By Robert Sheridan, ACTION NEWS NOW
OAKLAND, Calif. — PG&E’s Chief Executive Officer Patti Poppe told investors during an earnings call that she expects a Public Utilities Commission report and Assembly hearings to support a special session utility bailout, revealing coordination between the company and regulatory bodies.
Consumer Watchdog called PG&E’s tactics “bailout blackmail” after the utility sent letters to 25,000 customers this week claiming it would delay new customer hookups without changes to California’s wildfire liability laws. The nonprofit had asked the PUC weeks ago to investigate whether the infrastructure changes have already been paid for by ratepayers, but the commission has not responded.
“The hearing this week I think was effective at continuing to make the case that the status quo is unacceptable,” Poppe said. “The hearings that are scheduled next week—another one just got scheduled—so there’s two next week that I think are addressing the right questions and the right issues.”
When asked about a PUC report due Nov. 1, Poppe said she expects it to be “substantive.” She said the commission asked “really meaningful questions” during discovery and that PG&E provided “very important information to them.”
“The Public Utilities Commission is supposed to regulate PG&E and ask the tough questions about why it is shutting down projects that ratepayers have already paid for, not coordinate on a report to make the case for a legislative bailout,” said Jamie Court, president of Consumer Watchdog. “It’s disgusting that PG&E’s CEO would state that she has the complicity of utility regulators and top leaders in the Assembly in an attempt to pressure a special session legislative deal.”
Joy Chen, Executive Director of Every Fire Survivor’s Network, questioned Poppe’s confidence about unreleased reports and hearings. “Californians deserve to know where that confidence comes from,” Chen said.
Consumer Watchdog and Every Fire Survivor’s Network said no bailout is needed. The groups noted that California’s 3 large for-profit utilities reported more than $10 billion in profits in 2025 and paid more than $3 billion in dividends, while their CEOs received nearly $60 million.
The CPUC authorized returns on equity of 10.03% for Edison and 9.98% for PG&E for 2026 through 2028 to enable them to attract capital and finance infrastructure. The groups said California should focus on reducing wildfire risk rather than protecting shareholders from it.
