Private Utility Monopoly Sets California on Fire and Robs the Survivors - Socialist Presidential Candidates Say “Put Power in The Hands of the People!”
All across California, rising utility bills are devastating working families struggling to afford basic necessities. The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has long been aiding and abetting the billionaire owners of PG&E – robber barons of the energy industry – as they line their pockets and set the state ablaze. Now these corporate partners in crime are at it again.
CPUC regulates monopoly utility rates across the state of California, allegedly in the public interest. The commission has already doubled PG&E (Pacific Gas and Electric Company) electricity rates over the last five years to bail the corporate giant out from bankruptcy. CPUC approved another 12.8% electricity rate increase which went into effect on January 1st, 2024, and has already devastated working people across the state. Commissioners are now posturing to approve yet another hike of 7.8% to go into effect on May 1st. In total, these rate increases amount to a $53 spike in the average monthly electricity bill - a burden that most Californians cannot withstand.
While ordinary people face the financial strain of heating their homes and keeping their lights on, PG&E executives experience no consequences for their negligent actions. In 2018, Butte county experienced a devastating fire that was a direct result of PG&E’s failure to adequately maintain power lines. A year later, PG&E shut off power to millions of residents in what was a half-hearted attempt at avoiding conditions that would lead to another fire. Ultimately, another fire did, in fact occur which led to the tragic destruction of hundreds of structures in Sonoma county as well as the evacuation and displacement of thousands of residents. In the wake of these catastrophes, one thing remains clear: PG&E is a criminally negligent corporation whose carelessness is costing the safety and lives of working class California residents.
PG&E has maintained a monopoly on energy in Northern California for far too long. Energy is a public good and should be treated as such. When ultra wealthy executives and shareholders control and manage utilities, our dignity, our homes and our lives are glossed over in favor of billions of dollars in profit. Public utilities should be nationalized in order to ensure accountability and allow for democratic control of resources. The agenda of billionaires who currently control our energy utilities stands in direct opposition to the safe, affordable and environmentally sound energy that working people desire. We must not allow billionaires to continue to force us to foot the bill for their mistakes, nor should we allow them to keep our homes in the dark and our communities engulfed in flames.
