Point of View: Public Utilities Commission

LOS ANGELES, Calif. (FOX 11 editorial) - The Public Utilities Commission (PUC) has not done its job when it comes to fire safety. Most Californians have never heard of the PUC. Yet its' mandate is extremely important. They regulate all utilities and power generators. Among the responsibilities of the PUC is to do everything possible to make sure that Public Utilities are not the cause of wildfires like the Camp inferno that burned the town of Paradise to the ground.

The PUC is a dysfunctional state agency. It failed miserably in dealing with the Aliso Canyon gas leak and the shutdown of the San Onofre Nuclear Plant. Now we have had two years of devastating fires with almost two hundred dead and hundreds of thousands of acres burned up and down the state. Further out of 2000 public utility caused fires the PUC only issued 9 citations. What a joke.

According to Senate Bill 901 enacted last September the PUC again was mandated to make sure that Southern California Edison and PG&E develop effective mitigation plans to deal with power line caused wildfires.

The question is: will the Public Utilities Commission do its' job and make sure these mitigation plans happen and are implemented and enforced? Governor Newsom should hold the PUC's feet to the fire. If the PUC does not do enough this time it should be completely reorganized and its head should be changed.

Thanks for listening. I'd like to hear your Point of View. Email me at fox11pov@foxtv.com.