Source: Orange County Register
“We need to create a transparent mechanism for understanding the true economic implications of energy mandates,” she said. “AB 61 ensures that as we pursue ambitious climate objectives, we simultaneously protect ratepayers from unnecessary financial burden.”
With monthly electricity bills soaring in California, a state legislator is pushing for independent analyses of rate changes to understand better how they impact residents and help ease the financial strain.
Introduced by Assemblymember Blanca Pacheco, D-Downey, AB 61 — one of the earlier bills filed for the 2025-26 legislative session — would require the California Public Utilities Commission to review any legislation that could raise costs for electricity and natural gas customers.
Pacheco said she believes this will give lawmakers a clearer understanding of how rate increases impact Californians and help them make more informed decisions about utility costs.
“We need to create a transparent mechanism for understanding the true economic implications of energy mandates,” she said. “AB 61 ensures that as we pursue ambitious climate objectives, we simultaneously protect ratepayers from unnecessary financial burden.”
The bill would create an office within the CPUC called the Public Advocates Office. By Jan. 1, 2027, the office would be required to set up a program to assess legislation that could impact electricity or gas customers.
“After the office finishes the analysis, it would go back to the appropriate committee where the members can then vote, but now having a full understanding of the impact on ratepayers,” Pacheco said.
Additionally, the bill would establish a fund within the state treasury to finance the office’s work. Pacheco said the amount of money allocated to the fund will be decided after further discussions in the legislature.
AB 61 includes rules to prevent anyone with a financial interest from taking part in the analysis. As the bill is written now, the program would expire on Jan. 1, 2031.
Pacheco had introduced a similar version of the bill in the previous legislative session, but it failed. The earlier version sought funding for the Public Advocates Office from utility companies rather than the state budget.
“The nice thing about this bill is that it had bipartisan support, so I’m hopeful that this year, we can get it through,” she said, since “the emphasis will be on how we help our constituents be able to afford their utility bills.”
Her previous bill passed in the lower chamber last year with support from 65 Assembly members, including Republicans, but ultimately didn’t make it out of the Senate Appropriations Committee.