In the Bay Area, PG&E substations have been plagued by safety and maintenance issues that put people's lives at risk. Just two recent fires - one in San Francisco and another in Saratoga - demonstrate the problems with the utility giant's equipment.
These incidents have led to power outages affecting thousands of customers, and lawmakers are calling for greater accountability from PG&E. However, it appears the company has been aware of these issues before, as state audits found numerous safety and maintenance violations at its substations in 2025.
Inspectors from the California Public Utilities Commission identified problems including missing fire extinguishers, oil leaks, non-functional cooling fans, loose wires, holes where bolts should be, and birds nesting in electrical equipment. In some cases, it was unclear why similar issues were not addressed earlier.
In fact, state audits found that between 2019 and 2023, PG&E spent billions of dollars raising customers' rates to pay for wildfire prevention measures, a move that has left many Californians paying the second-highest electricity rates in the country. Critics say this focus on wildfire prevention may come at a cost elsewhere, with safety issues and maintenance concerns being overlooked.
Representatives from both parties are calling for PG&E to take immediate action to address these audit findings and provide compensation to customers affected by the recent fires. The company has promised to provide $50 million in compensation but it is unclear whether ratepayers will ultimately have to foot the bill.
With millions of dollars in fines already levied against the utility giant, regulators are now turning their attention to its maintenance practices. As one watchdog group executive said, "PG&E needs to walk the talk on safety," and ensure that customers receive the compensation they deserve.
These incidents have led to power outages affecting thousands of customers, and lawmakers are calling for greater accountability from PG&E. However, it appears the company has been aware of these issues before, as state audits found numerous safety and maintenance violations at its substations in 2025.
Inspectors from the California Public Utilities Commission identified problems including missing fire extinguishers, oil leaks, non-functional cooling fans, loose wires, holes where bolts should be, and birds nesting in electrical equipment. In some cases, it was unclear why similar issues were not addressed earlier.
In fact, state audits found that between 2019 and 2023, PG&E spent billions of dollars raising customers' rates to pay for wildfire prevention measures, a move that has left many Californians paying the second-highest electricity rates in the country. Critics say this focus on wildfire prevention may come at a cost elsewhere, with safety issues and maintenance concerns being overlooked.
Representatives from both parties are calling for PG&E to take immediate action to address these audit findings and provide compensation to customers affected by the recent fires. The company has promised to provide $50 million in compensation but it is unclear whether ratepayers will ultimately have to foot the bill.
With millions of dollars in fines already levied against the utility giant, regulators are now turning their attention to its maintenance practices. As one watchdog group executive said, "PG&E needs to walk the talk on safety," and ensure that customers receive the compensation they deserve.
in the Bay Area, it's crazy to think that people are still risking their lives over fires caused by their equipment. I mean, we know the company has been aware of these issues for a while now, but why hasn't they done anything about it? 
It's not like they didn't spend billions on wildfire prevention measures between 2019 and 2023... that's a lot of money 
. And now they're saying customers will have to foot the bill for $50 million in compensation 
? No way, that's just not fair.
. And as for the fines they've already received... well, let's just say that's not enough 
. It's time for accountability! 
she's still shaken about it... i mean i know this is all well publicized but can we even talk about how much the rates went up for no reason? like billions of dollars just for wildfire prevention? that's insane 
️ anyway i'm so done with pg&e not taking responsibility for their actions 
regulators need to step up the game ASAP
billions of dollars spent on wildfires but still, no one is holding them accountable? 
and now we're talking about ratepayers having to pay more? 
. The California Public Utilities Commission should really look into why these problems weren't addressed earlier 
. PG&E needs to take responsibility and fix this ASAP 
.
. It's not rocket science to make sure your substations are safe, folks! 
I mean, who needs $50 million in compensation when people's lives are at risk? 
The fact that they've known about these issues for years and just decided to raise rates instead of fixing them is just shady 
. Regulators need to step up their game and make sure PG&E pays for its mistakes - we shouldn't have to foot the bill for their negligence 
!
I'm all for them taking responsibility and fixing their equipment ASAP. $50 million compensation seems super low considering how much we're paying in rates anyway... and let's not forget about all the fines they've already racked up 
. And let's not forget the Bay Area fires - we're talkin' thousands of customers affected by power outages 
Some 2025 stats:
. And honestly, who needs billions of dollars spent on wildfire prevention when you have safety and maintenance issues that could literally kill someone?! 
I mean, come on PG&E, walk the talk on safety or get out! 
. The customers are already getting hit with these crazy high rates; they shouldn't have to take the full brunt of this too