Public Utilities Commission: organization.

Assembly Member Patterson's ethics reform measure for the California Public Utilities Commission (PUC) establishes new requirements for staff transitions and ethics reporting. The legislation creates restrictions on former Public Advocate's Office staff members who move to positions within the PUC, prohibiting them from working on matters they previously handled while at the Public Advocate's Office.

The bill mandates that the PUC implement an online portal or dedicated email address for reporting ethics concerns by July 1, 2026. This new reporting mechanism supplements the existing ethics framework, which includes an ethics officer within the PUC's legal division who provides confidential compliance guidance and conducts ethics training for commissioners and staff. The ethics officer maintains responsibility for training on the commission's Conflict of Interest Code, Statement of Incompatible Activities, and limitations on ex parte communications.

These provisions add to the PUC's existing ethics infrastructure while maintaining the confidentiality protections for commissioners and employees who seek ethics guidance. The bill requires only a majority vote for passage and involves no new state funding appropriations, with implementation to occur through existing PUC resources.