Public utilities: judicial review.

Assembly Member Bauer-Kahan's judicial review reform legislation modifies how electrical utilities and other parties challenge California Public Utilities Commission decisions, extending appeal deadlines and establishing new cost recovery restrictions.

The bill triples the timeframe for filing appeals of Commission decisions from 30 to 90 days after a rehearing denial or decision. When reviewing Commission rulings that substantially alter proposed decisions, courts must now presume the original proposed decision was valid unless the Commission adequately justifies its modifications. The legislation also prohibits electrical utilities from passing the costs of challenging Commission decisions in court onto ratepayers, requiring them to track these expenses separately.

For water utility matters, the bill maintains existing requirements that appeals go directly to the California Supreme Court, except for complaint and enforcement proceedings which may be heard in either appellate or supreme courts. The measure preserves current venue rules allowing petitioners to file in their local judicial district while enabling the Supreme Court to consolidate related cases.