California will vary quite a bit. The municipal power companies are quite reasonable (in the Bay Area: Alameda, Palo Alto, Santa Clara?).

PG&E (the dominant player in northern california):

- lobbied hard against muni power

- spent its safety budget on executive compensation

- is recouping its maintenance costs and criminal penalties from its ratepayers instead of from its shareholders

- got Newsom to stack the regulatory body (CPUC) with PG&E sycophants

- is back to paying its shareholders dividends

- has one of the most influential California politicians (Willie Brown) on their payroll

Yes, it's obscene that in a climate as mild as the Bay Area, $400+ utility bills are the norm. Short of some major revolt, rates are set to go up in March as well.