CA Extends Utility Protections That Were Set To Expire Next Week

CALIFORNIA — There's good news this week for Californians struggling to pay utility bills amid the pandemic.

The state’s Public Utility Commission on Thursday extended a moratorium on disconnections for unpaid accounts until Sept. 30, recognizing that residential and small business utility customers continue to struggle to catch up on overdue bills.

The shutoff ban was initially scheduled to end July 1.

The commission further directed utilities to allow customers up to two years to repay overdue amounts accumulated during the pandemic. The directive applies to residential customers served by the state’s major investor-owned utilities: Pacific Gas and Electric Co., Southern California Edison, Southern California Gas and San Diego Gas and Electric. Residential customers of smaller utilities will have at least eight months to repay.

For small business customers, the commission asked utilities to customize repayment plans so that debt payments don’t exceed 10 percent of the customer’s average bill.

The commission said it was providing time for the utilities to engage in public outreach and to determine what federal and state funds will be available to help defray the cost of past due accounts.

The state is rapidly reopening after more than a year of lockdown, but customers of the state's four major utilities still struggle to pay bills.

The total number of accounts delinquent for more than 30 days has decreased by less than 10 percent since April, according to May statistics, the most recent available.

Nearly a quarter of residential utility ustomers had overdue bills in April. About 1.3 million were four or more months in arrears. Residential customers owe the utilities almost $1.4 billion collectively.

Previous coverage: CA Utility Protections End In July; Readers Weigh In

— By Patch Special Correspondent Bob Porterfield