§ 8290 Diversity In Utility Employment

(a) In addition to Section 8281, the Legislature finds and declares both of the following: (1) Public agencies and some regulated utilities should establish short- and long-term plans to advance diversity and equity, and include doing so in their employment practices. (2) Encouraging utility work to be performed locally and with a reasonably proportionate number of employees from women, minority, disabled veteran, and LGBT communities, the state is better serving and financially impacting the communities they serve. (b) It is the declared policy of the state to aid the interests of women, minority, disabled veteran, and LGBT individuals by providing access to local jobs for women, minorities, disabled veterans, and LGBT individuals through strong diversity, equity, and inclusion plans. (c) The purpose of this article is to promote and enhance diversity, equity, and inclusion employment plans for utilities in the state by including reporting entities’ workforce information in the commission’s analysis of the Supplier Diversity Program’s success. (Added by Stats. 2024, Ch. 784, Sec. 6. (SB 1177) Effective January 1, 2025.)