POLITICO’s California Playbook shares the latest political current events in the state. State utility regulators to weigh proposed PG&E rate hikes. How to get a Christmas tree permit with the U.S. Forest Service.

California Political Roundup

The political pace is picking up as we close 2023 and quickly round the corner to the March primary. Which means the stakes are on an upward trajectory, with every political decision carrying more weight. Dustin Gardiner is co-author of POLITICO’s California Playbook and joins us with a dive into a new UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll that shows growing disapproval ratings for both President Biden and Gov. Newsom among California voters, the importance of the APEC Summit underway in San Francisco, and the trial of David DePape, charged with the assault and attempted kidnapping of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband Paul Pelosi at their home in Oct. of 2022.

Potential PG&E Rate Hikes

PG&E is asking for another double-digit rate hike and state regulators could approve the utility’s request later this week. It could cost customers hundreds of dollars more a year. PG&E argues it needs the additional money to improve wildfire safety, while consumer advocates say it’s too much, too soon, unfair and inequitable. Joining us to help us better understand why PG&E keeps raising its rates and turning to its customers with more hikes is Meredith Fowlie, Professor of Economics at UC Berkeley’s Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics.

• PG&E released a statement to Insight: “PG&E recognizes our responsibility to serve our customers safely and reliably, and we are aggressively focused on how to deliver work safely at a lower cost. We prioritize safety above all else. Undergrounding powerlines in the highest fire-risk areas will make our hometowns and California safer, improve electric reliability, and save customers billions of dollars in avoided annual tree trimming and overhead line maintenance costs. Investing in our system to make it more climate-resilient and decarbonized will make it safer and cleaner. We are working to keep customer cost increases at or below assumed inflation, between 2 and 4% a year. Actions we’ve taken to reduce costs include working with customer advocates on an alternative to commercial insurance saving customers up to $1.8 billion over the next four years, and accessing non-traditional funding sources like federal grants and loans to speed up safety work at a lower cost to customers.”

Christmas Tree Permits

It’s that time of year when people begin thinking about the winter holidays and the many associated traditions, including getting a Christmas tree. For those looking for an affordable and environmentally-beneficial way to partake in this tradition, the U.S. Forest Service is selling Christmas tree permits for people to harvest their tree in multiple national forests across the country, including several in California. Lisa Herron, Public Affairs Specialist with the USDA Forest Service’s Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit joins Insight to talk more about the permit program’s benefits.