Edison customers object to rate hike

Southern California Edison customers voiced concerns about rate hikes during two California Public Utilities Commission hearings Thursday, from how they were notified about the increases to opinions about bills already being too high.

Each customer received a notice in the mail regarding the increases.

During an afternoon hearing at the Visalia Convention Center, John Kirkpatrick said most people likely threw away the notice after paying their bill, thanks to the complicated format in which it was presented.

Two notices were included in the same bill, one regarding a separate smaller increase (passed earlier this year but only affecting bills by a few cents each month) and another regarding the larger increases.

SCE rates are proposed to increase by as much as 12 percent over three years. The process, known as a general rate case, is a filing before the PUC that utilities are required to make every three years. It shows the amount of revenue they will need for daily operations and capital investment.

"I turned the page over and read the second page and said, 'Oh my goodness,'" Kirkpatrick said.

Edison is proposing the rate increase for four reasons:

ª To continue SCE capital investments.

ª To meet increased costs for information and technology systems.

ª To connect new customers to the system and respond to customer requests for service.

ª To make a substantial contribution to the employee and retiree pension fund to address losses in financial markets over the past few years.

The hearing was presided over by CPUC Administrative Law Judge Melanie Darling.

Darling asked Kirkpatrick if he had any ideas on how to make the notices easier to read.

Kirkpatrick said to use any means of communication possible, from newspapers to social media.

Bill Persan suggested making a warning similar to what the FDA has on cigarette cartons.

"Maybe: Caution, you are going to have less money next year if this rate increase goes through."

Darling asked those in the audience how they heard about the public hearing. About half found out about it through their bill. Another half read about it in a newspaper.

John Coffee said his household is already very energy efficient, yet his bills continue to climb.

"Last winter, our Edison bill never went under $110 a month," Coffee said. "In the past it had been between $75 and $80 a month."

This rate increase is a little exorbitant, he said.

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