Inside California’s last-minute effort to cut electric bills and streamline clean energy

THE LEGISLATURE AND Gov. Gavin Newsom have significantly scaled back their eleventh-hour plans to reduce Californians’ electric bills and fast-track renewable energy projects.

Many experts said the proposed measures now amount to a political gesture or, at best, a small first step toward solving the problems, rather than nuts-and-bolts, comprehensive steps that would give Californians financial relief or speed up solar and wind projects.