Lawmakers Send Gov. Newsom Letter Opposing Income-Based Utility Rate Charges

Republican state senators have asked California Gov. Gavin Newsom for his assistance in changing a law requiring utility regulators to charge customers based on income, in what critics are calling a “hard work utility tax.” “We need to drive down the cost of energy in California and keep people here. That’s our goal,” Sen. Brian Dahle (R-Bieber), one of eight senators that signed a letter Nov. 27 to the governor on the issue, told The Epoch Times. “With this, the harder you work, the more you pay.” Recently authorized by the California Public Utility Commission, the state’s three investor-owned utilities, including Pacific Gas and Electric, better known as PG&E, will be permitted to implement their proposed graduated charges determined by income starting July 2024—with the lowest charges for households earning up to $69,000 annually; higher for those earning up to $180,000; and the highest for those making more....