AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY JUNE 24, 2024
AMENDED IN SENATE APRIL 22, 2024
AMENDED IN SENATE APRIL 10, 2024
AMENDED IN SENATE APRIL 9, 2024
AMENDED IN SENATE MARCH 18, 2024
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2023–2024 REGULAR SESSION
92
CHAPTER 787
Statutes of 2024
[ Approved by Governor September 27, 2024. Filed with Secretary of State September 27, 2024. ]
Introduced by Senator Skinner
February 15, 2024
An act to add Chapter 9 (commencing with Section 8400) to Division 4.1 of the Public Utilities Code, relating to utility service.
Vote: majority Appropriation: no Fiscal committee: yes Local program: yes
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST
Existing law vests the Public Utilities Commission with regulatory authority over public utilities, including electrical corporations, gas corporations, sewer system corporations, and water corporations, while local publicly owned utilities, including municipal utility districts, public utility districts, and irrigation districts, are under the direction of their governing boards.
This bill would, for new housing construction, require the above-described utilities, on or before January 1, 2026, to publicly post on their internet websites (1) the schedule of estimated fees for typical service connections for each housing development type, including, but not limited to, accessory dwelling unit, mixed-use, multifamily, and single-family developments, except as specified, and (2) the estimated timeframes for completing typical service connections needed for each housing development type, as specified. The bill would exempt from its provisions a utility with fewer than 4,000 service connections that does not establish or maintain an internet website due to a hardship, and would authorize the utility to establish that a hardship exists by annually adopting a resolution that includes detailed findings, as provided. To the extent that this bill would impose new requirements on certain local agencies, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
Chapter 9 (commencing with Section 8400) is added to Division 4.1 of the Public Utilities Code, to read:
Chapter 9. Electrical, Gas, Sewer, and Water Service for New Housing Construction
As used in this chapter, “utility” means any of the following that furnish electrical, gas, water, or sewer service, or any combination thereof, where the service is performed for, or the commodity is delivered to, the public or any portion thereof:
(a) An electrical corporation, as defined in Section 218.
(b) A gas corporation, as defined in Section 222.
(c) A sewer system corporation, as defined in Section 230.6.
(d) A water corporation, as defined in Section 241.
(e) A municipality or municipal corporation operating as a public utility pursuant to Division 5 (commencing with Section 10001).
(f) A municipal utility district formed pursuant to the Municipal Utility District Act (Division 6 (commencing with Section 11501)).
(g) A public utility district formed pursuant to The Public Utility District Act (Division 7 (commencing with Section 15501)).
(h) An irrigation district formed pursuant to the Irrigation District Law (Division 11 (commencing with Section 20500) of the Water Code).
(i) A joint powers authority that includes one or more of the entities described in subdivisions (e) to (h), inclusive, and that owns electrical, gas, water, or sewer facilities, or furnishes electrical, gas, water, or sewer service over its own or its member’s system.
(a) On or before January 1, 2026, for new housing construction, each utility shall publicly post both of the following on its internet website:
(1) A schedule of estimated fees for typical service connections for each housing development type, including, but not limited to, accessory dwelling unit, multifamily, mixed-use, and single-family developments. This paragraph does not apply to a utility that continues to post a schedule of their fees with this information pursuant to Section 65940.1 of the Government Code.
(2) The estimated timeframes for completing typical service connections needed for each housing development type, including, but not limited to, accessory dwelling unit, mixed-use, multifamily, and single-family developments.
(b) (1) This section does not apply to a utility with fewer than 4,000 service connections that does not establish or maintain an internet website due to a hardship.
(2) The utility may establish that a hardship exists by annually adopting a resolution that includes detailed findings based on evidence that is publicly noticed before the meeting and included in the meeting agenda that supports the determination that a hardship prevents the utility from establishing or maintaining an internet website. The findings may include, but shall not be limited to, inadequate access to broadband communications network facilities that enable high-speed internet access, significantly limited financial resources, or insufficient staff resources.
SEC. 2.
No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to Section 6 of Article XIIIB of the California Constitution because a local agency or school district has the authority to levy service charges, fees, or assessments sufficient to pay for the program or level of service mandated by this act, within the meaning of Section 17556 of the Government Code.