Public Utilities Commission: membership: reports.

Assembly Member Ransom's proposal to modify California's Public Utilities Commission structure mandates the inclusion of a public advocacy expert among its five commissioners and establishes new geographic diversity requirements for commission appointments. The legislation requires that future appointments draw from a candidate pool including residents from Northern California, the Central Valley, and Southern California, while preserving current commissioners' terms through their natural conclusion.

The measure expands the commission president's annual legislative reporting duties to encompass rate affordability data and updates on both completed and pending rate cases. Within 15 days of adopting rate decisions, the commission must provide legislators detailed reports containing the affected utility's evidence supporting rate changes, the commission's decision rationale, and a 10-year history of approved rate increases for that utility. The bill also adds specificity to existing timeliness reporting requirements, directing the commission to document instances where statutory decision deadlines were not met.

These modifications take effect January 1, 2026, establishing new parameters for commission appointments while maintaining current commissioners until their terms expire. The changes create additional oversight mechanisms through enhanced reporting requirements while preserving the commission's core regulatory authority over utility rates and services.