How Utility Companies and a Broken System
Are Driving Up Costs:

What Is a General Rate Case (GRC)?

A General Rate Case (GRC) is the formal process where a utility company (like PG&E, SDG&E, or Southern California Edison) asks the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) for permission to raise customer rates. It’s supposed to be a comprehensive budget plan, submitted every 3-4 years, to cover routine operations, maintenance, and infrastructure needs.

The idea is simple: utilities forecast what they’ll need, regulators approve a reasonable amount, and rates are set accordingly. But that’s not what’s happening anymore.

A Broken Process with No Limits

Instead of sticking to their budgeted plans, utilities are repeatedly asking for more money outside of the GRC process—and they usually get it. These “off-cycle” requests are often for billions of dollars in unplanned or overspent projects. The CPUC has been granting these requests with little resistance, and you pay the difference through rate increases.

There’s no real cap and no accountability—across all the major utility companies.

A man and a woman sitting on a couch inside a living room, reviewing papers with a pen and a laptop on the table in front of them. The man is holding his forehead in a gesture of stress or frustration, while the woman looks on with a calm expression.

Overspending Without Limits

California’s major private utility companies have adopted a dangerous business model: Spend now. Ask for reimbursement later. They routinely blow past their approved budgets, then go back to the CPUC to ask for the extra costs to be paid by you, the ratepayer.

Raise your voice. Enough is enough!

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