while there are some people who wanted the cpuc to reject it, saying it doesn't do enough to encourage people to switch to solar and electric vehicles. here's reporter becca habegger from sacramento. after paying utility tax. >> do we want it now? protesters call it a tax, but we should note this is not a tax. it is a new monthly charge. and regulators, the california public utilities commission or cpuc, did unanimously vote to approve it. the item passes starting in early 2026. p-g-and-e's residential electric customers will see a charge of $24.15 on their bill each month. customers in the low income programs care and fera will see a monthly charge of 6 or $12, respectively. proponents including the cpuc, point out this is not designed to make the utilities more money because when this monthly charge goes into effect, the cost of electricity will decrease by approximately 5 to $0.07 per kilowatt hour. as a result, they say, people won't see a drastic change on their monthly bills, with the fixed charge. >> is the same amount you'll see on your bill every month, so it won't change. it

the cpuc, that's the agency that regulates utilities drastically. and recently, they made a decision that really drastically changed how customers will be billed going forward, including allowing a new fixed fee. explain that to us. >> the cpuc did a good thing by adding a fixed charge that will end up reducing the usage charge, so that most customers will end up saving money. most people's bills will actually go down because more customers who haven't been paying before. we're talking about rooftop solar. customers are going to start paying a little bit more for the grid that they use night and day, and also this will provide relief to customers are low income and hot summer climates, like in the central valley. and a lot of people are really going to be thankful when the summer heat waves come. >> okay, so the general plan is to reduce rates by 11, right? and as you said, there are some limits and some people will pay less and save money. so what's all this hubbub about? ab 1999 that was supposed to regulate the new so-called, you know, the fixed

while there are some people who wanted the cpuc to reject it, saying it doesn't do enough to encourageeople to switch to solar and electric vehicles. here's reporter becca habegger from sacramento. after paying utility tax. >> do we want it now? protesters call it a tax, but we should note this is not a tax. it is a new monthly charge. and regulators, the california public utilities commission or cpuc, did unanimously vote to approve it. the item passes starting in early 2026. p-g-and-e's residential electric customers will see a charge of $24.15 on their bill each month. customers in the low income programs care and fera will see a monthly charge of 6 or $12, respectively. proponents including the cpuc, point out this is not designed to make the utilities more money because when this monthly charge goes into effect, the cost of electricity will decrease by approximately 5 to $0.07 per kilowatt hour. as a result, they say, people won't see a drastic change on their monthly bills, with the fixed charge. >> is the same amount you'll see on your bill every month, so it won't change. it wi

now the cpuc is about to vote on a proposal which could make electricity cheaper for some californianse expensive for others. nbc bay area's bob redell joins us live from livermore. bob, people in hotter places where you are could see their bills decrease. maybe correct. in theory. good morning to you, chris and ginger. yes. in places like livermore, where it's hot today, where people are going to be running their ac a lot, they could be paying less per kilowatt hour, if this new proposal goes through, i'll have more of that in a moment. this is a live stream from sacramento , where within the past few moments here, the california public utilities commission, just began their meeting to vote on a proposed restructuring of how we pay pge for our electricity. now, take a look at your screen. we're going to break this down for you. if this proposal is passed, all pge customers will start paying a flat rate of just over $24 a month. lower income customers 6 or $12 a month. but in return, everyone's rate of electricity usage will drop 5 to $0.07 per kilowatt hour. that's a reduction of abou

and recently, the cpuc has announced that the next irp will be due on november 1st, 2025. the cpuc will present required inputs and assumptions by january first of next year, and will issue final filing requirements by may 2025. so as we approach these dates, we expect the cpuc to provide more detail that will inform our plan development process. okay, so that concludes my update and i'm happy to answer any questions. thank you so much, commissioner williams. thank you for that presentation. it's always one of the highlights of these meetings. i was wondering a couple of things if that's okay. asking two questions. okay, why the increase s in the in the rates. so a good question, the increase the increase in the rates is driven by, largely our sfpuc financial policy, which states a minimum level of financial reserves. and this is really to sort of cushion the program as well as customers, against sort of like rate shocks where, if i may say, on the pg and e side, there have been multiple rates rate increases in these past, gosh, four and a half months alone, this is someth

and recently, the cpuc has announced that the next irp will be due on november 1st, 2025. the cpuc will present required inputs and assumptions by january first of next year, and will issue final filing requirements by may 2025. so as we approach these dates, we expect the cpuc to provide more detail that will inform our plan development process. okay, so that concludes my update and i'm happy to answer any questions. thank you so much, commissioner williams. thank you for that presentation. it's always one of the highlights of these meetings. i was wondering a couple of things if that's okay. asking two questions. okay, why the increase s in the in the rates. so a good question, the increase the increase in the rates is driven by, largely our sfpuc financial policy, which states a minimum level of financial reserves. and this is really to sort of cushion the program as well as customers, against sort of like rate shocks where, if i may say, on the pg and e side, there have been multiple rates rate increases in these past, gosh, four and a half months alone, this is someth

of course, the cpuc is going to talk more about this later this morning. we expect a vote later today. reporting live this morning from san mateo. i'm james torres, ktvu, fox two news james thank you. >> policies at sacramento state university are being changed after pro-palestinian protesters rallied for more than a week, demanding that the university divest from israel. i believe we will win. demonstrators celebrated the university's decision to change its socially responsible investment, which does not specifically mention israel. but it does say that the university's investment portfolios must stay away from corporations that profit from genocide, ethnic cleansing and activities that violate human rights. socially responsible investments shouldn't be specific just to one injustice. >> this. this is one of the most notable and horrific injustices happening right now. >> fox state's administration did everything right. this is what they should have done. >> the protesters started camping out on april 29th at the library's quad, a midnight deadline was se

and recently, the cpuc has announced that the next irp will be due on november 1st, 2025. the cpuc will present required inputs and assumptions by january first of next year, and will issue final filing requirements by may 2025. so as we approach these dates, we expect the cpuc to provide more detail that will inform our plan development process. okay, so that concludes my update and i'm happy to answer any questions. thank you so much, commissioner williams. thank you for that presentation. it's always one of the highlights of these meetings. i was wondering a couple of things if that's okay. asking two questions. okay, why the increase s in the in the rates. so a good question, the increase the increase in the rates is driven by, largely our sfpuc financial policy, which states a minimum level of financial reserves. and this is really to sort of cushion the program as well as customers, against sort of like rate shocks where, if i may say, on the pg and e side, there have been multiple rates rate increases in these past, gosh, four and a half months alone, this is someth

if you're a low energy user to begin with, the cpuc says the change does not give pge any additional revenue. >> in fact, it reallocates the money gathered from the flat rate to pay for the power grid, something that is already considered in your bill. california is the only state where companies aren't using this model, and the $24 rate is double the national average. still, those in favor say the change can save an average of $30 a month per customer and incentivize people in california to go electric. >> we can't delay on getting help to struggling families. for those who need it most. and so we really encourage, you know, everyone to get behind a fixed charge. and, you know, as we set off on a path to an equitable path to a clean energy future for everyone, we expect to hear the results of the cpuc vote later this afternoon. >> i'm james torres, ktvu, fox two news. >> with fewer than six months left until the presidential election, president biden is set to make a stop in the bay area this evening. tomorrow, he'll be attending two campaign fundraising events, we've learned. one w

if it happens that way, then the california organization say the cpuc won't be able to say they're coming to your town or your county. it'll be more on a city's rights, i guess. idea. and, scott, we've talked about this for months now. right. and it's a discussion because there have been problems in accidents. right? there have been and there have been, you know, in waymo's case, a couple of accidents, sort of a snap back where someone lit a car on fire and, you know, people just don't trust this all that much, certainly in the way of crews. there have been a lot of accidents and people are wary and some people say, hey, i love to take this ride. it's fun, it's easy. i don't have to get behind the wheel. i can give it up to a machine. but other people, of course, don't trust the machines. and so i think it's going to take a while before this really smooths its way out. okay all right, scott, thank you. you bet. coming up, new study looks at see you. right. their brains the growth researchers just found. and how it could impact our health. and new businesses are opening in the south bay. t

the cpuc announcing the new 837 code, which will be added next year because of high demand in the regionl be for parts of solano county in the bay area, as well as chico, south lake tahoe and sierra counties. this will be only for new service or additional lines, so it won't change anyone's existing area code. people in san francisco's hayes valley turned out for the opening of a new long anticipated trader joe's. today, store officials cut the ribbon at the new location right there on fulton street in laguna. the new store will feature more than 12,000ft!s, a familiar trader joe's favorites, the store's captain said. it's an exciting addition to the hayes valley neighborhood. >> it's been a lot of fun getting together, getting to have so many crew members join our team from the community. this is my neighborhood as well, so getting to be a part of this great journey. >> a regional manager says the store brought on about 100 employees and always a question in san francisco there will be parking question answered all right, mayor london breed is plan to bring two giant pandas to the san f

number one highest priority project statewide by the california public utilities commission or the cpuc. the project would cost around $70 million. now, as mentioned, we spoke to state senator becker earlier about plans to include $100 million in state budgeting for a planned grade separation that would already include renderings, as well as similar ideas for two other peninsula train crossings. it's really critical that it be funded now because we're leveraging federal funds in this great separation project, say, in burlingame. this is now a $300 million plus project, 320 million. so this money from the state is only a small part that's leveraging federal funds. now, those two other places along the peninsula, one would be in mountain view and the other would be in palo alto. both of those would cost around $20 million. this one in burlingame costing more at $70 million. but if it is approved, that groundbreaking would happen next year, as early as 2025, and it would really make quite a change here. as you can see, it is a very busy, busy intersection, so a lot of people would be inter

now, the state cpuc well, they're going to vote on the rate change as soon as next week. this is all according to san diego union tribune. it would lower electricity rates by 15, but those same customers would have an added fixed monthly charge of about $24. power companies say that actually would help wildfire risk reduction costs, and it will help affect it will take effect, i should say. in october, state lawmakers paved the way for that change. with the law passed back in 2022. all right. it is time to become an adventurer. please let me in. no coming up on nbc bay area we'll show you how you can stay in the flyg house fromin ♪♪ when you have moderate—to—severe eczema, it's okay to show off. with dupixent, show off your clearer skin and less itch. because you have plenty of reasons to show off your skin. with dupixent, the number one prescribed biologic by dermatologists and allergists, you can stay ahead of your eczema. it helps block a key source of inflammation inside the body that can cause eczema to help heal your skin from within. many adults saw 90% clearer ski

the cpuc trying to offer just a little bit of relief. it's part of a law that was passed about two years ago that would require investor owned companies like pg and e to change how it charges you for your monthly bill. if regulators vote to take on this new proposal, that means your bill will be broken up into two parts. first, a flat rate would add to your bill. it's about $24. and then you have that usage rate, which they suggest would drop about 5 to $0.07 per kilowatt hour. that's meant to offset that charge. the flat rate would be even cheaper for customers enrolled in low income programs. they don't have to pay about 6 or $12. all of that meant to be just a little bit of help during those summer months or those peak energy usage times, and could save you about $30 a month. we spoke to one man this morning who rents his home in san jose. he says he is always skeptical. anytime he hears about a cost saving move. >> anytime a company says that something's going to some change is going to make something cheaper. i get immediately wary

we're waiting to hear more from the cpuc. on that plan a little later this morning. reporting live this morning. i'm james torres, ktvu fox two news okay james thank you. >> time now 504 and east bay postal worker says she still afraid to go back to work after she was robbed at gunpoint. it happened monday afternoon in dublin. two men robbed her while she was dropping off mail outside of a home. now, surveillance video here caught the robbery as it happened. the suspects came up on her by surprise, pulled out a gun and demanded that she give up her keys and her cell phone. she did it fearing the worst. >> i thought he was going to shoot me when he was done, but i thought, well, i'm thinking of my mind. just stay calm, stay calm, stay calm. that's the best thing to do, to stay calm. >> now, the victim is one of at least six mail carriers who were robbed here in the bay area in the past month. she was not hurt , but says she is seeing a psychiatrist now to help her deal with anxiety. in an effort to go back to work, the police

the cpuc says it's rejecting at&t s request because the company failed to demonstrate there were replacement providers willing to step into that role as a carrier of last resort. >> governor gavin newsom laid out his revised 20 2425 budget today with some sobering numbers. he says the state is facing a major deficit in the coming years. today he proposed cuts, including shrinking the state's workforce and cutting back on some services to address the state's projected deficit. ktvu jana katsuyama has the details. >> governor gavin newsom announced his revised budget friday, saying the state is facing back to back deficits in the next two years. >> we are facing a $27.6 billion challenge next year to my point about a multiyear strategy, we project a $28 million shortfall. >> newsom's proposal for next year is a $288 billion budget, much lower than his previous $310 billion budget proposal. it includes cuts in services to about 260 state programs, along with a dip into the state's rainy day funds and an 8% reduction in the state's workforce by eliminating unfilled job posts plus or -10,000 vaca

>> yeah, just for context, the cpuc recently has asked the utilities to increase fixed monthly charge and decrease [indiscernible] that is going into effect but not until 2026 for pg&e rates so when we do our rate study we will look at that and thinking about that since that is the way power rates are moving h. a lot of the goals of doing that having a higher fixed charge allow customers all electric or customers who have ev charging them is it is beneficial to them. since that st. the way we are movering in san francisco and want to support climate goals that is something we plan to look into. are our rates for next year we aret nochanging fixed versus variable porg of it the rates. the clean powersf side of the bill, the pg&e fixed monthly service charge is part of the delivery charges so when that goes into effect in 2026 that will impact our clean powersf customers but not it generation portion. pg&e generation rates will be volmetic so that is something we look into. when we adopt the rates withed we want a fixed charge when the equivalent pg&e portion doesn't. it is always compl

the cpuc said it will vote next month to reject at&t's request to end land line use statewide. they are the carrier of last resort. at&t made the request several months ago saying it no longer makes financial sense to continue operating land lines. >>> if you got the special chance to see the northern lights at home, it sure was beautiful. but this rare solar storm that lit up the night sky across the u.s. could mean problems for communication systems on earth. we will explain. >>> summer is around the corner. that means stern road festival is coming back. the lineup is out and it looks like a fantastic one. the headliners taking the stage for this summer favorite. here is a live look at oakland. we will hear more from paul when we come back on what you can expect. ♪♪ when you have moderate—to—severe eczema, it's okay to show off. with dupixent, show off your clearer skin and less itch. because you have plenty of reasons to show off your skin. with dupixent, the number one prescribed biologic by dermatologists and allergists, you can stay ahead of your eczema. it helps block a

carriene and the cpuc is set to vote to lower power rates for a monthly flat rate fee as soon as nextange would lower electricity rates by 15, and it would add a fixed monthly charge of about $24. the change would take effect in october. the return of warmer temperatures is prompting east bay park rangers to remind everyone about the dangers of rattlesnakes. east bay regional park issued its annual advisory this week. it said. more snakes are being seen on hiking trails and some are venomous. hikers are encouraged to take precautions. that includes keeping an eye on the ground, avoiding tall grass and being aware around logs and rocks before sitting down. well, a massive effort is underway to help nonprofits on the peninsula . the mavericks community foundation is in the middle of its 24 hour coast side, gives online fundraiser. the donation marathon kicks off at midnight and benefits organizations from montara to pescadero. organizers say the annual event can help nonprofits that sometimes get lost in the shuffle. we have a saying that we use often around here about a rising tide ris

according to bloomberg, the cpuc is likely to reject the proposal, though, saying that pg and e has not demonstrated how the sale would benefit customers . more reason for the fed to keep interest rates right where they are. the latest information on wages, the employment cost index rose a seasonally adjusted 1.2% last year. that's 0.3% faster than the prior quarter. that raises the cost of doing business, and combined with inflation means the fed is less likely to cut interest rates. some economists say we may not see lower interest rates at all. this year, and bumble is relaunching its dating app and redesigning the way it helps couples meet the app is introducing a new feature called opening move, that allows men to make the first move. women will no longer be required to message potential matches first. what app on bumble? >> we had to do that, not us. >> gotcha. okay >> no. not us. >> right? instead, male suitors can initiate a conversation by replying to a personal prompt sent from women using the profile matches. this comes ten years after the app introduced itself as a new form

so what's going to happen is you're alluding to later today, the cpuc, the california public utilities commission, will vote on a proposal that could lower bills for people like low income earners and people who drive electric cars, this would be something that would lower their monthly bill, what they pay to pg and e, but under the plan, other customers could end up paying more. the new system, if approved, is aimed at reducing costs for people impacted by extreme weather, like heat waves and those who charge their electric cars at home. the proposal has two parts it would lower the usage rate by 5 to $0.07 per kilowatt hour, with rates dropping nearly 10% during peak hours and under the flat rate, customers would pay about $24 a month, with discounts of up to $12 for those with lower incomes. here in the east bay, the richmond city council has voted to ask the state to replace pg and e, which has doubled its rates since 2019 with golden state energy. that's a nonprofit utility. the council, calling pg and e unsafe, unaffordable and unreliable. pg and e responded with a statement that

it will require the cpuc to report on the impact of the charge by various metrics, and would then give the legislature the authority to adjust the rate based on that data. president biden and former president trump have agreed to hold two presidential debates, as fox's caroline shively reports that first debate it is very early on the political calendar. >> just six weeks from now. >> donald trump lost two debates to me in 2020. since then, he hadn't shown up for debate. >> things are getting spicy in the race for the white house. on wednesday, president biden challenged rival donald trump to meet him on the debate stage. >> we'll make my day, pal. i'll even do it twice, trump fired back within minutes, telling fox he'll meet his rival anywhere, any time, any place. >> president trump will be up there on that stage. he is ready. and the american people deserve this. >> the two men agreed to face off june 27th and september 10th, but the biden campaign wants several conditions to prevent a repeat of 2020 trash talking debates. >> the party doesn't say it. your party wants to go socialis

later today, the cpuc, the california public utilities commission, will vote on a proposal that could save people who, let's say, charge their electric vehicles at home or who are low income, save money on how much they pay per month to pg and e, while, as you mentioned, some could see their bills go up under the plan, that is, if this is approved, it is aimed at reducing or reducing costs for people impacted by extreme weather, like heat waves and those who charge their electrical vehicles at home. the proposal has two parts. it would lower the usage rate by 5 to $0.07 per kilowatt hour, with rates dropping nearly 10% during peak hours. under the flat rate, customers would pay about $24 a month, with discounts of up to $12 for those with lower incomes . here in the east bay, the richmond city council has voted to ask the state to replace pg and e, which has doubled its rate since 2019 with golden state energy. that's a nonprofit utility, the council says pg and e is, quote, unsafe, unaffordable and unreliable. pg and e responded with a statement that reads in part, quote, this type o

the cpuc is voting on a proposal later today.e impacted by extreme weather, like heat waves and those who charge their electric cars at home. now, if approved, low income earners and owners of electric cars could pay less, but other customers could end up paying more. this proposal in two parts. it could lower the usage rate by 5 to $0.07 per kilowatt hour, and rates could drop by nearly 10% during peak hours and under the flat rate, customers would pay about $24 a month. that's with discounts of up to $12 for those with lower incomes. president biden and first lady jill biden will be in the bay area today. they are attending several fundraisers, and one of them just happens to be a few miles from stanford university, where there's a pro-palestinian encampment. nbc bay area's kris sanchez is at the campus in kris. a university president at another campus is decrying hate speech directed at palestinian students as well. reporter that hate speech was not found here at stanford. here, the tent protests continues to be peaceful, thou

later today, the cpuc could vote on a proposal that could see some people paying less money for theirse who charge their electric vehicles at home. the proposal has two parts it would lower the usage rate by 5 to $0.07 per kilowatt hour, with rates dropping nearly 10% during peak hours, and under the flat rate, customers would pay about $24 a month, with discounts of up to 12 bucks for those with lower incomes. and we may be spending more on electricity bills with this high temp with these high temperatures. right, carrie? yeah, it's going to be heating up. and so we may be cranking up the ac, the wind will be calming down and a little bit hotter for those valleys into today as well as tomorrow. those highs head for the low 90s in the inland areas and 80s for the coast and bay. a little bit better for mother's day. but as we take a look at our high temperatures for this afternoon, we're up to 87. in los gatos and san jose, 87 in martinez and 85 in novato. back to you. thanks a lot, carrie. again, make sure to watch our today in the bay live streaming newscast starting in just minutes