Campaign for Affordable Power (CAP)

"The current system that sets no limits on rate increases needs to be replaced by a cap on annual bills, set at the cost-of-living adjustment provided by Social Security…"

Mark Toney, Executive Director, TURN

Please join TURN: CAP Utility Rates & Help Keep California Residents Housed

In November, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) struck down PG&E’s outrageous $26 billion rate increase request. Just two weeks later—the ink barely dry on that General Rate Case—PG&E filed a new request for early collection from customers of $1.58 billion starting on May 1, 2024. This amounts to an additional $12-$20/month, which would be added to the November 2023 increase of $33/month.

Customers Need a Rate Cap—Unlimited Increases are Not Sustainable

• California's current system that sets no limits on energy rate increases is unfair and unsustainable.

• Very often several requests for increases are made during the same year—without adequate consideration of the prior increase.

• Investor owned utilities, like PG&E, act as though they are accountable to their investors rather than to the customers they serve. And often, utility consumers don’t have a choice in vendors; the choice is to have power. Consumers are essentially captive to their utility company.

• California is pouring billions of dollars into our housing crisis while utility rates skyrocket.

• We all know that supporting residents to remain housed is the more compassionate and cost-efficient way to impact the housing crisis.

• The CAP proposal is just a common sense path forward—tie utility rates to the Cost of Living Adjustment (as set by Social Security). Until rates are tied to consumers (not Wall Street profits), this structure puts investor profits above resident needs.

• The current structure is unsustainable for California families, communities, and our state.

The greed of utility executives and Wall Street investors may have no limits, but customers who are falling behind in their bills do! We must change the structure itself and protect California's energy customers from unchecked and unregulated corporate greed.

Visit https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/here-s-pg-e-bill-look-next-year-18555114.php to read more.