A new report by Consumer Watchdog digs into Governor Jerry Brown’s questionable ties to big energy companies. Occidental, Chevron and NRG, all with business before the state, donated $9.8 million to Brown’s various campaigns, causes and initiatives and to the California Democratic Party since he ran for governor.

“It is eye-opening,” says Liza Tucker, Consumer Advocate with Consumer Watchdog. “It suggests the timing of the donations may have been in exchange for favors done by Brown or his regulators, often hands from industry that he’s appointed that go back, some of them, a long way, and the legislature.”

Some of the money big came through the Democratic Party.

“When you look at the total donations to the Democratic Party by all these companies between 2011 and 2014, they gave $4.4 million to the Democratic Party and the Party, in turn, donated $4.7 million to Brown’s 2014 reelection campaign, so there are some questions about  whether or not maybe some of the money was used as a pass-through back to Brown, so that money could be given in amounts larger than you can directly.”

Southern California Edison donated $130,000 to the California Democratic Party, its largest  contribution up until that time, on the same day that the Public Utilities Commission President Michael Peevey cut a secret deal with Southern California executives in Warsaw, Poland to make ratepayers cover 70 percent of the $4.7 billion cost to close the fatally-flawed San Onofre nuclear plant. And Brown backed this deal.

“Michael Peevey, in a taped interview with Mercury News … called him (Brown) a very effective leader who gets things done. Mr. Peevey is now under criminal investigation for his role in cutting that deal.”

Liza Tucker was a guest on 790 KABC’s McIntyre in the Morning Show with Doug McIntyre and Terri-Rae Elmer.