BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    �



                                                                  AB 1541
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   May 2, 2012

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                                Felipe Fuentes, Chair

                  AB 1541 (Dickinson) - As Amended:  April 16, 2012 

          Policy Committee:                              
          UtilitiesVote:14-0
                        Governmental Organization             16-0

          Urgency:     No                   State Mandated Local Program: 
          Yes    Reimbursable:              No

           SUMMARY  

          This bill provides that records of, or information provided to, 
          the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) are public records subject 
          to the disclosure requirements of the California Public Records 
          Act (CPRA), with the exception of security-related, proprietary 
          business, and market-sensitive information and personally 
          identifiable information of employees or customers. For 
          non-exempt documents that contain personally identifiable 
          information of employees or customers, this information must be 
          redacted prior to public disclosure.

          The bill also subjects to the CPRA any PUC order or 
          recommendation pursuant to the commission's investigation of an 
          accident involving utility company property or operations, as 
          well as any accident report filed with the commission.

           FISCAL EFFECT  

          Any costs to the PUC will be minor and absorbable.

           COMMENTS  

           1)Background  . In December 2008, a gas pipeline explosion 
            occurred in Rancho Cordova (Sacramento County), killing one 
            person and injuring five others. In September 2010, a gas 
            pipeline explosion in San Bruno killed eight people, injured 
            more than 50 people and destroyed 37 homes. Following these 
            explosions, consumer advocacy organizations and the 
            Legislature had to pressure the PUC to release information 
            pertaining to accident investigations and public safety. 








                                                                  AB 1541
                                                                  Page  2


           2)Purpose  . According to the author, "?The Legislature and the 
            public should be able to monitor the crucial services 
            regulated by the PUC on an ongoing basis. We should not have 
            to wait for a brief glimpse of transparency following another 
            tragedy. This bill will bring the PUC in line with the policy 
            and practice of other public agencies in California."

           3)In support  , The Utility Reform Network (TURN) states that, 
            "contrary to State policy as expressed in the CPRA, current 
            law shields from disclosure records submitted by the public 
            utilities regulated by the PUC. In practice, this means that, 
            if a utility wants to keep a document from the public, it 
            merely needs to label the document as confidential. Anyone who 
            learns about the existence of the document has to go to the 
            considerable time and effort to file pleadings with the PUC 
            and wait potentially weeks for a commissioner to decide if the 
            document may be revealed to the public. Adopting AB 1541 will 
            go a long way to restoring public confidence in the CPUC and 
            regulated utilities by making the process of decision making 
            far more transparent to the general public."

           Analysis Prepared by  :    Chuck Nicol / APPR. / (916) 319-2081