Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission has regulatory authority over public utilities and can establish its own procedures, subject to statutory limitations or directions and constitutional requirements of due process. The existing Public Utilities Act prohibits, with certain exemptions, any public utility other than a common carrier by railroad, from selling, leasing, assigning, mortgaging, or otherwise disposing of or encumbering the whole or any part of specified property necessary or useful in the performance of the public utility's duties to the public, without first having either secured an order from the commission authorizing it to do so for qualified transactions valued above $5,000,000, or for qualified transactions valued at $5,000,000 or less, having filed an advice letter and obtained a resolution from the commission authorizing it to do so. Existing law requires the commission to determine the types of transactions valued at $5,000,000 or less that qualify for advice letter handling. Existing law states the intent of the Legislature that transactions with monetary values that materially impact a public utility's rate base, or transactions that would trigger the commission's review responsibilities under the California Environmental Quality Act, should not qualify for expedited advice letter review.
Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission has regulatory authority over public utilities and can establish its own procedures, subject to statutory limitations or directions and constitutional requirements of due process. The existing Public Utilities Act prohibits, with certain exemptions, any public utility other than a common carrier by railroad, from selling, leasing, assigning, mortgaging, or otherwise disposing of or encumbering the whole or any part of specified property necessary or useful in the performance of the public utility's duties to the public, without first having either secured an order from the commission authorizing it to do so for qualified transactions valued above $5,000,000, or for qualified transactions valued at $5,000,000 or less, having filed an advice letter and obtained a resolution from the commission authorizing it to do so. Existing law requires the commission to determine the types of transactions valued at $5,000,000 or less that qualify for advice letter handling. Existing law states the intent of the Legislature that transactions with monetary values that materially impact a public utility's rate base, or transactions that would trigger the commission's review responsibilities under the California Environmental Quality Act, should not qualify for expedited advice letter review.
Version chain
The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.
Special Consent #15 AB698 Skinner — pass (pass) · upper
AB 698 SKINNER Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session — pass (pass) · lower
Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on Natural Resources to Consent Calendar. — pass (pass) · lower
Do pass and re-refer to Committee on Appropriations with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. — pass (pass) · lower
Do pass, but re-refer to the Committee on Appropriations. — pass (pass) · upper
Do pass, to Consent Calendar. — pass (pass) · lower
Sponsors
Skinner — primary (person)
Timeline
The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.
2009-02-26 Read first time. To print. reading-1
2009-03-01 From printer. May be heard in committee March 30.
2009-03-23 Referred to Coms. on U. & C. and NAT. RES. referral-committee
2009-04-02 From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on U. & C. Read second time and amended. amendment-introduction, reading-2, amendment-passage, reading-1
2009-04-13 Re-referred to Com. on U. & C. referral-committee
2009-04-14 From committee: Do pass, and re-refer to Com. on NAT. RES. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. Re-referred. (Ayes 13. Noes 0.) (April 13). committee-passage-favorable, committee-passage
2009-04-21 From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on NAT. RES. Read second time and amended. amendment-introduction, reading-2, amendment-passage, reading-1
2009-04-22 Re-referred to Com. on NAT. RES. referral-committee
2009-04-28 From committee: Do pass, and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. Re-referred. (Ayes 9. Noes 0.) (April 27). committee-passage-favorable, committee-passage
2009-05-07 From committee: Do pass. To Consent Calendar. (May 6). committee-passage-favorable, committee-passage
2009-05-11 Read second time. To Consent Calendar. reading-2, reading-1
2009-05-14 Read third time, passed, and to Senate. (Ayes 73. Noes 0. Page 1469.) reading-3, passage, reading-1
2009-05-14 In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. reading-1
2009-05-21 Referred to Com. on E., U., & C. referral-committee
2009-06-10 In committee: Set, first hearing. Hearing canceled at the request of author.
2009-06-29 In committee: Hearing postponed by committee.
2009-07-01 In committee: Hearing postponed by committee.
2009-07-08 From committee: Do pass, and re-refer to Com. on APPR. Re-referred. (Ayes 11. Noes 0.) (July 7). committee-passage-favorable, committee-passage
2009-07-23 From committee: Be placed on second reading file pursuant to Senate Rule 28.8. committee-passage
2009-08-17 Read second time. To third reading. reading-2, reading-1
2009-08-20 Ordered to Special Consent Calendar.
2009-08-24 Read third time, passed, and to Assembly. (Ayes 39. Noes 0. Page 1925.) reading-3, passage, reading-1
2009-08-25 In Assembly. To enrollment.
2009-08-31 Enrolled and to the Governor at 5:15 p.m.
2009-10-11 Approved by the Governor. executive-signature
2009-10-11 Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 370, Statutes of 2009.
Source
OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot 2026-07-01; origin ocd-bill/b152d6aa-2ed2-4859-8b13-edd5f7c2e793. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official California legislature records).
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