Mr. Brulte authored the bill to deregulate the state's power industry. The suspicions grew with each dizzying leap in price. Now, everyone from the governor to Joe and Jane Ratepayer seem to think they're victims of one of the biggest market-rigging scams ever. Then it began to spike like lightning in reverse, like something riding a booster rocket. Two once-mighty utilities are staring into the dark hollow of bankruptcy.
Consumers fear electricity bills the size of car payments.
The Golden State's economy has been tarnished. And Gov. Gray Davis' presidential ambitions are fading to black. What is left, even as California continues to grapple for a solution to its power crisis, is the finger-pointing. Day by day, the blame game has turned increasingly litigious and conspiracy-minded. More suits are expected.