Public Utilities Commission: membership: reports.

Assembly Member Ransom's proposal to restructure the California Public Utilities Commission would establish new geographic representation requirements and expand oversight mechanisms for the regulatory body. The legislation mandates that four of the commission's five members represent distinct State Board of Equalization districts, with the fifth serving as an at-large member possessing expertise in public advocacy or public interest law.

The bill institutes additional safeguards against potential conflicts of interest by prohibiting former legislative members and executive branch employees from serving on the commission within one year of leaving their positions. It also creates legislative liaison positions, allowing each chamber to appoint an officer to participate in commission proceedings. The Assembly Speaker and Senate Committee on Rules would make these appointments for their respective houses.

New reporting requirements would mandate that the commission president appear annually before legislative policy committees to address rate affordability and both pending and decided rate cases. The commission must also submit detailed reports within 15 days of rate-setting decisions, including summaries of utility evidence, commission rationale, and historical rate increase data. These reports would supplement existing annual updates to the Legislature on case resolution timeliness, which must now specify instances where statutory deadlines were not met.

Current commissioners whose terms extend beyond January 1, 2026, would remain in their positions until their scheduled term completion or resignation. Subsequently, the governor's appointments would need to align with the new geographic distribution and expertise requirements outlined in the legislation.