Wildfire agencies: public utilities: safety and insurance.

Existing law establishes various programs for the prevention, detection, and mitigation of wildfires. Other existing law establishes the California Earthquake Authority (CEA) , administered under the authority of the Insurance Commissioner, to transact insurance in this state as necessary to sell policies of basic residential earthquake insurance. This bill would create in state government the California Catastrophe Response Council to oversee the CEA and the Wildfire Fund Administrator, who this bill would require the council to appoint. The council would be composed of the Governor, the Treasurer, the commissioner, and the Secretary of the Natural Resources Agency, or their designees, and 3 members of the public appointed by the Governor, one member appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules, and one member appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly, who would serve 4-year staggered terms. Existing law establishes in state government the Natural Resources Agency, consisting of various departments, under the supervision of the Secretary of the Natural Resources Agency. This bill would establish the Office of Energy Infrastructure Safety within the Natural Resources Agency under the supervision of a director appointed by the Governor. The bill would provide that, on and after July 1, 2021, the office is the successor to, and is vested with, all of the duties, powers, and responsibilities of the Wildfire Safety Division described below. The California Constitution establishes the Public Utilities Commission and authorizes the commission to exercise ratemaking and rulemaking authority over all public utilities, as defined, subject to control by the Legislature. The Public Utilities Act authorizes the commission to supervise and regulate every public utility, including electrical corporations, and to do all things that are necessary and convenient in the exercise of that power and jurisdiction. This bill would require the commission, on or before January 1, 2020, to establish the Wildfire Safety Division within the commission. The bill would require the division to take specified actions related to wildfire safety. This bill would establish the California Wildfire Safety Advisory Board consisting of 7 members appointed by the Governor, Speaker of the Assembly, and Senate Committee on Rules, as provided, who would serve 4-year staggered terms. The bill would require the board, among other actions, to advise and make recommendations related to wildfire safety to the division. This bill would appropriate $47,600,000 from the Public Utilities Commission Utilities Reimbursement Account and $2,500,000 from the Public Utilities Commission Public Advocate's Office Account to the commission for the purpose fulfilling its duties under this act. This bill would repeal Section 326.1 of the Public Utilities Code as added by AB 1054 of the 2019–20 Regular Session. This bill would become operative only if AB 1054 of the 2019–20 Regular Session becomes effective before January 1, 2020. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as a bill providing for appropriations related to the Budget Bill.