Public Utilities Commission: proceedings: intervenor fees: customers.

Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission has broad regulatory authority pursuant to the California Constitution and the Public Utilities Act over public utilities, as defined. Existing law provides compensation for reasonable advocate's fees, reasonable expert witness fees, and other reasonable costs to public utility customers and representatives of customers for participation or intervention in formal proceedings of the commission involving electrical, gas, water, telegraph, and telephone public utilities, but does not provide that compensation for local government agencies. This bill would make legislative findings and declarations relating to local educational agency involvement in commission proceedings. The bill would authorize compensation for participation or intervention in the proceedings described above for a county office of education, or a consortium of public school districts or agencies participating or intervening on behalf of local K–12 educational agencies in a commission proceeding relating to gas or electricity rates. The bill would require that a representative of a consortium not have had a direct financial interest in the resolution of the commission proceeding within the 2 years preceding the filing of comments with the commission and not have a direct financial interest in the resolution until 2 years after that resolution.