Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi’s Assembly Bill 66, which addresses the frequent power outages affecting South Bay communities, will go into effect Jan. 1, 2014 after Gov. Jerry Brown on Saturday signed it into law.
The new law will give the California Public Utilities Commission (PUC) the authority to direct utility companies to remediate persistent outages and to report those outages based on frequency and duration.
“This law is providing South Bay residents and businesses with greater information and transparency so that we can hold Southern California Edison accountable,” Muratsuchi said.
A.B. 66, which the Assemblymember introduced in a press conference in June, will increase transparency by allowing rate payers and state regulators to identify where the most frequent outages occur and hold utility companies responsible for them, he said.
“Most people don’t really have a choice as to which electrical utility provides their electricity,” Muratsuchi told Easy Reader News. “So the main significance of this new law is that it gives the authority to the PUC to direct Edison to make necessary infrastructure upgrades.”
The bill was sponsored by the City of Manhattan Beach as well as Rancho Palos Verdes, Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach, Rolling Hills Estates, Torrance, the South Bay Cities Council of Governments and the local chambers of commerce.
“South Bay residents and businesses have been suffering an unacceptable number of power outages in recent years… For the sake of public safety for the sake of our local businesses and for the sake of our residents we need to hold Edison accountable so we can keep our lights on,” Muratsuchi added.
Reporter Rachel Reeves contributed to this story.Â
