By David Caraccio | Hector Amezcua

As Pacific Gas and Electric Company’s bankruptcy unfolded, the embattled utility increased its lobbying at the California Capitol, expense records filed with the Secretary of State show.

The state’s largest privately owned utility faces billions of dollars in claims from wildfires sparked by its equipment in 2017 and 2018.

In its latest filing, PG&E reported lobbying on a slew of wildfire and utility-related bills, including Senate Bill 209, which establishes a state-run weather center to help predict wildfire threats. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed that measure and a host of other wildfire-related bills into law last month.

PG&E also reported lobbying on issues related to its Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

It spent more than $1.3 million from July though September. That’s more than twice as much as the utility spent lobbying in the prior six months, bringing its total so far this year to nearly $2.2 million. That’s still far less than last year, when the utility spent nearly $10 million lobbying at the Capitol and at the Public Utilities Commission.

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