Newsom appoints a new president to the California Public Utilities Commission

There’s been a shakeup at the top of the California Public Utilities Commission, the agency whose responsibilities include regulating the state’s investor-owned power companies, including San Diego Gas & Electric.

CPUC President Alice Reynolds is stepping down after more than four years at the helm, and Gov. Gavin Newsom has tapped Commissioner John Reynolds  (who is not related to Alice Reynolds) to replace her.

Newsom, who appointed Alice Reynolds to the CPUC presidency in November 2021, announced Wednesday that she will move over to the Board of Governors of the California Independent System Operator.

The system operator, known as CAISO, manages the flow of electricity across high-voltage, long-distance power lines that make up 80% of California’s and a small part of Nevada’s grid.

In a news release, Newsom’s office described the changes as “transitions to build on his agenda, ma...