PG&E customers skeptical of optional third-party protection plan

Pacific Gas & Electric is notifying customers about an optional third-party service, drawing skepticism among them.

PG&E bills will go up by this much each month

Pacific Gas & Electric customers have witnessed their electric bills rise over the past year and will see additional costs after California regulators approved another rate hike.

Oakland schools new bus fleet for special need kids electrifies the future

Oakland Unified School District's 100%, electric fleet makes it the nation's first major school system to have electric buses that transport students. 

Future of sonic internet service in Berkeley uncertain due

As PG&E moves more of its power lines underground, other companies that use its power poles to provide internet service are having to make adjustments.

Richmond fire crews find body in PG&E vault with evidence of attempted theft

Richmond Fire crews say they recovered the body of a man, found dead inside an underground Pacific Gas & Electric utility vault Tuesday, and also found evidence the man might have been trying to steal wires that contained valuable metals. 

PG&E customers seek help navigating higher bills: United Way

United Way Bay Area is used to residents calling the agency's 211 helpline for help with food, shelter and other basic needs. But recently, rising PG&E rates are prompting calls from people who need help paying their utility bills more than ever before.

Demonstrators protest PG&E hikes

Demonstrators criticized the CPUC and PG&E for rising rates: Electric bills have already doubled in the last five years.

Some Santa Cruz residents without power after pole catches fire

A power pole caught fire on state Highway 9 in Santa Cruz County on Thursday afternoon, causing the highway to be shut down north of Boulder Creek.   

Planned power outage to hit PG&E customers in Napa and Sonoma counties

As the North Bay braces for an invasion of heat, Pacific Gas & Electric is preparing for a potential power shutoff to prevent equipment, mainly transformers, from overheating and causing a wildfire.

Power shutoffs planned in Bay Area, NorCal amid heat warning

PG&E plans to implement a public safety power shutoff this week when temperatures reach triple degrees throughout the Bay Area and other parts of Northern California. 

PG&E customers will see lower electric bills this summer

Pacific Gas and Electric customers have seen their electric bills rise, but the utility company will bring some relief during the summer.

Santa Rosa power outage: Nearly 30K in the dark

Roughly 27,000 PG&E residents were without electricity Wednesday morning in Santa Rosa.

'Sewage leak' in senior care facility's electrical room causes elevator problems, firefighters respond

Firefighters in Contra Costa County responded to reports of several people trapped in an elevator at a senior care facility on Sunday. Officials say it was a sewage leak from the second floor into the electrical room that caused problems. 

California electric bills will have new fixed monthly charge

California regulators on Thursday voted to change how some power companies calculate their customers’ bills, a decision that will make it less expensive for people to charge electric cars and cool their homes in the summer but will increase prices for those who don’t use as much energy.

Popular Italian restaurant in San Francisco pivoting amid tough economic realities

Popular casual Italian restaurant Che Fico Alimentari in San Francisco is pivoting its business strategy. It's not exactly closing for good, but they are making some big changes due to tough economic realities.

4 big companies to fund $10M plan for downtown Oakland security measures

Four major Oakland employers said Thursday they are ponying up to fund a $10 million program to step up security for their employees working downtown.

Orinda Theatre scales back due to soaring PG&E bills

The Orinda Theatre will be closed on Mondays and Tuesdays because the owners say their soaring Pacific Gas & Electric bills make it too expensive to open the cinema on those days.