Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission has regulatory authority over public utilities. Existing provisions of the Public Utilities Act require every public utility to furnish reports as the commission may require. Existing law, with certain exceptions, requires each electrical corporation subject to regulation by the commission to submit prescribed procurement plans for review and approval by the commission. Existing law requires the commission to adopt procedures to ensure confidentiality of market sensitive information in proposed procurement plans or resulting from, or related to, procurement plans approved by the commission, including procedures for access by the Office of Ratepayer Advocates and consumer groups that are nonmarket participants. No information furnished to the commission by a public utility, except those matters specifically required to be open to public inspection, are open to public inspection or made public except by order of the commission or a commissioner in the course of a hearing or proceeding.

This bill would require the commission to initiate proceedings to examine its practices with respect to these confidentiality requirements and the California Public Records Act to ensure that these practices provide for meaningful public participation and open decisionmaking.