Senator calls for election of PUC commissioners
Thursday December 19, 2002SACRAMENTO (AP) In an attempt to make the Public Utilities Commission more responsive to consumers, a state senator said Thursday he plans to introduce legislation that would allow voters to elect PUC commissioners.
The move by Sen. Jim Battin, R-Palm Desert, would require a constitutional amendment, meaning two-thirds of the legislature and the voters would have to approve the plan.
Currently, PUC commissioners are appointed by the governor. However, Gov. Gray Davis has been criticized for his decision to appoint Michael Peevey, an Edison International and Southern California Edison executive, to the commission in March.
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