"PG&E's Rising Rates: Californians Face Steep Utility Bill Increases in 2024"
Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) has increased its power rates by 13%, with an average monthly cost increase of $33 for families, to fund wildfire mitigation efforts, including burying power lines. Additional rate hikes are anticipated, with filings suggesting a further $24 increase in March and potential future increases to recoup $9.3 billion overspent on vegetation management. Advocacy groups are pushing back, highlighting the financial burden on families and the need for PG&E to justify such increases, especially as the utility plans to issue dividends to shareholders in 2024. PG&E has become the most expensive power provider in California, with rates more than doubling over the past decade.