‘Give me a break’: PG&E customers in the Central Valley upset over expensive energy bills

FRESNO, Calif. ( KSEE/KGPE ) – A group of local business owners and PG&E customers said they have had enough of what they call "unfair rates" from the energy company.

One business owner says they've been charged thousands of dollars more on their monthly energy bill compared to last year.

"Why is it happening? Why are these rates so outrageous," Yosemite Falls Cafe Owner Manny Perales said.

Those questions came from a group of frustrated PG&E customers. Ray Tote lives in North Fork and has two power poles. He says his energy bill has become costly.

"There are some months that I've been living there that I didn't get a bill for either pole. My bill for those Poles turned into $250 and I'm not using the garage," Ray Tote said.

The Stop PG&E Now Central Valley Chapter held a meeting to address expensive bills by the local energy company.

"Who is actually getting the permission to raise the rates? We want to gain some advocates, which we're getting a lot of phone calls and assembly people that want to come to bat. Is this a monopoly under the Fair Trade Commission? A lot of us seem to think so. Does it constitute a class action lawsuit," Stop PG&E Now Central Valley Chapter's Vanush Ghatchaturian said.

The host of the event, Yosemite Falls Cafe, was hit with a $21,000 energy bill in June of this year, nearly a $7,000 increase from 2023.

"My rent is $9,500 and my bill was $21,300 that month. Give me a break. Just today before I came out, I was looking at some old budgets. And I used to budget for PG&E 3%, 3% of our sales. Right now it's pushing 10%," Perales said.

PG&E Spokesperson Jeff Smith released a statement Monday regarding what the company is doing to combat rate issues and what California could do to lower rates.

Folks at the first Central Valley Chapter meeting want more accountability, even discussing possible protests to get their voices heard. Especially now, with triple-digit temperatures expected all throughout the first week of October.

"For example, I have a server that she's got two little kids and she said during the summer she hardly ever ran her air conditioning because of $1200 bills and they have just a small little house. And, you know, how do you survive," Perales said.

Stop PG&E Now's Central Valley chapter is planning a second meeting on Oct. 14.