People living in LA are angry about the sudden rise in electricity rates.

Southern California Edison has stealthily raised electricity prices by a whopping 13% starting from the 1st of this month.

They didn't even provide proper notice, and people only found out when they received their bills.

So, the community and social media are in an uproar. The trash fees in the LA area have also skyrocketed by over 50%...

Everyone is saying, "How many times are they going to raise it?" "The rates keep going up, but the service remains the same," and complaints are pouring in.

SCE claims it's due to a power grid enhancement plan approved by the CPUC, the California Public Utilities Commission... but hardly anyone believes that.

With the financial strain from wildfire recovery and other issues, it feels like they just created another excuse to take more of our money.

What's even funnier is that this isn't the end. Starting in November, a new 'Base Services Charge' will be added.

Regardless of how much electricity you use, you will have to pay this base fee. Even if you conserve electricity, your bill won't decrease; does that make sense? People are saying, "Now saving electricity is pointless."

The problem is that California's electricity rates are already among the highest in the U.S.

According to the graph I found above, even at 22.33 cents, it's already at the top level in the U.S., but now it's nearly... almost 30 cents per kWh.

Utah and Texas are around 12 to 15 cents, which is more than double. California has extremely high gas and electricity prices.

This means that even for the same refrigerator, a Californian pays twice as much as a Utahn. Plus, can you live here without using air conditioning in the summer and electric heating in the winter?

A 13% increase isn't just a matter of paying a few more dollars; it impacts the entire cost of living. The burden is felt even more by retirees and middle-class families.


So, a 13% increase is not simply about paying a few more dollars; it becomes an amount that affects the entire monthly budget that is already hard to manage.

Retirees and middle-class families feel this impact more acutely. Electricity bills are becoming not just a part of household expenses but a factor that affects quality of life.

As a result, some residents are saying, "Now charging electric cars is burdensome," and are considering going back to gasoline vehicles.

Ironically, the California government has been actively promoting electric vehicle adoption under the banner of 'green energy transition,' yet the underlying electricity rate system is becoming increasingly burdensome.

ChatGPT said:

The recent 13% increase in Southern California Edison's electricity rates is not just an issue for one utility company; there is a growing voice that it is largely the responsibility of the California state government. If it's a policy approved by the Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), then the government has effectively neglected or condoned the root cause of the rate increase.

Residents are already bearing the highest electricity rates in the nation, and the increasing burden is seen as a result of policy failure. The structure that has lost efficiency and competition under the guise of renewable energy transition, along with a rate system that lacks consumer protection, is ultimately a problem that the government must address.

Everyone understands the intention to improve the power grid and expand renewable energy infrastructure. However, if the costs are entirely passed on to residents, no matter how good the policy is, it will inevitably lose trust.

Electricity rate bomb. If the California government truly believes this is the 'path to energy transition,' it must start listening to the voices of the residents.