Public Utilities Commission: Office of the Safety Advocate.

Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission has regulatory authority over public utilities and can establish its own procedures, subject to statutory limitations or directions and constitutional requirements of due process. This bill would, until January 1, 2020, establish within the commission the Office of the Safety Advocate to advocate for the continuous, cost-effective improvement of the safety management and safety performance of public utilities. The bill would require the office to promote public utility safety by: (1) advocating for effective public utility safety management and infrastructure improvements and for the transparency of safety information; (2) recommending improvements to the commission's safety management policy and procedures and its safety culture; and (3) informing the official record on safety-related risks in applicable commission proceedings and assisting the commission in its efforts to hold public utilities accountable for their safe operation. The bill would require the office to annually provide specified information to the chairpersons of the appropriate fiscal and policy committees of each house of the Legislature.