October 8, 2019 UPDATE: PG&E Confirms Widespread Power Outage in Santa Clara Co. By Grace Hase On the second anniversary of the Tubbs fire, PG&E has confirmed that it will turn off the power for nearly 800,000 customers. Read More 7
January 30, 2019 The Big Problem This Bankruptcy Won’t Solve for PG&E By Judy Lin, CALmatters PG&E may be solvent, but it is facing a cash flow problem as a byproduct of $30 billion in potential liabilities from a series of catastrophic fires. Read More 4
January 25, 2019 PG&E Escaped Blame for a Huge Disaster—But It’s Still the Utility California Loves to Hate By Judy Lin, CALmatters Mention PG&E to Victor Porter, and the response is nothing like the bland non-opinion most Americans have of their utility provider. Read More 9
January 18, 2019 Will PG&E Customers Pay More in Bankruptcy? Not if State Watchdog Group Can Stop It By Judy Lin, CALmatters The state says PG&E customers should not pay for the utility’s misdeeds if it was responsible for two of the most destructive wildfires. Read More 3
November 23, 2018 Why Does PG&E Get to Decide When to Turn Off the Power? By Tom Gogola Will lawmakers de-energize PG&E’s power to shut off the juice when the Red Flag warnings start flying again next year? Read More 3
September 18, 2018 CPUC to Investigate San Jose Water Co.’s Billing Practices By Silicon Valley Newsroom State regulators have launched an investigation to determine whether the San Jose Water Co. over-billed customers for 30 years. Read More 9
July 10, 2018 San Jose Water Company’s Merger With Connecticut Utility Sparks Bicoastal Bidding War By Jennifer Wadsworth A planned tie-up between San Jose Water Company and another private utility on the East Coast has morphed into a four-way merger battle. Read More 10
April 9, 2018 San Jose City Council Considers Supporting State Sen. Beall’s Water Rate Transparency Bill By Jennifer Wadsworth San Jose considers whether to support a state bill that would demand greater transparency from water companies about rate changes. Read More 1
March 18, 2018 Consumers Up Against Lobbyists in Fight over San Jose Water Company’s Proposed Rate Hike By Jennifer Wadsworth San Jose Water Co.’s latest pitch to raise rates comes before the CPUC Thursday, and irate customers are gearing up for a showdown. Read More 9
January 24, 2018 San Jose Water Customers Voice Frustrations over Billing Spikes By San Jose Inside San Jose Water Co. customers voice frustration over inexplicable water bill spikes, some of which went up by 500 percent in one billing cycle. Read More 30
January 9, 2018 San Jose Water Company Asks CPUC for Another Rate Increase By Silicon Valley Newsroom San Jose Water Company, the investor-owned utility that provides water for most of the South Bay, is angling for yet another rate hike. Read More 10
December 14, 2017 Op-Ed: CPUC Quietly Changes Mission Statement to Remove Wording on ‘Reasonable Rates’ By Rita Benton A seemingly subtle chance to the CPUC mission statement does not bode well for ratepayers, according to a local consumer advocacy group. Read More 5
November 1, 2017 Hearing Set as San Jose Water Company Requests Rate Hike; Overbilling Questions Still Linger By Jennifer Wadsworth San Jose’s largest privately held water utility is angling for yet another rate increase. This one is tied to the company’s shareholder profits. Read More 14
September 11, 2017 City Council to Discuss San Jose Water Company’s Overbilling By Jennifer Wadsworth The investor-owned water company that serves about half of Santa Clara County owes a fortune to ratepayers. The only question is: how much? Read More 7
July 19, 2017 H2O Watchdogs Catch San Jose Water Co. Overbilling Customers By Jennifer Wadsworth By inquiring about a subtle detail in her water bill, Rita Benton uncovered what may amount to a multimillion-dollar debt to the public. Read More 30
November 14, 2014 Proposal: No New Surveillance Tools Without Public Input By Jennifer Wadsworth A proposal to regulate surveillance technology on the county level comes up for consideration at Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting. Read More 6