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Committee urges extension of utility shutoff moratorium after SFPUC data shows thousands in arrears
Summary
The committee unanimously recommended a resolution urging Gov. Newsom and the CPUC to extend the shutoff moratorium and provide debt relief after SFPUC testimony showed about 16,800 Clean Power SF residential customers were 90+ days delinquent as of March 2021.
The Government Audit and Oversight Committee voted May 6 to recommend a resolution to the full Board urging the governor and the California Public Utilities Commission to extend the pandemic-era moratorium on utility shutoffs and to pursue debt relief for customers.
Vice Chair Supervisor Connie Chan framed the item saying unpaid utility bills have risen during the pandemic and that disconnections would have disproportionately harsh impacts on vulnerable residents and small businesses. Michael Himes, director of Clean Power SF at the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC), presented delinquency maps and figures showing about 16,800 residential Clean Power SF customers were 90 days or more delinquent on electric charges as of late March, with average past-due balances varying by ZIP code. Himes warned that customers also owe PG&E for distribution and transmission charges, which can multiply the total arrears.
Himes described local relief actions: SFPUC’s temporary moratoria, emergency assistance programs (30% discounts for some customers), one-time bill credits for CARE/FERA customers and participation in the CPUC’s Arrearage Management Program for low-income customers. He said SFPUC continues to urge the CPUC to align moratoria with economic reopening, expand arrearage program eligibility, and prioritize flexibility in payment plans.
Brian Goble of LAFCO summarized research showing pre-pandemic disconnections were already concentrated in historically burdened neighborhoods and concluded that CPUC programs could miss many struggling San Franciscans because eligibility thresholds are tied to federal poverty measures rather than local cost-of-living benchmarks. LAFCO recommended urging state action and pursuing all local, state and federal funding avenues for debt forgiveness.
Public comment raised procurement and program questions and urged aggressive relief for low-income customers. Committee members voted unanimously to send the resolution to the full Board, asking staff to return with legal and implementation options if state measures fall short.
What happens next: The committee’s recommendation will go to the Board of Supervisors; staff asked the City Attorney to advise whether the city has other local tools (including direct municipal programs) if state relief proves insufficient.
