Existing law gives the Public Utilities Commission regulatory authority over electrical corporations, while publicly owned utilities are governed locally. This bill would require utilities—including community choice aggregators, electrical corporations, and publicly owned utilities—to develop systems to detect and notify ratepayers of power surges within five minutes, issue preemptive warnings when possible, install and maintain surge detection equipment, and submit quarterly reports to the commission. Utilities would be required to compensate ratepayers for damages caused by surges due to equipment failure or negligence, process claims within 30 days, and offer incentives for installing surge protection systems. The commission would adopt rules to enforce these requirements, impose penalties for noncompliance, and report annually to the Legislature, while utilities must submit implementation plans within six months and fully comply within 18 months, with the option to seek cost recovery through rate adjustments.