Public Utilities Commission: safety enforcement: gas and electrical corporations.

Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission has regulatory authority over public utilities, including gas corporations and electrical corporations, as defined. The Public Utilities Act requires the commission to investigate the cause of all accidents occurring upon the property of any public utility or directly or indirectly arising from or connected with its maintenance or operation, resulting in loss of life or injury to person or property and requiring, in the judgment of the commission, investigation by it, and authorizes the commission to make any order or recommendation with respect to the investigation that it determines to be just and reasonable. The act additionally authorizes the commission to ascertain and fix just and reasonable standards, classifications, regulations, practices, measurements, or services to be furnished, imposed, observed, and followed by specified public utilities, including electrical and gas corporations. Existing law authorizes the commission to issue and serve citations in the enforcement of certain pipeline safety laws applicable to mobilehome park gas delivery systems and propane operators. This bill would require the commission, in an existing or new proceeding, to develop and implement a safety enforcement program that includes procedures for monitoring, data tracking and analysis, and investigations, as well as issuance of citations by commission staff, under the direction of the executive director of the commission, to gas corporations and electrical corporations for correction and punishment of safety violations. The bill would require the commission to develop and implement an appeals process to govern issuance and appeal of citations, or resolution of corrective action orders. The bill would require the commission to implement the safety enforcement program for gas safety by July 1, 2014, and for electrical safety by January 1, 2015.