Lawmakers planning to 'break up' with PG&E

Politicians in San Francisco introduce legislation to form a publicly owned utility.

- HAYLEY SMITH

SAN FRANCISCO residents pay among the highest U.S. electricity rates, and blackouts have been linked to aging PG&E infrastructure.

Bay Area lawmakers on Monday announced new legislation that would allow San Francisco to exit its 120-year relationship with Pacific Gas & Electric, the investor-owned utility that serves about 16 million people across Northern and Central California.

Senate Bill 875 would enable the city and county of San Francisco to finalize the purchase of PG&E assets so that it can form a municipal utility in the area instead, said Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), who announced the plan on the steps of City Hall. Members of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors said they would be drafting a resolution to support the bill.

PG&E is the largest investor-owned utility in California and one of the largest in the nation. The company has long faced criticism over its aging infrastructure and wildfire risk, including deadly blazes in 2017 and 2018 that were linked to faulty electrical equipment.

Wiener said poor maintenance of PG&E’s grid led to recent blackouts in the area that left hundreds of thousands of people without power around the holidays. He said San Francisco pays the second-highest electricity rates in the country and more than double what its neighbors in Sacramento and Palo Alto pay through their local municipal utilities.

"Under PG&E's monopoly, San Franciscans are paying more for worse service," Wiener said. "We should get a choice to leave this broken relationship, and SB 875 is a critical step to get there."