Governor Jerry Brown and state legislators reached an agreement on reforming the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to make it more transparent. The agency oversees the electric, gas and telecommunications industries and is responsible for safety in buses, movers and in Uber and Lyft. The commission has been under fire for conducting secret meetings to decide important issues. Brown wrote, “These reforms will change how this commission does business. Public access to meetings and records will be expanded, new safety and oversight positions will be created and ex parte communication rules will be strengthened.” (Los Angeles Times, January 28, 2016, by Liam Dillon)
The proposed bill needs the approval of the state senate and assembly and gives authority to the state attorney general to limit private communications between PUC executives and staff or commissioners. There was concern about private discussions the commission president conducted with Pacific Gas & Electric during the San Bruno explosion disaster. (Tri-City Herald, January 27, 2016, by Jonathan J. Cooper of The Associated Press)