(a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the following: (1) Californiaâs electric and gas utilities provide essential services to California residents and businesses, which are necessary to maintaining the vitality of Californiaâs economy. (2) Consistent with Sections 913.4, 961, and 977, an adequately sized workforce of experienced electric and gas utility employees with the appropriate training and skills, as well as the knowledge of an electric or gas utilityâs facilities and equipment, is essential to the safe, efficient, and uninterrupted provision of electrical and gas services. Safe and reliable electric and gas utility service is vital to public health, public safety, air quality, and reducing emissions of greenhouse gases. (3) Changes in the ownership or control of an electrical corporation or gas corporation may create uncertainty regarding the safe, efficient, and continuous provision of safe and reliable electrical and gas service to California consumers, leading to economic instability. (4) Mass displacement of electrical corporation or gas corporation workers as a result of a change in the ownership or control of an electrical corporation or gas corporation causes excessive reliance on the unemployment insurance system, and public social services and health programs, increasing costs to these vital governmental programs and placing a significant burden on the state and California taxpayers. (5) The state has a compelling interest in ensuring that when there is a change in the ownership or control of an electrical corporation or gas corporation, the new employer maintains a qualified and knowledgeable workforce with the ability to ensure safe, efficient, reliable, and continuous service to California consumers and communities. (6) Because of destructive and deadly wildfires and gas pipeline explosions, the electric and gas industries are in an unprecedented state of instability. One combined electrical and gas corporation has sought bankruptcy protection. All the major electrical corporations have had their credit ratings lowered to junk bond status or are at risk of downgrades to junk bond status. This jeopardizes the ability of these corporations to provide safe and reliable electric and gas service, to reduce the risk of future catastrophes, to provide service at just and reasonable rates, to meet the stateâs mandates to reduce carbon emissions, and to address the risks of climate change. (7) There is a nationwide shortage of the qualified utility line workers and qualified line clearance tree trimmers needed to prevent and respond to wildfires, storms, and other major events. Because this work is performed on and near high voltage lines and other energized electrical equipment, these jobs require substantial training and are highly dangerous. Current efforts to hire enough qualified people to perform these functions have fallen short even though exceptional compensation packages are being offered. Any reduction in the number or qualifications of these employees would increase the risk to employees and the risk of future catastrophic wildfires, and would increase the frequency and duration of outages, particularly as a result of more common and more severe major storms. It is in the interest of the state and its citizens that utilities have the qualified workforce necessary to minimize the risk of future wildfires, to minimize future outages, and to restore service as promptly as possible after storms. (8) For the reasons provided in this subdivision, the Legislature must take action to stabilize the utility workforce so as to preserve the ability of utilities to provide safe and reliable electric and gas service. This requires that the size of the workforce be preserved or increased, and workers not be lost to other utilities offering more stable employment or better compensation. (b) For purposes of this section, the following definitions shall apply: (1) âChange of controlâ means any of the
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