Electrical corporations and gas corporations: rate recovery: political activities and promotional advertising.

Assembly Members Berman and Addis have proposed legislation to prevent California's electrical and gas corporations from charging ratepayers for political activities and promotional advertising. The bill establishes strict accounting requirements that prohibit utilities from recording certain expenses to accounts recoverable from ratepayers, including political contributions, charitable giving, promotional messaging, and costs related to non-regulated services.

The legislation requires utilities to clearly disclose whether shareholders or ratepayers fund their public communications and mandates detailed annual reporting to the Public Utilities Commission. These reports must document employee compensation, vendor expenses, and costs associated with commission proceedings. The commission will make these reports publicly available and has authority to assess civil penalties for violations based on their severity.

The bill provides specific exemptions for communications about safety measures, emergency conditions, and service interruptions. It also preserves utilities' ability to make payments authorized under federal labor laws. The commission will monitor compliance through regular audits and investigations, while maintaining authority to impose additional penalties beyond those specified in the legislation.