SACRAMENTO, CA – California Governor Gavin Newsom ended the legislative cycle by signing a series of bills to tackle key drivers of utility profits. Climate Action Campaign celebrates the Governor’s actions as critical steps toward greater utility accountability, while underscoring the significant work that remains in slashing utility profits and runaway rate hikes.

Climate Action Campaign released the following statement from Chief Executive Officer Nicole Capretz in response to Governor Newsom’s sign-and-veto decisions.

"California's existing utility monopoly model is both arcane and antiquated. Governor Newsom signing critical bills to scrutinize profits, set utility performance standards, expand use of small-scale energy solutions, and rein in rampant overspending is a crucial step forward. This is a rare moment when state leaders put California families above utility profits.

And still, millions of our families are staring down bills they cannot afford, forced to choose between keeping the lights on and putting food on the table. Support from eight jurisdictions across Southern California carried that urgency to Sacramento and helped move these bills across the finish line.

These new laws represent important progress, and we hope they mark the beginning of a new and modernized business model that keeps power clean, reliable, and affordable to all. Californians are counting on legislators to match this momentum next session with even bolder, more ambitious policy."

Bills Signed into Law

Increased Utility Accountability

• SB 905 (Becker): Reviews the extra profit utilities make on certain projects and gets more use out of the power lines we’ve already paid for, so we need fewer pricey upgrades that show up on our bills.

• SB 1098 (Peréz): Stops utilities from charging families for off-budget expenses without prior approval.

• SB 327 (McNerney): Blocks utilities from spending ratepayer funds to lobby against public power.

Limits to Overspending

• AB 2463 (Petrie-Norris): Requires regulators to disclose the exact math and profit margins behind utility rates.

• AB 2493 (Petrie-Norris): Appoints independent auditors to oversee utility projects, cut delays, and lower buildout costs.

• SB 1159 (Cabaldon): Bans automated AI bots from public utility hearings, keeping the focus on real resident voices.

A Faster Clean Energy Transition

• SB 913 (Becker): Guarantees fair pay for homeowners when EVs and home batteries feed power back to the grid.

• SB 1359 (Becker): Forces gas companies to weigh cheaper electric alternatives before repairing costly pipelines.

• SB 886 (Padilla, McNerney): Requires data centers, not Californians, to cover their own electricity and power-line upgrades.

• AB 2313 (Berman): Lets Californians voluntarily switch to electric appliances instead of defaulting to costly gas pipeline replacements.

• SB 868 (Wiener): Gives renters and homeowners the right to use simple plug-in solar panels to cut bills.

Bills Vetoed

Limits to Overspending

• AB 1761 (Rogers): Requires utilities to reveal hidden fee formulas for clean energy users so billing errors can be caught.

A Faster Clean Energy Transition

• AB 1813 (Ward): Fixes California’s community solar rules so renters and low-income families can get clean, cheap, local energy.