Press Release from Mayor Dyer’s Office:
FRESNO, CA- Mayor Jerry Dyer will testify before the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) on Thursday, March 10, regarding the ongoing and proposed PG&E rate increases. Mayor Dyer is deeply concerned about the burden these increases will have on our communities, especially our most vulnerable residents.
PG&E increased electricity rates by nearly 8% on January 1, added another 10.5% last week, and plans an additional 3% hike by summer. Combined, this represents nearly a 22% spike this year alone. The focus of the CPUC’s March 10th Public Participation Hearings (PPH) is to hear from the public about PG&E’s request for an additional 22% residential rate increase from 2023 to 2026. These proposed increases are on top of the 21.5% increases in 2022 and do not include PG&E’s $5.5 billion wildfire mitigation spending plan, which is not yet approved.
| 2020 PG&E Increases | 2021 PG&E Increases | 2022 PG&E Increases | PG&E Proposed Rate Increases 2023-2026 | Combined PG&E Residential Rate Increases 2020-2026 |
| 4.63% | 5.40% | 21.50% | 22.40% | 53.93% |
“I am writing to express my extreme concern over PG&E’s proposed rate increase request, as well as the overall inequitable electricity rate structure we currently endure in the City of Fresno,” Mayor Dyer said in a letter to the CPUC. “When I began my term as Fresno’s Mayor, I outlined my One Fresno vision, where all citizens have access to an improved quality of life. Unfortunately, increasing PG&E bills pose a significant threat to most of our disadvantaged communities and struggling families trying to make ends meet.”
A study issued last year by the Haas Energy Institute at UC Berkeley, in conjunction with CAL Matters, found that customers enrolled in PG&E’s CARE program pay more than the average American for undiscounted energy, and PG&E customers pay close to 80% more per kilowatt-hour (kWh) than the national average. These findings were prior to this year’s nearly 22% rate increases. PG&E’s kWh price includes costs like a Wildfire Mitigation Charges, Electric Public Purpose Program, and Nuclear Decommissioning, subsidies that are disproportionately paid by San Joaquin Valley customers – including Fresno.
The PG&E rate models, which demonstrate usage of “typical” customers, do not accurately reflect Fresno or the Central Valley. Due to the Valley’s climate, residents buy more electricity annually than coastal, northern or mountain regions, which means Valley customers unfairly carry an excessive and disproportionate share of the cost burden.
The CPUC’s Central Valley-focused Public Participation Hearings are scheduled for this Thursday, March 10th. Residents are encouraged to participate. Use the following link for log-on details. https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/proceedings-and-rulemaking/cpuc-public-participation-hearings
The following link can also be used to obtain information regarding the PG&E rate proceedings, or to submit a public comment to the CPUC. – Proceeding Details (ca.gov) Additionally, contact the CPUC Public Advocates office by phone at (415) 703-1584 or email at [email protected] .
