Peninsula Lawmaker Presses To Fire Top State Regulator Over PG&E E-Mails

SAN MATEO (KCBS) - State Senator Jerry Hill said Thursday he would ask the Legislature to remove Michael Peevey from the California Public Utilities Commission because the regulatory agency has been too lax in its oversight of Pacific Gas and Electric.

Critics have blamed Peevey for a cozy relationship with the utility, whose questionable maintenance and record-keeping resulted in the deadly San Bruno pipeline explosion.

Hill said he would introduce legislation in December, when state lawmakers go back into session, to "clean house" at the CPUC.

"PG&E is trying to clean house right now. They're going above and beyond. They've fired three individuals. The PUC's house is still dirty, and it's getting dirtier by the day," Hill said.

The governor has expressed confidence in Peevey, despite recently disclosed e-mails that show the commissioner, now in his second six-year term, advising PG&E about how to avoid lawsuits related to the 2010 pipeline explosion and fire in San Bruno.

The CPUC this week announced new rules to ensure it operates ethically, amid growing public furor over the PG&E e-mails.

Peevey's current term ends in December. A bill to ensure he cannot be appointed to a third term would require a two-thirds vote of both the Assembly and the state Senate.