By Count Friedrich von Olsen
Readers of this column will probably recall that I have made some observations, from time to time, about how poorly we are being served by The California Public Utilities Commission. The need for reform is at hand and with our state in the clutches of such people as our governor and his cronies, who have an interest in lax application of government regulation with regard to utility and energy oversight, I was beginning to despair that we would see any improvement in our current lot any time soon…
I am pleased, therefore, to report that my pessimism may not have been entirely justified and that someone is minding the store. 33rd District Assemblyman Jay Obernolte has introduced legislation, AB 1651, which would require the California Public Utilities Commission to publish on its website copies of each awarded contract that it enters into. In addition, the California Public Utilities Commission would be required to post on its website copies of all audits conducted by the Department of General Services relating to its contracting practices. These are two giant steps in the right direction…
In August 2015, the Assembly Committee on Utilities and Commerce convened an informational hearing on the California Public Utilities Commission’s contracting practices, including an examination of California Public Utilities Commission competitive solicitation practices and adherence to state contracting rules. The hearing raised questions about the level of oversight and transparency on contracts involving the California Public Utilities Commission and the utilities it regulates…
In particular, what came into focus was the difficulty members of not only the public but the legislature itself and other branches of government were having in accessing contract details and bidder information. As Mr. Obernolte so aptly put it, “Without a legislative mandate for transparency, there is no guarantee that contract publishing practices will be maintained in the future…”
The piece of legislation Assemblyman Obernolte has come up with, AB 1651, seeks to address this by shining light onto all awarded contracts involving the California Public Utilities Commission. The bill would do this by requiring the CPUC to publish on its website copies of each awarded contract that it enters into and make these documents available to the public free of charge. In addition, the California Public Utilities Commission would also be required to post copies of Department of General Services audits relating to the California Public Utilities Commission’s contracting practices on the California Public Utilities Commission website…
While these requirements won’t do much for old geezers like me who are as hopelessly challenged with regard to computer literacy as I am, these provisions represent a quantum leap in terms of an improvement in public transparency at the California Public Utilities Commission for the current generation of young computer jockeying whippersnappers who will now be able to track these heretofore too secretive dealings between the California Public Utilities Commission and its vendors and contractors. And it will strengthen legislative oversight by helping solons stay abreast of the California Public Utilities Commission’s contracting practices…