(a) The office may compel information and conduct investigations. In carrying out its duties, powers, and responsibilities pursuant to this part and Chapter 6 (commencing with Section 8385) of Division 4.1 of the Public Utilities Code, or other statutes pertaining to the office, the following powers, duties, and responsibilities vested in the office are acknowledged and confirmed: (1) The office shall adopt, amend, or repeal emergency regulations to implement this part in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act (Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1). The adoption, amendment, or repeal of these regulations shall be deemed to be an emergency for the purpose of Section 11342.545 and shall be considered by the Office of Administrative Law as necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health and safety, or general welfare. (2) The office may require information and data, including monitoring, verification of every regulated entity under the officeâs jurisdiction and any business that is a subsidiary or affiliate of a regulated entity with respect to or that may influence any matter concerning wildfire safety, or that is necessary or useful for the office to perform and exercise its duties, powers, and responsibilities. (3) The office shall provide for the confidentiality of records, the protection of proprietary information, and the protection of the reasonable expectation of customers of public utilities in the privacy of customer-specific records maintained by the regulated entity under the officeâs jurisdiction. As the successor entity to the former Wildfire Safety Division, the office shall continue to have access to and transfer any confidential information received by the former Wildfire Safety Division under the authority of the Public Utilities Commission to the office consistent with appropriate protections to maintain the confidentiality of that information. The office and the Public Utilities Commission shall agree upon provisions for the transfer of that information. (4) The office may require the production, within this state, at a time and place as it designates, of any books, accounts, papers, records, including computer modeling, programs, and other digital records, kept by a regulated entity under the officeâs jurisdiction in any office or place within this state, or, at its option, verified copies in lieu thereof, so that an examination thereof may be made by the office or under its direction to the extent the production of the records relates to an investigation that falls within the duties, powers, and responsibilities of the office. (5) The office and persons employed by the office, may, at any time, inspect the accounts, books, papers, and documents, including any digital information, of any regulated entity under the officeâs jurisdiction. The office and any of its designees or employees authorized to administer oaths may examine under oath any officer, agent, or employee of a regulated entity under the officeâs jurisdiction in relation to its business and affairs concerning matters within the duties, powers, and responsibilities of the office. This subdivision also applies to inspections of the accounts, books, papers, and documents of any business that is a subsidiary or affiliate, or a corporation that holds a controlling interest in a regulated entity under the officeâs jurisdiction. (6) Each regulated entity under the officeâs jurisdiction shall cooperate fully with the office in any investigation conducted consistent with this section, regardless of pending litigation or other investigations, including, but not limited to, those that may be related to investigations conducted by the Public Utilities Commission, or the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The office and the Public Utilities Commission will cooperate and coordinate consistent with the memorandum of understanding required by Section 15476. (7) Every regulated entity under th
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