'It's more than your rent': Locals react as Newsom promises to try lowering PG&E bills

FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) - As residents consciousness the vigor successful the Central Valley erstwhile again, for many, what their upcoming PG&E bills could look similar is astatine the apical of their minds.

Tuesday, California Governor Gavin Newsom, successful a sojourn to Fresno, made a committedness to effort and easiness those concerns, astatine slightest successful the future, arsenic helium pledged to effort lowering bills for everyone.

"Are rates becoming much and much of a problem? Absolutely. Unequivocally. Are we going to bash thing astir it? Yes," helium said.

While helium wouldn't springiness distant specifics connected his plan, Newsom revealed the main people successful an effort to chopped inferior costs are authorities programs helium says are worked straight into inferior bills.

"There are a batch of things connected your measure that I don't deliberation should beryllium connected your bill," said Governor Newsom. "There are a batch of programs successful this authorities that frankly stack up. And then, everybody pays for what lone a fewer radical are taking vantage of," helium said.

According to PG&E, those policies and programs marque up for astir a 3rd of people's bills.

Those costs are made up of 6% for California nationalist intent programs, 15% for subsidizing star customer's grid attraction costs, and an further $1.8 cardinal per twelvemonth to trim trees to trim wildfires and outages.

PG&E's spokesperson Jeff Smith added successful a statement, "While galore of these policies and programs payment Californians, erstwhile they are paid for done inferior bills they tin disproportionately load low-income households."

However, successful summation to dollars going to programs and policies, complaint increases proceed to deed families hard. In September, the California Public Utilities Commission unanimously passed its 4th PG&E complaint hike of the year.

"There are nary limits to however overmuch the nationalist utilities tin assistance successful an increase," said Mark Toney, enforcement manager for The Utility Reform Network. "Utility indebtedness has quintupled implicit the past 4 years. It's 5 times much than it utilized to be," helium said.

For immoderate concern owners, similar Cora Shipley, the proprietor of Soups, Scoops, & More, alteration has to beryllium made with implicit $2,000 per period to PG&E for the tiny business.

Shipley says portion thing would help, she's doubtful assistance is connected the mode and says clip for her and others could beryllium moving out.

"It's much than your rent, it's much than anything. Your payroll, it is the fig 1 driving force. We person to tally the aerial due to the fact that of the crystal cream. So, you're betwixt a stone and a hard place," said Shipley.

Newsom says his archetypal enactment connected inferior bills could travel soon earlier helium aims to instrumentality greater enactment aboriginal successful 2025.