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Over the past few days, Congressman Josh Harder has publicly called out energy giant PG&E for price gouging Valley families during a historic heat wave: “We have folks that are paying more for PG&E than they’re almost paying in their rent or their mortgage, when it’s 115 degrees outside, people need to be running their air conditioners… If you’re a senior citizen who can’t leave their home in the midst of a heat wave, turning on your air conditioning is not a luxury.”
Instead of taking the side of Valley families, GOP candidate and San Joaquin County supervisor Tom Patti is siding with PG&E’s wealthy CEO, who brought home a record $50 million last year, even as taxpayers paid higher bills and suffered from poor grid maintenance.
In a recent interview, Patti offered sympathy for the energy behemoth, stating, “PG&E needs to be paid in order to keep the lights on.” Meanwhile, families in the Central Valley are receiving bills of $700 or more just to keep cool during a record breaking heat wave.
DCCC Spokesperson Maddy Mundy:
“Instead of standing with Central Valley families, Tom Patti is once again standing with the rich, powerful, and well connected. Despite Tom Patti’s concern, with $50 million in take home for PG&E’s CEO, the energy company should have no problem keeping its lights on without price gouging working families.”
Read more about Congressman Harder’s fight to lower costs for Valley families below.
ABC 10 News: PG&E customers report soaring prices after record breaking heatwave
By: Bridgette Bjorlo
September 16, 2022
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Some families have reported paying three to four times more for electricity in the month of August.
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“They’re taking a lot from us. Expensive, very expensive,” said Brian Bong, a PG&E Customer. “SMUD isn’t that much.”
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Concerned customers also chimed in online, with one Facebook user writing “Mine was $690 last month. Something needs to change.”
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Another wrote, “before the heatwave, my bill came to $550. We used less energy than last year [and] I have never paid more than $450.”
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Harder said these are just some of dozens of examples that he has seen of bills going up, and he’s warning customers that this may not be the end.
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“This going to be a big deal for a lot of folks. If you’re a senior citizen who can’t leave their home in the midst of a heat wave, turning on your air conditioning is not a luxury,” said Rep. Harder. “It’s something you absolutely need to make sure happens. PG&E shouldn’t be price gouging and profiting because of decisions people don’t have a choice on.”
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Rep. Harder has called on PG&E to end its tiered pricing system, which raises electric costs by 20% or more after a customer exceeds average use. He said a few days of more frequent air conditioning use could increase utility bills by hundreds of dollars.
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