Asm. Chris Holden

This measure would proclaim support for the mission of the California World War One Centennial Task Force, by designating the time period between August 5, 2017, and November 11, 2018, inclusive, to be observed as the commemoration period of the 100th anniversary of the United States' involvement in World War I.

The existing restructuring of the electrical industry within the Public Utilities Act provides for the establishment of the Electricity Oversight Board and the Independent System Operator (ISO) and requires the ISO to ensure efficient and reliable operation of the electrical transmission grid. Certain existing law prohibits the ISO from entering into a multistate entity or regional organization unless the ISO receives approval from the Electricity Oversight Board. Other existing law states the intent of the Legislature to provide for the evolution of the ISO into a regional organization to promote the development of regional electricity transmission markets in the western states. The Clean Energy and Pollution Reduction Act of 2015 provided for the transformation of the ISO into a regional organization, with the approval of the Legislature, pursuant to a specified process, and repealed or made inoperative those other provisions of existing law relating to the ISO entering into a multistate entity or transforming into a regional organization. This bill would repeal the existing law governing the transformation of the ISO into a regional organization adopted as part of the Clean Energy and Pollution Reduction Act of 2015 and replace it with provisions authorizing the transformation of the ISO into a regional organization if the ISO governing board undertakes certain steps and the Commission on Regional Grid Transformation, which the bill would create, makes specified findings by December 31, 2018. The bill would make inoperative other provisions of existing law relating to the ISO entering into a multistate entity or transforming into a regional organization unless the Commission on Regional Grid Transformation does not make the specified findings by that date. The bill would make existing provisions relating to the formation of advisory committees to the ISO governing board, the adoption of maintenance, repair, and replacement standards for transmission facilities, requiring the ISO to conduct performance reviews following certain major outages, and establishing the Electricity Oversight Board and specifying its responsibilities inoperative if the Commission on Regional Grid Transformation makes the specified findings. Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission has regulatory authority over public utilities, including electrical corporations, while local publicly owned electric utilities, as defined, are under the direction of their governing boards. The California Renewables Portfolio Standard Program requires the commission to establish a renewables portfolio standard requiring all retail sellers, as defined, to procure a minimum quantity of electricity products from eligible renewable energy resources, as defined, so that the total kilowatthours of those products sold to their retail end-use customers achieves 25% of retail sales by December 31, 2016, 33% by December 31, 2020, 40% by December 31, 2024, 45% by December 31, 2027, and 50% by December 31, 2030. The program additionally requires each local publicly owned electric utility to procure a minimum quantity of electricity products from eligible renewable energy resources to achieve the procurement requirements established by the program. The program, consistent with the goals of procuring the least-cost and best-fit eligible renewable energy resources that meet project viability principles, requires that all retail sellers and local publicly owned electric utilities procure a balanced portfolio of electricity products from specified categories of eligible renewable energy resources. The provisions defining these categories and imposing this obligation on retail sellers are referred to as the portfolio content requirements. This bill would require the commission, by March 31, 2018, to require electrical corporations with more than 100,000 service connections in California to procure tax-advantaged renewable resources, as defined, in an amount specified by the commission that are over and above those resources necessary to meet the procurement requirements for the applicable renewables portfolio standard compliance period if the commission makes specified determinations. The bill would require each electrical corporation, in procuring tax-advantaged renewable resources, to give priority to projects that provide flexible and controllable eligible renewable energy resources that support the grid management needs of the Independent System Operator or that can displace conventional generation in locally constrained resource areas. The bill would require that an electrical corporation submit executed contracts for tax-advantaged renewable resources to the commission for review by no later than September 1, 2018, and require the commission to act on all final contracts by December 31, 2018. The bill would provide that the procurement of tax-advantaged renewable resources pursuant to this authority would be on behalf of retail end-use customers of all retail sellers and would require the commission to authorize an electrical corporation to recover expenses for the procurement subject to certain conditions. The bill would authorize an electric service provider or community choice aggregator meeting certain requirements to elect to provide its proportionate share of tax-advantaged renewable resources specified by the commission that would otherwise be procured by an electrical corporation and would reduce the procurement obligation of the electrical corporation in the event of such an election. Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission has regulatory authority over public utilities, including electrical corporations and gas corporations. Existing law authorizes the commission to fix the rates and charges for every public utility and requires that those rates and charges be just and reasonable. Existing law requires a provider of mobile telephony services, as defined, to provide subscribers with a means by which a subscriber can obtain reasonably current and available information on the subscriber's calling plan or plans and service usage. Existing law additionally requires that a provider of mobile telephony services provide subscribers with a means by which a subscriber can obtain reasonably current and available information, as determined by the provider, on the subscriber's text messaging and Internet usage and charges. A provider of mobile telephony service is required to inform subscribers to their service at the time service is established of the availability of this usage information and how it may be obtained. Unless the customer exercises the option to not receive notifications, this bill would require an electrical corporation or gas corporation to provide a residential customer with a smart meter with energy usage or energy billing notifications at appropriate times, based on the customer's usage of electricity or gas, as specified. The bill would require an electrical corporation or gas corporation to offer the option to a residential customer with a smart meter to receive energy bill alert notifications when the customer's energy bill exceeds an amount specified by the customer or when the customer's rate of energy usage, if it continues through a billing period, will result in a projected bill that exceeds an amount specified by the customer. The bill would require an electrical corporation or gas corporation to notify a residential customer with a smart meter that the customer may receive notification of the customer's energy usage and billing information as required by the bill, the manner by which the customer can provide appropriate contact information to receive this information, and the customer's opportunity to opt in or opt out of receiving this information. The bill would authorize the commission to modify or adjust these requirements for any electrical corporation with fewer than 100,000 service connections, as individual circumstances merit. The bill would require an electrical corporation or gas corporation to seek authority from the commission to be exempted from these requirements with respect to a category of residential customers when compliance is impractical or infeasible and would require the commission to determine whether to grant an exemption on those grounds. 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, 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.

This measure would urge the United States Congress to require the United States Postal Service to restore past service standards in effect as of July 1, 2012, oppose certain postal reform legislation, require the United States Postal Service to continue the mandate for 6-day delivery service, require the continued operation of all mail sorting centers in California, and support specific federal legislation. The measure would also urge the Secretary of State to continue working with the United States Postal Service to implement additional programs that would increase absentee ballot voting participation.

This measure would recognize the month of June 2017 as Alzheimer's and Brain Awareness Month, would recognize Wednesday, June 21, 2017, as The Longest Day in California, and would urge all Californians to wear purple on this day to help spread global awareness of the Alzheimer's Association's vision of a world without Alzheimer's disease.

This measure would declare that the Legislature strongly supports, and would respectfully urge the President of the United States and Members of the United States Congress to continue to protect, net neutrality, open Internet access, the federal Lifeline program's discounted telephone service for qualifying low-income consumers, and the E-rate program's discounted telecommunication and Internet access services for schools and libraries. The measure would declare that the Legislature views these as high priorities for California and the country, and opposes any federal efforts to rescind or block them.

This measure would state the intent of the Legislature to take the opportunity preceding July 4, 2017, to recognize and celebrate July 4, 2017, and the 241st anniversary of the birth of our great nation and the signing of the Declaration of Independence that this day represents.