WEBVTT

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<v Host>You for your patience.</v>

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<v ->Go ahead and make
your announcement,</v>

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and Robert, go ahead
and start the webcast.

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<v Lorraine>Welcome to the
Public Participation Hearing,</v>

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in Southern California Edison Company's

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General Rate Case Application,

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on this date, Wednesday, July 1st, 2020.

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The assigned Judges would
now make their announcements.

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<v ->Thank you, Operator.</v>

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We will now be on the record.

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The Commission will come to order.

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Good evening.

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This is the time and place set

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for the Public Participation Hearings,

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and the General Rate Case Application

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of Southern California Edison Company.

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Application 19-08-013.

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My name is Sophia Park and I am one of

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the assigned Administrative
Law Judges to this proceeding.

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I am Co-Assigned with
Judge Aaron Seybert,

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who is listening in to today's hearing.

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We are also joined by
Commissioner Genevieve Shiroma,

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who is the assigned
Commissioner for this case.

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Commissioner, would you like
to make your opening remark?

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<v ->Yes, thank you, Judge Park,</v>

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and also Judge Seybert.

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Good evening, everyone, my
name is Genevieve Shiroma,

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I'm the assigned Commissioner

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on the Southern California
Edison General Rate Case.

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I first want to take a moment
to thank our Court Reporters,

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Becky DeRosa and Andrea Ross.

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I would like to thank our
Public Advisor's Office,

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our Advisor Allison Brown,

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and her staff person Jessie Revine,

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our Operator, Lorraine,

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and our Information Technology
and Audio Visual Team,

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headed up by Robert
Stanford and Joe Haga,

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for setting us up for our
Public Participation Hearing.

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A little bit of background about myself,

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I was appointed by Governor Newsom

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to the California Public
Utilities Commission

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in January of 2019.

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Prior to my appointment, I worked for

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the California Air Resources
Board for 20 years,

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from 1978 to 1999,

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working on air quality regulations.

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I then was appointed

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to the Agricultural
Labor Relations Board,

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the Collective Bargaining
Board for Farm Workers,

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where I served for 20 years,

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from 1999 to 2019.

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And concurrently during
that time for 20 years,

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I served as an Elected Director

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on the Sacramento
Municipal Utility District, SMUD,

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an electricity provider
for Sacramento County,

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from 1999 to 2018.

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Now it is with all of
this past experience,

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but in particular, my time at SMUD

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and my time as a Commission,
that I will be scrutinizing

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Southern California Edison's
requested revenue requirements,

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and making sure that what
has been proposed will need

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to adjust unreasonable rates,
which we are required to do.

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With the economic crisis and
ongoing COVID-19 pandemic,

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it is even more important
than ever that we are conscious

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of increasing rates, making
sure the right capital projects

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are being approved
to ensure reliability,

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as well as our safety,

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as people practice physical
distancing, teleworking,

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and distance learning
at home, and making sure

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that programs are in place
to support you, the customers.

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I look forward to continuing my work

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with Judges Park and Seybert,

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as you build the
record in this proceeding

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and hearing from Southern
California Edison customers today.

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Thank you to all who have
called in and are participating.

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Thank you.

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<v ->Thank you, Commissioner.</v>

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I want to start by
acknowledging the pain, grief,

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and hardships that COVID-19
has imposed throughout

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our State, communities,
and in our daily lives.

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There are currently state and
local shelter at home orders

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in place to protect the
health and wellbeing

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of our community.

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Therefore, we are holding
these hearings online

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and by phone.

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While we look forward to
the time when it will be safe

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to resume public gathering,
I want to emphasize,

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that public engagement
remains more important

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to the Commission than ever,

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and that we will be
paying careful attention

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to the feedback provided today.

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The basic purpose of today's
hearing is to hear directly

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from Southern California
Edison customers

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and members of the public
about this particular application.

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I will start by providing
some brief background

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on the Commission and
the General Rate Case,

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and introduce Ms. Allison Brown

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from the Commission's
Public Advisor's Office.

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We will then hear brief statements

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from Southern California Edison

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and some of the other
parties in the proceeding.

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Finally, and most importantly,
we will hear from all of you.

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For participants that wish to
provide public comments today,

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please press *1 on your
phone now to alert the operator

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who will start to cue public
speakers, one at a time.

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The Public Utilities
Commission is a State agency

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that decides how much money
Southern California Edison

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may earn, and the actual
rates that will be included

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on your bill for electric service.

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The Public Utilities Commission
has five Commissioners

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who are appointed by the Governor

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and confirmed by the State Senate.

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While Judge Seybert and I
manage the day-to-day activities

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of the case, the five
Commissioners are ultimately

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the ones who will decide
and vote on whether or not

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to approve Southern
California Edison's request,

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or some other amount.

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Our job as the Judges,
will be to evaluate all

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of the evidence in the proceeding,

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and write a proposed decision

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for the five Commissioners to consider.

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The five Commissioners
will decide whether to adopt

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the proposed decision from the Judges

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or adopt their own alternate
decision based on the evidence

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in the proceeding.

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It is estimated that the
Commission will vote

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on the decision towards
the beginning of next year.

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I will now briefly summarize

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Southern California
Edison's application.

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Last August, Southern
California Edison submitted

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it's General Rate Case,

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asking the Commission for
approval of their expected costs

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for owning and operating the company

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for the years 2021, 2022, and 2023.

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Earlier this year, the
Commission adopted a decision,

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which changed the
General Rate Case cycle

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from a three year to a four year cycle.

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Therefore this proceeding
will now also consider

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Southern California
Edison's expected costs

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for the year 2024.

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A Commission decision on these costs

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is anticipated towards the end of 2023.

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The expenses included in
the Rate Case application,

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generally cover the poles,
wires, meters, the employees,

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and all the activities
needed to deliver electricity

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to your home or business.

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It also includes proposed expenses

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and capital infrastructure to
address wildfire risks related

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to Edison's equipment.

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It is important to note that
the cost that we are talking

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about in this application
are just one part

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of Southern California Edison's
annual operating expenses

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that impact customer rates.

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Separate from this proceeding,

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the Commission authorizes
recovery of the cost

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that Edison actually
incurs to purchase electricity

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on the open market.

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These costs are directly
passed on to consumers

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and Edison is not allowed
to earn a profit on them.

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There's also another
proceeding that will decide

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how approved costs are distributed among

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Southern California Edison's customers,

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and the specific rates
that will be included

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on customer's bills.

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This is generally referred to
as the rate design proceeding,

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and that application should be filed

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in the fall of this year.

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But right now, we are here
to receive comments from

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the public regarding Southern
California Edison's requests

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to increase rates and
revenue by $1.2 billion

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in January, 2021, and
additional increases a $486 million

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in 2022, and $503 million in 2023.

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If approved, the total
revenue requirement

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will be approximately
$7.55 billion in 2021

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for an 18.1% increase over
what is currently authorized.

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The impact of this request on
a typical residential customer

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would be a monthly increase
of approximately $12.71 in 2021,

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a monthly increase of
approximately $5 in 2022,

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and a monthly increase of
approximately $6 in 2023.

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But the actual impact on a
customer's bill would vary,

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depending on the customer's usage.

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We want to hear what you think

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about Southern California
Edison's requests.

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Comments from the public can help

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the Public Utilities Commission
reach an informed decision.

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The Commissioners, Judge Seybert, and I,

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will pay close attention to
the opinions expressed during

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today's public hearing.

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We have court reporters
transcribing the hearing

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who will be taking down
everything that is said

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on the telephone line.

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If you do speak, we ask that
you speak slowly and clearly

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to ensure that the
reporter is able to capture

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everything that is said.

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The written transcript
of today's hearing

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will be available to
Judge Seybert and myself,

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the Commissioners, and posted publicly

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on the docket card for this proceeding.

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In addition to submitting
oral comments today,

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written comments
regarding Edison's application

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may also be submitted on the docket card

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for this proceeding,

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by going to

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www.cpuc.ca.gov/SCE2021GRCPublicComments.

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As of today, we have received over

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3,200 written public comments.

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At this time, I would
like to invite Ms. Brown

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from the Commissions
Public Advisor's Office

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to provide some remarks.

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Ms. Brown, you may proceed.

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<v Allison>Thank you, Judge Park.</v>

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Welcome everyone.

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My name is Allison Brown
and I'm the Public Advisor

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for the California Public
Utilities Commission.

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The Public Advisor's
Office assists and advises

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the public with participation
in Commission proceedings.

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First, I want to thank you
all for participating today.

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As the Judge and Commissioner stated,

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public participation
and input are essential

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to the Commission's
decision making process.

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This is your opportunity to be heard,

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to share your thoughts
on the application

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with the Administrative Law
Judges and Commissioner.

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If you have questions about
the application or your service,

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please reach out to the
Public Advisor's Office

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at public advisor, oh sorry,
public.advisor@cpuc.ca.gov,

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or visit the Commission website

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or the Edison website
for more information.

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Second, if you or anyone
else is not able to make

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a comment today, there
are several other ways

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to become involved.

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If you wish to find more
information on becoming a party,

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subscribing to this proceeding

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so you get email
notifications of filings,

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or submitting comments
by email or the phone,

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please go to the Commission's
website, cpuc.ca.gov,

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or email the Public Advisor.

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Again, that email is
public.advisor@cpuc.ca.gov.

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All of this information
is also on the notice

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that you received for this PPH today,

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and on the Commission's website.

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We look forward to your comments today.

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Thank you again for joining us.

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Judge Park.

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<v ->Thank you, Ms. Brown.</v>

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We will now hear from
some of the parties

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in this proceeding, starting
with a representative

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from Southern California Edison,

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followed by the Public
Advocate's Office,

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and the Utility Reform Network.

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I ask that each party
representative start by spelling

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his or her name for the record.

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We will be hearing from the public after

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the party representatives speak.

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If you would like make a public
comment, a reminder again,

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to please press *1 on your phone now

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so that the operator can begin
to form the speaking queue.

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Okay with that, Mr. Snow.

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<v Doug>Thank you.</v>

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Doug Snow, D-O-U-G S-N-O-W.

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Thank you, Judge Park, Judge Seybert,

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and Commissioner Shiroma.

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I also want to thank
everyone for taking time out

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of your busy schedules and participating

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in these very important Public
Participation Hearings today.

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Again, my name is Doug Snow,

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and I'm the Director of
the General Rate Case

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for Southern California Edison.

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It is a privilege to be
here and learn from you,

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and listen to your input
and any potential concerns

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you may have regarding
our '21 General Rate Case.

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Edison recognizes this proceeding

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is taking place during
unprecedented times.

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We understand that many of
our customers and communities

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are facing hardships during
the COVID-19 pandemic

00:12:51.870 --> 00:12:54.690
and may need help
with their electric bills.

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But SCE has already put into place,

00:12:56.340 --> 00:12:59.910
important customer protections
to address those issues.

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If you need more information
on those customer protections,

00:13:03.060 --> 00:13:08.060
please go to
SCE.com/BillHelp for information

00:13:08.810 --> 00:13:11.113
on money saving programs and tools.

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Mr. Jerry Aguilar is
also in attendance today

00:13:14.370 --> 00:13:16.743
from our Customer Division.

00:13:18.300 --> 00:13:20.680
Turning back to this
proceeding, we are currently

00:13:20.680 --> 00:13:24.400
in the middle of what we
refer to as the discovery period,

00:13:24.400 --> 00:13:26.620
where all parties to the
proceeding are learning more

00:13:26.620 --> 00:13:29.010
about our funding proposal.

00:13:29.010 --> 00:13:31.910
Most recently, we have heard
from the consumer advocates

00:13:31.910 --> 00:13:34.020
and they have provided
their counterproposals

00:13:34.020 --> 00:13:35.773
for reductions to our request.

00:13:36.730 --> 00:13:39.730
Beginning July 6th, there
will be evidentiary hearings

00:13:39.730 --> 00:13:41.650
so that the Commission
can continue to build

00:13:41.650 --> 00:13:43.493
it's official record of our request.

00:13:44.400 --> 00:13:46.120
It is easy to get caught
up in the process,

00:13:46.120 --> 00:13:47.840
but at the end of the day,
the General Rate Case

00:13:47.840 --> 00:13:51.390
is about funding projects,
programs, and people

00:13:51.390 --> 00:13:54.210
to provide you service
in a safe and reliable way,

00:13:54.210 --> 00:13:56.363
and improve that service continuously.

00:13:57.590 --> 00:13:59.780
Our request for funding in
this case covers the work

00:13:59.780 --> 00:14:02.680
the company needs to do in 2021

00:14:02.680 --> 00:14:06.830
and continue through 2024,
for SCE workers to inspect,

00:14:06.830 --> 00:14:11.830
repair, and when appropriate,
upgrade poles, transformers,

00:14:11.900 --> 00:14:15.530
and distribution lines, as well
as provide customer service

00:14:15.530 --> 00:14:20.003
for Billing, Service Turn
On/Turn Off, and other work.

00:14:21.090 --> 00:14:24.070
The costs we're requesting
pay for the salaries

00:14:24.070 --> 00:14:28.060
of about 12,000 employees
and over 8,000 contractors

00:14:28.060 --> 00:14:31.840
who perform all this work,
live in your communities,

00:14:31.840 --> 00:14:34.283
and often are SCE customers themselves.

00:14:35.890 --> 00:14:37.430
In this General Rate Case,

00:14:37.430 --> 00:14:41.810
our request mostly include
funding to improve three things.

00:14:41.810 --> 00:14:44.460
Number one, safety.

00:14:44.460 --> 00:14:47.640
The safety of our customers
and the communities we serve,

00:14:47.640 --> 00:14:49.380
as well as the safety of our workers,

00:14:49.380 --> 00:14:51.760
is the most important thing.

00:14:51.760 --> 00:14:53.610
We have undertaken and are proposing

00:14:53.610 --> 00:14:56.310
to continue significant
efforts to mitigate the risk

00:14:56.310 --> 00:14:58.710
of wildfire associated
with our equipment,

00:14:58.710 --> 00:15:01.830
considering more extreme
environmental conditions,

00:15:01.830 --> 00:15:03.700
and accelerating customer expansion

00:15:03.700 --> 00:15:05.843
into the Wildland Urban Interface.

00:15:07.250 --> 00:15:09.810
We insist the grid to be
safe for those who live

00:15:09.810 --> 00:15:13.163
and work near it, and for
our employees who work on it.

00:15:14.020 --> 00:15:16.490
In addition, keeping the
grid safe from physical

00:15:16.490 --> 00:15:19.550
or cyber attacks, and keeping
the public informed on how

00:15:19.550 --> 00:15:21.670
to stay safe around our equipment

00:15:21.670 --> 00:15:23.133
and electricity in general.

00:15:24.500 --> 00:15:27.480
Number two, reliability.

00:15:27.480 --> 00:15:29.930
The residents and businesses
in our communities depend

00:15:29.930 --> 00:15:31.530
on electricity.

00:15:31.530 --> 00:15:34.260
We have to replace old
equipment and update our system

00:15:34.260 --> 00:15:37.050
to avoid outages and
prepare for more clean

00:15:37.050 --> 00:15:40.390
and distributed energy
resources in the State.

00:15:40.390 --> 00:15:42.810
When we cannot avoid
outages, we want to be able

00:15:42.810 --> 00:15:44.780
to bring the power back on quickly

00:15:44.780 --> 00:15:47.180
and give you as much
information along the way

00:15:47.180 --> 00:15:50.170
to minimize the disruption to you.

00:15:50.170 --> 00:15:53.890
Number three, customer interaction.

00:15:53.890 --> 00:15:56.950
We want to make it easy for
you to communicate with us

00:15:56.950 --> 00:16:00.530
and vice versa,
whether it is about bills,

00:16:00.530 --> 00:16:04.830
service changes, new solar
panels you want to install,

00:16:04.830 --> 00:16:08.253
new programs to save
electricity, or anything else.

00:16:09.470 --> 00:16:11.530
We acknowledge that the
increase we are requesting

00:16:11.530 --> 00:16:13.970
is larger than what we have
sought in the recent past,

00:16:13.970 --> 00:16:15.130
but we believe we have struck

00:16:15.130 --> 00:16:17.770
the proper balance seeking authorization

00:16:17.770 --> 00:16:20.380
for time-sensitive
public safety measures

00:16:20.380 --> 00:16:23.190
and doing what we can to reprioritize

00:16:23.190 --> 00:16:26.690
or scale back other initiatives
that we'll have to leave

00:16:26.690 --> 00:16:28.033
for future GRCs.

00:16:29.810 --> 00:16:31.860
Our General Rate Case
is planning for the future,

00:16:31.860 --> 00:16:33.230
as I mentioned.

00:16:33.230 --> 00:16:34.640
We have to have adequate funding

00:16:34.640 --> 00:16:37.340
to make necessary
investments, to continue to provide

00:16:37.340 --> 00:16:42.260
15 million Californians
with safe, reliable, clean,

00:16:42.260 --> 00:16:43.773
and affordable electricity.

00:16:44.780 --> 00:16:48.160
Those commitments, which
are grounded in State Law,

00:16:48.160 --> 00:16:50.283
are something that
we take very seriously.

00:16:51.720 --> 00:16:53.300
Ultimately, the Commission will decide

00:16:53.300 --> 00:16:56.290
the appropriate level of
funding after a thorough

00:16:56.290 --> 00:16:59.790
and rigorous legal process
that includes all stakeholders

00:16:59.790 --> 00:17:01.290
with different viewpoints,

00:17:01.290 --> 00:17:04.323
including prominent
consumer advocacy groups.

00:17:05.870 --> 00:17:07.990
Although our core
mission of providing safe,

00:17:07.990 --> 00:17:10.960
reliable, clean, and affordable
electricity to our customers

00:17:10.960 --> 00:17:14.690
has not changed, the
company submits this request

00:17:14.690 --> 00:17:17.110
at an extraordinarily
important juncture for the State

00:17:17.110 --> 00:17:18.313
and for our customers.

00:17:19.360 --> 00:17:21.370
Due in part to the changing climate,

00:17:21.370 --> 00:17:24.730
California's wildfire risk
has dramatically increased,

00:17:24.730 --> 00:17:26.160
resulting in year round threats

00:17:26.160 --> 00:17:28.223
of potential catastrophic wildfires.

00:17:29.220 --> 00:17:33.360
So that brings us to
paying for the work, your bill.

00:17:33.360 --> 00:17:35.610
We are very mindful of
the impact of these costs

00:17:35.610 --> 00:17:37.810
on your bills, and we
are working every day

00:17:37.810 --> 00:17:40.210
to find ways of reducing costs

00:17:40.210 --> 00:17:41.460
so that some of the work can be done

00:17:41.460 --> 00:17:42.963
without increasing your bill.

00:17:43.870 --> 00:17:47.180
Our current forecast in
this GRC will increase

00:17:47.180 --> 00:17:50.960
an average residential bill
by about $13.00 per month

00:17:50.960 --> 00:17:54.730
for non-income
qualified customers in '21.

00:17:54.730 --> 00:17:58.040
The increase will be an
additional $5.00 in 2022,

00:17:58.040 --> 00:18:00.443
and about $6.00 in 2023.

00:18:01.460 --> 00:18:03.840
For about a third of our
customers who qualify

00:18:03.840 --> 00:18:07.430
for the care rate available
for lower income customers,

00:18:07.430 --> 00:18:09.903
the increase would be about 30% lower.

00:18:11.550 --> 00:18:14.680
I realize for many of
you, this is impactful.

00:18:14.680 --> 00:18:16.760
But we believe the work
we are proposing strike

00:18:16.760 --> 00:18:20.320
a prudent balance between
the essential services we provide

00:18:21.316 --> 00:18:23.866
to you and what it costs
to provide those services.

00:18:24.880 --> 00:18:27.720
We realize any increase
in bills can be challenging,

00:18:27.720 --> 00:18:30.350
and we have several
program tips and tools

00:18:30.350 --> 00:18:33.610
to help reduce bill impact
that may come in handy.

00:18:33.610 --> 00:18:37.450
So as I mentioned before,
please visit SCE.com/BillHelp

00:18:39.320 --> 00:18:41.393
for information on these resources.

00:18:42.770 --> 00:18:44.640
Once again, thank you for attending

00:18:44.640 --> 00:18:47.493
and I look forward to hearing
your comments and feedback.

00:18:48.410 --> 00:18:49.560
Thank you, Your Honors.

00:18:51.360 --> 00:18:52.960
<v ->Thank you, Mr. Snow.</v>

00:18:52.960 --> 00:18:55.010
Next, we will here from Mr. Burns

00:18:55.010 --> 00:18:56.710
from the Public Advocate's Office.

00:19:00.220 --> 00:19:02.063
<v ->Thank you, Your Honor.</v>
<v ->Mr. Burns, you may proceed.</v>

00:19:03.070 --> 00:19:07.860
<v Truman>Truman Burns,
T-R-U-M-A-N B-U-R-N-S.</v>

00:19:07.860 --> 00:19:09.550
Good evening, Your Honors,
Commissioner Shiroma,

00:19:09.550 --> 00:19:11.150
and members of the public.

00:19:11.150 --> 00:19:13.240
I am Truman Burns, Project Coordinator

00:19:13.240 --> 00:19:16.310
for the Public Advocates
Office's response

00:19:16.310 --> 00:19:19.900
to SCEs 2021 General Rate Case.

00:19:19.900 --> 00:19:21.140
The Public Advocate's Office

00:19:21.140 --> 00:19:22.930
is the independent consumer advocate

00:19:22.930 --> 00:19:25.603
of California Public
Utilities Commission.

00:19:26.555 --> 00:19:28.500
The Public Advocate's
Office represents the interests

00:19:28.500 --> 00:19:31.890
of public utilities customers
with the goal of obtaining

00:19:31.890 --> 00:19:35.010
the lowest possible rates for
service consistent with safe,

00:19:35.010 --> 00:19:37.030
reliable service levels,

00:19:37.030 --> 00:19:39.630
and the State's environmental goals.

00:19:39.630 --> 00:19:41.480
Our office spent seven months reviewing

00:19:41.480 --> 00:19:44.990
and evaluating SCE's GRC
proposal before preparing

00:19:44.990 --> 00:19:47.500
our recommendations, which we presented

00:19:47.500 --> 00:19:50.083
in written testimony
on April 10th, 2020.

00:19:50.920 --> 00:19:54.280
Based on our review and our
own forecast of how much revenue

00:19:54.280 --> 00:19:57.420
SCE should be authorized,
we found that some

00:19:57.420 --> 00:20:00.433
of the SCEs forecast of
its costs are excessive.

00:20:01.380 --> 00:20:04.100
For 2021, we recommend
that the Commission reduce

00:20:04.100 --> 00:20:08.006
SCEs requested increase
of about $1.1 billion,

00:20:08.006 --> 00:20:12.737
by more than half, which would
be a $618 million reduction.

00:20:13.740 --> 00:20:17.360
For 2022, we recommended
a reduction of $180 million

00:20:17.360 --> 00:20:21.230
of SCEs requested
increase of 423 million.

00:20:21.230 --> 00:20:26.230
And for 2023, we recommend
a reduction of $263 million

00:20:26.540 --> 00:20:30.623
to SCEs requested
increase of 514 million.

00:20:31.800 --> 00:20:34.890
In addition, based on the
severe impacts customers

00:20:34.890 --> 00:20:37.970
are experiencing due to the
recent economic downturn

00:20:37.970 --> 00:20:40.567
associated with COVID-19 pandemic,

00:20:40.567 --> 00:20:43.610
the Public Advocate's
Office proposed a reduction

00:20:43.610 --> 00:20:48.603
of 125 million to SCEs 2020
capital expenditure budget.

00:20:49.600 --> 00:20:52.533
Thank you again, and we look
forward to the public comments.

00:20:54.140 --> 00:20:56.060
<v ->Thank you, Mr. Burns.</v>

00:20:56.060 --> 00:20:58.550
Next we will hear from Ms. Slider-Pierre

00:20:58.550 --> 00:21:00.523
from the Utility Reform Network.

00:21:03.570 --> 00:21:04.480
<v Constance>Good afternoon.</v>

00:21:04.480 --> 00:21:07.173
Constance Slider-Pierre,

00:21:07.173 --> 00:21:12.173
C-O-N-S-T-A-N-C-E
S-L-I-D-E-R P-I-E-R-R-E.

00:21:16.246 --> 00:21:18.090
I'm the Organizing Director for TURN,

00:21:18.090 --> 00:21:20.320
The Utility Reform Network.

00:21:20.320 --> 00:21:23.010
TURN is a consumer advocacy organization

00:21:23.010 --> 00:21:25.150
that has been challenging
corporate greed

00:21:25.150 --> 00:21:28.623
and winning consumer
protection for over 40 years.

00:21:29.730 --> 00:21:31.190
I'd like to first take a moment

00:21:31.190 --> 00:21:34.920
to thank Administrative Law
Judges Park and Seybert,

00:21:34.920 --> 00:21:37.640
as well as Commissioner
Shiroma for the opportunity

00:21:37.640 --> 00:21:41.313
to say a few words to
welcome members of the public.

00:21:42.850 --> 00:21:46.120
And to all who joined the call
today to provide comments,

00:21:46.120 --> 00:21:48.343
and bear witness, I thank you.

00:21:49.270 --> 00:21:51.500
I do not need to tell
any of you that we are

00:21:51.500 --> 00:21:53.710
in unprecedented time.

00:21:53.710 --> 00:21:57.390
The extreme circumstances
of a global pandemic

00:21:57.390 --> 00:22:01.270
have skyrocketed unemployment
numbers to over 16%

00:22:01.270 --> 00:22:03.020
in California.

00:22:03.020 --> 00:22:06.760
And according to a USC
study published last month,

00:22:06.760 --> 00:22:11.270
one in seven California workers
have filed for unemployment.

00:22:11.270 --> 00:22:13.760
And in L.A. County, specifically,

00:22:13.760 --> 00:22:17.323
only 45% of residents
report holding a job.

00:22:18.640 --> 00:22:21.890
Global protests, after the
murder of George Floyd,

00:22:21.890 --> 00:22:25.890
usher in a new day, when
all of us are called to examine

00:22:25.890 --> 00:22:29.380
and act with deeper
awareness of how our actions

00:22:29.380 --> 00:22:32.483
and decisions will impact people.

00:22:33.410 --> 00:22:38.010
The public outcry is clear
and what we cry, are all of us

00:22:38.010 --> 00:22:42.630
to live out loud and dig
deeper to seek fair, equitable,

00:22:42.630 --> 00:22:45.693
and just treatment for all Californians.

00:22:46.780 --> 00:22:50.310
TURN stands strong in
it's belief that electricity,

00:22:50.310 --> 00:22:53.240
along with food, shelter, and water

00:22:53.240 --> 00:22:56.950
are basic necessities and a human right.

00:22:56.950 --> 00:23:00.010
We strongly believe that
any approved rate increase

00:23:00.010 --> 00:23:02.430
at this time is unacceptable,

00:23:02.430 --> 00:23:04.390
and would further cripple the resilient

00:23:04.390 --> 00:23:08.393
and aspiring families who are
struggling now more than ever.

00:23:09.390 --> 00:23:12.813
This request is neither
balanced or prudent.

00:23:14.700 --> 00:23:17.730
Today's hearing serve
as an opportunity to ensure

00:23:17.730 --> 00:23:21.790
that the lived experiences
of community are heard

00:23:21.790 --> 00:23:26.010
and accounted for when
our public servants deliberate

00:23:26.010 --> 00:23:28.833
and make decisions
that affect our daily lives.

00:23:30.680 --> 00:23:33.340
SCEs latest proposal will increase

00:23:33.340 --> 00:23:38.340
residential customer bills
annually through 2023.

00:23:39.500 --> 00:23:41.840
If approved, this increase would be

00:23:41.840 --> 00:23:45.910
the largest single rate
increase any utility been granted

00:23:45.910 --> 00:23:47.413
by the CPUC.

00:23:48.570 --> 00:23:51.320
This rate increase would
stick SCE customers

00:23:51.320 --> 00:23:55.860
with a bill for $600 million
in insurance premium

00:23:55.860 --> 00:24:00.860
to protect shareholders from
fires caused by SCE equipment,

00:24:01.000 --> 00:24:03.553
as well as other SCE expenses.

00:24:04.770 --> 00:24:07.630
SCEs claim that the
rate increase is only going

00:24:07.630 --> 00:24:12.170
to be $14.00 a month
in 2021 is a half-truth,

00:24:12.170 --> 00:24:14.000
that looks only at the first year

00:24:14.000 --> 00:24:16.260
of a three year rate increase,

00:24:16.260 --> 00:24:19.910
and only for the General Rate Case.

00:24:19.910 --> 00:24:23.150
The full truth is that if
you look at all three years

00:24:23.150 --> 00:24:26.060
of the GRC request, plus all of

00:24:26.060 --> 00:24:30.310
the other SCE rate
increases currently pending,

00:24:30.310 --> 00:24:34.610
what they're asking for adds
up to about $43.00 a month,

00:24:34.610 --> 00:24:37.920
or approximately a $500 a year increase

00:24:37.920 --> 00:24:40.603
in residential bills by 2023.

00:24:42.380 --> 00:24:45.100
Other rate payer increases
currently being requested

00:24:45.100 --> 00:24:49.960
by SCE would require
customers to pay back 1.5 billion

00:24:49.960 --> 00:24:54.960
in grid hardening costs
spent from 2018 through 2020.

00:24:57.430 --> 00:25:00.507
Would also require customers
to pay back an additional

00:25:00.507 --> 00:25:04.260
$500 million for wildfire
catch up inspections

00:25:04.260 --> 00:25:07.320
and repairs spent in 2019.

00:25:07.320 --> 00:25:09.930
And it would stick SCE
customers with the bill

00:25:09.930 --> 00:25:12.060
for their proposed new computer system

00:25:13.810 --> 00:25:16.800
to improve customer billing.

00:25:16.800 --> 00:25:19.640
When all requests
are taken into account,

00:25:19.640 --> 00:25:23.430
this would result in SCE
customers paying 40% more

00:25:23.430 --> 00:25:28.430
for energy by 2023,
while shareholders rake in

00:25:28.670 --> 00:25:32.673
a whopping 1.5 billion in profits.

00:25:34.130 --> 00:25:37.110
Translating these
increases to working hours

00:25:37.110 --> 00:25:40.950
in the gig economy, minimum
wage earners would have

00:25:40.950 --> 00:25:45.130
to work between six and eight
additional hours each month

00:25:45.130 --> 00:25:48.430
to pay for the same
number of kilowatt hours.

00:25:48.430 --> 00:25:51.293
Roughly one additional
day of shift work.

00:25:52.840 --> 00:25:54.990
During your testimony today,

00:25:54.990 --> 00:25:57.300
I encourage you to
use your time to reflect

00:25:57.300 --> 00:26:01.010
on your experience as an SCE customer.

00:26:01.010 --> 00:26:04.610
Tell the Commission how
current energy costs affect you.

00:26:04.610 --> 00:26:07.500
What trade offs you
have been forced to make.

00:26:07.500 --> 00:26:10.010
What measures you
have taken to reduce costs

00:26:10.010 --> 00:26:11.980
and conserve energy.

00:26:11.980 --> 00:26:15.300
And what additional trade
offs you may be forced to make

00:26:15.300 --> 00:26:19.160
if you are required to pay
an additional $43 per month

00:26:19.160 --> 00:26:20.013
for energy.

00:26:21.390 --> 00:26:24.960
Finally, if you haven't
already signed up to speak,

00:26:24.960 --> 00:26:27.130
please consider doing so.

00:26:27.130 --> 00:26:30.580
I hope our statement
has provided some context

00:26:30.580 --> 00:26:33.580
and inspiration to you
so that you can lift up

00:26:33.580 --> 00:26:36.340
your voice and be heard today.

00:26:36.340 --> 00:26:37.173
Thank you.

00:26:38.560 --> 00:26:40.110
<v ->Thank you, Ms. Slider-Pierre.</v>

00:26:43.410 --> 00:26:45.950
We will now hear from
members of the public.

00:26:45.950 --> 00:26:48.820
If you want to speak and
have not already done so,

00:26:48.820 --> 00:26:51.470
please press *1 on your phone now

00:26:51.470 --> 00:26:54.240
to be added to the queue of speakers.

00:26:54.240 --> 00:26:56.510
To make sure that
everyone has an opportunity

00:26:56.510 --> 00:26:59.540
to provide comments, each
speaker will have a time limit

00:26:59.540 --> 00:27:01.290
of three minutes.

00:27:01.290 --> 00:27:03.773
A chime will sound when
the three minutes is up.

00:27:04.970 --> 00:27:07.780
A reminder to all speakers
to please spell your first

00:27:07.780 --> 00:27:09.990
and last name for the record.

00:27:09.990 --> 00:27:12.900
We have two hardworking
Court Reporters on the line

00:27:12.900 --> 00:27:14.740
that are taking down
everything you are saying

00:27:14.740 --> 00:27:16.550
for the official transcript.

00:27:16.550 --> 00:27:18.340
So please be sure to speak slowly

00:27:18.340 --> 00:27:21.350
and clearly to ensure a clear record.

00:27:21.350 --> 00:27:23.570
It would also be
appreciated if you did not use

00:27:23.570 --> 00:27:25.873
a speakerphone while
providing your comments.

00:27:27.690 --> 00:27:30.960
With that, Operator, please
call on the first speaker

00:27:30.960 --> 00:27:31.793
in the queue.

00:27:33.320 --> 00:27:36.260
<v Lorraine>Our first comment
comes from Nachet Brown.</v>

00:27:36.260 --> 00:27:37.533
Your line is open.

00:27:43.485 --> 00:27:45.818
<v ->Nachet, Ms. Brown, please.</v>

00:27:46.880 --> 00:27:48.230
<v Lorraine>Nachet Brown?</v>

00:27:48.230 --> 00:27:49.550
<v Nachet>Oh yes, hi.</v>

00:27:49.550 --> 00:27:50.980
Greetings, Your Honor, and everyone,

00:27:50.980 --> 00:27:52.270
thank you for your service.

00:27:52.270 --> 00:27:53.740
My name is Nachet Brown.

00:27:53.740 --> 00:27:58.680
That's N-A-C-H-E accent T.

00:27:58.680 --> 00:28:02.003
My last name is Brown, B-R-O-W-N.

00:28:04.430 --> 00:28:07.080
The issue that I'm having
in regards to my electricity

00:28:07.080 --> 00:28:11.050
is that the box on
the side of the house,

00:28:11.050 --> 00:28:13.720
there was a electrician
from the Edison company

00:28:13.720 --> 00:28:16.500
that came out after a letter
was sent to my home saying

00:28:16.500 --> 00:28:19.010
that I was the only home on the block

00:28:19.010 --> 00:28:20.723
that had the highest electricity.

00:28:21.720 --> 00:28:24.900
At that time, we had practiced not using

00:28:24.900 --> 00:28:26.430
so much electricity.

00:28:26.430 --> 00:28:29.630
Of course, that has all changed
now, due to the pandemic.

00:28:29.630 --> 00:28:31.580
A lot of us are here in
the home and we're using

00:28:31.580 --> 00:28:32.863
a lot more electricity.

00:28:33.780 --> 00:28:35.470
He did say that the box was old

00:28:35.470 --> 00:28:37.620
and needed to be changed out.

00:28:37.620 --> 00:28:40.630
My question was,
why is it that when input

00:28:40.630 --> 00:28:44.210
the box on the side of the
house, did they not record it?

00:28:44.210 --> 00:28:46.390
And know when it was time
to come and change it out

00:28:46.390 --> 00:28:49.610
so that my bill is not, you know,

00:28:49.610 --> 00:28:51.573
just higher and higher and higher?

00:28:52.560 --> 00:28:55.133
In regards to raising the rates,

00:28:56.000 --> 00:28:59.440
raising the price of me
having to pay for electricity,

00:28:59.440 --> 00:29:01.830
I think that is outrageous

00:29:01.830 --> 00:29:05.170
because we have to
use more electricity now.

00:29:05.170 --> 00:29:08.420
We're trying to put our
children through college.

00:29:08.420 --> 00:29:13.420
I am an African American
woman and I already,

00:29:14.100 --> 00:29:17.190
as an African American
woman, I already face challenges.

00:29:17.190 --> 00:29:19.720
My children are meant to succeed.

00:29:19.720 --> 00:29:22.110
We must succeed because
our ancestors fought

00:29:22.110 --> 00:29:23.950
for our children to succeed.

00:29:23.950 --> 00:29:26.240
And so I have to save
money for my children

00:29:26.240 --> 00:29:27.293
to go to college.

00:29:28.300 --> 00:29:32.070
$43.00 a month extra is
not gonna put my last baby

00:29:32.070 --> 00:29:34.360
through college, it's not
gonna to help me save

00:29:34.360 --> 00:29:35.963
that money to do that for her.

00:29:37.040 --> 00:29:39.960
My husband is disabled
and we get a letter,

00:29:39.960 --> 00:29:42.840
we qualified for the 20% off,

00:29:42.840 --> 00:29:45.770
but somehow it keeps getting canceled.

00:29:45.770 --> 00:29:49.240
So then when we asked for it to be,

00:29:49.240 --> 00:29:51.770
for the letter to be sent to
us so that we can reapply,

00:29:51.770 --> 00:29:53.810
we never get the
letter, we forget about it

00:29:53.810 --> 00:29:56.700
trying to take care of home,
going to work, you know,

00:29:56.700 --> 00:29:59.380
taking care of our daily business,

00:29:59.380 --> 00:30:03.010
and we forget about it
until we realize that the bill

00:30:03.010 --> 00:30:06.560
is just extremely high
and we never got that letter.

00:30:06.560 --> 00:30:09.880
Wondering if that letter can
be put in an electronic form

00:30:09.880 --> 00:30:12.420
on the website so that we
can just go on the website

00:30:12.420 --> 00:30:15.720
and fill out that form,

00:30:15.720 --> 00:30:19.630
the same form for if you
have a nebulizer in the home

00:30:19.630 --> 00:30:22.230
or equipment that needs
to be used on a daily basis.

00:30:24.140 --> 00:30:26.350
I think if you fill out the letter once,

00:30:26.350 --> 00:30:28.710
in regards to the
equipment being in the home,

00:30:28.710 --> 00:30:30.840
that it should never be canceled,

00:30:30.840 --> 00:30:33.420
and that when there is an outage

00:30:33.420 --> 00:30:38.420
or maybe the Edison Company
can provide a generator

00:30:38.730 --> 00:30:42.270
when they know that they're
going to cut the electricity off

00:30:42.270 --> 00:30:44.273
so that we don't have an issue there.

00:30:46.496 --> 00:30:50.410
I'm also a Cleaner Air,
I'm all for a cleaner way

00:30:50.410 --> 00:30:53.940
of doing things, but I
think that we have a TLC

00:30:53.940 --> 00:30:58.060
that we need to look at
now, a total life change.

00:30:58.060 --> 00:31:00.278
We're experiencing a total life change,

00:31:00.278 --> 00:31:04.220
where we are pretty much
quarantined to our home,

00:31:04.220 --> 00:31:08.680
and therefore we have to do
our homework on the internet.

00:31:08.680 --> 00:31:11.423
The kids want to watch TV,
we have to have electricity,

00:31:11.423 --> 00:31:14.693
we have to keep
everything with electricity.

00:31:16.940 --> 00:31:18.070
Maybe my time is up.

00:31:18.070 --> 00:31:19.710
Is that what that means?

00:31:19.710 --> 00:31:21.090
<v ->Yes, Ms. Brown.</v>

00:31:21.090 --> 00:31:23.920
<v Nachet>Okay, thank
you for letting me share.</v>

00:31:23.920 --> 00:31:25.340
<v ->Thank you for
providing comments.</v>

00:31:25.340 --> 00:31:27.390
I also, in terms of your billing

00:31:27.390 --> 00:31:30.300
and customer account
issues, this isn't really a forum

00:31:30.300 --> 00:31:33.210
for us to address the specific
issues that you may have,

00:31:33.210 --> 00:31:35.330
but I do have a contact for you

00:31:35.330 --> 00:31:38.060
at Southern California
Edison that you can call

00:31:38.060 --> 00:31:40.470
to follow up if you would
like more information

00:31:40.470 --> 00:31:43.283
about your specific billing issues.

00:31:44.180 --> 00:31:45.710
<v Nachet>Yes, I would.</v>

00:31:45.710 --> 00:31:49.830
<v ->Okay, and so the gentleman's
name is Jerry Aguilar,</v>

00:31:49.830 --> 00:31:52.133
and his phone number is 626.

00:31:53.170 --> 00:31:55.040
<v Nachet>Just one
moment, I'm writin' it down.</v>

00:31:55.040 --> 00:31:55.873
Okay, 626.

00:31:57.700 --> 00:31:58.603
<v ->302.</v>

00:31:59.700 --> 00:32:00.960
<v Nachet>Uh-huh.</v>

00:32:00.960 --> 00:32:02.523
<v ->0283.</v>

00:32:04.002 --> 00:32:07.160
<v Nachet>0283, thank
you for that information,</v>

00:32:07.160 --> 00:32:08.860
I appreciate it.

00:32:08.860 --> 00:32:10.010
<v ->Thank you, Ms. Brown.</v>

00:32:12.090 --> 00:32:13.963
Okay, Operator, next speaker, please.

00:32:15.010 --> 00:32:17.810
<v Lorraine>Our next comment
comes from Ben Rockwell.</v>

00:32:17.810 --> 00:32:18.710
Your line is open.

00:32:20.380 --> 00:32:21.880
<v Ben>Thank you.</v>

00:32:25.740 --> 00:32:27.263
<v Lorraine>Your line is open.</v>

00:32:29.400 --> 00:32:30.233
<v Ben>Hello?</v>

00:32:31.940 --> 00:32:34.850
<v ->Yes, Mr. Rockwell, could
you please start by spelling</v>

00:32:34.850 --> 00:32:36.323
your first and last name?

00:32:37.370 --> 00:32:42.370
<v Ben>My name is Ben, B-E-N,
Rockwell, R-O-C-K-W-E-L-L.</v>

00:32:46.182 --> 00:32:50.300
I have been on very low
income since I had to retire

00:32:50.300 --> 00:32:51.233
at the age of 42.

00:32:52.750 --> 00:32:56.640
I have had Polio and I have Parkinson's,

00:32:58.288 --> 00:33:03.288
and 36 other confirmed disabilities.

00:33:04.680 --> 00:33:09.680
My total income, including
SSI and Social Security

00:33:10.815 --> 00:33:12.982
is less than $850 a month.

00:33:16.351 --> 00:33:18.480
This makes it very difficult.

00:33:18.480 --> 00:33:21.780
I've had to fight for
every bit of discount

00:33:21.780 --> 00:33:25.823
that I've gotten from
Southern California Edison.

00:33:26.779 --> 00:33:29.096
And not only that,

00:33:29.096 --> 00:33:33.270
they refuse to give
me additional discounts

00:33:33.270 --> 00:33:36.910
for taking care of
charging my wheelchair

00:33:36.910 --> 00:33:41.910
and taking care of my raising machines.

00:33:44.870 --> 00:33:48.133
This has made it
very difficult at times.

00:33:49.060 --> 00:33:54.060
Sometimes my bills have
gone as high as over $100,

00:33:55.090 --> 00:33:59.620
especially during the summer
months when it's very hot

00:33:59.620 --> 00:34:03.272
and I do not have an air conditioner.

00:34:03.272 --> 00:34:06.587
And in the winter time, the gas is not,

00:34:09.830 --> 00:34:13.433
gas heater is what I have,
are not working properly.

00:34:14.855 --> 00:34:18.420
I need to get all the help that I can,

00:34:18.420 --> 00:34:21.862
so do many other
people with disabilities,

00:34:21.862 --> 00:34:24.690
especially those of us that are seniors

00:34:24.690 --> 00:34:27.280
and have very low incomes.

00:34:27.280 --> 00:34:30.670
Therefore, I would like
to see something done

00:34:30.670 --> 00:34:35.490
to increase the amount of
discounts that can be given

00:34:35.490 --> 00:34:39.610
to the seniors and
persons with disability.

00:34:39.610 --> 00:34:41.940
Thank you very much for listening.

00:34:43.027 --> 00:34:45.893
<v ->Thank you for providing
those comments, Mr. Rockwell.</v>

00:34:47.820 --> 00:34:49.260
<v Ben>Thank you.</v>

00:34:49.260 --> 00:34:50.093
<v ->Thank you.</v>

00:34:51.740 --> 00:34:54.038
Operator, next speaker, please.

00:34:54.038 --> 00:34:56.380
<v Lorraine>Our next comment
comes from Will Cheng.</v>

00:34:56.380 --> 00:34:57.443
Your line is open.

00:34:58.770 --> 00:35:01.063
<v Will>Hi, can hear me?</v>

00:35:02.440 --> 00:35:03.273
<v ->Yes, we can hear you.</v>

00:35:03.273 --> 00:35:05.633
<v Will>Will Cheng,
W-I-L-L C-H-E-N-G.</v>

00:35:10.550 --> 00:35:11.960
Hello?
<v ->Yes, you may proceed.</v>

00:35:11.960 --> 00:35:13.170
Hello.
<v ->Okay.</v>

00:35:13.170 --> 00:35:16.900
Oh yeah, so, I mean, I
don't have all the statistics

00:35:16.900 --> 00:35:17.863
in terms of,

00:35:19.224 --> 00:35:20.910
you know, how much.

00:35:20.910 --> 00:35:23.900
I don't have this statistic
in terms of the amount

00:35:23.900 --> 00:35:25.540
of things that's being increased.

00:35:25.540 --> 00:35:29.200
But I'm a local resident

00:35:29.200 --> 00:35:33.030
and it seems like the pandemic

00:35:33.030 --> 00:35:35.470
has affected everyone's life a lot.

00:35:35.470 --> 00:35:38.420
Unemployment rates going
on, and I can just give a couple

00:35:38.420 --> 00:35:42.960
of very simple examples why we,

00:35:42.960 --> 00:35:46.470
during the pandemic we
use a lot more electricity

00:35:46.470 --> 00:35:48.170
because of the quarantine.

00:35:48.170 --> 00:35:51.820
And because of the
quarantine we buy more food,

00:35:51.820 --> 00:35:55.330
we try to storage to as
much food as possible

00:35:55.330 --> 00:36:00.330
by not getting contact with, you know,

00:36:00.380 --> 00:36:02.130
less contact, the better it is.

00:36:02.130 --> 00:36:05.020
So we got a second mini refrigerator,

00:36:05.020 --> 00:36:07.030
that costs more electricity.

00:36:07.030 --> 00:36:09.293
I still have to go to
work on a daily basis,

00:36:10.490 --> 00:36:13.200
but I wash my clothes on a daily basis

00:36:13.200 --> 00:36:16.330
just because I have a newborn at home,

00:36:16.330 --> 00:36:19.420
and my wife and I, we
wash, because we go out,

00:36:19.420 --> 00:36:24.420
we come back, we have to
wash our clothes on a daily basis.

00:36:25.220 --> 00:36:29.913
And so these are a couple examples why,

00:36:31.670 --> 00:36:33.640
you know, especially during this time,

00:36:33.640 --> 00:36:37.640
it's critical for us,
that $42.00 of increase

00:36:37.640 --> 00:36:41.290
on a monthly basis is
a lot for a lot of families.

00:36:41.290 --> 00:36:46.290
And, I mean, SCE is the only, you know,

00:36:46.720 --> 00:36:47.930
if you compare it to other States,

00:36:47.930 --> 00:36:51.533
they are actually charging
a lot per wattage already,

00:36:53.240 --> 00:36:55.300
comparing to other States.

00:36:55.300 --> 00:37:00.300
So that's my general comment on it, and,

00:37:04.090 --> 00:37:05.950
yeah, that's my general comment.

00:37:05.950 --> 00:37:09.320
I do think, you know,
basically increasing costs

00:37:09.320 --> 00:37:14.040
to procure safety, I
think that's valid reason,

00:37:14.040 --> 00:37:17.710
but to maintenance the
website and stuff like that,

00:37:17.710 --> 00:37:21.260
you got, SCE has been
already been doing that already,

00:37:21.260 --> 00:37:23.350
and it's been doing a good job.

00:37:23.350 --> 00:37:25.610
So I don't think that's part of a legit

00:37:25.610 --> 00:37:29.380
or reasonable reason
behind this increase.

00:37:29.380 --> 00:37:31.830
We have no choice, you know,
we have really have no choice,

00:37:31.830 --> 00:37:34.580
but this increase,
it's not just, you know,

00:37:34.580 --> 00:37:37.120
one year and we reviewed
the increase again,

00:37:37.120 --> 00:37:39.410
it's for the next three or four years,

00:37:39.410 --> 00:37:41.497
which has already,

00:37:41.497 --> 00:37:44.850
even though our lives change, you know,

00:37:44.850 --> 00:37:48.700
this will have a great impact on

00:37:48.700 --> 00:37:53.700
the entire neighborhood
in Southern California.

00:38:02.100 --> 00:38:03.320
Hello?

00:38:03.320 --> 00:38:04.530
<v ->Hi.</v>

00:38:04.530 --> 00:38:05.363
<v ->Yeah.</v>
<v ->Thank you for</v>

00:38:05.363 --> 00:38:06.870
your comments, Mr. Cheng.

00:38:06.870 --> 00:38:08.900
What city are you calling from?

00:38:10.490 --> 00:38:12.440
<v Will>I'm calling from Chino Hills</v>

00:38:12.440 --> 00:38:15.093
in Southern California.

00:38:17.650 --> 00:38:19.473
<v ->Thank you.</v>
<v ->Yep.</v>

00:38:23.800 --> 00:38:25.893
<v ->Okay, Operator,
next speaker, please.</v>

00:38:28.470 --> 00:38:30.749
<v Lorraine>Comment
comes from Joanna Lang.</v>

00:38:30.749 --> 00:38:32.413
Your line is open.

00:38:32.413 --> 00:38:33.290
<v ->And Ms. Lang,</v>

00:38:33.290 --> 00:38:35.210
if you could spell your first and last

00:38:35.210 --> 00:38:38.040
and also provide the city
that you are calling from,

00:38:38.040 --> 00:38:39.590
that would be great, thank you.

00:38:40.660 --> 00:38:43.090
<v Joanna>Certainly, my
name is Joanna Lang.</v>

00:38:43.090 --> 00:38:47.100
That's J-O-A-N-N-A, my
last name is Lang, L-A-N-G,

00:38:47.100 --> 00:38:49.350
I'm calling from Glendora, California.

00:38:49.350 --> 00:38:51.270
There's a couple, there's a few comments

00:38:51.270 --> 00:38:52.103
that I'd like to make.

00:38:52.103 --> 00:38:55.600
First of all, I appreciate
being able to join this.

00:38:55.600 --> 00:38:57.410
I've never done this before,

00:38:57.410 --> 00:39:00.780
but I am concerned about the
rate increases that I've seen.

00:39:00.780 --> 00:39:04.180
One of the first things,
when I looked at the first letter,

00:39:04.180 --> 00:39:05.670
I never really looked at anything

00:39:05.670 --> 00:39:07.380
because my husband always did the bills

00:39:07.380 --> 00:39:09.050
and I've been retired
for a couple of years,

00:39:09.050 --> 00:39:11.120
so I started to look at these.

00:39:11.120 --> 00:39:12.697
And the first notice that was sent out

00:39:12.697 --> 00:39:16.070
for the residential increase
with the proposed increase

00:39:16.070 --> 00:39:19.340
was only gonna be
three cents per kilowatt.

00:39:19.340 --> 00:39:21.310
All of a sudden, we get
this second letter after

00:39:21.310 --> 00:39:22.810
this pandemic thing is going through,

00:39:22.810 --> 00:39:24.950
and now the residential increase is,

00:39:24.950 --> 00:39:27.120
it says it's going to be 20.7 cents.

00:39:27.120 --> 00:39:28.903
So, whoa, that's huge.

00:39:29.960 --> 00:39:31.453
Something is awry.

00:39:33.040 --> 00:39:35.200
So that was one concern that I have,

00:39:35.200 --> 00:39:39.000
and that just seems odd that
in two months, all of a sudden

00:39:39.000 --> 00:39:42.320
we have this drastic
increase that's showing up.

00:39:42.320 --> 00:39:47.320
You know, utilities are like there,

00:39:47.640 --> 00:39:50.570
they're so many mandatory,
that somebody brought up.

00:39:50.570 --> 00:39:53.150
You guys are a monopoly, we can't shop.

00:39:53.150 --> 00:39:56.270
There's no competition,
we cannot shop this.

00:39:56.270 --> 00:39:57.750
So that's unfortunate.

00:39:57.750 --> 00:40:00.313
So, you know, we're stuck.

00:40:02.020 --> 00:40:05.710
That is, that's my next comment.

00:40:05.710 --> 00:40:10.540
You know, we are making
every effort to try and decrease.

00:40:12.870 --> 00:40:14.870
My husband and I are the
only ones in the household.

00:40:14.870 --> 00:40:18.720
We're making every effort
to decrease our usage now,

00:40:18.720 --> 00:40:20.423
especially during the pandemic,

00:40:21.530 --> 00:40:26.530
we have our air conditioning
now set at between 79 and 80,

00:40:27.100 --> 00:40:30.110
which in the old days,
we could at least be

00:40:30.110 --> 00:40:33.943
a little bit cooler, and
so now we resort to fans.

00:40:35.250 --> 00:40:37.380
My question, when I used
to be in the business world,

00:40:37.380 --> 00:40:39.220
we had to submit to audits.

00:40:39.220 --> 00:40:40.710
Do you guys get audited?

00:40:40.710 --> 00:40:43.053
And if you do, where can we see those?

00:40:43.920 --> 00:40:47.383
The other thing is the C-PAP
usage, we both have those.

00:40:48.343 --> 00:40:51.750
You know, even though
we have to get a letter,

00:40:51.750 --> 00:40:54.370
do you guys realize that
most doctors now start charging

00:40:54.370 --> 00:40:56.360
to fill out those letters?

00:40:56.360 --> 00:40:59.160
And you know, that's an
expense that has to be incurred.

00:41:00.200 --> 00:41:01.463
What else do I have here?

00:41:03.390 --> 00:41:06.450
Because of the pandemic,
it seems like things are going

00:41:06.450 --> 00:41:08.100
to change, and you're
gonna have more people

00:41:08.100 --> 00:41:10.400
that are being, that
will be staying home.

00:41:10.400 --> 00:41:11.980
They will be working from home.

00:41:11.980 --> 00:41:15.170
Therefore the volume of
electricity is going to increase.

00:41:15.170 --> 00:41:17.950
With that, you are going
to be getting more money

00:41:17.950 --> 00:41:20.450
without the rate increase,
or even if you have

00:41:20.450 --> 00:41:22.030
a minimal one, you're
still gonna get more

00:41:22.030 --> 00:41:24.290
because there's going to be more usage.

00:41:24.290 --> 00:41:26.890
So that in itself, I wonder if
that was taken into account

00:41:26.890 --> 00:41:28.393
when you guys did these rates.

00:41:29.240 --> 00:41:32.810
Lastly, many people don't
know that this is coming,

00:41:32.810 --> 00:41:35.280
I've talked to a lot of friends
and they have no idea.

00:41:35.280 --> 00:41:38.040
So I don't know if this,
you know, how this got out,

00:41:38.040 --> 00:41:40.260
if there was a good
way to advertise this,

00:41:40.260 --> 00:41:42.320
but I think you'd have a lot more impact

00:41:42.320 --> 00:41:45.460
and a lot more people
that would provide input

00:41:47.580 --> 00:41:49.170
if they knew of this.

00:41:49.170 --> 00:41:53.700
And when that gentleman
talked about cost per kilowatts

00:41:53.700 --> 00:41:56.210
and other States being
less, I do have friends

00:41:56.210 --> 00:41:58.630
in other States and you
know what, I'm kinda curious.

00:41:58.630 --> 00:42:00.410
I think I'm gonna go and pursue that too

00:42:00.410 --> 00:42:02.070
and see what they pay.

00:42:02.070 --> 00:42:06.800
Other than that, you know,
we're approaching retirement

00:42:06.800 --> 00:42:10.420
and we need to save money,
and this is just ludicrous,

00:42:10.420 --> 00:42:11.580
in my opinion.

00:42:11.580 --> 00:42:13.040
There's gotta be another way.

00:42:13.040 --> 00:42:14.473
Thank you very, very much.

00:42:16.350 --> 00:42:18.200
<v ->Thank you for
calling in, Ms. Lang.</v>

00:42:19.210 --> 00:42:21.850
I do want to reiterate that
the purpose of today's hearing

00:42:21.850 --> 00:42:24.580
is to hear from the public,
and it's not really intended

00:42:24.580 --> 00:42:27.160
as a question and answer session.

00:42:27.160 --> 00:42:29.010
In terms of your specific questions,

00:42:29.010 --> 00:42:30.790
if you would like
additional information,

00:42:30.790 --> 00:42:34.680
you could go to the Commission's
website or SCEs website,

00:42:34.680 --> 00:42:37.330
or email the Commission's Public Advisor

00:42:37.330 --> 00:42:42.053
at public.advisor@cpuc.ca.gov.

00:42:43.916 --> 00:42:44.903
Thank you.
<v ->Thank you.</v>

00:42:47.760 --> 00:42:50.830
<v ->Okay, Operator,
next speaker, please.</v>

00:42:50.830 --> 00:42:52.950
<v Lorraine>Our next comment
comes from D. Mullen.</v>

00:42:52.950 --> 00:42:54.163
Your line is open.

00:42:55.240 --> 00:42:57.620
<v Dee>Hello, thank you very much.</v>

00:42:57.620 --> 00:43:02.620
The initial, D, Mullen,
M-U-L-L-E-N, Norwalk, California.

00:43:05.810 --> 00:43:08.900
And first of all, I would
like to say thank you

00:43:08.900 --> 00:43:11.273
for the opportunity to be heard.

00:43:12.890 --> 00:43:16.430
And I'm going to give you
my point of view, which is

00:43:17.490 --> 00:43:21.130
that my husband and I are
retired, we're on social security

00:43:21.130 --> 00:43:23.180
and we've been
retired for quite a while.

00:43:23.180 --> 00:43:26.853
So our social security is not very high.

00:43:28.070 --> 00:43:32.220
And we have been absorbing increases

00:43:32.220 --> 00:43:37.220
in electricity rates
for some years here.

00:43:37.230 --> 00:43:42.230
And, you know, there are
programs that were offered

00:43:44.330 --> 00:43:48.390
where you can have certain
times that you use electricity

00:43:48.390 --> 00:43:50.890
and not other times,
which didn't work out for us.

00:43:52.560 --> 00:43:56.540
We did make every possible
change with light bulbs,

00:43:56.540 --> 00:44:00.750
turning lights off, not
using the air conditioning,

00:44:00.750 --> 00:44:05.430
using fans instead, every
possible thing we could do,

00:44:05.430 --> 00:44:10.190
and yet the electricity
bill continues to increase

00:44:10.190 --> 00:44:11.760
all the time.

00:44:11.760 --> 00:44:16.380
And I can't see how,
if a previous speaker,

00:44:16.380 --> 00:44:20.030
I'm not sure who it was,
spoke about an increase

00:44:20.030 --> 00:44:23.333
of $43.00 over a period of three years,

00:44:24.270 --> 00:44:27.770
that is something that
would be devastating to us.

00:44:27.770 --> 00:44:31.513
Even 10 or $12.00
makes a difference to us.

00:44:32.680 --> 00:44:37.680
And the other thing
that I have an issue with,

00:44:38.630 --> 00:44:40.960
as a previous speaker mentioned,

00:44:40.960 --> 00:44:45.960
is that we have no choice
of an electricity provider.

00:44:46.360 --> 00:44:48.470
It is a monopoly.

00:44:48.470 --> 00:44:52.260
And that makes it all for the company

00:44:52.260 --> 00:44:54.970
and nothing for the residents.

00:44:54.970 --> 00:44:59.970
And I'm wondering in all
the time that these increases

00:45:00.480 --> 00:45:01.313
have been

00:45:03.460 --> 00:45:07.700
in effect for us, have the
shareholders been getting

00:45:07.700 --> 00:45:09.820
a lot of income from this?

00:45:09.820 --> 00:45:13.690
And during the fires, it
seems to me after the fires,

00:45:13.690 --> 00:45:18.250
they said that there would be payment

00:45:18.250 --> 00:45:22.823
by all rate payers
towards the loss from that.

00:45:24.070 --> 00:45:25.530
How about the shareholders?

00:45:25.530 --> 00:45:29.140
Did they lose any
income during that period

00:45:29.140 --> 00:45:32.263
or were they continuing
to receive their income?

00:45:33.680 --> 00:45:37.610
I would think that shareholders,

00:45:37.610 --> 00:45:41.940
if a company has problems,
they would have to also

00:45:42.840 --> 00:45:45.093
have their income decreased.

00:45:46.120 --> 00:45:51.120
So, at any rate, those are
some of the issues that I have.

00:45:51.240 --> 00:45:54.470
I know there are many
retired people in the area

00:45:54.470 --> 00:45:58.000
where we live and they're
all feeling like we do.

00:45:58.000 --> 00:46:01.640
That they just don't have
enough money to complete

00:46:01.640 --> 00:46:02.653
the whole month.

00:46:04.030 --> 00:46:07.820
And actually I have
looked into the program,

00:46:07.820 --> 00:46:11.850
the discount program, and
we have just slightly more

00:46:11.850 --> 00:46:15.730
than allows us to be eligible for that.

00:46:15.730 --> 00:46:18.700
So that doesn't work for us either.

00:46:18.700 --> 00:46:21.443
And I thank you for the
opportunity to be heard.

00:46:23.940 --> 00:46:26.430
<v ->Thank you for
calling in, Ms. Mullen.</v>

00:46:26.430 --> 00:46:27.580
<v Dee>You're welcome.</v>

00:46:29.300 --> 00:46:30.850
<v ->Okay, Operator, next speaker.</v>

00:46:32.060 --> 00:46:35.060
<v Lorraine>Our next comment
comes from Lorena Garcia.</v>

00:46:35.060 --> 00:46:36.143
Your line is open.

00:46:39.480 --> 00:46:43.743
<v ->Yes, this is
Lorena, L-O-R-E-N-A.</v>

00:46:45.570 --> 00:46:46.403
Can you hear me?

00:46:47.660 --> 00:46:49.640
<v ->Yes, we can hear you.</v>

00:46:49.640 --> 00:46:52.483
<v Lorena>Okay, well,
my comments mostly,</v>

00:46:53.330 --> 00:46:55.270
about right now, during the pandemic,

00:46:55.270 --> 00:46:57.700
it's just going to be
completely devastating

00:46:57.700 --> 00:46:59.810
to increase at all.

00:46:59.810 --> 00:47:04.430
But I mean, as far as
our employment income,

00:47:04.430 --> 00:47:07.520
it hasn't really kept up with the times.

00:47:07.520 --> 00:47:11.180
So just having it this
increase is going to already

00:47:11.180 --> 00:47:12.163
be devastating.

00:47:13.370 --> 00:47:17.260
But now, as we, now with the pandemic,

00:47:17.260 --> 00:47:19.950
we're all trying to save
as much as possible,

00:47:19.950 --> 00:47:22.560
and having any kind of form of increase

00:47:22.560 --> 00:47:27.560
is going to hurt everyone
inside of Southern California.

00:47:27.920 --> 00:47:29.993
And also, this is a monopoly,

00:47:31.410 --> 00:47:36.277
we need any other kind
of electricity company

00:47:37.130 --> 00:47:40.283
to actually be able to,

00:47:43.120 --> 00:47:46.210
to buy into that one, or
just shop around and look

00:47:46.210 --> 00:47:48.260
for some other kind
of electricity company,

00:47:48.260 --> 00:47:50.270
but right now we don't have that choice

00:47:50.270 --> 00:47:52.610
just because we only have Edison

00:47:52.610 --> 00:47:55.990
and we can't go anywhere else.

00:47:55.990 --> 00:48:00.820
So without any other kind
of means to be able to shop,

00:48:00.820 --> 00:48:05.423
I see $40 over the next few
years, just being way too much.

00:48:10.440 --> 00:48:12.320
<v ->Thank you for your comments.</v>

00:48:12.320 --> 00:48:14.003
Oh.
<v ->Thank you.</v>

00:48:15.120 --> 00:48:17.070
<v ->Would you mind also
spelling your last name</v>

00:48:17.070 --> 00:48:19.440
and providing the city
that you are calling from?

00:48:19.440 --> 00:48:22.930
<v Lorena>Oh yes, my last
name is Garcia, G-A-R-C-I-A,</v>

00:48:22.930 --> 00:48:25.080
and I'm calling from
Fullerton, California.

00:48:26.110 --> 00:48:27.310
<v ->Thank you, Ms. Garcia.</v>

00:48:30.370 --> 00:48:32.220
Okay, Operator, next speaker, please.

00:48:33.110 --> 00:48:36.260
<v Lorraine>Our next comment
comes from Dumitru Damian.</v>

00:48:36.260 --> 00:48:37.233
Your line is open.

00:48:39.090 --> 00:48:40.380
<v Dumitru>Hi, how's
everyone doing today?</v>

00:48:40.380 --> 00:48:45.380
My name is Dumitru
Damian, D-U-M-I-T-R-U,

00:48:46.140 --> 00:48:50.880
last name is Damian, D-A-M-I-A-N.

00:48:50.880 --> 00:48:52.780
Now I come from Hemet, California,

00:48:52.780 --> 00:48:54.730
I am here on the phone with everyone,

00:48:54.730 --> 00:48:56.920
to just let us know,
some of you have noticed,

00:48:56.920 --> 00:48:58.253
haven't seen the numbers.

00:48:59.270 --> 00:49:00.350
I wanna say one thing.

00:49:00.350 --> 00:49:02.270
COVID-19 put everyone indoors,

00:49:02.270 --> 00:49:05.700
the first place that SCE
wants to hit is residential.

00:49:05.700 --> 00:49:09.170
So everyone that is
without a job, in their homes,

00:49:09.170 --> 00:49:10.700
they're gonna get hit first.

00:49:10.700 --> 00:49:13.950
Second place that took a
big hit from this COVID-19,

00:49:13.950 --> 00:49:15.390
is the small business.

00:49:15.390 --> 00:49:19.590
Now SCE wants to make
the second largest increase

00:49:19.590 --> 00:49:21.390
to all small businesses.

00:49:21.390 --> 00:49:23.380
And the third place
that's gonna take the hit

00:49:23.380 --> 00:49:26.490
is your agricultural, and so on.

00:49:26.490 --> 00:49:29.340
That being said, as you
can see, in these times,

00:49:29.340 --> 00:49:31.890
it is not the time to
move forward with this.

00:49:31.890 --> 00:49:34.390
The numbers need to be reevaluated

00:49:34.390 --> 00:49:37.540
and to look at again the following year.

00:49:37.540 --> 00:49:40.870
And that concludes everything
I have to say for today.

00:49:40.870 --> 00:49:42.950
Thank you again for this time.

00:49:42.950 --> 00:49:44.150
<v ->Thank you, Mr. Damian.</v>

00:49:45.990 --> 00:49:46.823
<v ->Thank you.</v>
<v ->Okay, Operator,</v>

00:49:46.823 --> 00:49:48.093
the next speaker, please.

00:49:49.140 --> 00:49:51.850
<v Lorraine>Next question
comes from Christina Montalvo.</v>

00:49:51.850 --> 00:49:52.893
Your line is open.

00:49:56.347 --> 00:49:58.710
<v Christina>Hello, my name
is Christina Montalvo,</v>

00:49:58.710 --> 00:50:03.710
C-H-R-I-S-T-I-N-A M-O-N-T-A-L-V-O,

00:50:03.790 --> 00:50:07.240
from the city of South Gate
in South East Los Angeles.

00:50:07.240 --> 00:50:09.950
I'm calling on behalf of my
community because as I speak

00:50:09.950 --> 00:50:12.850
to the members of my
community and other advocates,

00:50:12.850 --> 00:50:14.700
we come to find out that not many feel

00:50:14.700 --> 00:50:16.670
that they were notified
of the rate increase

00:50:16.670 --> 00:50:20.170
or these phone calls, or how
to put their public comment

00:50:20.170 --> 00:50:21.970
or input in.

00:50:21.970 --> 00:50:25.710
I hear some other people
graciously saying thank you

00:50:25.710 --> 00:50:28.870
for the opportunity for
the input, it's our right

00:50:28.870 --> 00:50:32.960
to give input, it's our
right to give our comments.

00:50:32.960 --> 00:50:35.763
It is our right to say
and stand our ground.

00:50:36.600 --> 00:50:39.900
Right now, all the utility companies

00:50:39.900 --> 00:50:42.810
are financially raping us.

00:50:42.810 --> 00:50:46.150
They're charging rates we can't afford.

00:50:46.150 --> 00:50:49.530
Right now we're going through
a pandemic, racial inequality,

00:50:49.530 --> 00:50:53.430
unemployment, poor health
conditions during a quarantine,

00:50:53.430 --> 00:50:56.240
no less, where people
work from the home,

00:50:56.240 --> 00:50:58.340
students study from the home.

00:50:58.340 --> 00:51:00.083
We spend more time at home.

00:51:01.271 --> 00:51:04.200
I received

00:51:04.200 --> 00:51:09.200
a notice saying that I have
a 70% increase in usage

00:51:09.470 --> 00:51:12.160
of electricity from last year,

00:51:12.160 --> 00:51:15.643
I received another document
that said 30% increase,

00:51:16.740 --> 00:51:18.190
which I don't know which one to believe

00:51:18.190 --> 00:51:20.443
because they're two
conflicting documents.

00:51:21.850 --> 00:51:25.670
And then the email that I
received, all the information on

00:51:25.670 --> 00:51:27.440
is over 10 years old.

00:51:27.440 --> 00:51:29.210
So I'm wondering how many people have

00:51:29.210 --> 00:51:32.330
or have not been able to
update their information.

00:51:32.330 --> 00:51:34.580
And then I come from
a low income community

00:51:34.580 --> 00:51:38.270
where I know most people
can't afford internet right now.

00:51:38.270 --> 00:51:40.470
They can't afford that bill

00:51:40.470 --> 00:51:44.573
because they're unemployed
due to the pandemic of COVID.

00:51:46.000 --> 00:51:48.940
Then you have to think
about too, our other population,

00:51:48.940 --> 00:51:52.580
the elderly, retired,
they're on fixed income.

00:51:52.580 --> 00:51:56.200
They don't get more income
to pay into the higher bills.

00:51:56.200 --> 00:51:59.420
It's like squeezing lemon
out of a dried lemon,

00:51:59.420 --> 00:52:01.233
there's no more juice to give.

00:52:03.170 --> 00:52:06.900
And then essential workers
only get paid a BS wage

00:52:06.900 --> 00:52:10.700
of a dollar or $2 or $3 more an hour

00:52:11.640 --> 00:52:14.433
to risk our lives and
safety during this time.

00:52:15.410 --> 00:52:19.660
We have to go through
curfews, riots, the pandemic

00:52:19.660 --> 00:52:21.630
to get to work and back
and we're only getting paid

00:52:21.630 --> 00:52:24.410
a dollar more, and as soon as that ends,

00:52:24.410 --> 00:52:25.803
they take that pay away.

00:52:28.610 --> 00:52:33.150
And now if you want to go
test to see if you have COVID,

00:52:33.150 --> 00:52:35.390
you can't find a testing site
because they're crowded

00:52:35.390 --> 00:52:36.940
and there's not enough of them.

00:52:37.880 --> 00:52:42.740
So I strongly oppose this
increase, that $43.00 a month,

00:52:42.740 --> 00:52:45.180
which comes out to $500 a year,

00:52:45.180 --> 00:52:47.820
for a span of three to four years.

00:52:47.820 --> 00:52:51.420
And I'm sure a lot of my
other neighbors, friends,

00:52:51.420 --> 00:52:52.890
and colleagues would agree that that's

00:52:52.890 --> 00:52:54.530
a increase that's way too much,

00:52:54.530 --> 00:52:56.030
that no one can afford to pay.

00:52:57.180 --> 00:52:58.013
Thank you.

00:52:59.230 --> 00:53:00.530
<v ->Thank you, Ms. Montalvo.</v>

00:53:02.540 --> 00:53:04.290
Operator, the next speaker, please.

00:53:05.690 --> 00:53:08.675
<v Lorraine>Our next comment
comes from Cheryl Clancy.</v>

00:53:08.675 --> 00:53:10.277
Your line is open.

00:53:10.277 --> 00:53:15.230
<v Cheryl>Hi, my name is
Cheryl Clancy, C-H-E-R-Y-L,</v>

00:53:15.230 --> 00:53:20.230
Clancy, C-L-A-N-C-Y,
from the city of La Palma.

00:53:20.480 --> 00:53:25.480
I'm talking for seniors that
have to stay at home now,

00:53:26.970 --> 00:53:30.310
instead of going to the senior
centers, which are closed.

00:53:30.310 --> 00:53:33.700
They're at home, they
don't know what they can do,

00:53:33.700 --> 00:53:38.460
so they watch, my mom watches
TV, it gets hot, she needs AC.

00:53:38.460 --> 00:53:40.380
She needs to have a
lot of, when she's home,

00:53:40.380 --> 00:53:41.570
will have to wash her clothes a lot

00:53:41.570 --> 00:53:43.950
because she doesn't know
what's going on when she does

00:53:43.950 --> 00:53:46.260
do something, so a lot of mishaps.

00:53:46.260 --> 00:53:49.310
So the rate of the electricity
of course is gonna go up

00:53:49.310 --> 00:53:51.690
because my mom is
home, she can't go out,

00:53:51.690 --> 00:53:54.160
and she's at home and
there's hundreds of seniors

00:53:54.160 --> 00:53:56.350
that are home, kept safe
at home instead of being

00:53:56.350 --> 00:53:59.420
in the senior centers right now,

00:53:59.420 --> 00:54:02.480
which are closed,
and even senior living,

00:54:02.480 --> 00:54:03.950
because of the COVID.

00:54:03.950 --> 00:54:07.860
In addition, my child
is going to college.

00:54:07.860 --> 00:54:10.310
It's all gonna be at home online.

00:54:10.310 --> 00:54:13.320
She's gonna be using that
computer in the morning,

00:54:13.320 --> 00:54:15.180
at night doing her homework.

00:54:15.180 --> 00:54:16.980
So that's gonna take a lot of power.

00:54:18.000 --> 00:54:22.890
Furthermore, I'm worried,
like when I'm not working,

00:54:22.890 --> 00:54:25.090
so every little bit counts.

00:54:25.090 --> 00:54:30.090
So I'm opposed of this
raising the money of our bills.

00:54:31.710 --> 00:54:32.543
Thank you.

00:54:36.220 --> 00:54:37.420
<v ->Thank you, Ms. Clancy.</v>

00:54:39.460 --> 00:54:41.670
Operator, the next speaker, please.

00:54:41.670 --> 00:54:44.130
<v Lorraine>There are no
questions in queue at this time.</v>

00:54:44.130 --> 00:54:46.730
If you would like to make a
comment, please press one,

00:54:46.730 --> 00:54:49.440
along with spelling
your first and last name,

00:54:49.440 --> 00:54:51.973
along with your city and location.

00:55:13.010 --> 00:55:14.310
<v ->Let's go off the record.</v>

00:55:20.090 --> 00:55:22.100
<v Lorraine>Again, if you'd
like to make a comment,</v>

00:55:22.100 --> 00:55:23.633
please press *1.

00:55:59.360 --> 00:56:02.180
<v ->Wait, Operator,
one moment please.</v>

00:56:02.180 --> 00:56:03.880
Okay, let's go back on the record.

00:56:05.820 --> 00:56:07.670
Okay, Operator, next speaker, please.

00:56:09.100 --> 00:56:10.977
<v Lorraine>We have Paminder Gujral.</v>

00:56:12.110 --> 00:56:14.173
Your line is open for comment.

00:56:15.630 --> 00:56:17.760
<v Paminder>Yes, I am
a repairer and I live</v>

00:56:17.760 --> 00:56:19.573
in Villa Park, California.

00:56:20.410 --> 00:56:22.340
And--
<v ->Can you please spell your.</v>

00:56:22.340 --> 00:56:23.926
Excuse me, sir, can you please spell--

00:56:23.926 --> 00:56:24.770
<v ->Okay.</v>
<v ->Your first and last name.</v>

00:56:24.770 --> 00:56:25.603
Thank you.

00:56:26.730 --> 00:56:28.020
<v Paminder>First name, Paminder,</v>

00:56:28.020 --> 00:56:33.020
P as in Peter, A-M-I-N-D-E-R,

00:56:36.340 --> 00:56:41.340
last name Gujral, G-U-J-R-A-L,

00:56:45.160 --> 00:56:47.710
and I'm from Villa Park, California.

00:56:47.710 --> 00:56:48.543
<v ->Thank you.</v>

00:56:52.597 --> 00:56:54.847
You may provide your
comments now, thank you.

00:56:55.900 --> 00:56:58.160
<v Paminder>Yes, I
would like to comment</v>

00:56:58.160 --> 00:57:00.610
that California, based on my research,

00:57:00.610 --> 00:57:05.380
has the third highest
electricity rate of any state

00:57:05.380 --> 00:57:07.310
in the union.

00:57:07.310 --> 00:57:11.840
And because it has 50%
of its electricity coming

00:57:11.840 --> 00:57:16.300
from renewables, it has
some of the lowest costs

00:57:16.300 --> 00:57:19.670
of obtaining electricity on average,

00:57:19.670 --> 00:57:21.330
therefore their gross profit margins

00:57:21.330 --> 00:57:22.680
are pretty healthy already.

00:57:23.600 --> 00:57:27.550
And any rate increases,
especially of the magnitude

00:57:27.550 --> 00:57:29.090
that they're seeking,

00:57:29.090 --> 00:57:32.000
there should be a
moratorium on rate increases.

00:57:32.000 --> 00:57:37.000
And 'till the rates are about
average for other States,

00:57:37.130 --> 00:57:41.300
meaning their peers, who are
in the same business they are.

00:57:41.300 --> 00:57:44.080
So it seems to me, how'd we get here,

00:57:44.080 --> 00:57:46.930
is because of these
constant rate increases.

00:57:46.930 --> 00:57:50.090
And now, not only the percentage
of the rate increase high,

00:57:50.090 --> 00:57:54.183
it is being increased on
top of a high base as well.

00:57:55.210 --> 00:58:00.210
So they should be forced
into being more efficient.

00:58:00.810 --> 00:58:03.290
And if they're worried about the usage

00:58:03.290 --> 00:58:07.430
of electricity going down,
in fact, it's gonna go up

00:58:07.430 --> 00:58:09.520
because there's going to be
a lot more charging stations

00:58:09.520 --> 00:58:10.690
and so on.

00:58:10.690 --> 00:58:14.840
So I think that there are just
putting an unnecessary burden

00:58:14.840 --> 00:58:17.920
on people and should
become more efficient.

00:58:17.920 --> 00:58:19.470
I have a couple of suggestions.

00:58:20.410 --> 00:58:24.260
One of them is that
the cost of electricity

00:58:24.260 --> 00:58:28.300
that they say they're obtaining
is at 2.4 cents a kilowatt

00:58:28.300 --> 00:58:31.540
because that's what they
pay me for producing from solar

00:58:31.540 --> 00:58:33.090
at the end of the year.

00:58:33.090 --> 00:58:36.730
So that's the lowest rate
of any place in the world,

00:58:36.730 --> 00:58:38.750
actually, I don't
even know if it's true,

00:58:38.750 --> 00:58:40.530
but that's what they pay me.

00:58:40.530 --> 00:58:43.880
So, one of the more efficient
ways of producing electricity

00:58:43.880 --> 00:58:48.220
is that we have 10,500
schools in California,

00:58:48.220 --> 00:58:51.260
each of them has parking lots
and they should be covered.

00:58:51.260 --> 00:58:55.220
And Southern California
Edison does not have to do

00:58:55.220 --> 00:58:57.470
that work or spend a dime on it.

00:58:57.470 --> 00:59:01.560
They can have wholesale
operators put those into effect,

00:59:01.560 --> 00:59:05.670
and we don't have to
pay for long distance lines

00:59:05.670 --> 00:59:08.130
to come from the desert,
which loses electricity,

00:59:08.130 --> 00:59:10.320
which is another waste of money,

00:59:10.320 --> 00:59:12.000
and then you have to
maintain those lines,

00:59:12.000 --> 00:59:13.380
which is another waste of money.

00:59:13.380 --> 00:59:15.920
Let's produce the
electricity first close to where

00:59:15.920 --> 00:59:17.380
it's being used.

00:59:17.380 --> 00:59:19.670
So efficiency is the key here.

00:59:19.670 --> 00:59:22.380
Secondly, a lot of people

00:59:23.330 --> 00:59:27.350
had their electric cars parked
at home before four o'clock

00:59:27.350 --> 00:59:29.230
and nine o'clock in the evening,

00:59:29.230 --> 00:59:32.230
and their batteries can
be hooked up to the grid,

00:59:32.230 --> 00:59:36.060
and act for peak power production.

00:59:36.060 --> 00:59:41.060
Right now we have gas
utilities providing peak power,

00:59:41.270 --> 00:59:46.270
and then some of them are
operating at 5% of capacity,

00:59:46.820 --> 00:59:48.240
and we're paying all the costs

00:59:48.240 --> 00:59:50.243
of maintaining 5% of capacity.

00:59:51.240 --> 00:59:54.480
And here with using the car
batteries, they wouldn't have

00:59:54.480 --> 00:59:55.690
to spend a dime.

00:59:55.690 --> 00:59:57.550
So let's just get creative.

00:59:57.550 --> 00:59:59.640
But if they're not
forced to being efficient,

00:59:59.640 --> 01:00:01.010
they're not going to be,

01:00:01.010 --> 01:00:02.680
they're just going to
justify a rate increase,

01:00:02.680 --> 01:00:04.737
after rate increase,
after rate increase.

01:00:04.737 --> 01:00:07.040
And we really have
to look at their peers

01:00:07.040 --> 01:00:09.540
to understand what's going on.

01:00:09.540 --> 01:00:11.560
How is it that they're
some of the highest

01:00:11.560 --> 01:00:14.420
in America when they have
some of the lowest costs

01:00:14.420 --> 01:00:16.910
of producing electricity?

01:00:16.910 --> 01:00:17.743
Thank you.

01:00:18.920 --> 01:00:21.840
<v ->Thank you very much
for your input, Mr. Gujral.</v>

01:00:21.840 --> 01:00:23.893
Okay, Operator, next speaker, please.

01:00:24.971 --> 01:00:28.100
<v Lorraine>Our next comment
comes from Jeronino Flores.</v>

01:00:28.100 --> 01:00:30.990
Your line is open.

01:00:30.990 --> 01:00:32.240
<v Jeronino>Thank you.</v>

01:00:32.240 --> 01:00:34.940
Yes, I would like to comment on the,

01:00:34.940 --> 01:00:36.930
on behalf of the new home owners.

01:00:36.930 --> 01:00:40.550
My wife and I, we're
in our late thirties,

01:00:40.550 --> 01:00:45.550
I think we recently inquired
a condominium for our family.

01:00:46.710 --> 01:00:50.520
And so, when I used to
rent, we used to rent here

01:00:50.520 --> 01:00:55.020
in Tustin, California,
and it's on the same area

01:00:55.020 --> 01:00:56.513
where we got the condominium.

01:00:57.360 --> 01:01:01.740
We used to pay $56.00 for electricity.

01:01:01.740 --> 01:01:03.863
Now our bill, as a new homeowner,

01:01:04.760 --> 01:01:09.760
has gone up from one 180 to 214 a month.

01:01:11.010 --> 01:01:16.010
The building where we
live, it's an old building,

01:01:17.540 --> 01:01:22.540
so it might require an
upgrade on the electrical box

01:01:22.590 --> 01:01:23.613
and all that, so.

01:01:26.140 --> 01:01:31.010
So, with all these upgrades
that we're gonna have to look

01:01:31.010 --> 01:01:36.010
into the future, it's gonna
make it very difficult for us

01:01:36.540 --> 01:01:37.990
to continue to pay.

01:01:37.990 --> 01:01:42.990
So the $43.00 a month
increase on average,

01:01:43.120 --> 01:01:45.643
it's gonna be really hard.

01:01:46.624 --> 01:01:50.410
So again, I will think that,

01:01:50.410 --> 01:01:53.290
you know, being the new homeowner,

01:01:53.290 --> 01:01:57.920
there could be better
programs for the people

01:01:57.920 --> 01:02:01.130
that are working really
hard and trying to make

01:02:01.130 --> 01:02:03.020
a change in life.

01:02:03.020 --> 01:02:08.020
So at the same time, we
have a daughter that we have

01:02:08.180 --> 01:02:12.600
to look after and we're
trying to save in order

01:02:12.600 --> 01:02:14.120
to send her to college.

01:02:14.120 --> 01:02:19.120
And so again, having
these 20.7 cents per kilowatt,

01:02:20.950 --> 01:02:23.030
it's gonna make it
really, really difficult

01:02:23.030 --> 01:02:24.560
at the long run for us.

01:02:24.560 --> 01:02:28.280
So, that will be my
comments on that end.

01:02:28.280 --> 01:02:29.980
<v ->Thank you, Mr. Flores.</v>
<v ->Thank you.</v>

01:02:29.980 --> 01:02:32.270
<v ->Could you please spell
your first and last name</v>

01:02:32.270 --> 01:02:35.320
and provide the city that
you were calling from?

01:02:35.320 --> 01:02:37.940
Yes, so it's Jeronino Flores,

01:02:37.940 --> 01:02:42.940
so it's J-E-R-O-N-I-N-O.

01:02:44.380 --> 01:02:48.940
My last name is F-L-O-R-E-S.

01:02:48.940 --> 01:02:51.163
And I'm calling from Tustin, California.

01:02:53.250 --> 01:02:54.443
<v ->Thank you very much.</v>

01:02:55.820 --> 01:02:58.270
Operator, next speaker, please.

01:02:58.270 --> 01:03:01.060
<v Lorraine>Next comment
comes from Dimitri,</v>

01:03:03.910 --> 01:03:05.483
Demitri Burgess.

01:03:06.720 --> 01:03:07.723
Your line is open.

01:03:18.760 --> 01:03:19.660
Your line is open.

01:03:22.430 --> 01:03:23.263
Ms. Burgess?

01:03:28.240 --> 01:03:29.073
Next comment--

01:03:29.073 --> 01:03:30.890
<v Demita>I'm sorry, I had it
on mute the whole time.</v>

01:03:30.890 --> 01:03:32.900
Anyway, yes, I apologize.

01:03:32.900 --> 01:03:35.220
My name is Demita Burgess.

01:03:35.220 --> 01:03:38.070
I live here in San
Bernardino, California.

01:03:38.070 --> 01:03:42.920
My name is spelled D-E-M-I-T-A,

01:03:42.920 --> 01:03:47.920
last name Burgess, B-U-R-G-E-S-S.

01:03:48.510 --> 01:03:51.600
And I am also a member
of the Cope Organization,

01:03:51.600 --> 01:03:54.010
we're a CBO here in San Bernardino.

01:03:54.010 --> 01:03:56.590
And also I am also an advocate for TURN,

01:03:56.590 --> 01:03:58.293
The Utility Reform Network.

01:03:59.420 --> 01:04:01.840
My years being with this organization

01:04:01.840 --> 01:04:04.980
has really brought a
lot of things to light.

01:04:04.980 --> 01:04:07.290
You know, that I finally
realize how everything

01:04:07.290 --> 01:04:10.520
is actually connected
and what it actually means.

01:04:10.520 --> 01:04:13.670
Overall, the United
States, has probably,

01:04:13.670 --> 01:04:16.320
the largest economy globally.

01:04:16.320 --> 01:04:19.000
We have, you know, there's
a lot of money made here.

01:04:19.000 --> 01:04:21.790
And of that money,
I'm sure the bulk of it

01:04:21.790 --> 01:04:23.530
is actually profits.

01:04:23.530 --> 01:04:25.030
Well, one thing is certain,

01:04:25.030 --> 01:04:27.720
since this pandemic
people have been stretched

01:04:27.720 --> 01:04:29.130
out on a limb.

01:04:29.130 --> 01:04:32.530
I mean, they are, you know,
robbing Peter to pay Paul,

01:04:32.530 --> 01:04:34.610
and it's extremely difficulty.

01:04:34.610 --> 01:04:37.910
As most of the other
respondents had commented on,

01:04:37.910 --> 01:04:40.380
we're at home all day,
we're using more utilities,

01:04:40.380 --> 01:04:43.020
we're cooking more,
everything is increasing.

01:04:43.020 --> 01:04:46.400
The only thing that does
not increase is wages

01:04:46.400 --> 01:04:50.140
our livable wages, those
don't increase regularly,

01:04:50.140 --> 01:04:52.880
but on the other hand,
there's a rate increase

01:04:52.880 --> 01:04:55.270
what, every two years
or a request for one,

01:04:55.270 --> 01:04:58.510
we cannot afford to
live like this any longer.

01:04:58.510 --> 01:05:02.240
I understand, well how
depression and other health issues

01:05:02.240 --> 01:05:05.480
are connected with
just our everyday lives.

01:05:05.480 --> 01:05:09.060
It's very unfortunate, but I
would hope that somewhere down

01:05:09.060 --> 01:05:11.510
the line, people would really reconsider

01:05:11.510 --> 01:05:14.460
to put people first
instead of their profits,

01:05:14.460 --> 01:05:16.260
because that's the bottom line.

01:05:16.260 --> 01:05:17.740
They prefer profits over people.

01:05:17.740 --> 01:05:21.400
And I just think it's,
you know, unhumanized,

01:05:21.400 --> 01:05:23.370
it's like nobody matters anymore.

01:05:23.370 --> 01:05:25.380
People should at least
have enough compassion

01:05:25.380 --> 01:05:28.370
and understand that we don't
have the money that they do,

01:05:28.370 --> 01:05:29.680
not nearly.

01:05:29.680 --> 01:05:32.840
So we're living from
day-to-day, pennies at a time,

01:05:32.840 --> 01:05:36.300
and we're trying to live
as comfortably as we can,

01:05:36.300 --> 01:05:38.290
especially households with children.

01:05:38.290 --> 01:05:39.870
Nobody wants their child to go around,

01:05:39.870 --> 01:05:42.430
well, yeah, our lights got
cut off, or our gas is cut off,

01:05:42.430 --> 01:05:43.970
'cause children do talk.

01:05:43.970 --> 01:05:46.380
It is unfortunate and
we need to do something

01:05:46.380 --> 01:05:49.740
to be better about it,
better as human beings,

01:05:49.740 --> 01:05:51.210
better for everybody.

01:05:51.210 --> 01:05:52.043
Thank you.

01:05:54.860 --> 01:05:56.920
<v ->Thank you, Ms. Burgess.</v>

01:05:56.920 --> 01:05:58.470
Operator, next speaker, please.

01:05:59.436 --> 01:06:01.486
<v ->Our next comment
comes from Will Cheng.</v>

01:06:08.960 --> 01:06:10.333
Will, your line is open.

01:06:22.380 --> 01:06:24.753
Our next comment comes
from Kelly Vanderlan.

01:06:31.980 --> 01:06:34.070
Kelly Vanderlan, your line is open.

01:06:40.430 --> 01:06:43.020
Our next comment comes
from Christian Flores.

01:06:43.020 --> 01:06:44.083
Your line is open.

01:06:45.970 --> 01:06:48.280
<v Christian>Hello, my
name's Christian Flores,</v>

01:06:48.280 --> 01:06:53.280
C-H-R-I-S-T-I-A-N F-L-O-R-E-S,

01:06:55.073 --> 01:06:58.240
I'm a Community Organizer
in San Bernardino, California

01:06:58.240 --> 01:07:01.183
with In Congregations
United for Change, ICUC.

01:07:02.360 --> 01:07:05.310
I wanted to echo what
Demita said earlier.

01:07:05.310 --> 01:07:09.640
In addition, adding
to, with my experience,

01:07:09.640 --> 01:07:14.210
I am a 28 year old college
graduate who has had to move back

01:07:14.210 --> 01:07:17.590
in with my parents
to help them with bills

01:07:17.590 --> 01:07:18.990
because they are

01:07:21.960 --> 01:07:26.670
disabled or unable to get work again

01:07:26.670 --> 01:07:29.180
because of work related injuries.

01:07:29.180 --> 01:07:31.873
And they are an older couple,

01:07:33.170 --> 01:07:35.913
basically falling into
the senior category,

01:07:36.790 --> 01:07:38.610
who, despite owning their homes,

01:07:38.610 --> 01:07:42.350
still can't afford to make ends meet,

01:07:42.350 --> 01:07:44.980
especially now during the pandemic

01:07:46.430 --> 01:07:49.660
with none of my other
siblings able to help.

01:07:49.660 --> 01:07:52.963
So, in San Bernardino, specifically,

01:07:55.110 --> 01:07:57.830
we grew up not using utilities

01:07:57.830 --> 01:08:00.680
because we couldn't
afford it for most of our life.

01:08:00.680 --> 01:08:04.000
And then that is an
experience that I'm sure

01:08:04.000 --> 01:08:07.540
is echoed by many
families in San Bernadino

01:08:07.540 --> 01:08:09.520
and the Inland Empire in general,

01:08:09.520 --> 01:08:13.180
San Bernardino being
an impoverished region,

01:08:13.180 --> 01:08:17.393
city, and also a food desert.

01:08:18.490 --> 01:08:22.070
So with that comes the
danger of summer heatwaves,

01:08:22.070 --> 01:08:23.660
specifically for all the people

01:08:23.660 --> 01:08:27.710
in the aforementioned groups,
seniors, disabled children,

01:08:27.710 --> 01:08:31.900
who when exposed to that, in
addition to the unhealthy foods

01:08:31.900 --> 01:08:33.593
that we're used to having,

01:08:34.490 --> 01:08:36.820
because our options are limited,

01:08:36.820 --> 01:08:39.820
much like how we have no other option

01:08:39.820 --> 01:08:42.423
as it comes to electric companies,

01:08:44.420 --> 01:08:47.763
it all coalesces in more
health related issues.

01:08:48.730 --> 01:08:53.730
So I also echo that we need
to express more compassion,

01:08:57.108 --> 01:08:59.308
especially in light of
the current pandemic,

01:09:00.810 --> 01:09:05.810
and really be compassionate
and choose people over profits.

01:09:06.230 --> 01:09:09.450
I also wanted to highlight
that I've read through

01:09:09.450 --> 01:09:11.970
the public comments, the
written public comments

01:09:11.970 --> 01:09:15.260
on the website and out of
the 500 public comments

01:09:15.260 --> 01:09:20.260
that are able to be viewed,
only three of them were not

01:09:20.370 --> 01:09:25.370
in opposition to the
rate increase request

01:09:26.010 --> 01:09:29.320
because they were humble
brags about having invested

01:09:29.320 --> 01:09:34.133
in solar panels or
requesting more information.

01:09:36.950 --> 01:09:39.310
So, I just wanted to
highlight that on record.

01:09:39.310 --> 01:09:40.910
Thank you so much for your time.

01:09:45.310 --> 01:09:47.260
<v ->Thank you for
calling in, Mr. Flores.</v>

01:09:50.230 --> 01:09:52.820
Okay, Operator, next speaker, please.

01:09:52.820 --> 01:09:54.030
<v Lorraine>There are
currently no questions</v>

01:09:54.030 --> 01:09:55.620
in queue at this time.

01:09:55.620 --> 01:09:58.380
If you would like to make a
comment, please press *1,

01:09:58.380 --> 01:10:00.640
along with spelling
your first and last name,

01:10:00.640 --> 01:10:03.083
as well as your city and location.

01:10:08.020 --> 01:10:09.320
<v ->Let's go off the record.</v>

01:10:14.520 --> 01:10:16.643
<v Lorraine>There is
one question in queue.</v>

01:10:18.440 --> 01:10:20.513
<v ->Okay, let's go
back on the record.</v>

01:10:22.290 --> 01:10:23.840
Operator, next speaker, please.

01:10:26.570 --> 01:10:28.093
Bob Evans.

01:10:29.330 --> 01:10:31.513
Your line is open for comment.

01:10:33.270 --> 01:10:35.330
<v Bob>Thank you, my
name is Bob Evans,</v>

01:10:35.330 --> 01:10:40.330
B-O-B E-V-A-N-S from
Hemet and Inland Empire.

01:10:41.050 --> 01:10:45.060
I'm a little nervous, this
is the first time for me.

01:10:45.060 --> 01:10:48.600
And I agree with everything
everyone's been saying,

01:10:48.600 --> 01:10:50.960
but I want to look at it
as a different view for you,

01:10:50.960 --> 01:10:55.960
the Commissioners, that the
money that's involved in this,

01:10:56.730 --> 01:10:58.840
this billion dollar
company is asking for,

01:10:58.840 --> 01:11:00.490
and I probably wrote
the numbers down wrong,

01:11:00.490 --> 01:11:03.130
so I'm sorry if I did.

01:11:03.130 --> 01:11:08.130
But we're looking at 2021,
of $1.2 billion increase,

01:11:08.620 --> 01:11:13.620
2022, $486 million
increase, which also in 2022,

01:11:15.500 --> 01:11:19.020
that 486 million is
added to the 1.2 billion

01:11:19.020 --> 01:11:24.020
from 2021 for $1.686 billion in 2022.

01:11:26.720 --> 01:11:31.720
2023, the 515 million added
to the previous 1.686 billion

01:11:35.240 --> 01:11:38.620
that they were getting
in 2022, addition,

01:11:38.620 --> 01:11:43.620
is $2.3 billion increase
over the next three years.

01:11:43.630 --> 01:11:48.630
I don't know what they make
now, five, $6 billion a year.

01:11:48.855 --> 01:11:52.960
There's a problem when a
company gets this much money

01:11:52.960 --> 01:11:56.380
and cannot manage it correctly
because the infrastructure

01:11:56.380 --> 01:11:59.223
is already in, this is for maintaining,

01:12:00.350 --> 01:12:03.350
maintain things that
should already be working,

01:12:03.350 --> 01:12:08.350
and just be kept up, that
six, seven, $8 billion a year

01:12:08.990 --> 01:12:10.183
is ridiculous.

01:12:11.530 --> 01:12:14.520
We shouldn't have
to be calling into you,

01:12:14.520 --> 01:12:18.033
begging for you to stop
them from doing this.

01:12:19.210 --> 01:12:22.373
This increase that they're
asking for should be denied,

01:12:23.530 --> 01:12:26.680
and also let them know that they're,

01:12:26.680 --> 01:12:31.680
they must impose a 10, 15, 20% decrease

01:12:31.890 --> 01:12:34.070
for everybody's billing,

01:12:34.070 --> 01:12:36.720
and also let other
utility companies know

01:12:36.720 --> 01:12:41.010
that you make this money, make it work.

01:12:41.010 --> 01:12:43.880
Get people in your back
offices that knows how

01:12:43.880 --> 01:12:45.270
to take care of money.

01:12:45.270 --> 01:12:49.240
And yesterday, a gentleman
had said, 1.5 billion

01:12:49.240 --> 01:12:51.093
will be going to shareholders.

01:12:52.200 --> 01:12:54.090
Well, that's just crazy.

01:12:54.090 --> 01:12:56.920
That's just not right, and
of course, they don't care.

01:12:56.920 --> 01:12:58.280
They're probably listening and laughing

01:12:58.280 --> 01:13:03.280
because it's money to them
and the million dollar top CEOs

01:13:03.700 --> 01:13:05.090
that makes millions of dollars

01:13:05.090 --> 01:13:09.120
and the people that two or
three, four or $500,000 a year,

01:13:09.120 --> 01:13:10.423
I'm sure has shares.

01:13:11.480 --> 01:13:12.980
That's how corporations work.

01:13:12.980 --> 01:13:15.913
So they're making even
more money besides bonuses.

01:13:16.780 --> 01:13:20.410
So why don't you, Commission,
that's supposed to work

01:13:20.410 --> 01:13:24.023
for the people, tell
them that this is denied.

01:13:24.860 --> 01:13:28.120
Get better people working
to take care of the books

01:13:28.120 --> 01:13:30.130
to invest the money that
you're already working in,

01:13:30.130 --> 01:13:32.790
keep some in the
bank, quit givin' it to all

01:13:32.790 --> 01:13:36.120
the shareholders, and
do a job like a business

01:13:36.120 --> 01:13:37.590
is supposed to.

01:13:37.590 --> 01:13:40.490
Stop coming back every
year and putting it on us

01:13:40.490 --> 01:13:43.470
because I've lived in Southern
California most of my life,

01:13:43.470 --> 01:13:46.210
and I'm old, and we
pay for a living here,

01:13:46.210 --> 01:13:48.910
probably the best
weather in our Country,

01:13:48.910 --> 01:13:52.510
and it keeps going up on
everything as everybody knows,

01:13:52.510 --> 01:13:55.280
it's ridiculous, it's uncalled for,

01:13:55.280 --> 01:13:57.010
and there needs to be a stop to it.

01:13:57.010 --> 01:14:01.163
And you, the Commission,
are the ones that can do that.

01:14:02.090 --> 01:14:05.350
For once, go in front of these
people and let them know

01:14:05.350 --> 01:14:09.040
that there will be no
increase, manage your money,

01:14:09.040 --> 01:14:12.570
keep money in the bank,
stop giving big bonuses,

01:14:12.570 --> 01:14:15.940
paying your shareholders,
and doing all this stuff

01:14:15.940 --> 01:14:19.603
that you do because
this isn't monopoly for us.

01:14:20.880 --> 01:14:24.490
I even had to put in a
water cooler in my window,

01:14:24.490 --> 01:14:26.590
can't run an air conditioner at all.

01:14:26.590 --> 01:14:29.717
So at night when the sun
goes down and it's summertime

01:14:29.717 --> 01:14:33.190
and it's 110, 115 degrees,
turn the swamp cooler on

01:14:33.190 --> 01:14:35.763
to cool the house
down to be able to sleep.

01:14:36.800 --> 01:14:38.900
I hope I haven't talked too fast.

01:14:38.900 --> 01:14:39.920
Thank you for your time.

01:14:39.920 --> 01:14:43.690
And please consider this because

01:14:43.690 --> 01:14:45.010
this is what should be done,

01:14:45.010 --> 01:14:48.490
this is a moral thing to do,
and the business thing to do,

01:14:48.490 --> 01:14:53.000
make them do their job and
use the money that they are given

01:14:53.000 --> 01:14:54.790
to do what they're supposed to.

01:14:54.790 --> 01:14:56.510
Thank you very much.

01:14:56.510 --> 01:14:58.103
<v ->Thank you, Mr. Evans.</v>

01:14:59.260 --> 01:15:00.833
Operator, next speaker, please.

01:15:01.890 --> 01:15:04.660
<v Lorraine>Next comment
comes from John Montalvo.</v>

01:15:04.660 --> 01:15:05.783
Your line is open.

01:15:07.730 --> 01:15:09.600
<v John>Hi, good afternoon,
this is John Montalvo.</v>

01:15:09.600 --> 01:15:12.250
I'm out of South Gate, California.

01:15:12.250 --> 01:15:15.040
And I'm here to oppose this.

01:15:17.240 --> 01:15:20.940
The main reason is, I don't think anyone

01:15:20.940 --> 01:15:24.863
in California should
pay for incompetence.

01:15:26.540 --> 01:15:29.390
They want us to pay
for all of their mistakes

01:15:29.390 --> 01:15:30.710
and they get paid handsomely.

01:15:30.710 --> 01:15:32.080
I'm not going to go over
the numbers right now

01:15:32.080 --> 01:15:35.170
because everybody's pretty
much said the same thing.

01:15:35.170 --> 01:15:40.170
CEOs are making
literally millions of dollars,

01:15:40.310 --> 01:15:41.693
they're shareholders.

01:15:42.660 --> 01:15:46.590
So when there's shareholders
involved, the CEOs have to make

01:15:46.590 --> 01:15:48.830
the shareholders happy,
otherwise they're not doing

01:15:48.830 --> 01:15:50.040
their job.

01:15:50.040 --> 01:15:54.760
Hence they make mistakes,
they want us to cover them,

01:15:54.760 --> 01:15:58.400
pay for those mistakes, so
the shareholders can get money,

01:15:58.400 --> 01:16:02.553
and all these CEOs
can get their bonuses.

01:16:04.110 --> 01:16:06.533
I don't think any one
of us should pay for that.

01:16:07.620 --> 01:16:09.463
Especially right now.

01:16:10.470 --> 01:16:14.240
There's thousands
and thousands of people

01:16:15.110 --> 01:16:19.190
that do not know where their next meal's

01:16:19.190 --> 01:16:20.543
coming from, literally.

01:16:21.460 --> 01:16:23.610
In my city alone, I think I read it was,

01:16:23.610 --> 01:16:26.980
our unemployment rate was over 20%.

01:16:26.980 --> 01:16:29.423
This is not the time for this.

01:16:30.300 --> 01:16:34.990
It's almost like every
year they come up with,

01:16:34.990 --> 01:16:39.760
insert excuse, we need money for this,

01:16:39.760 --> 01:16:41.910
and basically all it is,

01:16:41.910 --> 01:16:43.750
just like the last caller
said, it's a monopoly.

01:16:43.750 --> 01:16:44.963
We don't have a choice.

01:16:46.100 --> 01:16:49.440
The only people that we have is you,

01:16:49.440 --> 01:16:51.053
you can put a stop to this.

01:16:52.120 --> 01:16:54.143
If at the minimum, this year,

01:16:56.011 --> 01:16:57.990
I mean, we're suffering out here.

01:16:57.990 --> 01:17:00.613
Even a dollar is a lot
of money right now.

01:17:01.740 --> 01:17:05.210
I work at, I mean, I
volunteer at Food Banks,

01:17:05.210 --> 01:17:06.043
stuff like that.

01:17:06.043 --> 01:17:07.350
I see people, I see what
they're going through,

01:17:07.350 --> 01:17:08.450
I see their struggles.

01:17:09.320 --> 01:17:12.570
And increasing a utility
that's monopolized right now

01:17:12.570 --> 01:17:16.223
for the benefit of shareholders
is not the thing to do.

01:17:17.150 --> 01:17:19.633
It's not morally right
to do this at this time.

01:17:20.690 --> 01:17:22.140
It's not morally right to do it at all

01:17:22.140 --> 01:17:25.310
because it really comes
down to incompetence

01:17:25.310 --> 01:17:30.280
of this company, and we
shouldn't have to pay for that.

01:17:30.280 --> 01:17:34.250
I mean, just alone, gas was
going up like 50 cents a gallon,

01:17:34.250 --> 01:17:36.430
I believe, that kicked in today.

01:17:36.430 --> 01:17:38.820
I mean, they're just nickel
and diming us to death,

01:17:38.820 --> 01:17:41.560
and right now we just can't afford it.

01:17:41.560 --> 01:17:43.700
We can't afford to
pay for all the mistakes

01:17:43.700 --> 01:17:45.780
that they've made in the past.

01:17:45.780 --> 01:17:47.370
It's not right.

01:17:47.370 --> 01:17:49.270
And you know, we're getting sick of it.

01:17:49.270 --> 01:17:52.230
I mean, the only thing that
really stands in their way

01:17:52.230 --> 01:17:53.110
right now is you.

01:17:53.110 --> 01:17:58.110
And I beg you, I implore you,
to please do the right thing.

01:17:58.150 --> 01:18:01.363
At least this time, stand up to them.

01:18:02.440 --> 01:18:03.773
Tell them this is wrong.

01:18:04.760 --> 01:18:07.100
Tell them to take a pay cut.

01:18:07.100 --> 01:18:12.060
Tell all those CEOs to take
a 10% pay cut, start with that.

01:18:12.060 --> 01:18:14.013
Tell them to downsize their company.

01:18:15.670 --> 01:18:18.730
Let them know what
everybody else has to go through

01:18:18.730 --> 01:18:21.130
in California when
dealing with this COVID

01:18:21.130 --> 01:18:22.900
that's going on right now.

01:18:22.900 --> 01:18:24.250
It's not fair to everybody.

01:18:25.720 --> 01:18:26.970
I thank you for listening to my comment.

01:18:26.970 --> 01:18:27.843
I yield my time.

01:18:29.590 --> 01:18:30.890
<v ->Thank you, Mr. Montalvo.</v>

01:18:32.550 --> 01:18:34.100
Operator, next speaker, please.

01:18:38.100 --> 01:18:40.050
<v Lorraine>Our next comment
comes from Maricruz Beltran.</v>

01:18:40.050 --> 01:18:41.113
Your line is open.

01:18:42.690 --> 01:18:45.720
<v Mary>Hi, I want to thank you
guys for opening this forum</v>

01:18:45.720 --> 01:18:49.403
and allowing us to speak, or be heard.

01:18:50.340 --> 01:18:53.700
One of the things that I
do my best is to stay on top

01:18:53.700 --> 01:18:57.090
of not overusing electricity,

01:18:57.090 --> 01:19:00.240
making sure we're turning off TVs.

01:19:00.240 --> 01:19:04.190
I've even gone to the point
where I disconnect, you know,

01:19:04.190 --> 01:19:05.680
appliances that we're not using

01:19:05.680 --> 01:19:08.570
to try to help to lower my bill.

01:19:08.570 --> 01:19:12.290
And no matter how much
I try, and how much I work

01:19:12.290 --> 01:19:15.960
on trying to do that, I just
can't get my bill to go lower

01:19:15.960 --> 01:19:18.510
than what I'm paying right now.

01:19:18.510 --> 01:19:20.010
And I'm under, I know that there,

01:19:20.010 --> 01:19:22.110
Southern California has, you know,

01:19:22.110 --> 01:19:26.070
fundings and programs for
people who are low income,

01:19:26.070 --> 01:19:29.610
but unfortunately I
don't fit the criteria

01:19:29.610 --> 01:19:31.950
or the brackets that they provide.

01:19:31.950 --> 01:19:35.200
And I don't get that
extra, you know that,

01:19:35.200 --> 01:19:37.700
I fall into the category
where I don't qualify

01:19:37.700 --> 01:19:39.370
for some of those benefits,

01:19:39.370 --> 01:19:41.510
but it doesn't mean
that we're not struggling

01:19:41.510 --> 01:19:42.970
to pay our utility bill.

01:19:42.970 --> 01:19:47.270
And as a matter of fact,
I'm constantly checking

01:19:47.270 --> 01:19:50.330
their website to see how
much was my use today

01:19:50.330 --> 01:19:52.800
because if I went a little bit higher

01:19:52.800 --> 01:19:55.740
than what I normally
do, the next day, I'm like,

01:19:55.740 --> 01:19:58.440
making sure that, you know,
even if we're in the dark,

01:19:58.440 --> 01:20:03.386
and it's hard because now
we're at home all day, every day.

01:20:03.386 --> 01:20:06.130
It's not like we can go
out and, oh, well let's go

01:20:06.130 --> 01:20:08.700
and just be at mall,
or let's go to the park,

01:20:08.700 --> 01:20:10.860
or let's go do some outdoor activities

01:20:10.860 --> 01:20:13.620
so we're not home consuming electricity.

01:20:13.620 --> 01:20:16.360
We're stuck at home,
just like everybody else,

01:20:16.360 --> 01:20:17.400
including yourselves.

01:20:17.400 --> 01:20:22.400
And it's challenging, you
know, because it's not like

01:20:23.180 --> 01:20:26.100
we can say, oh, you know
what, today I'm just gonna let

01:20:26.100 --> 01:20:30.330
this bill go because if my
power goes out, my food,

01:20:30.330 --> 01:20:33.370
my refrigerator is gonna
go out and there goes

01:20:33.370 --> 01:20:34.310
our food supply.

01:20:34.310 --> 01:20:38.110
So it's like, if I pay this
bill, and it's a high bill,

01:20:38.110 --> 01:20:40.440
then what's gonna
happen with my other bills?

01:20:40.440 --> 01:20:43.240
So I just ask, and I,

01:20:43.240 --> 01:20:45.830
from somebody who
is very careful of using

01:20:45.830 --> 01:20:49.290
and mindful of the
electricity use that I use,

01:20:49.290 --> 01:20:52.220
and I'm still struggling
to keep my bill low.

01:20:52.220 --> 01:20:55.590
And I ask that you guys
take all of these comments

01:20:55.590 --> 01:20:58.090
that we're coming in here to express

01:20:58.090 --> 01:21:02.590
to you into consideration
before considering increasing

01:21:02.590 --> 01:21:04.500
our utility one more time.

01:21:04.500 --> 01:21:08.710
Like, it's hard, even for
people who don't fall under

01:21:08.710 --> 01:21:11.603
the categories of low
income, we're struggling.

01:21:12.790 --> 01:21:14.153
We really are.

01:21:14.153 --> 01:21:15.807
Thank you.

01:21:15.807 --> 01:21:16.950
<v ->Thank you, Ms. Cruz Beltran,</v>

01:21:16.950 --> 01:21:19.480
would you mind spelling
your first and last name

01:21:19.480 --> 01:21:21.726
and providing your city--

01:21:21.726 --> 01:21:22.900
<v ->Sure.</v>
<v ->For the record?</v>

01:21:22.900 --> 01:21:27.900
<v Maricruz>First name
M-A-R-I-C-R-U-Z.</v>

01:21:27.920 --> 01:21:32.170
Last name is Beltran, B-E-L-T-R-A-N.

01:21:32.170 --> 01:21:33.693
City is Bellflower.

01:21:35.610 --> 01:21:36.853
<v ->Thank you very much.</v>

01:21:37.930 --> 01:21:39.080
<v Maricruz>Thank you.</v>

01:21:39.920 --> 01:21:42.360
<v ->Operator, next speaker, please.</v>

01:21:42.360 --> 01:21:46.963
<v Lorraine>Our next comment
comes from Debra Mondovian.</v>

01:21:46.963 --> 01:21:47.863
Your line is open.

01:21:49.617 --> 01:21:50.450
<v Debra>Okay, thank you so much.</v>

01:21:50.450 --> 01:21:52.160
And that was a nice attempt.

01:21:52.160 --> 01:21:57.160
First name Debra, last name
Manoogian, M-A-N-O-O-G-I-A-N.

01:22:03.130 --> 01:22:05.680
I agree with a lot of the
comments that have been said.

01:22:05.680 --> 01:22:10.657
But I want to point out
why are we getting charged

01:22:12.090 --> 01:22:17.090
if we use solar or alternative energies?

01:22:17.130 --> 01:22:19.123
Why are we getting,

01:22:20.970 --> 01:22:25.580
having to pay for the increases
to keep this company going

01:22:25.580 --> 01:22:29.513
that doesn't seem to
operate effectively enough?

01:22:31.110 --> 01:22:31.943
And thirdly,

01:22:33.490 --> 01:22:38.490
what will we get every
time our power goes out?

01:22:56.460 --> 01:22:58.410
<v ->Let's go off the
record for a second.</v>

01:22:59.849 --> 01:23:02.280
Ms. Manoogian, are
you still on the line?

01:23:02.280 --> 01:23:03.900
<v Debra>I am.</v>

01:23:03.900 --> 01:23:06.700
<v ->Okay, I'm hearing a lot of
background noise, Operator?</v>

01:23:07.800 --> 01:23:12.110
<v Debra>Yeah I was watching
you on the computer.</v>

01:23:12.110 --> 01:23:15.200
<v Lorraine>The feedback is
her computer is playing.</v>

01:23:15.200 --> 01:23:17.660
She need to turn her computer down.

01:23:17.660 --> 01:23:20.870
<v Debra>Turned it down,
thank you, Operator.</v>

01:23:20.870 --> 01:23:23.274
<v ->Yeah, if you wouldn't
just mind muting maybe,</v>

01:23:23.274 --> 01:23:24.624
while (chuckles) you're on.

01:23:26.200 --> 01:23:28.383
Okay.
<v ->You want me to speak or?</v>

01:23:30.180 --> 01:23:32.610
<v ->Let's check in with
the Court Reporter.</v>

01:23:32.610 --> 01:23:34.010
Is the Court Reporter there?

01:23:35.260 --> 01:23:37.310
<v Reporter>I'm here, Your Honor.</v>

01:23:37.310 --> 01:23:40.120
The background noise you
heard was her prior testimony.

01:23:40.120 --> 01:23:42.823
I don't believe she had
any more testimony.

01:23:44.940 --> 01:23:47.340
<v ->Okay, so do you
need her to repeat</v>

01:23:47.340 --> 01:23:49.693
or are you okay with
her just continuing?

01:23:51.100 --> 01:23:53.580
<v Reporter>I'm okay
with her continuing.</v>

01:23:53.580 --> 01:23:56.817
And the last thing that
I had her saying was,

01:23:56.817 --> 01:23:59.537
"And thirdly, what will we get

01:23:59.537 --> 01:24:02.007
"every time our power goes out?"

01:24:04.510 --> 01:24:06.903
<v ->Okay, so,</v>

01:24:07.930 --> 01:24:09.603
let's go back on the record.

01:24:11.230 --> 01:24:13.530
Ms. Manoogian, you may
continue your comments.

01:24:15.740 --> 01:24:16.730
<v Debra>That was it,</v>

01:24:16.730 --> 01:24:17.880
short and sweet.
<v ->Oh.</v>

01:24:18.740 --> 01:24:21.500
<v Debra>And I live in
Villa Pine Mountain.</v>

01:24:21.500 --> 01:24:25.000
I mean, I live in Pine
Mountain Club, California,

01:24:25.000 --> 01:24:25.847
and I deal with,

01:24:25.847 --> 01:24:28.023
and we deal with a lot of outages.

01:24:29.900 --> 01:24:31.950
<v ->Thank you for calling in today.</v>

01:24:31.950 --> 01:24:33.990
<v Debra>Yes ma'am, thank you.</v>

01:24:33.990 --> 01:24:36.609
<v ->Okay, Operator,
next caller, please.</v>

01:24:36.609 --> 01:24:39.120
<v Lorraine>Our next comment
comes from Kelly Vanderlan.</v>

01:24:39.120 --> 01:24:40.400
Your line is open.

01:24:41.360 --> 01:24:46.360
<v ->Hello, Kelly Vanderlan,
K-E-L-L-Y V-A-N-D-E-R-L-A-N.</v>

01:24:49.670 --> 01:24:51.783
I live in Claremont, California.

01:24:52.890 --> 01:24:55.770
I am one of your solar customers.

01:24:55.770 --> 01:25:00.460
I invested $16,000 about 16 years ago,

01:25:00.460 --> 01:25:03.100
the state put up 10 grand also.

01:25:03.100 --> 01:25:04.780
Unfortunately, after a couple of years,

01:25:04.780 --> 01:25:07.200
my system did not work properly.

01:25:07.200 --> 01:25:10.780
And for about 10 years,
I really didn't benefit

01:25:10.780 --> 01:25:12.200
from it much at all.

01:25:12.200 --> 01:25:15.470
The good news is a
lawsuit put a change to that.

01:25:15.470 --> 01:25:18.120
A couple of years
ago, I got an inverter.

01:25:18.120 --> 01:25:20.543
However, in all those years,

01:25:21.440 --> 01:25:23.920
the tree trimming never
occurred, you know?

01:25:23.920 --> 01:25:25.173
Usually Edison.

01:25:29.210 --> 01:25:32.883
Any case, in regards to the company,

01:25:35.810 --> 01:25:38.453
bills are pretty incomprehensible.

01:25:39.660 --> 01:25:44.170
Real lack of transparency in the system.

01:25:44.170 --> 01:25:46.993
Very difficult to understand.

01:25:48.150 --> 01:25:52.030
It seemed to me, I worked
with this a lot over the years,

01:25:52.030 --> 01:25:54.990
16 years in the system,
that almost every year

01:25:54.990 --> 01:25:56.243
there was an increase.

01:25:57.110 --> 01:26:01.420
The good news is that I'm
no longer a high energy user.

01:26:01.420 --> 01:26:03.420
We get these letters that compare us

01:26:03.420 --> 01:26:06.410
to our neighbors with
very little information,

01:26:06.410 --> 01:26:08.580
but it makes you feel guilty,

01:26:08.580 --> 01:26:10.790
and I'm no longer a guilty party.

01:26:10.790 --> 01:26:12.670
Now that my system is working,

01:26:12.670 --> 01:26:16.820
my family is no longer
high energy users.

01:26:16.820 --> 01:26:19.370
We're not suffering the
way some people are.

01:26:19.370 --> 01:26:24.370
I can't imagine how people
are able to pay their bills.

01:26:24.380 --> 01:26:29.380
One thing I have always
surprised me, spanned for decades,

01:26:30.050 --> 01:26:35.050
has been requiring all new
construction to have solar power,

01:26:35.130 --> 01:26:39.010
and we just seem to think that

01:26:39.010 --> 01:26:41.650
we can get by with the system we have.

01:26:41.650 --> 01:26:43.963
And obviously that isn't true.

01:26:45.740 --> 01:26:49.850
I've done everything I can
afford without going into debt,

01:26:49.850 --> 01:26:53.350
sometimes I take siestas in the daytime

01:26:53.350 --> 01:26:55.550
and enjoy the coolness at night.

01:26:55.550 --> 01:26:58.840
We're lucky that we get cool at night.

01:26:58.840 --> 01:27:00.860
Appreciate your time.

01:27:00.860 --> 01:27:05.040
TURN organization
is a great organization.

01:27:05.040 --> 01:27:07.330
It lets people know their rights,

01:27:07.330 --> 01:27:09.530
because actually we do have some,

01:27:09.530 --> 01:27:13.560
so look into that organization, T-U-R-N,

01:27:13.560 --> 01:27:16.663
and find out what your
rights are, good bye.

01:27:18.030 --> 01:27:20.830
<v ->Thank you for your
comments, Ms. Vanderlan.</v>

01:27:20.830 --> 01:27:21.663
<v Kelly>Thank you.</v>

01:27:21.663 --> 01:27:23.663
<v ->Okay, Operator,
next speaker, please.</v>

01:27:24.620 --> 01:27:27.030
<v Lorraine>There are no
questions in queue at this time.</v>

01:27:27.030 --> 01:27:31.690
If you would like to make a
comment, please press *1,

01:27:31.690 --> 01:27:34.530
along with spelling
your first and last name,

01:27:34.530 --> 01:27:36.813
as well as your city and location.

01:27:40.000 --> 01:27:41.300
<v ->Let's be off the record.</v>

01:27:55.830 --> 01:27:57.640
<v Host>The feed for
this streaming event,</v>

01:27:57.640 --> 01:28:01.550
brought to you by AdminMonitor.com,
will begin momentarily.

01:28:01.550 --> 01:28:02.930
Thank you for your patience

01:28:09.530 --> 01:28:10.383
<v ->On the record.</v>

01:28:11.877 --> 01:28:13.890
The next speaker, please.

01:28:13.890 --> 01:28:15.003
<v ->Mikel Berdad.</v>

01:28:17.810 --> 01:28:19.160
Go ahead with your comment.

01:28:20.400 --> 01:28:23.350
<v Mikel>Am I online,
can you hear me?</v>

01:28:23.350 --> 01:28:24.183
<v ->We can hear you.</v>

01:28:24.183 --> 01:28:26.980
If you could please provide
your first and last name,

01:28:26.980 --> 01:28:30.163
and the spelling, and the
location you are calling from.

01:28:31.280 --> 01:28:32.770
<v Mikel>Of course, good
afternoon, Your Honor.</v>

01:28:32.770 --> 01:28:36.063
My name is Mike Berdad, M-I-K-E-L,

01:28:37.020 --> 01:28:41.020
and my last name is Berdad, B-E-R-D-A-D.

01:28:41.020 --> 01:28:43.603
I'm from DHS, Desert
Hot Spring, California.

01:28:46.740 --> 01:28:48.730
I really appreciate all

01:28:48.730 --> 01:28:51.470
the effort and the help
from Commissioner,

01:28:51.470 --> 01:28:53.193
and as well as you, Your Honor.

01:28:54.320 --> 01:28:57.750
My comment is that I think
that people are missing

01:28:57.750 --> 01:29:02.750
the main key at this point,
the increase of the electric

01:29:03.200 --> 01:29:06.770
from Southern California
Edison is not gonna be

01:29:06.770 --> 01:29:09.870
a fact only on that prospect.

01:29:09.870 --> 01:29:14.870
Of course, it would be an
increase on every businesses.

01:29:16.690 --> 01:29:19.373
It doesn't matter what
kind of business you are in.

01:29:20.600 --> 01:29:23.307
The business people, the
business man, the business woman,

01:29:23.307 --> 01:29:27.540
who do not lay back and pay the bills

01:29:27.540 --> 01:29:32.120
and watch SCE and pay SCE bills only.

01:29:32.120 --> 01:29:33.593
When they see increases,

01:29:34.580 --> 01:29:37.640
they increase their product
and they increase the prices

01:29:37.640 --> 01:29:39.313
on the product as well.

01:29:40.350 --> 01:29:42.360
So this is a big problem.

01:29:42.360 --> 01:29:45.710
And I agree with all the,
most of the comments that

01:29:45.710 --> 01:29:48.763
the previous people were making.

01:29:50.030 --> 01:29:54.550
It is a monopoly and we
don't have that much option of,

01:29:54.550 --> 01:29:59.550
to choose, regarding the electric power

01:29:59.640 --> 01:30:01.553
and which company can be used.

01:30:03.680 --> 01:30:06.810
These companies, they have huge pockets

01:30:08.010 --> 01:30:10.223
and they have so much
money invested on this,

01:30:10.223 --> 01:30:14.773
we know that, but they
also earn a lot of money too.

01:30:15.780 --> 01:30:19.820
It doesn't matter if you use
solar panels, or generator,

01:30:19.820 --> 01:30:22.380
or SCE, or DWP.

01:30:22.380 --> 01:30:24.720
When they increase,
everyone would increase.

01:30:24.720 --> 01:30:26.223
That's a big problem,

01:30:27.420 --> 01:30:32.090
especially with the COVID-19
that everyone are harming

01:30:32.090 --> 01:30:36.640
and they getting hurt
instead of the company come

01:30:36.640 --> 01:30:40.280
and do not increase, and
come back and decrease

01:30:40.280 --> 01:30:43.420
the prices at least
to show the good faith

01:30:43.420 --> 01:30:46.270
and good face to the public,

01:30:46.270 --> 01:30:48.700
to the people, to the poor people,

01:30:48.700 --> 01:30:50.730
rich people, doesn't matter

01:30:50.730 --> 01:30:52.680
because it does affect rich people too,

01:30:52.680 --> 01:30:53.963
at the end of the day.

01:30:56.270 --> 01:30:59.853
They should have decreased,
they should not to increase.

01:31:00.890 --> 01:31:05.370
And I hope they would realize
that everyone would get hurt

01:31:07.450 --> 01:31:09.510
through the respect
of what they want to do

01:31:09.510 --> 01:31:11.963
to increase the prices with electricity.

01:31:14.090 --> 01:31:17.833
I hope that they can hear, very clear.

01:31:18.800 --> 01:31:21.050
Thank you so much for
opportunity, Your Honor.

01:31:21.050 --> 01:31:22.490
Thank you so much.

01:31:22.490 --> 01:31:24.440
<v ->Thank you for
calling in, Mr. Berdad.</v>

01:31:25.590 --> 01:31:27.727
Okay, Operator, next speaker, please.

01:31:27.727 --> 01:31:30.490
<v Lorraine>Our next
comment from Maria Paul.</v>

01:31:30.490 --> 01:31:31.523
Your line is open.

01:31:33.260 --> 01:31:35.680
<v Maria>Yes, my name is Maria Paul,</v>

01:31:35.680 --> 01:31:38.333
and I'm calling from
Norwalk, California.

01:31:39.600 --> 01:31:42.210
I've been listening to
all of these comments

01:31:42.210 --> 01:31:44.270
and I agree with everybody.

01:31:44.270 --> 01:31:46.593
We do have,

01:31:48.510 --> 01:31:51.013
me personally, I have solar panels.

01:31:52.270 --> 01:31:55.380
I don't struggle with the bills and with

01:31:57.520 --> 01:32:00.493
not being able to make ends meet.

01:32:01.610 --> 01:32:06.610
Fortunately, every month
the bill is not high for me,

01:32:07.200 --> 01:32:12.200
but the problem is that when I
purchased this home in 2015,

01:32:13.574 --> 01:32:18.574
I was suckered into
buying the solar panel

01:32:18.820 --> 01:32:20.070
through a healer program.

01:32:21.890 --> 01:32:25.693
I cannot refinance my house
because there was a lien on my,

01:32:27.120 --> 01:32:31.170
on the house because of the upgrades.

01:32:31.170 --> 01:32:36.040
And I mean, if this company
is talking about increasing,

01:32:36.040 --> 01:32:40.180
I am in debt for 15, 20 years,

01:32:40.180 --> 01:32:43.300
because I will end up
paying double the amount

01:32:43.300 --> 01:32:45.910
of what the upgrades cost.

01:32:45.910 --> 01:32:48.013
And there isn't anybody that helps us.

01:32:48.013 --> 01:32:52.950
This company just went
out, installed solar panels,

01:32:52.950 --> 01:32:57.410
installed windows, and then all
these companies disappeared.

01:32:57.410 --> 01:32:59.143
We have no one to,

01:33:00.720 --> 01:33:03.600
to reach out to in an
event that we need repairs.

01:33:03.600 --> 01:33:06.470
Fortunately, I haven't
had those, any problems,

01:33:06.470 --> 01:33:11.010
but even though I don't
struggle with my monthly bills,

01:33:11.010 --> 01:33:16.010
because they're very,
very small, I am struggling

01:33:16.520 --> 01:33:21.520
because I cannot refinance
my home because of the lien,

01:33:22.280 --> 01:33:25.650
I don't have $60,000 to pay

01:33:26.830 --> 01:33:29.700
and be able to lower
my monthly mortgage.

01:33:29.700 --> 01:33:32.283
And like everybody
says, you know, we do,

01:33:34.610 --> 01:33:37.250
we don't struggle, personally,

01:33:37.250 --> 01:33:40.160
but the cost of living is
outrageous in California,

01:33:40.160 --> 01:33:45.160
and for this company just
to focus solely on profits

01:33:45.390 --> 01:33:49.810
rather than looking at
what every single household

01:33:49.810 --> 01:33:54.410
is struggling financially
because some people are

01:33:54.410 --> 01:33:56.023
out of a job, not by choice.

01:33:57.190 --> 01:34:02.190
So I do beg that we do
not approve the increase

01:34:05.616 --> 01:34:09.470
because of the struggle that
everybody's going through.

01:34:09.470 --> 01:34:13.790
And for Avaya people like
me that I could've lost my home

01:34:13.790 --> 01:34:15.470
if I didn't come up with that amount,

01:34:15.470 --> 01:34:19.860
and I am completely in
debt in order to be able

01:34:19.860 --> 01:34:22.050
to make those big payments

01:34:24.650 --> 01:34:26.000
every month.

01:34:26.000 --> 01:34:29.347
So I don't struggle
with an extra set of bills,

01:34:29.347 --> 01:34:31.450
but I do struggle with making

01:34:31.450 --> 01:34:36.450
those monthly mortgage payments
because they are connected

01:34:36.480 --> 01:34:38.220
to the upgrades that I have.

01:34:38.220 --> 01:34:42.024
And with, you know, a lot of
us could see it as, you know,

01:34:42.024 --> 01:34:47.024
we got suckered into this not
knowing what was gonna happen.

01:34:47.580 --> 01:34:52.580
So please, I beg you that,
do not approve the increase.

01:34:53.200 --> 01:34:55.670
And that's all I have to say.

01:34:55.670 --> 01:34:57.740
Thank you for the time.

01:34:57.740 --> 01:34:58.573
<v ->Thank you, Ms. Paul.</v>

01:34:58.573 --> 01:35:00.510
Could you please spell
your first and last name

01:35:00.510 --> 01:35:01.910
before you--
<v ->Sure.</v>

01:35:01.910 --> 01:35:03.979
<v ->Go off the line?</v>

01:35:03.979 --> 01:35:07.270
<v Maria>It's, sure, it's
M-A-R-I-A, first name,</v>

01:35:08.140 --> 01:35:12.410
and my last name is P-A-U-L, Paul.

01:35:12.410 --> 01:35:13.513
<v ->Thank you very much.</v>

01:35:15.100 --> 01:35:17.750
Okay, Operator, next speaker, please.

01:35:17.750 --> 01:35:19.210
<v Lorraine>There are currently
no questions in queue</v>

01:35:19.210 --> 01:35:20.490
at this time.

01:35:20.490 --> 01:35:23.410
If you like to make a
comment, please press *1,

01:35:23.410 --> 01:35:25.966
along with spelling
your first and last name,

01:35:25.966 --> 01:35:28.799
as well as your city and location.

01:35:32.826 --> 01:35:34.993
<v ->Let's go off the record.</v>

01:35:51.779 --> 01:35:54.466
<v Lorraine>Again, if you would
like to make a comment,</v>

01:35:54.466 --> 01:35:57.625
please press *1, along
with spelling your first

01:35:57.625 --> 01:36:01.708
and last name, as well
as your city and location.

01:36:41.950 --> 01:36:45.700
<v ->Operator, are there any
additional speakers at this point?</v>

01:36:45.700 --> 01:36:47.443
<v Lorraine>There is
one in the queue.</v>

01:36:49.440 --> 01:36:51.803
<v ->Okay, let's go
back on the record.</v>

01:36:52.650 --> 01:36:53.900
The next speaker, please.

01:36:59.540 --> 01:37:01.340
<v Lorraine>It was currently music.</v>

01:37:07.650 --> 01:37:09.150
There's no questions in queue.

01:37:12.394 --> 01:37:13.227
<v ->Okay.</v>

01:37:16.940 --> 01:37:19.210
So at that point, I think that
concludes all the speakers

01:37:19.210 --> 01:37:21.180
who have signed up to speak.

01:37:21.180 --> 01:37:24.380
I want to thank everyone
for your input and comments.

01:37:24.380 --> 01:37:26.030
I want to thank everyone
for their patience

01:37:26.030 --> 01:37:29.010
and waiting in line to provide comments.

01:37:29.010 --> 01:37:31.530
Thank you also to everyone
who took the time to listen in

01:37:31.530 --> 01:37:34.240
on the phone or watch online.

01:37:34.240 --> 01:37:36.560
If anyone would like to
provide additional input

01:37:36.560 --> 01:37:38.340
or comments after this hearing,

01:37:38.340 --> 01:37:40.690
you may submit written
comments on the docket card

01:37:40.690 --> 01:37:42.800
for this proceeding, which can be found

01:37:42.800 --> 01:37:43.980
on the Commission's website

01:37:43.980 --> 01:37:45.216
at

01:37:45.228 --> 01:37:48.973
www.cpuc.ca.gov/SCE2021GRCPublicComments.

01:37:54.720 --> 01:37:57.400
If you need assistance with
providing additional comments,

01:37:57.400 --> 01:38:00.623
please contact the Commission's
Public Advisor's Office.

01:38:01.820 --> 01:38:03.340
Thank you, everyone, that concludes

01:38:03.340 --> 01:38:06.190
this evening's Public
Participation Hearing.

01:38:06.190 --> 01:38:07.573
We will be off the record.