Electrical and gas corporations: security of plant and facilities.

Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission has regulatory authority over public utilities, including electrical corporations and gas corporations, as defined. If the commission finds after a hearing that the rules, practices, equipment, appliances, facilities, or service of any public utility, or of the methods of manufacture, distribution, transmission, storage, or supply employed by the public utility, are unjust, unreasonable, unsafe, improper, inadequate, or insufficient, the Public Utilities Act requires that the commission determine and, by order or rule, fix the rules, practices, equipment, appliances, facilities, service, or methods to be observed, furnished, constructed, enforced, or employed. The Public Utilities Act requires the commission to prescribe rules for the performance of any service or the furnishing of any commodity of the character furnished or supplied by any public utility and, on proper demand and tender of rates, require the public utility to furnish the commodity or render the service within the time and upon the conditions provided in the rules adopted by the commission. This bill would, on and after the filing of an electrical corporation's or gas corporation's general rate case application, require that electrical corporation or gas corporation, except as provided, to utilize employees of that corporation for any work associated with the design, engineering, and operation of its nuclear, electrical, and gas infrastructure, including all computer and information technology systems, unless the utility files a request to contract to utilize persons who will replace those employees with the commission as a part of the utility's general rate case application. The bill would require that the request be a separate stand-alone section that is not embedded in the general requested staffing change proposals. The bill would require the utility to demonstrate that the work can be performed safely and securely, and without jeopardizing the security of its nuclear, electrical, and gas infrastructure. The bill would require the commission to evaluate the utility's proposal. The bill would require the commission to issue a written decision to approve or deny the request as part of the general rate case proceeding. Under existing law, a violation of the Public Utilities Act or any order, decision, rule, direction, demand, or requirement of the commission is a crime. Because the provisions of this bill would be a part of the act and because a violation of an order or decision of the commission implementing its requirements would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program by creating a new crime. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.