Public Utilities Commission.

The California Constitution establishes the Public Utilities Commission, with jurisdiction over all public utilities, subject to control by the Legislature. The California Constitution provides that the commission consists of 5 members appointed by the Governor and approved by the Senate, a majority of the membership concurring. This bill would, beginning January 1, 2023, state that when selecting and confirming commissioners, the Governor and Senate should consider achieving regional diversity by selecting at least one candidate with a permanent residence in northern California, at least one candidate with a permanent residence in the central valley, and at least one candidate with a permanent residence in southern California, and directs that the Governor and Senate should consider a candidate pool that collectively represents each of those areas. Existing law requires that the office of the commission be in the City and County of San Francisco. This bill would authorize the office of the commission to be located in the City and County of San Francisco and authorize the commission to consider options to locate operations and staff outside of the commission's San Francisco headquarters, including in the City of Stockton.