2024/25 TURN Key Legislation

Utility Accountability Act - SB 938

We urgently need to contact your Senators today — hold utility companies accountable. The last day to support SB 938 (Min) is this Monday!

Contact Your Senator:

Senator Bradford (LA): 916-651-4035 Senator.Bradford@senate.ca.gov
Senator Ashby (Sac): 916-651-4008 Senator.Ashby@senate.ca.gov
Senator Dodd (Napa): 916-651-4003 Senator.Dodd@senate.ca.gov
Senator Newman (Fullerton): 916-651-4029 Senator.Newman@senate.ca.gov
Senator Rubio (East LA): 916-651-4022 Senator.Rubio@senate.ca.gov
Senator Caballero (Merced): 916-651-4014 Senator.Caballero@senate.ca.gov

Call to action: I urge [Senator's Name] to support SB 938 and stand up for the interests of Californians like me. We must take a stand against utility greed and ensure fairness for all energy consumers in our state.

Sample Messaging for Social Media:

It's outrageous! Lawmakers had the chance to protect us from utility greed, but they failed. Don't let them get away with it. We demand support for #SB938. @SenatorAshby @SenBillDodd @JoshNewmanCA @SusanRubioCA @CASenCaballero @SenBradfordCA, we need #UtilityAccountabilityNow

Enough is enough! Californians deserve better than being treated like an ATM by utility companies. @SenatorAshby @SenBillDodd @JoshNewmanCA @SusanRubioCA @CASenCaballero @SenBradfordCA, reverse course and SUPPORT #SB938. Our wallets depend on it. #UtilityAccountabilityNow

Californians deserve affordable energy, not inflated bills padded with political expenses. It's time for lawmakers to stand up for transparency and support #SB938. Shame on @tag for abstaining. We deserve #UtilityAccountabilityNow

Affordability shouldn't just be a talking point, it should be a reality. @tag, you have the power to make it happen by supporting #SB938. Reverse your votes and ensure utilities can't use Californians as a piggy bank to line their pockets with political expenses.

Hey Senators, remember who you work for – the people of California. Reverse your votes on #SB938 and put an end to utility CEOs treating us like their personal piggy bank. It's time for real accountability and transparency in our energy bills. @tag

The Senate had a chance to bring transparency to utility bills with #SB938, but some members chose to look the other way. Californians deserve better. @tag, it's not too late to do the right thing. Reverse your votes and protect consumers from utility greed.

Tags:
@SenatorAshby
@SenBillDodd
@JoshNewmanCA
@SusanRubioCA
@CASenCaballero
@SenBradfordCA

Hashtags:
#SB938
#StopUtilityGreed
#UtilityAccountabilityNow

Talking Points:

Californians are facing skyrocketing energy bills due to years of negligence and greed from utility CEOs and a lack of oversight from government regulators.
Lawmakers say that affordability is one of their top issues - but when offered an opportunity to pass a commonsense bill to ensure utilities don’t add political lobbying and advertising costs to our energy bills, several leading members of the Senate Energy, Utilities, and Communications Committee abstained from voting — including Chair Bradford, despite a committee recommendation for an AYE vote, and key members of Pro Tem McGuire’s leadership team.
If utilities can kill SB 938, what hope does California have of meaningful legislation to rein in skyrocketing utility bills? Legislators in Sacramento who care about the energy affordability crisis for Californians should rally behind this bill.”
We need leadership in the Senate to protect Californians and create accountability and transparency for how utilities use our money.
Californians deserve transparency about what they’re paying for in their energy bills and measures to bring those bills down.

SB 938 (Min) Utility Accountability Act

Author: Senator Dave Min (District 37 – Dem)

Summary

SB 938 would prohibit utilities from using ratepayer dollars to fund political activities, promotional advertisements, and membership dues of trade associations engaged in lobbying.

Issue

As California works to end its dependence on natural gas and other fossil fuels, the current business model and shareholder profits of gas-only utilities are being threatened. These companies have responded by spending millions of ratepayer dollars on political activities that not only derail the state’s climate and public health goals, but also increase customer rates.

Although current state and federal regulations largely prohibit utilities from billing customers for costs to influence public opinion or the decisions of public officials, the lack of effective accountability mechanisms has enabled utilities to sneak these expenses into customers’ monthly bills.

California families already face the burden of high gas and electric bills — they should not have to pay for their utilities’ political influence efforts.

Solution

By defining the activities utility shareholders must pay for, setting transparency provisions to ease enforcement, and penalties to incentivize compliance, this bill will put a stop to utility misuse of customer funds. Specifically, this bill will:

Prohibit an electrical or gas corporation from recovering expenses for political influence activities and promotional advertising and require the CPUC to impose penalties if a utility improperly books these costs to customers
Prohibit recovery of membership dues to trade associations engaged in political activities
Require electrical or gas corporations to clearly and conspicuously disclose whether the costs of their public messaging and advertising are being paid for by shareholders or customers
Require electrical or gas corporations to file a publicly available annual report to make it easier to assess compliance with this bill

TURN/EarthJustice Letter

SB 938 (Min) Factsheet