Judge Rules PG&E Customers Owe $1.7B as 5 Counties Pass Transit Tax

A landmark utility cost-recovery ruling, a five-county public transit funding victory that spares Orinda and East Bay stations from closure, and the Golden State Valkyries' championship Parade across the Bay defined regional civic life this week.

Regulatory Judge Rules PG&E Ratepayers Must Pay $1.7 Billion for Kincade and Dixie Fires

A California regulatory law judge issued a proposed decision Friday ruling that Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) ratepayers—rather than shareholders—must pay $1.7 billion in outstanding costs from the 2019 Kincade Fire in Sonoma County and the July 13, 2021 Dixie Fire in the Feather River Canyon, according to NBC Bay Area. Marking the first decision under 2019 state Assembly Bill 1054, the judge found that PG&E's wildfire safety certificate entitled the utility to a legal presumption of reasonable and prudent conduct.

While attorneys for Cal Advocates argued that PG&E left an unused transmission line near a mothballed Sonoma geothermal plant live for over a decade and failed to de-energize a Feather River Canyon line by midday before a maintenance bridge delay slowed a troubleshooter, PG&E President Carla Peterman and attorney Henry Weissmann contended that ratepayer advocates failed to raise serious doubt about the utility's practices. The proposed decision now goes to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) for a final vote.

Five-County Regional Transit Measure Passes by 61.5%, Protecting Orinda BART and AC Transit

On the regional ballot, voters across Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and San Francisco counties approved the Connect Bay Area Regional Transit Measure (RTM) by 61.5%—generating an estimated $980 million annually over 14 years starting April 2027 via a half-cent sales tax in the four suburban counties and a one-cent tax in San Francisco, according to The Almanac and KALW 91.7. With BART facing a $350–400 million structural deficit and Muni confronting a deficit exceeding $300 million, passage averts BART's threatened January 2027 closure of 10 stations—including Orinda, North Concord, Pittsburg Center, Castro Valley, South Hayward, Warm Springs/South Fremont, West Dublin/Pleasanton, Oakland International Airport, San Bruno, and South San Francisco—as well as five additional station closures in July 2027 and 20 Muni bus route cuts, despite opponents calling to pause Valley Link and the San Jose BART extension.

Under the measure, Caltrain will receive roughly 7% of revenues after serving 12.6 million riders in fiscal year 2026 (up nearly 38% year-over-year, with 92% rider satisfaction and $76 million in cost reductions), as praised by Executive Director Michelle Bouchard, Board Chair Rico E. Medina, and Vice Chair Pat Burt, according to Caltrain — News. Meanwhile, AC Transit Board President Diane Shaw and General Manager Salvador Llamas confirmed the East Bay bus agency—which serves more than 3 million monthly riders with 2,200 employees—will receive approximately $55 million annually over 14 years through 2040, preventing a 16% service cut, the removal of 100 buses, and 300 layoffs, while noting that replacing a single hour of morning rush-hour BART service would require 120 buses, according to AC Transit — News.

Golden State Valkyries Stage Embarcadero Championship Parade From Oakland to San Francisco

In downtown San Francisco, fans clad in Valkyries Violet gathered on Wednesday, November 4, for the Golden State Valkyries WNBA Championship Parade starting at noon at the Ferry Building and rolling down the Embarcadero to King Street near Oracle Park, with live coverage beginning at 10 a.m. PST, according to KTVU FOX 2. Announced by Mayor Daniel Lurie after the team's Game Seven Halloween triumph over the Atlanta Dream at Chase Center ("Ballhalla"), the Parade began with the roster departing its Oakland practice facility by ferry as WNBA Finals MVP Gabby Williams beat the team drum alongside champion Kiah Stokes. SFMTA Director of Streets Viktoriya Wise initiated street closures shortly after midnight Wednesday and requested geofencing to keep driverless vehicles out of the parade zone, while BART spokesperson Chris Filippi confirmed special event and lengthened trains and SFPD spokesperson Ofc. Robert Rueca deployed specialized crowd-safety units.