The two commissioners, appointed by Governor Jerry Brown in January of 2011, came with close ties to the public interest community and had played a leading role in the agency's investigation of the failed AT&T merger with T-Mobile, as well as attempts to rein in PG&E after the utility's aging equipment exploded in an inferno in San Bruno.
Some feared that PG&E and/or AT&T might aggressively campaign in Sacramento to derail the confirmation of either or both, but such fears did not come to fruition as both were voted in 35-0, perhaps signaling a sea change in the regulatory agency's relationship with the industry giants it supervises.
Community groups wrote large quantities of letters in support of Florio and Sanodoval, expressing their belief that both would act in ways supportive of consumers, especially lower-income consumers struggling with rising utility costs.
A 3rd Brown appointee, Mark Ferron, has not yet been confirmed.
Press Release from the CPUC
****
SAN
FRANCISCO, January 23, 2012 - The California Public Utilities
Commission (CPUC) today announced that the State Senate unanimously
confirmed the appointments of Mike Florio and Catherine J.K. Sandoval
as Commissioners of the CPUC.
Said Commissioner Florio, It is
both a great honor and a sobering responsibility to be appointed and
confirmed as a CPUC commissioner. My pledge to the people of
California is that I will work like a horse on their behalf and always
strive to promote the public interest in my decisions.
Said Commissioner Sandoval, I am
honored and humbled by the confidence of the California State Senate,
Governor Brown, and the people of the State of California in my ability
and qualifications to serve as a Commissioner of the California Public
Utilities Commission. I pledge to be diligent in discharging our
fundamental responsibility to ensure that utilities under our
jurisdiction provide safe, reliable service at just and reasonable
rates. I hope that our work will help the people of our golden state
prosper.
Commissioner Florio was appointed
to the CPUC in January 2011 by Governor Jerry Brown. Prior to this
appointment, Commissioner Florio was a senior attorney at The Utility
Reform Network, and served in that capacity since 1978. Commissioner
Florio is a member of California Conference of Public Utility Counsel.
He was also a member of the board of governors of the California
Independent System Operator from 1997 to 2005. Commissioner Florio
holds a J.D. from New York University School of Law, a M.P.A. from the
Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University, and a B.A. from Bowling
Green State University. His term expires on Jan. 1, 2017.
Commissioner Sandoval was appointed
to the CPUC in January 2011 by Governor Brown. She has worked as an
associate professor at Santa Clara University School of Law since 2004.
She previously served as undersecretary and senior policy advisor for
housing with the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency from 2001
to 2004. She was vice president and general counsel with Z-Spanish
Media Corporation from 1999 to 2001 and was the director of the Office
of Communications Business Opportunities for the Federal Communications
Commission from 1994 to 1999. Commissioner Sandoval was an associate
with Munger, Tolles & Olson from 1991 to 1994. She earned a J.D.
from Stanford Law School, a Master of Letters in political science from
Oxford, where she was a Rhodes Scholar, and a B.A. from Yale. Her term
expires on Jan. 1, 2017.
More information on Commissioner Florio is available at www.cpuc.ca.gov/PUC/aboutus/Commissioners/Florio/ <http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/PUC/aboutus/Commissioners/Florio/> .
More information on Commissioner Sandoval is available at www.cpuc.ca.gov/PUC/aboutus/Commissioners/Sandoval/ <http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/PUC/aboutus/Commissioners/Sandoval/> .
High-resolution photos of the Commissioners are available at ftp://ftp.cpuc.ca.gov/gopher-data/commissioner_pictures/ <ftp://ftp.cpuc.ca.gov/gopher-data/commissioner_pictures/> .
For more information on the CPUC, please visit www.cpuc.ca.gov <http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/> .
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