Inventory of the California State Assembly Utilities and Commerce Committee Records

Processed by Rebecca Weisberg
California State Archives
1020 "O" Street
Sacramento, California 95814
Phone: (916) 653-2246
Fax: (916) 653-7363
Email: ArchivesWeb@sos.ca.gov
URL: http://www.sos.ca.gov/archives/
© 2008
California Secretary of State. All rights reserved.

Inventory of the California State Assembly Utilities and Commerce Committee Records

Collection number: See series descriptions.

California State Archives

Office of the Secretary of State

Sacramento, California
Processed by:
Rebecca Weisberg
Date Completed:
1 July 2008
Encoded by:
Jessica Knox
© 2008 California Secretary of State. All rights reserved.

Descriptive Summary

Title: California State Assembly Utilities and Commerce Committee Records
Dates: 1978-2005
Collection number: See series descriptions.
Creator: Assembly Utilities and Commerce Committee Assembly Utilities and Energy Committee Assembly Finance, Insurance, and Commerce Committee
Collection Size: 48.5 cubic feet
Repository: California State Archives
Sacramento, California
Abstract: The Assembly Utilities and Energy Committee was created on in 1981 to oversee legislation and issues involving investor-owned public utilities such as Pacific Gas and Electric Company and Pacific Telephone, municipal energy utilities such as the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, common carriers such as for-hire truckers, passenger stage corporations such as Greyhound and Trailways and charter party carriers such as sight-seeing buses. The Assembly Utilities and Commerce Committee records consist of approximately 48.5 cubic of textual and audiovisual records covering the years 1978-2005.
Physical location: California State Archives
Languages: Languages represented in the collection: English

Administrative Information

Access

Collection is open for research.

Publication Rights

For permission to reproduce or publish, please contact the California State Archives. Permission for reproduction or publication is given on behalf of the California State Archives as the owner of the physical items. The researcher assumes all responsibility for possible infringement which may arise from reproduction or publication of materials from the California State Archives collections.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Assembly Utilities and Commerce Committee Records, LP[number]:[folder number], California State Archives, Office of the Secretary of State, Sacramento, California.

Acquisition History

The California State Archives acquired the Assembly Utilities and Commerce Committee records according to state law.

Committee History

The Assembly Utilities and Energy Committee was created on January 22, 1981, by House Resolution 13, with Assembly Member Gordon Duffy (Rep.) as chair. At its inception, the 12 members of the Utilities and Energy Committee were given jurisdiction over "legislation and issues involving investor-owned public utilities such as Pacific Gas and Electric Company and Pacific Telephone, municipal energy utilities such as the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, common carriers such as for-hire truckers, passenger stage corporations such as Greyhound and Trailways and charter party carriers such as sight-seeing buses."The committee also [had] jurisdiction over legislation and issues pertaining to cable television, the San Francisco Bar Pilots and the Inland Pilots who pilot vessels within San Francisco Bay and up to the Ports of Sacramento and Stockton. The Utilities and Energy Committee was also given oversight responsibility for the California Public Utilities Commission.
However, in creating the Utilities and Energy committee, jurisdiction over energy issues was divided between two committees. The Energy and Natural Resources Committee still had jurisdiction over legislation and issues involving overall energy policy and the Energy Commission. In late 1982, Assembly Member Duffy's last year in the Legislature, he petitioned Willie Brown, the Speaker of the Assembly, to revise policy committee jurisdictions so that energy issues were considered by only one committee. This was accomplished with the passage of HR8 on January 13, 1983. The Assembly Energy and Natural Resources Committee was abolished and the Utilities and Energy Committee was renamed the Utilities and Commerce Committee, with Assembly Member Gwen Moore (Dem.) as chair. The Utilities and Commerce Committee's newly expanded jurisdiction included all legislation relevant to public utilities, trade and commerce, and the cable television and telecommunications industries, as well as retaining oversight over the Public Utilities Commission.
Over the next twenty-two years, the committee's jurisdiction remained relatively unchanged. The Public Utilities Commission has been a focal point of the committee throughout its history. As new telecommunications technologies developed, such as the Internet and cellular telephones, they automatically fell under the Utilities and Commerce Committee's purview. The passage of AB1933 in 1988 brought affirmative action to the forefront of the Committee's attention, in the form of Minority, Women, and Disabled Veteran Business Enterprises (MWDVBE's). It remained a focus for the Utilities and Commerce Committee until 1996, when Proposition 209 abolished affirmative action in California.
The structure of the committee did vary over the course of its history. Although the Utilities and Energy Committee was established with 12 members, it quickly grew to 13. After the establishment of the Utilities and Commerce Committee, membership rarely stayed the same from year to year. The number of Committee members ranged from a low of 10 in 1985 to as high as 18 in 2002.
The chairs of these committees from 1981-2005 were:
Utilities and Energy Committee, 1981-1982
Duffy, Gordon (Rep.), 1981-1982
Utilities and Commerce Committee, 1983-present
Moore, Gwen (Dem.), 1983-1994
Conroy, Mickey (Rep.), 1995-1996
Wright, Roderick (Dem.), 1997-2002
Reyes, Sarah (Dem.), 2003-2004
Levine, Lloyd (Dem.), 2005-present

Scope and Content

The Assembly Utilities and Commerce Committee records consist of approximately 48.5 cubic of textual and audiovisual records covering the years 1978-2005. In addition to the Assembly Utilities and Commerce records are records of its predecessors, the Assembly Finance, Insurance, and Commerce Committee and the Assembly Utilities and Energy Committee, as well as its subcommittees including the Assembly Subcommittee on Cable Television (1978-1988) and the Assembly Subcommittee on International Trade and Business Development (1991-1994). The records are organized into the following series: Bill Files (1982-2002), Hearing Files (1978-2005), Reports (1978-2003), Subject Files (1978-2001), Press Releases (1982-1989), Correspondence (1981-1989), Consultant's Correspondence (1983-1985), and Committee Files (1983-2004).
The bill files are the largest series, comprising approximately one third of the records. They document the bills directed to the committee and include committee analysis, letters from interested parties, and the comments of the affected agencies. These files show the close involvement of the committee in such issues as electrical industry restructuring, baseline energy rates, telecommunications issues (particularly regarding residential telephone service and Lifeline telephone rates), and Minority, Women and Disabled Veteran Business Enterprises. The majority of the bill files involve the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) and its regulation of common carriers and the telecommunications, electricity, and natural gas industries. From 1995 to 2000 (particularly 1997-1998), a significant portion of the bills relates to electrical industry restructuring and deregulation.
Hearing files are the second largest series in the collection. Many of the hearings involve public utilities, particularly in regards to the PUC and MWDVBE's. Other significant topics include telecommunications, PUC regulation and oversight, and natural gas. There are also several hearings throughout the series that address high electric and gas bills. However, there are no hearing files from 1995 to 1998, so this series does not have a strong representation of hearings relating to electrical deregulation.
A wide variety of reports are also available in the collection. The majority involve the telecommunications, gas, and electric industries, particularly relating to the PUC. Many of the reports relate to or were provided by companies such as Pacific Gas and Electric (PGandE), Southern California Edison, Southern California Gas, or San Diego Gas and Electric.
Subject files also comprise a significant portion of the collection. There are extensive materials available on MWDVBE's and related topics such as Affirmative Action, AB1933 (1988), General Order 156 (1988), Fuel Procurement, and HR30 (1992). There are also several subject files relating to energy, such as Electricity, Low Income Energy Program, Natural Gas, and Court Cases (Utilities). Other significant topics include Ports, the SC Edison and SDGandE Merger, and the PUC. The PUC subject file contains a wide variety of information relating to proceedings, reports, correspondence, and press releases from and relating to the Public Utilities Commission. Many of the subject files do not directly relate to the Utilities and Commerce Committee, but rather represent issues of interest to Gwen Moore, the Committee's chair from 1983 to 1994.
The Assembly Utilities and Commerce Committee records also include the records of two subcommittees. The records of the Subcommittee on International Trade and Business Development consist of only one hearing file, relating to environmental impacts in the California economy and the South Coast Air Quality Management District. The records of the Subcommittee on Cable Television, however, are much more extensive. They include bill files, hearing files, reports, subject files, and correspondence. The Subcommittee on Cable Television existed for a single legislative session, and was chaired by Gwen Moore before she assumed responsibility for the Utilities and Commerce Committee.
It is anticipated that the Archives will receive further records from the Assembly Utilities and Commerce Committee. Researchers should check the accession binders in the Archives Reference Room for recently received, unprocessed records.

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
California Assembly Utilities and Commerce Committee
Pacific Gas and Electric Company
Telecommunication
Natural gas industry

Related Collections at the California State Archives

Gordon W. Duffy Papers
Gwen Moore Papers
Mickey Conroy Papers
Roderick D. Wright Papers
Sarah Reyes Papers
Lloyd E. Levine Papers
Assembly Commerce and Public Utilities Committee Records
Assembly Finance, Insurance, and Commerce Committee Records
Assembly Resources, Land Use, and Energy Committee Records
Senate Energy and Public Utilities Committee Records
Senate Energy, Utilities, and Communications Committee Records
Senate Public Utilities, Transit, and Energy Committee Records
Public Utilities Commission Records

Oral Histories

Gwen Moore, Oral History Interview, Conducted 2003 and 2004 by Susan Douglass Yates, UCLA Oral History Program, for the California State Archives State Government Oral History Program.

Related Material

Researchers interested in this committee are advised to check the papers of its Chairs. Committee Chairs often kept materials relating to committee operations among their personal files. For Chair papers available at the California State Archives or other repositories, this information can be found in the committee history.

See below for LP numbers.

Series 1 Bill Files 1981-2002

Physical Description: 438 file folders

Arrangement

Bill files are arranged chronologically by legislative session, then numerically by bill number.

Scope and Content Note

Bill files created by the Utilities and Commerce Committee may include bill analyses, amendments and resolutions, author's statements, testimony, press releases, editorials and newspaper clippings, correspondence, committee statements, and other information. A videotape has been separated to a cold-storage vault for preservation purposes and a separation sheet is in the bill file to alert the researcher to the existence of this tape. These files show the close involvement of the committee in such issues as electrical industry restructuring, baseline energy rates, telecommunications issues (particularly regarding residential telephone service and Lifeline telephone rates), and Minority, Women and Disabled Veteran Business Enterprises. The majority of the bill files involve the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) and its regulation of common carriers and the telecommunications, electricity, and natural gas industries. From 1995 to 2000 (particularly 1997-1998), a significant portion of the bills relates to electrical industry restructuring and deregulation. Bills of particular interest include AB 2940 (1995-1996), and AB 995 (1999-2000), relating to electric restructuring, and AB 818 (1999-2000), relating to the PUC and new area codes.

Assembly Utilities and Energy Committee

1981-1982: AB40-AB3685, ACA73-ACA75, ACR14-ACR111, AJR90-AJR100 (10ff) LP244:1-10
1981-1982: SB408-SB1993, SCR24-SCR62, SJR3-SJR60 (4ff) LP244:11-14

Assembly Utilities and Commerce Committee

1983-1984: AB19-AB4033, ACA57, ACR16-ACR133,AJR19-AJR60 (11ff) LP244:15-24a
1983-1984: SB4-SB2303, SCR7-SCR67, SJR2-SJR21 (6ff) LP244:25-30
1985-1986: AB112-AB4363, ACA8-ACA75, ACR107-ACR154,AJR12-AJR72 (23ff) LP244:31-48e
1985-1986: SB18-SB2476, SCR36-SCR89 (6ff) LP244:48e-49e
1987-1988: AB152-AB4700, ACA36, ACR12-ACR73,AJR12-AJR65, HR8 (14ff) LP185:145-158
1987-1988: AB198-AB4686, ACA36, ACR12-ACR73,AJR20-AJR65 (9ff) LP389:1-9
1987-1988: SB77-SB2822, SCR14, SJR3-SJR35 (14ff) LP185:159-172
1987-1988: SB77-SB2822, SCR14, SJR3-SJR35 (7ff) LP389:10-16
1989-1990: AB227-AB4331, ACA17, ACR31-ACR87,AJR47-AJR82, HR11-HR55, AB55X (24ff) LP185:173-196
1989-1990: AB227-AB4331, ACR31-ACR87 (3ff) LP389:17-19
1989-1990: SB24-SB2810, SCR50, SJR51 (14ff) LP185:197-210
1989-1990: SB45-SB2810 (1ff) LP389:20
1991-1992: AB57-AB3804, ACA30, ACR47-ACR104,AJR58-AJR97, AB20X-AB56X (22ff) LP185:211-232
1991-1992: AB283-AB3804 (2ff) LP389:21-22
1991-1992: SB42-SB1973, SJR33 (13ff) LP185:233-245
1991-1992: SB859-SB1962, SJR33 (2ff) LP389:23-24
1993-1994: AB4-AB3767, ACA33, ACR93-ACR143, AJR55-AJR58, AJR1X, HR10 (43ff) LP389:25-67
1993-1994: SB129-SB2068, SCR11-SCR47, SJR40 (24ff) LP389:68-91
1995-1996: AB118-AB3462, ACA9-ACA43, ACR24-ACR84, AJR28 (29ff) LP389:92-120
1995-1996: SB25-SB2023, SCA21, SCR4-SCR54, SJR44-SJR48 (18ff) LP389:121-138
1997-1998: AB153-AB2742, ACA15 (24ff) LP389:139-162
1997-1998: SB116-SB2166 (7ff) LP389:163-169
1999-2000: AB61-AB2837, AJR2-AJR77 (44ff, 1 videotape) LP389:170-213
1999-2000: SB33-SB2139, SJR32 (25ff) LP389:214-238
2001-2002: AB1-AB2958, ACA7-ACA12, ACR2-ACR72, AJR2-AJR45, HR5 (27ff) LP389:239-265
2001-2002: SB17-SB2000, SJR7-SJR13 (12ff) LP389:266-277
See Appendix A for LP Numbers.

Series 2 Hearing Files 1978-2005

Physical Description: 289 file folders

Arrangement

Hearing files are arranged chronologically by date of hearing.

Scope and Content Note

Hearing files created by the Assembly Utilities and Commerce Committee may include agendas, transcripts, testimony, background, and working files for regular session hearings as well as interim hearings and select joint committee hearings. Audiotapes and videotapes have been separated to a cold-storage vault for preservation purposes and separation sheets are in the hearing files to alert the researcher to the existence of these tapes. Many of the hearings involve public utilities, particularly in regards to the PUC and Minority, Women and Disabled Veteran Business Enterprises. Other significant topics include telecommunications, PUC regulation and oversight, and natural gas. There are also several hearings throughout the series that address high electric and gas bills. Hearings of particular interest include the 10/21/1994 hearing on MWDVBEs and Public Utilities, and the 10/28/1992 hearing on equal opportunity and the economy. Please see Appendix A in Master Finding Aid at the California State Archives for a complete list of hearing files.
See Appendix B for LP Numbers

Series 3 Reports 1980-2003

Physical Description: 76 file folders

Arrangement

Reports are arranged chronologically by publication year.

Scope and Content Note

Reports include publications by government agencies and organizations as well as independent consultants and researchers of analyses, proposals, studies, and statistical records on a variety of subjects. Many of the reports in this collection published by government agencies and organizations were the result of legislative mandate while those published by independent consultants and researchers were done to provide the committee with guidance and information on subjects of interest to the committee. A compact disc has been separated to a cold-storage vault for preservation purposes and a separation sheet is in the report file to alert the researcher to the existence of this disc. Please see Appendix B in Master Finding Aid at the California State Archives for a list of reports.
See Appendix C for LP Numbers.

Series 4 Subject Files 1978-2003

Physical Description: 135 file folders

Arrangement

Subject files are arranged alphabetically by subject heading.

Scope and Content Note

Subject files created by the Assembly Utilities and Commerce Committee may include correspondence, emails, memoranda, statistical findings, published and unpublished reports, notes, and newspaper clippings. Of particular note are those files related to affirmative action and the Minority, Women, and Disabled Veteran Business Enterprises. This series also contains files related to the electricity and natural gas industries, ports, and Public Utilities Commission regulation of public utilities and common carriers. A videotape has been separated to a cold-storage vault for preservation purposes and a separation sheet is in the subject file to alert the researcher to the existence of this tape. Please see Appendix C in Master Finding Aid at the California State Archives for an alphabetical list of subject files.
LP389:708-715

Series 4 Press Releases 1982-1989

Physical Description: 8 file folders

Arrangement

Press releases are arranged alphabetically by subject heading.

Scope and Content Note

The press releases were created and released by the staff of Chairwoman Gwen Moore to advertise committee hearings, bills Moore introduced or sponsored, and other subjects of interest to Moore and the Utilities and Commerce Committee.
Cable, 1982-1989 (1ff) LP389:708
Electricity/Gas, 1983-1989 (1ff) LP389:709
Legislation, 1983-1988 (1ff) LP389:710
Miscellaneous, 1982-1988 (1ff) LP389:711
Ports, 1983 (1ff) LP389:712
Special Interest, 1983-1987 (1ff) LP389:713
Telecommunications, 1983-1989 (1ff) LP389:714
Telephone, 1983-1989 (1ff) LP389:715
LP389:716-756

Series 5 Correspondence 1980-1990

Physical Description: 41 file folders

Arrangement

Correspondence is arranged into two subseries: correspondence created by Chairwoman Gwen Moore and her staff is arranged alphabetically (36ff); and correspondence created by Chairman Gordon Duffy is arranged in reverse chronological order (5ff).

Scope and Content Note

This series contains committee correspondence to and from state agencies, businesses, legislators, and constituents. Subjects include proposed legislation, hearings, administrative issues, information requests, and constituent concerns. The majority of the correspondence from constituents relates to high energy costs and baseline energy rates, telephone lifeline service, and 976 number blocking.
LP389:757-760

Series 6 Consultant's Correspondence 1983-1985

Physical Description: 4 file folders

Arrangement

Consultant's Correspondence is roughly arranged in reverse chronological order.

Scope and Content Note

This series contains correspondence to and from Assembly Utilities and Commerce Committee Consultant Thurman White and includes both White's personal correspondence and legislative business he handled for Gwen Moore. Subjects include proposed legislation, hearings, administrative business, information requests, and constituent concerns.
See below for LP numbers.

Series 7 Committee Files 1983-2004

Physical Description: 9 file folders

Arrangement

Committee Files are arranged by subject and then chronologically.

Scope and Content Note

Committee Files created by the Assembly Utilities and Commerce Committee include overviews of committee jurisdiction and issues, legislative session reviews, staff handbooks, and committee secretary files.
Committee Rules/ Jurisdiction, 1983-1992 (1ff) LP389:761
Assembly Committee Staff Handbook, 1987 (1ff) LP389:762
Committee Jurisdiction/ Issues/ Consultants, 1989-1992 (1ff) LP389:763
Committee Jurisdiction/ Issues/ Bill Report, 1992-1994 (1ff) LP389:764
Session Files, 2001-2002 (1ff) LP389:765
Committee Day/ 2001-2002 Legislative Summary, 2002 (1ff) LP389:766
Secretary Files, 2003-2004 (1ff) LP389:767
Legislative Summary, 10/1983 (1ff) LP231:220
Committee Rules/ Issues/ Legislative Summary, 1987-1988 (1ff) LP251:65
 

Assembly Subcommittee on International Trade and Business Development 1992

Scope and Content Note

Records from the Assembly Subcommittee on International Trade and Business Development consist of 3 file folders containing one hearing file from 1992.
LP389:768-770

Series 1 Hearing Files 1992

Physical Description: 3 file folders

Arrangement

Hearing files are arranged chronologically by hearing date.

Scope and Content Note

Hearing files for the subcommittee may contain agendas, audiotapes, transcripts, testimony, background, and working files.
01/29/1992: Environmental Impacts in the California Economy/ South Coast Air Quality Management District (3ff) LP389:768-770
 

Assembly Subcommittee on Cable Television 1978-1988

Scope and Content Note

Records from the Assembly Subcommittee on Cable TV consist of 2 cubic feet of material reflecting the activity of the committee in investigating issues related to cable TV in California and concerning the eventual deregulation of the cable industry. The records cover the years 1978-1988. They are comprised of Bill Files (1982-1984), Hearing Files (1982), Reports (1978-1984), Subject Files (1979-1988), and Correspondence (1982-1988). The bulk of the subcommittee's files are subject files on topics such as regional cable television, press clippings, legal, and cable bills. The majority of the bill files, hearing files, and reports involve cable franchising and deregulation. The subcommittee's correspondence includes letters to and from legislators, businesses, organizations, and constituents.
LP389:771-775

Series 1 Bill Files 1981-1984

Physical Description: 6 file folders

Arrangement

Bill Files are arranged chronologically by legislative session, then numerically by bill number.

Scope and Content Note

Bill files created by the Subcommittee on Cable Television may include bill analyses, amendments and resolutions, author's statements, testimony, press releases, editorials and newspaper clippings, correspondence, committee statements, and other information. Bill subjects include cable refranchising and antitrust protection.
1981-1982: AB3130 (1ff) LP389:771
1983-1984: AB512, HR4103 (5ff) LP389:771-775
LP389:776-777

Series 2 Hearing Files 1982

Physical Description: 4 file folders

Arrangement

Hearing files are arranged chronologically by hearing date.

Scope and Content Note

Hearing files for the subcommittee may contain agendas, audiotapes, transcripts, testimony, background, and working files.
04/02/1982: Regulation of Cable TV in California after Boulder/ Local Government Franchising (1ff) LP168:34, LP389:776
10/14/1982: Cable TV Franchising and Renewals (1ff) LP168:34, LP389:777
See Appendix B for LP Numbers.

Series 3 Reports 1978-1984

Physical Description: 6 file folders

Arrangement

Reports are arranged chronologically by publication year.

Scope and Content Note

Reports include publications by government agencies and organizations as well as independent consultants and researchers of analyses, proposals, studies, and statistical records on a variety of subjects relating to cable television, such as cable franchising, community access, cable deregulation, and Minority, Women and Disabled Veteran Business Enterprises.
Please see Appendix B in Master Finding Aid at the California State Archives for a list of reports.
See Appendix C for LP Numbers.

Series 4 Subject Files 1979-1988

Physical Description: 26 file folders

Arrangement

Subject files are arranged alphabetically by subject heading.

Scope and Content Note

Subject files created by the Assembly Utilities and Commerce Committee may include correspondence, statistical findings, published and unpublished reports, notes, and newspaper clippings. Of particular note are files related to various regional cable issues, legal issues, and AB699 (cable deregulation). Please see Appendix C in Master Finding Aid at the California State Archives for an alphabetical list of subject files.
LP389:768-770

Series 5 Correspondence 1982-1988

Physical Description: 2 file folders

Arrangement

Correspondence is arranged roughly chronologically.

Scope and Content Note

This series contains subcommittee correspondence to and from state agencies, businesses, legislators, and constituents. Subjects include proposed legislation, hearings, administrative issues, information requests, research analysis, and constituent concerns.