Source: Bay Area News Group (San Jose Mercury) | By George Avalos

“Gov. Newsom’s executive order is an important first step to solving the affordability crisis facing California families, small businesses, steel and glass makers, manufacturers, and agriculture producers,” said Mark Toney, executive director of The Utility Reform Network, or TURN, a consumer group. Both PG&E and TURN said they looked forward to cooperating with the governor’s office to help tackle the utility bill woes that confront millions of California electricity and gas customers.

While it’s unclear if the executive order will have any immediate effect, it does come at a time when PG&E bills have zoomed at a pace that’s eight times faster than the Bay Area inflation rate. In 2023, PG&E’s monthly bills for residential customers soared 22.3%. Over the same 12 months, the Bay Area inflation rate rose 2.6%

Source: Courthouse News Service | By Alan Riquelmy

Mark Toney, executive director of The Utility Reform Network, in a statement called the executive order an important first step in addressing the state’s affordability crisis that families, small businesses and others face. “TURN looks forward to working with the governor’s staff on affordability strategies not in the [executive order] that will save ratepayers billions in spending, including setting limits on utility overspending, requiring least cost solutions to wildfire safety, and public financing options to reduce the cost of wildfire safety capital investments,” Toney said. 

California regulatory agencies have taken the brunt of public outcry over high utility prices for months. The state’s Public Utilities Commission regularly hears angry, even threatening, comments related to electricity prices. Newsom’s executive order seeks to assuage those concerns. The governor also ordered the Office of Energy Infrastructure Safety, and asked the utilities commission, to examine wildfire safety practices, ensuring that investments are cost effective.

Source: San Diego Union Tribune | By Rob Nikolewski

The Utility Reform Network, the San Francisco consumer group commonly known as TURN that often weighs in on utility issues, called Newsom’s executive order “an important first step to solving the affordability crisis” facing California ratepayers.

Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order Wednesday aimed at finding ways to reduce rising electricity bills that beleaguered customers pay each month — although the order did not offer specific dollar figures and timetables. Newsom’s executive order calls for “smarter wildfire mitigation investments” by directing state regulators to evaluate utility oversight and ensure that spending is “focused on cost-effective” measures. The order also:

—calls on the California Public Utilities Commission to identify underperforming programs and return any unused money to utility customers through credits on their bills

—asks the utilities commission review the costs of regulations of various programs, pursue federal funding options to help lower electric bills and directs the California Energy Commission to look at cost-saving measures, and

—instructs the California Air Resources Board to find ways to increase the California Climate Credit that utility customers receive two times each year.

Source:The Press Democrat | By Marisa Endicott

“While this is clearly optional — there’s no question about that — I think a lot of people feel it’s tone deaf coming on top of record breaking bills,” said Mark Toney, executive director of The Utility Reform Network, a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization, who said his organization has also received inquiries about the partnership. “They say they’re working to reduce costs, but this is pushing an optional service, an insurance product, that some people will benefit from and most won’t because that’s how insurance is supposed to work.”

One of the seven pages in the mailer explains that HomeServe is not an affiliate of PG&E and that the utility “is not responsible for, and does not endorse or provide guarantees for, plans offered by HomeServe.” But the packet also contains a letter from a PG&E vice president, Chris Zenner. “We have some exciting news to share with you!” he writes. “As a valued PG&E customer, you have access to home protection plans from HomeServe.” He goes on to say that “HomeServe is a trusted provider of home protection programs” and that customers can now enjoy “the convenience of” having the company’s charges added to their PG&E bill. It also provides PG&E with revenue in the form of a fee paid by HomeServe for billing and payment processing services. Most of that fee “is used to lower rates, keeping the prices customers pay lower than they otherwise would be,” according to a PG&E webpage, although Paulo declined to provide a percentage.

Source: San Diego Union Tribune | By Rob Nikolewski

Mark Toney, executive director at The Utility Reform Network (TURN), a consumer advocacy group that testified during the proceeding, says SDG&E ratepayers are already getting socked financially. “The bottom line is that this is the worst time for San Diego and Southern California customers to be hit with major increases to both utilities.” TURN criticized the commission for issuing the proposed decision so late. “What that means is the increase is going to be magnified because they have to catch up,” Toney said. “The delay magnifies the rate shock.”

San Diego Gas & Electric customers would pay 2.7% more on their electric bills starting next year while customers with natural gas hookups may pay almost 9% more, according to a proposed decision released Friday afternoon by the California Public Utilities Commission. According to the proposed decision, typical SDG&E residential customers using 400 kilowatt-hours of electricity per month would pay $170.87, which represents a $4.46, or 2.7%, increase compared to what they currently pay. The percentage increase would be the same for customers enrolled in the California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE) financial assistance program.

Source: Politico| By Alex Nieves

But the change was supported by consumer advocates including the California Public Advocates Office, and Mark Toney, TURN’s executive director, was willing to give credit where he said it’s due. “This is an important first step in providing rate relief, but so much more needs to be done,” he said.

The details are quite gory, but basically, the commission made a change to one of the ways it adjusts the return it allows utilities to book when they invest in big transmission lines and smaller-scale power poles, wires and substations. The utilities need to make a lot more of those investments to deliver enough power around the state to support California’s transition from a fossil-fuel based economy to one that runs on electricity. The change is expected to save ratepayers a total of about $360 million next year, according to an estimate from The Utility Reform Network.

Source: Sacramento Bee | By Ari Plachta

“The issue has been that there’s no fiscal discipline when it comes to wildfire mitigation spending,” said Katy Morsony, former staff attorney at the Utility Reform Network. “If we can do things in a more cost effective way, meaning take less ratepayer dollars and have lower bills, that’s a worthwhile goal.”

Undergrounding efforts are a piece of the steady rise in electricity bills, one that’s expected to grow in upcoming years. As millions face mounting bills, Gov. Gavin Newsom has emphasized that he and state lawmakers are committed to bringing rates down. Utilities like PG&E have resisted proposals that could end up lowering their profits, experts say. Even when it’s not the most cost-effective option, they argue, utilities often favor undergrounding over other strategies because it boosts their returns.

Source: San Francisco Chronicle | By Julie Johnson

“One of the biggest questions of all for California is this: Is this a money loser or not?” said Matthew Freedman, a staff attorney with The Utility Reform Network, an advocacy group for ratepayers.

Pacific Gas and Electric Co. will charge the average residential customer about $41 in 2025 to keep California’s only nuclear power plant running longer than planned. In filings with state regulators Friday, PG&E detailed the costs of operating Diablo Canyon Power Plant near San Luis Obispo in 2025 — costs that include impacts on customers of other California utilities, who will start paying for the power plant’s operations for the first time in its nearly 40-year life.

Source: Columbia Spectator | By Miranda Lu

The event concluded with a panel discussion between consumer advocate and director of the Office of Consumer Services Richard Berkley and executive director of the Utility Reform Network Mark Toney. The panel was moderated by Hernández and Law School professor and Sabin Center director Michael Gerrard, CC ’72, the lead organizers of Power Uptown. Toney, whose organization is based in California, discussed his state’s efforts to improve energy affordability and suggested looking at the federal income tax system—where the amount taxpayers pay is dependent on their income—as a more equitable payment model for utility payments.

Community leaders, policymakers, energy industry professionals, and local residents convened at The Forum last Friday for “Power Uptown: Tackling Energy Insecurity Together,” a community-based event focused on addressing energy insecurity and educating residents on pathways to efficient and renewable energy consumption.

Source: CBS47 and KSEE24 Fresno | By Ben Morris

“There are no limits to how much the public utilities can grant in an increase,” said Mark Toney, executive director for The Utility Reform Network. “Utility debt has quintupled over the past four years. It’s five times more than it used to be,” he said.

“There are a lot of things on your bill that I don’t think should be on your bill,” said Governor Newsom. “There are a lot of programs in this state that frankly stack up. And then, everybody pays for what only a few people are taking advantage of,” he said. However, in addition to dollars going to programs and policies, rate increases continue to hit families hard. In September, the California Public Utilities Commission unanimously passed its fourth PG&E rate hike of the year.

Source: FOX2 KTVU | By Tom Vacar

Consumer advocate Mark Toney of The Utility Reform Network (TURN) blasted the initiative saying, "PG&E executives will stop at nothing to empty the pockets of their customers.”

Customers have received letters from a company called HomeServe, which offers a monthly service for $6 that will cover water meter failures. For another $6 per month, the service would pay for certain electrical equipment not covered by PG&E. The third page of the form, which appears on PG&E letterhead and signed by a vice president, calls HomeServe a trusted provider that has been thoroughly vetted. HomeServe's charges would appear directly on the customers' PG&E bills.

Source: CBS 13 Sacramento | By Ashley Sharp

CBS13 reached out to The Utility Reform Network (TURN), which serves as a consumer watchdog advocacy group concerning all utility companies in the state of California, for perspective. TURN Director Mark Toney said he's shocked by this mistake, calling it rare and inexcusable. "These meters are supposed to be geocoded so that the exact location is precisely matched with longitude, latitude, that's geocoding. So its precise location is supposed to match each address," Toney said. Toney said that PG&E should work through Wilson's old bills and refund him for any amount he has paid over the actual price of his bill for every year impacted. CBS13 asked Toney: What lessons should customers of any utility group take away from this story? "Keep an eye on your bill," he said. "If you notice a spike in usage, and maybe you're out of town or at work all day and these spikes are happening in the middle of the day or at an odd time, that is the time to call PG&E and ask them to look into it.” Toney suggested that if the issue is not made right, the problem needs to be reported to the California Public Utilities Commission.

A Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) customer who lives at an apartment complex in Vacaville recently noticed something was not quite right with his utility bill. After further investigation that included PG&E coming out to check his meter, they discovered he had been paying someone else's bill for what could be nearly two decades. Customer Ken Wilson's bill was linked to the meter for apartment unit 90. He lives in unit number 91. Wilson has lived alone in the same apartment since 2006: 18 years.

Source: ABC7 News | By Muna Sadek

"So much of the increase today is based on overspending," Executive Director Mark Toney said. "I would say thatfor any overspending that shareholders should pay 50 percent of all cost overruns." TURN sponsored a recent bill in the State Legislature that would have required just that but Toney said PG&E ultimately killed it. "Every bill that PG&E didn’t like because it would reduce shareholder returns, it would set limits on how much ratepayers had to pay, PG&E was able to kill," Toney said.

PG&E ratepayers will see their bills go up a little over $5 a month soon, after the California Public Utilities Commission approved the increase Thursday morning. The utility says it needs the funds to recoup losses following recent storms and wildfire mitigation projects, however a number of ratepayers made public comments ahead of the vote to voice concerns about what would be the company's fourth rate hike of the year.

Source: Politico| By Blanca Begert, Tyler Katzenberger, Alex Nieves, Will McCarthy and Wes Wenteicher

“We need to fix a broken system where there are no limits to how much PG&E can request in rate increases, and no limits to how much the CPUC can grant in rate increases,” Mark Toney, executive director of The Utility Reform Network, said in a statement.

Utility and energy professionals in California and beyond are acknowledging a paradox. On the one hand, they’re looking eagerly at how advances in machine learning and artificial intelligence can help them manage the grid, predict fires and outages and respond more flexibly as energy demand grows.

Source: CBS 47 Fresno | By Hamza Fahmy

With the accumulated price hikes since the beginning of 2024, Mark Toney with the Utility Reform Network Turn says customers are seeing a nearly $50 increase in their monthly bills this year alone. He believes much of PG&E’s price hikes are due to “overspending.” “That is what is making people so upset… Instead of using a faster and cheaper way to protect their power lines — which is to install insulated polls and lines — (PG&E) wants to bury their lines at five times the cost because it produces more returns for their shareholders,” Toney said.

Starting October 1, a typical Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) customer’s monthly electric bills will increase by about $6, the utility company confirmed with KRON4. This marks the fourth PG&E price hike in 2024 alone. The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) agreed to the increase on Thursday. PG&E says the price hike is a form of damage control in response to an unexpected set of natural disasters that hit the state over the past few years. 

Source: CBS 13 Sacramento | By Shelby Reilly

"More and more people falling behind on their bills. More people than ever are now behind on their bills," said Mark Toney, executive director of The Utility Reform Network, or TURN. Toney said an increase approved in January added about $35 per month. Then, there was another increase in March of $4-5 per month followed by a temporary decrease of 9% in July.  "There's $6 we're talking about now, but guess what? Earlier this month, there was a $6 increase a month in natural gas. Now, PG&E customers pay one bill, natural gas and electricity together," he said.

As Pacific Gas and Electric customers already struggle to keep up with their bills, the California Public Utilities Commission approved the company's fourth rate increase in 2024. The increase was approved Thursday and will add about $6 per month on average to customers' bills.

Source: KTVU, Fox 2 | By Tom Vacar

Consumer advocate Mark Toney of The Utility Reform Network: “They took the side of shareholders, of Wall Street investors, who are already pocketing record breaking profits.” “PG&E has at least 10 pending requests for more rate increases sitting on the desk right now.”

Source: ABC 7 News | By Cornell Barnard

"These outrageous profits that the PG&E shareholders are pocketing are coming out of the pockets of customers," said Mark Toney who works for The Utility Reform Network or TURN. He says the profits are a slap in the face to customers after substantial rate hikes at the beginning of 2024. "I think a lot of people get upset and say, PG&E cries poor me and yet they have plenty of money," Toney said.

The California Public Utilities Commission voted unanimously to approve the hike which amounts to about $6 more on an average bill a month. In February, PG&E announced its profits for 2023 surged to over $2.2 billion - a jump of almost 25 percent.

Source: NBC Bay Area | By Ian Cull and Kris Sanchez

Mark Toney with The Utility Reform Network, or TURN, disputes that claim. "PG&E is half true by saying that some of the money increases are due to storms, but much more of the money is due to overspending on the vegetation management," Toney said. PG&E said its investments are delivering results and officials point to some relief coming in October in the form of a $55 one-time climate credit. Meanwhile, ratepayer advocates continue their push to put a limit on rate hikes. "TURN has been fighting for a cap on utility bill increases to be no more than the cost of living adjustment provided by social security," Toney said.

PG&E customers will soon see their bills go up again. The California Public Utilities Commission on Thursday approved another PG&E rate increase, which would bring bills up about $6 a month on average. The decision marks the fourth time PG&E was granted a rate increase this year. PG&E said it needs to bump up bills in order to make back what it lost during last winter’s major storms.

Source: Politico | By Tyler Katzenberger

Ashley Salas, an attorney with independent consumer advocacy nonprofit The Utility Reform Network, framed it as a public safety issue: “If someone without a social security number that’s low-income sees a wildfire, and they can’t call 911, that hurts everyone in the community.”

California is weighing a first-in-the-nation proposal that would grant some undocumented immigrants access to a government-run phone bill discount program. But the timing is a bit awkward. The proposal, scheduled for an agency vote Sept. 26, would see the state eliminate social security numbers as a requirement for California LifeLine, a program that subsidizes phone bill discounts for low-income residents. California’s Public Utilities Commission agreed to drop the requirement 10 years ago but never did.