Who Decides Your Power Bill? Inside PG&E, the CPUC, and Fresno's Energy Costs with Martha Guzman

PG&E bills are rising fast—and in the Central Valley, the pain is especially acute.

On this episode of Fresnolandia, hosts Danielle Bergstrom and Jordan Mattox sit down with Martha Guzman, one of the most influential policy leaders to come out of the Central Valley, to unpack why energy affordability has become such a crisis—and what can realistically be done about it.

Martha brings rare, inside perspective from her decades-long career in state and federal government, including her time as a California Public Utilities Commissioner and most recently as the Biden administration’s EPA Region 9 administrator. Together, they break down how investor-owned utilities like PG&E actually set rates, why wildfire mitigation and infrastructure costs are driving historic increases, and how fragmented decision-making at the CPUC makes affordability harder to control.

The conversation zeroes in on Fresno and the Valley’s unique burdens: extreme heat, aging housing stock, lower wildfire risk but higher electricity usage, and the frustration of hosting massive solar development without seeing direct local bill relief. Martha also explores the limits—and possibilities—of tools like the climate credit, debates around utility profits, and whether public power is a realistic option for cities like Fresno.

It’s a candid, wonky, and deeply human conversation about power—who pays for it, who profits from it, and what fairness should look like in a hotter, more unequal California.