taking a proactive stance, seeking legislative intervention to impose limits on annual rate increases. Mark Toney highlights the urgency of the situation, stating, “Last year alone, from the beginning of 2023 to the beginning of 2024, PG&E customers had a 30% increase. That’s in a single 12-month period. That is not sustainable.”
Every four years, investor-owned utilities, such as PG&E, subject to regulation by the California Public Utilities Commission, undergo a comprehensive review known as a General Rate Case (GRC). During this process, utilities present a four-year budget, seeking approval to secure the necessary revenue for operational expenses and profits through adjustments in customer rates. In November, the CPUC sanctioned PG&E’s budget for the period spanning 2023 through 2026, witnessing an increase from the previously authorized 2022 amount of $12.2 billion to $13.5 billion. This budget is set to incrementally rise each year until 2026 when it is projected to reach $14.7 billion.
The CPUC is proceedings are open to public. The CPUC received thousands of public comments on the recent rate hikes. The vast majority in opposition, highlighting unaffordability, poor maintenance history, and lack of transparency.
Below are a few of the local comments:
In an interview with KRCR, a PG&E spokesperson emphasized that the rate increase is an annual request to recover costs associated with wildfire mitigation and catastrophic events. Critics, however, point to the utility’s mention of the needs of Wall Street investors, questioning the prioritization of profits over consumer affordability. Toney underlines the impact of exorbitant executive compensation within PG&E, stating, “The CEO Patricia K. Poppe of PG&E is the highest-paid utility CEO in the United States at $50 million.” He calls for accountability, not only from PG&E but also from the CPUC, accusing the regulatory body of placing the interests of Wall Street investors above those of everyday consumers.
PG&E’s grid capacity issues in certain regions, coupled with its failure to adequately plan for future demand, have led TURN to advocate for a state takeover of the investor-owned utility.
Eileen Verbeck the Deputy Executive Director at Redwood Coast Energy Authority (RCEA), a local joint powers authority actively involved in energy innovation and sustainability efforts for Humboldt County, shared valuable insights into the matter. Verbeck clarified that the rate increase announced by PG&E affects all customers in Humboldt County, including RCEA customers. This is due to the rise in transmission and distribution rates, impacting everyone in the region. While RCEA bases its charges on PG&E rates, a half-percent discount is offered to PG&E’s generation charges. However, RCEA customers may experience a lag in the rate increase compared to PG&E customers.
Slide 4 of RCEA’s December 21st presentation to it’s board.
In its recent presentation to the RCEA Board of Directors they highlight’s that customers can expect to spend between 11.3% and 24% of their disposable income on utilities. They also note that the increase is a “generation related”, citing “Customer electricity demand has been much lower than expected so less revenue was collected to recover generation costs.”
When asked about the possibilities of assuming local control of the power grid, Verbeck stated, “RCEA is always looking at ways to build resiliency and local control in our energy grid here in Humboldt County. One of the things in our strategic plan is to look at feasibility of owning and operating the transmission here locally, you know, like we do for generation where it’s, you know, community control, having a similar model for transmission. I don’t think that’s gonna happen relatively soon, but it is something RCEA is interested in exploring for feasibility in the future.”
In July 2024, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) is set to consider a proposal separate from the General Rate Case (GRC). This proposal introduces the Income Graduate Fixed Charge (IGFC) on the monthly bills of specific PG&E customers, aligning charges with household income. Stemming from the enactment of AB 205 by the California Legislature, this initiative aims to offer savings for low-income customers without necessitating changes in their consumption patterns. The CPUC intends to formalize the IGFC by July 1, 2024, and charges are expected on PG&E bills from 2026, although the exact timing remains undetermined. Depending on income, the proposed charge could result in impacts of $15-$30 for low-income customers, around $51 for moderate-income customers, and approximately $92 for higher-income customers.
As the battle over PG&E’s rates intensifies, the call for affordable and equitable power becomes a rallying cry for Californians facing the prospect of soaring energy bills. TURN encourages citizens to join their campaign for affordable power, urging them to lobby elected officials for limits on rate increases. Tony invites concerned individuals to sign up for updates on legislative action and emphasizes the need for collective action to curb escalating utility costs.
For those struggling with the financial impact of the new rate hike, you can apply for the California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE) Program and Family Electric Rate Assistance Program (FERA) providing a 30 to 35% discount on electric bills for low-income households.
Join the discussion! For rules visit: https://kymkemp.com/commenting-rules
Comments system how-to: https://wpdiscuz.com/community/postid/10599/
Your state reps and cPUC have singed off on this increases. Income based rate charges is discrimination.
What’s the problem, if you live in a tent on the sidewalk – you don’t need electricity.
I’m about to quit my job and go homeless. In California that’s the way to go. Get treated way better than us working class
Yeah, try that – cuz at PG&E rates you will likely get power shut off when bills are so high. & like a person commented, you don’t need electricity in a tent. However, being homeless doesn’t have benefits & no, you’re not treated better.
Seniors:
Better go back to work, since PG&E has doubled in 10 years, while your SS “benefit” has only increased by 25%…
I was gonna get a heat pump, but I’m sticking with my Propane, since it actually got cheaper!
PG&E: You are paying for something you will never receive, which is improved service…
All you people with solar panels will soon be paying a tax for them. Thanks to cPUC and PGE back room deals. That is real incentive. New homes are mandated to have solar panels installed. But you dont need to use them. If you dont sell power back to PGE, they cant tax you.
I’m laughing my ass off! You voted for it! You got it! Enjoy,!!!
They voted for you to have it too. And you will like it.
Here is what happened after that fiasco- “Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced Tuesday that over $29 million in unpaid electric bills charged during February’s devastating winter storm will be forgiven. The relief is part of a bankruptcy plan by Griddy Energy, the Texas electricity provider accused of overcharging customers by thousands of dollars…
The last remaining member has now resigned from his post, Governor Greg Abbott said in a statement Tuesday night. Public Utility Commission Chair Arthur D’Andrea, the only remaining member of the three-seat board that regulates Texas utilities, stepped down at Abbott’s request, according to the governor. ”
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/texas-electric-bills-29-million-forgiven/
“Implementing the Emergency Pricing Program provides another layer of financial protection for Texas consumers and will ensure their electricity bills remain affordable even when conditions are tight in the ERCOT system,” PUCT Executive Director Thomas Gleeson said. “This is a key part of our ongoing work to ensure electric reliability for Texans at a reasonable cost.”
https://www.kxan.com/news/texas/new-price-protections-approved-during-power-emergencies/
But did they fix their infrastructure?
No but then neither has California. We just pay more for the privilege of bad regulation.
Couldn’t agree more. Maybe we need to mandate more electric devices instead of evil fossil fuel stuff. Love it!
Don’t forget to ask if the electricity is generated by using the evil fossil fuel.
Back when I installed my mini micro grid, I decided to not sell my electricity back to PG and E, due to all the add charges for hooking up to the grid, and for not making enough electricity during a given period of time.
Whenever I go off grid and use my stored solar power, I get the full going rate charge, rather than some paltry figure that PG and E, and the CPUC are willing to give me.
Heh heh… wait till ‘everything’ goes electric in California.
You ain’t seen nothing yet.
Rates are going to go up and up with your moron politicians mandating everything run on batteries with no new generation being built in kalifornia. Won’t be able to buy gas powered generators soon. Better get used to the idea of living in the dark. Maybe that’s the plan all along? You want you electric bill to go down, vote the clowns out of office.
Yep. This is outrageous, a total Monopoly. This is what 30 years of Democratic majority, no term limits, gets us. You think for one second any of those hacks will do anything?
… And what would Republicans do about it…Investigate Hunter Biden??
Biden’s criminal son another subject. Republicans would turn this state around quickly. Laws enforced. Criminals arrested. The southern border secured. Illegal sanctuary state status terminated. No free medical care for illegal aliens. That’s just for starters…Vote Republican across the board in 2024 or expect more of the same chaos.
You realize Republicans held the presidency, house, and senate from 2016-2018 right? And none of that stuff you described happened.
Maybe leave the false dichotomy of the uniparty behind and let’s look for people with some principles and some practical plans to actually pursue instead of the lizard brain lies that the red and blue like to throw out year after year
Maybe you should leave your false dichotomy of the uniparty for another time and stay on point. We’re discussing the State of California not the US Congress.
“Laws enforced.”
Like when republican Arnold Schwarzenegger governed CA and rode his motorcycle through the Hollywood hills, unlicensed and unhelmeted with his under age son on the back also unhelmeted. Then walked with nary a warning. You and I would get a child endangerment charge at the very least.
Yeah, way to enforce the law and set an example.
You wasted my time with that reply.
Deregulation happened in 1996, when Republican Pete Wilson was in charge. From Wikipedia:
I guess I don’t understand the significance.
She’s saying Wilson deregulated PG&E so that is how they can raise rates. At least I think that is the point.
Any democrat governor could have easily reversed Wilson’s decision. Now why didn’t they?
“So what California chose to do was to change some rules, but they did it badly — and almost every serious assessment of California’s power crisis also faults the way that deregulation was done.
…So we can see, immediately, that simply saying “deregulation, because it was in the back pocket of Enron paying off politicians, man, that’s where they went wrong” — that’s a simple minded way to look at this topic. There are always degrees of deregulation in any energy market. The question is: How vigilant are your regulators in watching for predictable behavior by the bandicoots, that are the capitalists in the system, in this case, the energy traders?
… I think the right way to compare California and Texas is a market that’s gotten its rules wrong. Bear in mind, Texas is not a free market in energy. But they have a more competitive marketplace than some other markets like the northeast of the U.S. They allow prices to spike high in order to send a signal to encourage more generation. But what they don’t have is any kind of … in other markets, they encourage companies, or reward them, for having spare capacity online in case of the weather that comes along once in a century, allegedly, but now we’re getting once in 10 years. They didn’t encourage the weatherization, for example, even though in Texas they had had previous episodes where the lack of winterization had led to power crises. We know this from history. So in this case I would say yeah, regulators did not get the rules right. And they still haven’t acted to fix those problems.”
https://www.marketplace.org/2021/09/30/20-years-later-echoes-of-enrons-energy-deregulation-in-california-texas/
The odd thing is that Texans pay half the cost for their failed regulations than California pays for theirs.
Wilson also raised the price on car registration.
Spot on…It will only get worse…
No new generation being built?
Know your facts:
Total utility-scale electric generation for California was 287,220 gigawatt-hours (GWh) in 2022, up 3.4 percent (9,456 GWh) from 2021.
Where did the increase come from? From utility generated power? From rooftop solar panels?
Yeah… but you’re saving the world.
I like dead whales
Odd comment. I’m not really sure how it factors into the conversation, unless you’re saying we need to do more to fight climate change.
By installing wind generation in the ocean, whales will die.
I don’t need wind power at the cost of one dead whale.
Oh, we’re playing make believe now?
You should have said something.
Because whales just love massive wind turbine structures in the ocean. The government and the wind turbine industry told me so!!
Please stay in California.
Windmills kill whales by causing them to strand and beach due to underwater sonar disruption from cables as well as the turbulence caused by the massive football field sized blades. Not to mention the thousands of diesel powered service boats going back and forth daily to perform construction and maintenance work causing boat strikes.Not to mention the thousands upon thousands of birds chopped into crab food. It’s completely insane and makes you wonder why all the supposed enviromaniacs suddenly have duct tape over their big mouthholes. $$$$$ @nd Political Science.
And yet, still no evidence to support your claims.
You do understand that simply repeating something over and over doesn’t make it become true, right?
You mean like Trumps ‘fine people’ comment?
I don’t cite scientific citations and abstracts evidence on blog comment sections. It will result in the typical attempt at one upping another. I owe you nothing. It’s your responsibility as a citizen who cares about the Earth to do that on your own time. On your computer. Let your fingers do the walking…….Free your mind.
In other words: your beliefs are not supported by evidence.
Considering California has the second highest rates (double in most cases) in the US behind only Hawaii AND huge losses due to wildfire, there is plenty of reason to question the choices California makes in all phases. In addition , considering Hawaii’s Lahaina was also utility causes as most of California’s have been, empirically speaking, it is pretty blind not to question whether stupid choices are innate in the pie-in-the-sky and oblivious environmental lobbyist culture of California. Seems it results in high prices, more danger yet still the huge environmental damage. Maybe excusing rhw California brand of liberalism, who can not either restrict social subsidies (needing lots of resources) nor let people do the best for themselves IS a big problem.
https://www.cnet.com/home/energy-and-utilities/electricity-rates-by-state/
https://www.bankrate.com/insurance/homeowners-insurance/wildfire-statistics/#wildfire-statistics
#1 Son say perhaps wind turbine fame not desirable. Consider remain silent.
PG&E’s horrible management of their own gas, power lines has led to this situation. That and having executive with out of reality annual salaries.
They were responsible for the gas line explosions in Bay Area years ago and are responsible for the huge wildfires that have destroyed towns, now we, the rate payers are footing the bill for all the repairs, restoration, and lawsuits!!
Pathetic.
puc not pg&e, they’re trying to pay for all the ‘privilidges’ of doing business with gov. nuisance
Marh 2023 has already passed
I’m not sure about that, but I know that March 2023 has passed.
Cpuc are a do nothing bunch of fat cats who get wined and dined and in their world of make believe without a backbone. Don’t expect the state to do much other than green light more increases for their bed fellows.
I’m guessing 100 % increase in 4 years.
Your whining will accomplish nothing. Flutter your protest papers in the cold dark wind. They cannot even hear your cries from their mansions and estates. The deals were done and you were sold down the river, peasants. We are still paying off the bills from when they ripped us all off under Gray Davis. We threw him out but then we went back to sleep. Pigs Greed % Extortion is “regulated” by the CPUC. The members of the CPUC are appointed by the governor. PG&E is a major political campaign donor to Governor Newsom. Can you figure out this “puzzle”? Are we really this stupid by now? No the change that involves Billions of dollars will not happen by writing a few letters to already compromised politicians. It will take massive protest. And it might get messy. But the population of sleeping Californians will instead prefer to watch a football game or whine and complain about the injustice….from their safe spaces. And they know this…..so just bend over again
Gray Davis: What a great name. Ima gonna vote for him. Gavin: He has great hair …
The cronyism in the energy market is worse than healthcare, at least theres still some competition in healthcare
Isn’t an appointee to cpuc a lifetime position?
Newsome’s dad was a wealth manager for the Gettys. Newsome was married to Kimberly “the Screech” Guilfoyle, DJ Juniors’s current wife. It’s a tight circle. California is a long, long way off from actually experimenting with socialism!
California is the Democrats’ to lose. The window of opportunity to demonstrate any positive change for the average person is closing. Dems might keep power if they can reign in the ineffectual excesses of administrative bureaucracies, and absolutely nuke our ghoulish healthcare death fee extortion racket. How about if you pay insurance as mandated by law, you are covered at any hospital. How about some high profile prosecutions of petroleum distributor regional price gouging? How do they think voters appreciate paying double for fuel in one region of the same state?
Dems could actually do something for Californians by forcing PG&E to limit their CEOs out-of-touch, ridiculous compensation, and forbid them from wasting money on advertising to citizens who have no choice. (PG&E’s ads are just bribes to those media outlets, since nobody selects their utilities providers.)
Yes and Thank You for saying this. I’d go farther and say that since PG&E are a monopoly and they take OUR money that they should not be making political contributions with OUR money. It stinks. And the DEMs stink from it. (Of course PG&E will pay off either party and REP politicians would also take it.) But the bundle of greed and corruption you just described does have a DEM twist and they should be punished/ thrown out/prosecuted for what is happening. But they keep letting in the illegal immigrants and fanning the racial flames to get those votes- it’s their strategy and it sucks. A DEM all my life until this last decade when Hilary’s people took over. I’m no REP but I do agree much w/ Tulsi Gabbard on the corruption in the DEM leadership. Anyways this corruption with CPUC and PG&E is only DEM while they have it. If we had REP leaders then they would most likely be feeding at that same corrupt trough of OUR money…we the peasants w/ no voice and no choice
PG&E is, practically speaking, socialism. It is a private company, but it is effectively run by the state. The results are exactly what you would expect from socialism; corruption and inefficiency. Part of the current problem is that the state told PG&E to “invest” in alternative energy, so for the last 15 years or so they have been pouring their money into inefficient unreliable energy sources, and not maintaining the the infrastructure. That is why every time the wind blows the power goes off…
The best answer would actually be for the state to take over energy distribution.
This would remove the profit incentive and make it a public service.
Hi, it’s Eduardo from PG&V (Power – Gas from Venezuela. You move here, we have very fine energy rates as we are Socialist and sounds like you agree with the state taking over energy distribution. We have that. Please bring your money. (Disclaimer: power is only available for 1 hr. each day).
History brief look at history would that state run anything is the most corrupt and inefficient solution.
Also, what makes you think no one makes money off from things the state runs? There is a reason that California tax rates in my lifetime have more than doubled, and services have crumbled. People associated with the state are making billions off of the taxpayers…
There are plenty of examples of state run enterprises that work well. Many nationalized power grid out perform any in the US.
Maybe political goals based on ideals that requires the integrity of responsible individual yet trys to avoid the penalties of irresponsible behavior by subsidizing individuals when they fail has doomed itself.
Spot on.
I’ve lived in the same smaller sized apartment for 15.2 years. It’s warm naturally so I don’t have to use much heat- the first decade I never paid more than 30-50 a month. The last 6 years has moved to the point where I pay 115-125 for the same spot, and even less use because some of my kids have moved out and there’s only 2 of us now, we’re gone most the day with school and work. When they rake in the profits they do and for all the fires they have caused it’s absolutely ridiculous to be allowed to demand this much of an increase. Cut into them profits!!!!!! Add that to gas being so high and insurance increasing some 150-200 a year for no reason and we’re getting slaughtered by the cost of things we cannot avoid having to buy.
Tell the Fed to stop inflating the currency
Jerome Powell is a Trump appointee.
Any chance that simply taking the same $80 barrel of oil, and charging $7.00 a gallon instead of $3.00 might cause inflation? Any chance that high interest rates don’t limit spending of the filthy rich? Are they financing the purchase of that new Koeniggseg? Any chance that high interest rates just increase the debt load of the average citizen buying groceries with a credit card?
Jerome Powell has been nominated for a second term as chair of the US Federal Reserve by President Joe Biden. Seems OBiden likes his Trump Appointee.
Tried to give you a thumbs up, but it wouldn’t take it…a conspiracy! In any case, here is my verbal agreement with what you’re saying!
No, stop it. The monetary supply was increased by 40% overnight and supply chains were shut, ignoring these obvious elephants to focus on the ants acting rational within the environment the elephant created, its nonsensical.
The publics ignorance of basic market function has proven lucrative for the governments propaganda machine
What night was that? What supply chain? Baby food?
The global supply chain… were you asleep during 2020?
3/23/20 was the day the fed announced intervention. Notice the overnight spike from 4-7 trillion
But the minimum wage is $15/hr, so you will be ok.
My PGE bill is always $200-$350 for a 2 bedroom apartment! I was convinced someone was stealing my power, but the reality is PGE is just grifting us.
Weird mine was $68 for a 2 br apt before winter, now is $168 because we have the heat turned on almost constantly.
I love when people complain about solar an evs’. You talk a bout stuff you have no knowledge of pretending you ate a expert. The power you’re solar generates goes directly into you’re house first and battery’s second. As for charging you’re evs’, all but tesla use there own sustainable generated power not effecting the grid at all. How a bout doing an little research an putting down the bowels before spewing you’re ignorance for the world to see. Ev is the future, get on board or get left behind.
ALF34… You are mistaking EV’s (Tesla etc) with Hybrid Cars (Prius etc).
— EV Stuff
EV requires an external power source… yup, mostly PG&E. Only ‘operating’ pollution is from the generation\transmission of the electricity, (coal, natural gas, hydro, nuclear, wind, and direct solar).
Have seen some driving ‘pollution’ numbers posted at about 70-100 ‘mpg’ depending on usage and other ‘operator demands’. Operator demands are air conditioning, cabin heat in the winter, and ‘entertainment’.
However, that is apparently not counting the overall ‘final’ production costs of EV power, the bigger batteries, bigger transmission lines, and rare earths used in production. (lithium etc). Then you also have costs when wind turbines, solar panels wear out.
Overall the total ‘final pollution’ of EV’s is subject to ‘debate’.
— Hybrid Stuff
Hybrid Cars have a smaller gas engine and supplemental electric battery power.
Gas engine both drives the car and charges the battery. Battery charge is supplemented by ‘braking energy’ that will recover some power when braking.
Application of the gas engine, additional battery power, and the brake recovery… are all controlled by computer.
Most Hybrid Cars get 40 to 60 mpg.
My 20 year old VW gets 55 mpg. It takes something like 25,000 miles of solar or wind charged driving to offset the CO2 produced building and shipping a new car. Older Diesels burn way less fuel than new ones, or any gasoline equivalent. Less fuel burned equals less CO2 emissions. But it’s a compromise. The particulate emissions we worry about for our lung health are never going to be greenhouse gasses. They are heavy particulates, right?
Some claim that newer diesel engines, filtering air going in AND out, actually clean up urban air. Much of the urban air pollution includes rubber dust from tire wear coming from EVs, hybrids, and conventional ICEs alike.
Interesting
Your EV has plastic throughout … your EV has rubber tires. The batteries are still catching fire..in fact an entire factory of them last week. With their plastic casings. I doubt the mining of lithium and the continued use of petroleum products equals the eco-groovy future you’re so happy about. Eliminate all plastic from your life, including your car. Betcha a dollar ya can’t. Happy New Year everyone, let’s make it better than this one.
I have solar. Inorder to living comfortably, without pge I’d need almost 100 panels and atleast a 100kw battery. A regular house hold needs atleats 35kwh a day. That’s with a gas stove, gas heat, and no EV charging. If no sun for more the 3 days I would be without electricity.
And tesla uses generators plus a grid tie in in central valley to power the chargers. The tesla chargers in laytonville are connected to grid only.
What do you have a huge indoor grow a hundred panels please
Haha that’s exactly what I was thinking. I’ve lived off grid with a variety of solar set ups, I can’t imagine needing more than 20 or 30 panels to provide a pretty comfortable eexistence.
Of course, you always need back ups and redundancies. That’s what the grid is very good it. When you take your power completely into your own hands you really appreciate how impressive a major electrical grid that rarely fails is.
My household does not use 35 khw a day, and it barely uses a third of that. I’d say that you need to do a household electrical checkup to see what is causing the high electricity consumption, and work on ways to reduce it.
I don’t try to eliminate PG and E completely, but I do use them as little as I possibly can, with my little micro grid, to keep the energy bills to be more within reason.
Are you on board, or just trolling.?
Knowing you are saving the world should be enough to keep you warm! So pay up.
Democrats promised pain , destruction, and death…and they’re delivering!
Living in California is like being in an abusive relationship …
The CA government is the abuser. The taxpayers are the abused. Yet, every election, we vote in the abusers and hope they don’t beat us again!
Vote Republican across the board in 2024 to straighten this state out.
You must not like the nearly 1000 new state laws they’re running down our throats for the new year.
In less than two years past CEO Geisha Williams did more to destroy PG&E than a dozen wildfires (although she did manage to burn down Paradise in her short tenure). In the name of equity she decimated the field crew’s resources and packed the office jobs with equity hires. Feelings don’t fix downed power lines. Yeah they got rid of her, after packing her purse with 2 1/2 million dollars of your money and the bill to rebuild Paradise. Think how good it feels when you’re paying the highest rates in the nation. Enjoy
Castro’s revenge?
My PG&E bill is under $50 a month. What are you all doing that is bankrupting you? Have you never heard of “conservation”?
I live in a tent on a sidewalk and my PG&E bill is $zero. I doing better than you.
That’s impressive. I lived in an 800 Sq ft cabin with wood heat and gas appliances and my pge bill was still typically around 100 bucks. Do you live alone?
PG&E has 0 competition and has become to big to fail. Prices will continue to rise and quality of service will decline.
PG&E needs to do their job keeping lines safe from storms, fires, etc. Around where I live, I see nothing being done at all. Now they want an increase of 13%. Our PUC and the State reps are worthless by allowing this increased to be signed. They have the minds of monkeys and act like jackasses. IT IS TIME FOR A CHANGE!
What! Did you mi$$ the required public meeting regarding rate increa$e$?. Wa$n’t it at Huffington$ Hou$e?
Don’t you worry. First and foremost, they are undergrounding Napa Co. to protect the grapes. I realize that the commercials only show them working in or near the forests, but they will continue to protect the big money businesses first. Humboldt is not even identified as a county they will be doing any undergrounding through 2026.
https://www.pge.com/content/dam/pge/docs/outages-and-safety/safety/all-undergrounding-maps.pdf
I only care about Humboldt County. People’s lives and homes are at stake, and worth way more than a few damn grapes!
Affluent cities are getting most of the underground utility upgrades. Don’t expect that here in NoCal.
Texas has the most competitive utility market in the U.S. Their average rate is 11 cents a KWh. California average, 30 cents. Get it????
That is just the funniest shit I have seen recently. Did you forget what happened during the cold weather in 2021? Or the heat wave last summer?
https://www.npr.org/sections/live-updates-winter-storms-2021/2021/02/21/969912613/after-days-of-mass-outages-some-texas-residents-now-face-huge-electric-bills
NPR, whaaa ha ha whaaa ha ha When you come up with an honest source give me a call. NPR, Oh boy——————-
Ad hominem
Got anything fact-based to refute Tim’s point?
Here’s the fact Bucko, my post is about rate comparisons and not unusual weather events. Get it, they’re different subjects. Now that said over a twenty year period California has experienced 2684 outages, while over that same period Texas had 1565. California, even with its mild climate, is number 1 in outages. By the way partner, I never come through the front door without assurance the back door is open.
https://paylesspower.com/blog/the-most-at-risk-states-for-power-outages/
NPR exists in their rich sponsors’ rare air. But most of their nonsense may just be from hella basic thinking.
I’m still chuckling over their breathless hand wringing over “climate change” caused problems for Christmas tree farmers! Never mentioning the massive waste of our Holiday consumerism. Returning shit you never wanted or needed accounts for up to 40% of transportation emissions. Not to mention we harvest Christmas trees with helicopters, then ship them to places like Phoenix, by truck, just to toss them out in two weeks.
A few weeks ago NPR transmitted a braindead story on Pumpkin Spice flavoring. Why do we buy it? “Because of Climate Change” supposedly! “People miss the Seasons”…climate change huh!? Couldn’t be that you chose to move to Arizona, San Diego, or Florida!
CA has 70% more power outages and 115% high rates than TX
As usual, your argument focuses on short term low weight anomalies, while ignoring the more important broader trend.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ercot-prices-texas-heat-wave-electricity/
Nothing trustworthy about a corporate monopoly!
I just got my new bill on PGE.com yesterday. Thank god I already ate this month.
Hi! It’s Annie from PG&E. I want to share with you tips to adjust for your new bill in this New Year! It’s time cook up a delicious meal of black-eyed peas, ham hock, and collard greens to bring in the New Year and your New Bill. Did you know that black – eyed peas and ham hock represents gold? Collard greens represents – yes – money! That’s right! Look it up! Thanks, we are always here to help you and are committed to our environment.
PGE is responsible for some of California’s largest fires due to poor and failing equipment. Gov Newsome was aware of the problem but failed to hold them responsible and uses the government agencies to assist making California tax payers pay for those fires.
The tax payers continue to pay by loss of homeowner insurance as insurance companies canceal policies leaving them with no coverage. Tax payers are left with what is referred to as a ” last resort” state insurance that costs more and provides less.
Maybe a class action law suit against PGE and our Governor should be filed to provide relief for loss of affordable insurance coverage.
We keep hearing how the Biden Administration’s “Bidenomics” is about providing cheaper affordable power, I guess PGE and Newsome must have missed that memo. Either that or it has been placed on the same fast track as Newsomes plan for relief of San Francisco’s homeless.
Newsom will be installed as the next president of the United States Corporation (look it up, we’re a Corp since the Organic Act).
That’s right, you read it here first:
The DNConvention will produce a Biden win and shortly thereafter he will bow out or pass. Then, using their new rules, the dems will put Newsom on the ballot … he will not have democratically been primaried, disenfranchising democrats nationwide.
Pretty typical of what they’ve been doing for decades.
#AmericanTragedy
I agree with you, 100%.
But isn’t it a shame that we won’t get to actually vote for that great head of hair.
Shareholders demanding their share increases on the backs of your Grandma. PGE making us pay for the fires THEY started. Pigs, Goats and Elephants. Those of us on the bottom will be going back to kerosene and motion detector lights. Get your gas stove while you can! Is it time to leave California? After six generations?
Read about the shareholders suing J&J because they allege the same hiding of documentation on asbestos in baby powder that led to numerous court losses also lead shareholder losses? It’s the strange world of the American court system where the people who fund a company can sue it because it did not protect them from corporate malfeasance when they paid for that service. Likely some of the lead lawyers in this push are those working for California State Teacher’s Retirement and California Public Employees Retirement Systems. Maybe PG&E had investments in J&J too?
Nothing is simply and no one is ever responsible in the end for anything. Corporations spend huge effort on protecting their shareholders from loss so the company can still leverage their stock. Then, while accepting the profits from this behavior, stock holders are still apparently unwilling to accept the risk. The only guarantee is that lawyers still get rich. And the courts protect the humans working for the corporation while penalizing the corporation itself. While the public complains about the results even though they themselves pay for the lawyer’s education, the court where lawyers earn their money and pay for the corporation’s products. No one could make this stuff up.
Don’t forget about the corporate executives who get paid mega-salaries, millions in bonuses and golden parachutes when the shit hits the fan. Then retire to their villas, mansions and estates. While everybody else gets screwed and pays all the expenses of everything. It sure is a joke on the commoners who watch their expenses and taxes get repeatedly jacked up. And those who end up losing their homes and must live on the streets. It’s despicable what we have allowed these maggots and parasites to get away with….and what we have allowed our country to become. Oligarchy is what Jimmy Carter called it years ago. Oligarchy w/ a Third World distribution of wealth curve. I sure hope the youngsters really do wake up and stop chasing racial and gender distractions. Their country is now a corrupt pile of dog doo….
Pikers Gougers & Extortionists
The problem with this is that not only is the cost of living everywhere skyrocketing for an unknown amount of time, but if you are paying your rent and the power goes out because you can’t afford that, you can get evicted if your power is out for more than a week. So although shelter is more important, you’d lose that too.
To give you an example, I live with my sister and her husband, and they have 2 young toddlers. Between the 3 adults, we have 4 jobs and we’re barely getting by. I can’t imagine what it’s like for other people. Also, if they’re going raise it, why raise it twice and so soon? Only 2 months? That’s outrageous. We have enough homeless people, why are we pushing for more homelessness? These people are actually trying to live their lives, and by that they are actually just trying to survive because they couldn’t afford a vacation if they can barely afford basic necessities.
I recommend courses in Microeconomics and cost accounting for the folks who don’t see the connections between government regulations, inflation, storm damage, and the price of electricity. I’d bet 50% of the bill is taxes, fees, and so on mandated in Sacramento.
That’s even before adding in any real, alleged, and/or perceived mismanagement by PG&E leadership.
I think it is time to kill Ready Kill-A-Watt!
Just no more fires and natural gas explosions, okay PG&E?
I’m going to pay them a cost of living increase and no more than that.
Two points and not to just beat up on PGE, all the line workers have been kind, respectful and listen well (my property was still trashed by PGE contractors multiple times).
Our problems are Executive Management policy making. Questions: 1) Why are the investors not taking the hit? 2) Why grant PGE a monopoly if they cannot manage to be more reliable than our own Generators? Essentially – where is the accountability.
This increase is all about Rate Payers, where is the accountability going back to investors? The reasoning about who pays seems really flawed. PGE made the decisions to go above ground and has routinely chosen to nearly universally use above ground transportation. How can this decision by management of a public, for-profit business be born only by the rate payers? Investors are the only ones which can hold a Utility like PGE accountable – and should not be indemnified. If investors wanted less risk – they should use loan instruments and purchase bonds.
The electrical rates for another property serviced by SMUD are 17 cents/kWh for the power and the delivery, granted it is not in mountainous geography. Still, this is approximately the same cost of power generation by the Humboldt CoOp. Someone help me understand how PGE tacks on another 47 cents/kWh – and that is with my usage being one half the lifeline amount (yes, we are fortunate to not use much).
What really, really gets to me – is consistently finding we are technically NOT allowed to disconnect from the grid and implement off-grid solar to replace PGE entirely. Which can. be done reasonably for not much more than the 65 cents/kWh I pay now – which if I used more than the lifeline amount would be much, much higher. So even if I paid the $25K to implement off-grid Solar – I would still have to pay PGE $600 a year to be connected.
But the real point here is about reliability. From January to April of 2022 my power was OFF more than it was ON – not a joke, its an actual fact. So – I have to buy my own generators, but I’m not allowed to disconnect. What about the freezer and refrigerators of spoiled food? Not one but three times?
Investors have the tools to hold management accountable, rate payers do not. Where is the investors skin for all this horrible executive policy making? Lets not even get into how the three big Utilities also won the battle to eliminate having to pay consumers for excess solar generation. Rooftop solar systems cannot pay for itself any longer. And we can’t disconnect from the grid.
We should call this what it is – a monopoly tax with no benefit or accountability. ATT and several other major companies were broken up for less abusive conduct.
Idea, don’t pay your bill. They will disconnect for you.
Their profits were 18 billion last year.
This is out of control.
We need to take over all utilities, including pge, and they should be municipal entities.
TURN is right.
Utilities, including water, phone and internet, are now essentials.
Morally, those resources cannot be left in the hands of capitalists.
It really is time for a socialist revolution in the U.S.
I live on a fixed income.
I’m a disabled senior.
I have no way of increasing my income.
My average electric bill went from $155 per month to $365 per month, IN ONE YEAR!
And that was not from using more electricity, but using less.
Where I live, in Willow Creek, there is no PGE gas lines.
My home was designed and built to be all electric.
I heat my home in winter with electric heat.
My home is only 600 square feet. Small!
My thermostat is set on 65 degrees.
That’s not warm.
Yet my pge bills, in the coldest months last year, WERE OVER $800!
$365 is the AVERAGE, including the lower summer months.
This is not sustainable.
Utilities, and RENTS, INCLUDING ARCATA AND EUREKA, with the rent gouging, greedy landlords, must be legally restrained to increase NO MORE THAN THE ANNUAL INCREASE IN THE COST OF LIVING.
That is the only way pensioners and the disabled could even dream of keeping the heat and lights on.
Jared Huffman and Steve Madrone need to get on this.
The two jokers in Sacramento, the Assembly Person and State Senator, are useless. They are just in it for the money…
WRITE, PHONE AND LOBBY JARED AND STEVE TO INITIATE LEGISLATION TO HOLD UTILITY INCREASES TO NO MORE THAN THE COST OF LIVING.
This year, the Social Security cost of living increase was 3.2% for 2024.
That does not even come close to the increases gained by PGE.
Sounds like you should run a generator, burn firewood, switch to a propane range, and put on a sweater.
Don’t kid yourself, Huffman is a grifter …
“It really is time for a socialist revolution in the U.S.”
Why?
You do understand that a huge majority of illegal immigrants are fleeing AWAY FROM socialistic countries, to the US seeking a non-socialistic life.
Yes, in their country they cannot hope to get a free cell phone with expenses paid, $800+ a month, EBT cards for their six or seven names, and as of today, January 1st, free health care in California. Oh, and get signed up to work as a legal citizen. And oh yeah, with respect to that health care stuff, they get to jump in line ahead of U.S. veterans who risked their lives and spilled their blood to protect our country. Veterans like my friend, who can wait eight weeks to find out they have cancer, right? I mean, these people deserve to come first. Driver’s licenses, no problem, and voting nationally -? Well, that will come soon, and they know which side their bread is buttered on. And some nice, nice people will show up to help them vote. Hell, I’d cross a river to get to the country that gave me all of that.
We burn whole towns alive, get sued into bankruptcy by the cost of our liability, and then we pass those savings on to you – pg&e
That’s Pacific Graft and Extortion…
You know it would be nice for once if any of these THIEVING CORPORATATIONS announced that they were not going to raise our rates. That they would limit their payouts to all investors and their upper echelon of mangers, and that they would also cut those mangers pay for 5 years or more to normal wages like the rest of us poor folks. Just to give rate payers a friggin chance of survival…. Instead of punishing us like we F’d up their profits…..
I don’t have any real aspirations of this ever happening but dreaming is nice !
Southern California takes water from Northern California. The least they should do is return some of the resource transfer by sending some of the electricity generated by Southern California’s solar wealth back up here by subsidizing Northern utility bills.
Hi, it’s Annie again – from your favorite power company. I want to introduce a new program to help with your energy use and save energy. We have teamed with the State of California to bring you “Pedaling For Power”. Those expensive work-out bikes? Now, with incentives from the State, you can own and produce power to offset costs with a power generator work-out bike. It’s a win-win. Save energy as you stay physically fit! Contact us now! Additionally for every bike added to the grid, $ 1 dollar will be added to our “saving the world fund”. Thanks, we are committed to your power needs and helping with our environment.
when is this going to stop??? dont we the people have any voice? is the puc in cahoots with pg&e? why isnt there competition? if i were to bottle some gas and electricity from another state, have it analyzed, it would all be the same molecular structure! so why then are we paying this much for the exact same thing as oregon which has a huge amount of wildfires! yet they pay about half of what we pay. i live in a 900 sq ft house with heavy attic insulation. i turn off the heater in the day and keep lights off till i get home. at 4pm when i get home, ill turn on new led lights, ill turn the heat up to 67. when i go to bed, i turn off the heat and it will go down to 55 in the house on cold nights. yet i pay 400 to 600 dollars a month. dont you see something wrong with this picture????
puc…pg&e, are you laughing at us and laughing all the way to the bank and making fun of us because we are so stupid as to pay this? piuc, why are you allowing this robbery? we thought you were on our side? we try to vote it down and yet pg&e gets their way! when will a class action suit begin? ill be in line along with thousands of others!!
…additional hike “that will take effect in March 2023, ”
Lauren, I lose track too but isn’t it 2024 now? Kym.
[…] CPUC’s recent decision to greenlight this rate hike faced considerable public opposition. Thousands of comments poured in, voicing concerns over unaffordability, PG&E’s maintenance record, and a lack […]