The PUC meeting at which the vote took place, at its headquarters in San Francisco, was punctuated by noisy protests. All five commissioners defended the action, while protesters condemned the commission and the utility companies. Numerous arrests were made during the meeting. The commission includes three members appointed by Democratic Governor Gray Davis and two named by former Republican Governor Pete Wilson. One of the Davis's appointees, Carl Wood, is an official of the Utility Workers Union.
Residential rates are in fact already much higher than that.
Usage above 300Kw a month adds another 2 cents a kilowatt. To obtain rate information from the utility companies requires extraordinary patience. The utilities make their web sites unnecessarily complicated for those who want to investigate the rate structure. The California PUC allows utilities to divide the market into many schedules. In general, the power companies charge more to those customers who have few options.