California committee advances bill to stop utilities from charging ratepayers for political ads and municipalization campaigns

Sen. Mark McNerney, author of SB 24, asked the Assembly Committee on Utilities and Energy to pass a bill that would bar investor‑owned utilities from using ratepayer funds for political advertising and for efforts to oppose local municipalization efforts.

Supporters told the committee the measure would increase transparency and hold utilities accountable for spending they said had been charged to customers inappropriately. Opponents — including utilities and business groups — said the bill as written could be overbroad and inadvertently limit public‑safety and customer‑service communications and the ability to retain outside legal experts.

SB 24 would restrict the use of ratepayer revenue for political advocacy, lobbying and advertising the author and supporters said are not appropriate customer costs. “This is a common sense bill really that will close legal loopholes and strengthen California law to prevent IOUs ... from using rate payer funds to pay for political campaigns and political advertising,” Sen. McNerney said in opening remarks.

Why it matters: Supporters said Californians face high utility bills…