Dec. 16, 2020 6:11 pm ET Californians pay twice as much for electricity as Nevadans and Oregonians do. In return they get rolling blackouts during heat waves and power cutoffs in windstorms to prevent fires caused by old equipment. So whereâs the Public Utilities Commissionâs Public Advocates Office? Its statutory mandate is âto obtain the lowest possible rate for service consistent with reliable and safe service levels.â Instead itâs busy trying to banish fossil fuels. The office has teamed up with the Sierra Club against Southern California Gas. The Sierra Club has been pushing cities and the state Energy Commission to ban natural-gas hookups in new buildings. Some three dozen cities have done so.