Local business faces insurmountable losses after natural disaster: 'We want to rebuild'
Bruce Steele of Altadena, California, evacuated his home — also the site of the small business — with his adult daughter in the early hours of Jan. 8 as the wildfire roared toward them. Within an hour, it had all burned, The Guardian reported.
For over 40 years, Bruce and his wife Nancy have sold honey as the Chaparral Mountain Honey Co. The fire destroyed 188 hives as well as 30,000 pounds of honey. The bees Bruce tended to pollinated wildflowers in the area along with almond and orange trees.
Some of the equipment Bruce used is no longer made, according to the newspaper, and their tanks and jars were wiped out. They are living with friends as they look to the future.
"We want to rebuild," Nancy said. "It's our home."
The Guardian called the loss "incalculable." This is Bruce's 49th year as a beekeeper. What started with two colonies grew to eight or nine within a year. The Steeles and their wildflower honey were a hit at the annual Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County Bug Fair.
Their property was also a nature lover's paradise. In addition to the bees, great horned owls, mountain lions, gray foxes, black bears, red-shouldered hawks, mule deer, and more were plentiful.
The burned honey was worth $210,000, and even with insurance and over $45,000 in donations, the Steeles will be well short of the money needed to rebuild.
Their goal is to create a fire-resistant, sustainable home "powered by nature."
While the historic Eaton and Palisades Fires spread quickly because of extremely dry and windy conditions, wildfires in general are becoming more common, lasting longer, and increasing in intensity because of rising global temperatures caused by humans' burning of dirty fuels for energy.
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Building in wildfire-prone areas will always be risky, but architects and contractors can take steps to lower the chances properties will be consumed by flames. Homeowners — including Californians via a grant program — can also retrofit their houses to improve fire resistance, clearing combustible materials from around the structures and replacing attic vents with ember-resistant ones, for example.
In Los Angeles, a major utility company is working with technology that can prevent wildfires from igniting, and the state is seeking ways to improve the insurance market.
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San Francisco Chronicle
a day ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Why is my bill so high? And other frequently asked questions about PG&E bills
Nobody likes getting a bill. For Northern Californians, the monthly Pacific Gas and Electric Co. statement can be a particular source of frustration. A reader named Lisa from Oakland wrote to me with a plea: 'I am hoping that you might provide an explanation of our PG&E bills. I am a savvy consumer and it still boggles me when I try to figure it out!' She's far from the only one among the utility's 5.5 million electricity customers and 4.5 million natural gas customers dissatisfied with the PG&E billing experience: It ranked dead last in customer satisfaction among U.S. utility companies, according to the 2025 American Customer Satisfaction Index. (Still, the report notes that PG&E's score has improved from what it was in 2020 through 2023.) PG&E's residential rates are more than twice the national average, and have increased by an average of 12.5% annually for the past six years. From January 2015 to April 2025, residential rates have increased by 104%. So despite the state's mild climate, which requires less heating and air conditioning, Californians have the 13th-highest electric bills in the country, according to a 2023 CNET analysis of U.S. Energy Information Administration data. The Chronicle solicited questions from readers and from around the newsroom to try and find answers to people's most commonly asked questions about their PG&E bills. Here's what we learned. Frequently asked questions Why is my bill so high? This is by far the most frequently asked question about PG&E bills. Customers complain about being surprised by a high bill, even though they don't think they did anything differently that month to explain it. Jennifer Robison, a spokesperson for PG&E, said weather can be a major contributor. 'The biggest reason this happens is seasonal fluctuations and temperature,' she said. 'If you keep your thermostat at 70 degrees all the time, but then it gets much hotter or cooler outside, you're going to use your heat or your air conditioning more frequently, and your bill will go up even though you aren't doing anything differently.' Another reason, she said, could be a malfunctioning appliance suddenly sucking up more energy than usual. Lee Trotman, the communications director for The Utility Reform Network, pointed to a different explanation. 'The reason your bill is so high is because of the constant rate increases,' he said. There have been numerous rate increases in recent years, he said, including six in 2024, one this past January, and another in March. The California Public Utilities Commission said in its most recent quarterly rate report that residential rates rose by 104% between January 2015 and April 2025. The combined monthly electricity and gas bill for the typical household nearly doubled from $154.52 in January 2016 to $294 in January 2024, according to data from PG&E, and the utility estimated that the average residential electric bill would rise to $224.64 after March's rate increase. PG&E customers pay an average rate of 38.6 cents per kilowatt-hour, according to the CPUC report — the highest rate in the continental U.S. There isn't much you can do about the rate increases. But there are likely some ways you could make your home and habits more energy-efficient. PG&E offers a Home Energy Checkup quiz on its site that can help you identify what's using the most energy. You can do the online Home Energy Checkup at this link. PG&E customers with electric smart meters are also eligible for a free in-home analysis from a company called Home Intel. The analyses are available to both owners and renters. One San Francisco family was able to slash its annual energy costs from $4,000 to $2,600 after completing the analyst's recommendations, including getting rid of space heaters, turning down the temperature on the water heater, adding insulation, and running major appliances when power costs are cheaper. Home Intel says on its site that the average customer saves $350 annually after following its analysts' recommendations, and many save three to four times that much. Sign up for your analysis by visiting There's also a device called the 'Kill A Watt EZ Meter' that you put over your outlet and plug your device into to see exactly how much power it uses. Your local library may have one available to borrow, Robison said. You can also buy them online for around $30. Show answer + When PG&E tells me I'm using more energy than 'the average house of my size,' how accurate and detailed is that metric? What you're getting in the mail or electronically is part of the Home Energy Reports program, which PG&E randomly chooses customers to participate in. 'We offer neighborhood comparisons to help our customers understand how they use energy in relation to other households near them with similar circumstances,' said Robison. She said PG&E compares your home with 100 nearby homes that are occupied and similar in type (multifamily versus single-family) and size. But it's not granular enough to differentiate for things like solar panels or EV chargers, Robison said. So it's not one other specific house you're being compared to – it's an average across 100 other houses. If, for instance, half those houses happen to have solar panels and you don't, you're going to see that reflected in your comparison. (In a follow-up email, PG&E representative Adrienne Moore gave conflicting information: She said that standard, solar and EV customers receive different reports. 'Our standard home energy report does not include solar and EV customers in the population,' she said.) If you log into your PG&E account, click 'Electricity' and then navigate to 'Similar Homes' to see which homes yours is being compared to. It will tell you how far away the comparison homes are, the square footage, heating type (gas or electric), building type and ballpark number of bedrooms. You can learn more about the program and how to opt out of receiving the printed or emailed reports at this link. One Reddit user called it he's one of the people throwing off your average. Show answer + I get 'forecast alerts' that can be hundreds of dollars higher or lower than what my bill ends up being. Why is that? Forecast alerts gauge your usage so far for the current billing cycle and let you know when you're on track to spend more than a preset threshold. The idea is to give you a heads up so you can pivot your energy usage and not get slammed with a massive bill. You set that threshold for those alerts, said Robison of PG&E, and you can change them if they aren't helpful. You only receive them when you're on track to exceed your limit; if you're on budget for that month, you won't get a notification. 'The point is to help our customers budget for the next bill, but also to give them enough time in their billing cycle so that they can change their use pattern (and) use less (energy) to avoid a higher bill,' she said. She said it's hard to know exactly what's going on with the forecasts you're getting without looking at your specific bill. Some possibilities: You might have been temporarily using more power than normal for a one-off reason — keeping the pool and hot tub cranked up while guests were in town, blasting the AC during a heat wave or running the heat in a cold snap, or using your washer and dryer around the clock when you deep-cleaned your closet. The forecast alert assumes you'll keep using power at that rate for the rest of the month, which could result in an inaccurate guess. If you use a lot of power at the start of the month, prompting an alert, and then use even more throughout the month (for instance, if a heat wave gets more intense), your bill could end up even higher than what the forecast predicted. Here's how to change or turn off forecast alerts: Go to 'Account settings' on the My Account dashboard. Under 'Alert preferences' click 'Set up alerts' Under 'Communication Preferences' click 'Energy use' Turn on the 'Bill forecast alert' notifications (or turn it off if you don't want them), and under 'Alert me when my bill is forecast to be higher than this amount,' enter your preferred threshold. Show answer + What's the best way to gauge my power usage over time? Because of the rate increases, it's tough to measure your power usage over different time periods by the dollar amount on your bill. Instead, go to your online PG&E account, navigate to 'Usage and Rates' and choose the 'Energy Usage Details' option. You can compare bills by year, month and even by day, and download the data as a spreadsheet. Hover over the bar charts to see more detailed information on energy use, cost and weather impacts. Your monthly bill shows electric usage in kilowatt-hours during the month — look for a chart labeled 'Electric Usage This Billing Period.' It also shows daily average usage for that month, the previous month and the same month a year earlier. Show answer + What are my options if I can't afford my bill? If you are struggling to pay your PG&E bills, you're not alone: 1 in 5 customers was in arrears, or behind on payments, as of April 2025, according to a report from the California Public Utilities Commission. The average owed amount was $710. 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Eligibility is based on either gross household income or enrollment in certain public assistance gross household income must be below a certain amount ($42,300 or less for households of 1 or 2 people; $53,300 for a household of 3; $64,300 for 4 — see the full table here) to qualify under that metric. People who participate in programs including WIC, CalFresh/SNAP, Medicaid/Medi-Cal, and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) are also eligible. Learn more and find out if you qualify at this link. Family Electric Rate Assistance Program: FERA gives income-qualified customers an 18% discount on their bills. Eligibility is based on gross annual household income and household size. Eligibility for households of 1 to 2 people is a gross income between $42,301 and $52,875; $53,301 to $66,625 for a household of 3, and $64,301 to $80,375 for a household of 4, with higher limits for larger households — see the full list at this and CARE share one application, so if you file it you'll find out whether you qualify for either program. Click this link to fill out the application online. Medical Baseline Program: If you or another full-time resident in your home relies on energy for a medical need — for instance, if you use a respirator, oxygen generator, powered wheelchair or other electricity-powered mobility device, dialysis machine, apnea monitor or hospital bed, or depend on heating or cooling for conditions like multiple sclerosis or scleroderma — you are eligible to receive an extra monthly allotment of energy at the lowest price on your rate program in addition to your regular baseline allowance. In other words, you can get cheaper energy — roughly 500 kilowatt hours (kWH) of electricity and/or 25 therms of gas per is based on medical need, not income. Your doctor must complete a form for your application. See more qualifying devices and conditions and learn how to apply at this link. There are also programs for debt forgiveness and for one-time help with paying utility bills. Relief for Energy Assistance through Community Help: If you're low-income and you've received a notice threatening to disconnect your PG&E service for nonpayment, REACH offers up to $300 in credit toward your past-due bill. Income eligibility requirements are the same as the CARE program. Apply for assistance through the Dollar Energy Fund at this link. Match My Payment: If you have at least $100 in PG&E bills past due and make up to 400% of the federal poverty limit (up to $84,600 for a household of 1-2 people), you may be eligible for a program where PG&E matches up to $1,000 in payment toward those bills. Customers who are enrolled in payment plans are eligible for this matching program. See income limits and apply for the match program at this link. Low Income Home Energy Assistance Plan: LIHEAP is a federally funded program that provides one-time assistance for low-income households to pay energy bills, as well as weatherization services to make your home more energy 866-675-6623 or visit this link to learn more about LIHEAP eligibility and what aid is available. Arrearage Management Plan: If you are enrolled in CARE or FERA and are still very behind on PG&E bills (more than 90 days past due and more than $500 owed for gas and electric service), you may be eligible for AMP, a program that forgives up to $8,000 in debt after a year of on-time payments. Learn more about the program at this link, or call 877-660-6789 to apply by phone. Show answer + Why do I see multiple rates changes in one billing cycle? You might be looking at a bill during a period where a rate change went into effect. The California Public Utilities Commission approved six PG&E rate increases just in 2024, and two more so far this year. But if you're seeing multiple changes to the rate you pay, you might be looking at a bill with time-of-use pricing. See the next answer for more information on what that means, how to figure out if it benefits you, and how to opt out of it if it doesn't. Show answer + What is 'time of use' pricing, and can I opt out of it? 'Time of use' pricing basically means you pay more to use power when lots of other people are using it — and less at times of lower demand. The idea is to encourage customers to use less energy on things like air conditioning, electric car charging and running appliances like a dishwasher or clothes dryer at peak times so the power grid doesn't get overloaded. That peak time is late afternoon and early evening, when people are getting home from work and school. So taking advantage of TOU pricing might mean adjusting your habits and waiting to turn on the dishwasher or start charging your car until later in the day. Within TOU pricing, there are three tiers: One that charges a higher price between 4 and 9 p.m. every day of the week (E-TOU-C); one that charges more from 5 to 8 p.m. on weekdays (E-TOU-D); and one that charges a higher rate between 4 and 9 p.m. on weekdays (E-TOU-B). Log into your PG&E account and visit this link to see the rate analysis tool that can help you pick the plan that will save you the most money. You do have the option to opt out of TOU, or to switch between TOU plans to pick the one that best fits your energy usage. You can go online to your PG&E account and click 'Manage Your Rate Plan,' or call PG&E at (877) 660-6789 to ask to switch. Show answer + How does Net Energy Metering work? Net Energy Metering is a program for rooftop solar customers. Basically, PG&E tracks how much energy you use for your property and how much you generate with your solar panels. The difference every month is the 'net energy.' If you produce more than you use and send some back to the grid, you're eligible to be compensated for it through the Net Surplus Compensation program. PG&E compensates NEM customers once per year for the excess energy they've sent back to the grid in what it calls the 'true-up' payment. Every month that you send power back to the grid, you accrue 'net surplus compensation credits.' If there's a month where you use more electricity than your panels generate, you can have those credits applied to your bill instead of paying for excess power from PG&E. Once every 12 months (the specific month varies based on when your service started), PG&E determines how much power you sent back to or used from the grid, and you'll either receive a payment for the energy you generated or owe money for the energy you used. The NEM program has changed significantly since it was first implemented — it's less of a good deal for solar customers than it used to be. In what was known as 'NEM 1.0,' customers were paid market rates for the energy they exported back to the grid. As of 2023, we're in NEM 3.0, and customers only get paid the 'avoided cost value' for PG&E, as calculated by the California Public Utilities Commission. Solar customers used to earn about 30 cents per kilowatt-hour sent back to the grid; customers who enrolled in NEM after the beginning of 3.0 will earn an average of about 4 cents per kilowatt-hour, according to PG&E. Show answer + Some of my energy comes from a non-PG&E company. Does that make my bill higher or lower? You might see charges on your bill for something like Sonoma Clean Power, Pioneer Community Energy or CleanPowerSF. These are community choice aggregators, which allow cities and counties to purchase or generate electricity for residents and businesses. PG&E partners with these CCAs to deliver the electricity and do meter reading, billing and outage response services. Whether it's cheaper or more expensive depends on which CCA it is. If you're a CCA customer, you receive an annual mandated notice of the rates. The California Public Utilities Commission lists rates for all California CCAs online at You can enter your city, county or ZIP code and hit 'search' to see what you'll pay for each type of plan. For instance, the CPUC's rate chart says the average PG&E base plan customer in Sonoma pays an average of 42 cents per kilowatt-hour, or $176 monthly for electricity; a Sonoma Clean Power — Clean Start customer pays an average of 40 cents per kWh, or $171 per month. Show answer + How accurate are automated meters that aren't verified in person? When you were growing up, your house probably had an analog meter that needed to be read in person. Today, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, about 3 in 4 American homes have advanced metering infrastructure — so-called 'smart meters,' which automatically transmit real-time data to your utility company. Smart meters have a lot of advantages over the old-school kind: You can see how much energy you're using every day with breakdowns by the hour. Smart meters can alert your utility right away if your power goes out. And no one has to come into your yard to read them. The California Public Utilities Commission says smart meters 'give consumers greater control over their energy use' by allowing people to see how much energy they're using at a given time and decreasing that usage if they want to or are able to. Any piece of electrical equipment can malfunction, but in general, smart meters are accurate. They have to comply with accuracy standards set by the American National Standards Institute. They do need to be replaced when their batteries start to wear out: In 2023, PG&E said it was in the process of replacing 3 million of those meters — but some customers reported sky-high bills based on estimates in the meantime. In 2010, the California Public Utilities Commission had an independent side-by-side analysis of smart and analog meters conducted. It showed the smart meters were accurate. Jennifer Robison, a spokesperson for PG&E, said you can trust what you see from your smart meter. 'Our smart meters are accurate,' she wrote in a statement. 'We randomly test meter accuracy based on state regulations. Our meters also provide real-time alerts whenever there are potential issues, and we promptly investigate if they stop communicating with our Operations Center. This allows us to quickly address potential metering issues. If we find a meter is inaccurate, we will replace the meter and apply billing corrections for the customer.' If you don't believe what you're seeing, PG&E has two ways for you to verify it, Robison said: 'For customers who request a meter accuracy test, we offer to test the electric meter on-site or invite them to come see a test at our meter plant.' Lee Trotman, communications director for The Utility Reform Network, suggested a reason people felt like their bills shot up with smart meters: Their analog meter was wrong. The accuracy of analog meters degrades over time as the equipment wears out. People might have been getting billed for less power than they were actually using. He said he'd heard from a condo owner in Redondo Beach whose monthly electrical bill had been $1.95 a month — definitely not right. 'Thousands of customers had these super-low bills' before the smart meter rollout, he said. Once the more accurate smart meter was installed, their bills increased accordingly. Show answer + Why do I sometimes get a bill for $0? This is a tough one to answer without looking at your bill, said Jennifer Robison, a PG&E spokesperson. But the most likely answer is that you got the state climate credit. Every April, there's one for natural gas users; the electric one goes out for October bills. Last year's PG&E customer climate credit for electric power was $55. If the dollar amount of your total service was less than that, you would have gotten a bill for $0. Another possibility: If you're a rooftop solar customer, you might have generated enough power on your own that you didn't need to draw any from the grid. That means you won't pay anything. Show answer + Understanding your bill Example 1: Electricity and gas from PG&E Here's a PG&E bill for a home in San Francisco. This customer gets both electricity and gas through PG&E. They're on time-of-use pricing for electricity, which comes from community choice aggregator CleanPowerSF. The background shows: Graphic shows an excerpt from a PG&E bill for a home in San Francisco. Monthly Billing History This customer gets both gas and electricity from PG&E. This chart shows how much of each they've used per month over the past year. The background shows: Graphic shows the 'Monthly Billing History' section in a PG&E bill. California Climate Credit California energy customers, including PG&E customers, receive California climate credits on their bill every April and October. Here's where this customer received theirs for their electric bill. The background shows: Graphic shows the 'California Climate Credit' section in a PG&E bill. Electric Usage This Period This customer is on Time-of-Use pricing, which charges more for electricity during the late afternoon and early evening. This chart shows how much electricity they used every day this month during those 'peak' hours (4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on this plan) and 'off-peak' hours. Minimizing your energy usage during peak hours can help reduce your monthly bills. The dotted line shows the average they used over the course of the month, which can help them pinpoint on which days they used more than normal. The background shows: Graphic shows the 'Electric Usage This Period' section in a PG&E bill. CleanPowerSF Electric Generation Charges This customer uses a community choice aggregator, or CCA, to purchase and generate electricity every month. CCAs partner with PG&E, which handles delivering the energy and managing billing, meter reading and outage response services. So you pay the CCA for the electricity itself and then pay PG&E to deliver it to you. You can see how much your CCA charges compared with PG&E at The background shows: Graphic shows the 'CleanPowerSF Electric Generation Charges' section in a PG&E bill. Your Electric Charges Breakdown This breaks down the total amount of your monthly bill into where each dollar is going. The background shows: Graphic shows the 'Your Electric Charges Breakdown' section in a PG&E bill. Example 2: One customer, two residences This homeowner has two separate residences on one PG&E bill. One home has solar panels and the other doesn't. The background shows: Graphic shows a PG&E bill for a customer with two residences in San Francisco. Your Net Energy Metering Account Summary This customer is on Net Energy Metering, which means they have rooftop solar panels. The electricity you generate with your panels first offsets the energy you use for that month. If you don't generate enough electricity with your panels to offset your usage for the month, you'll pay for additional power. Payment is made or due once per year in what PG&E calls the 'true-up' payment. For this customer, that happens in February. This customer generates more power than they use, so they're on track to owe $0 at the next true-up time. The background shows: Graphic shows 'Your Net Energy Metering Account Summary' on a PG&E bill. YTD NEM charges before taxes If you generate more energy than you use in one month, but use more than you generate the next month, your previous NEM credits are applied to your bill. That's why the 'true-up' only occurs once per year — it lets your credits roll over so you can use them. This person has accrued $220.58 in net surplus compensation credits for the power they've sent back to the grid so far since the last true-up. That amount, minus applicable state and local taxes, will be issued to them at the same time next February if they don't use those credits for excess electrical needs before then. By default, those payments are provided as bill credits, though customers can opt to receive their NEM payment as a check instead. The background shows: Graphic shows 'YTD NEM charges before taxes' on a PG&E bill. Current PG&E Electric Monthly Charges This is a mandatory fee solar customers pay PG&E every month to be connected to the grid. The background shows: Graphic shows the 'Current PG&E Electric Monthly Charges' section of a PG&E bill. Summary of Your Energy Related Services Here are separate line items for the two residences' electricity use. The background shows: Graphic shows the 'Summary of Your Energy Related Services' section of a PG&E bill. This property used 317 kWh of power, generated by CCA Ava Community Energy and delivered by PG&E. The background shows: Graphic shows the part of a PG&E bill reporting how much power used was generated by CCA Ava Community Energy. At this property, solar panels generated 537 kWh of electricity. The customer only paid the fee to be connected to the grid, plus their natural gas bill. The background shows: Graphic shows how a PG&E bill reports fees to be connected to the grid plus a natural-gas bill. Summary of NEM charges 'Net Usage' shows the difference between energy produced and energy used each month. All these negative charges mean this customer's solar panels are consistently producing more electricity than they're using. The background shows: Graphic shows the 'Summary of NEM charges' section of a PG&E bill. Credited to (Debited from) NEM Balance This shows how much the excess electricity generated by the customer's solar panels earned. This customer generated electricity worth $62.95 in addition to offsetting all the power they used in their house this month. The background shows: Graphic shows the 'Credited to (Debited from) NEM Balance' section of a PG&E bill. The Chronicle's most popular stories and best reads of the moment. Sign up This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service By subscribing, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge that your information will be used as described in our Privacy Notice. Credits Reporting by Jessica Roy. Graphics by Todd Trumbull. Editing by Anna Buchmann and Kate Galbraith. Design and development by Valerie Chu. Design and development editing by Alex K. Fong. Powered by the Hearst Newspapers DevHub. Advertisement
Politico
3 days ago
- Politico
Cash flows to Porter and dries up for Kounalakis
BRINGING RECEIPTS — It's hardly field-clearing money. But Katie Porter outraised her opponents for California governor since launching her campaign, racking up $3 million between March and June, even as many donors stayed on the sidelines waiting to see if Kamala Harris would enter the race. And then there's this … Porter received a $250,000 donation windfall in the 36 hours since Harris announced she wasn't running, her campaign exclusively told our Melanie Mason. That spike, paired with fundraising figures disclosed last night before a month's-end reporting deadline, is the latest sign — after her lead in public polling — of Porter's early edge in a Harris-less 2026 field. The former Orange County representative and law professor's contributions were inflated by a nearly $1 million transfer from other accounts. But Porter still has a list of national small-dollar donors to tap into, and most of her money came from donations of less than $5,000, averaging $33, according to her campaign. 'I'm very grateful for the outpouring of support our campaign has received,' Porter said in a statement. 'The enthusiasm we're seeing from donors at every level shows that Californians know how critical this race is—our next Governor must have the grit to stand up to Trump and determination to tackle California's biggest challenges.' Even with the transfer from other accounts factored in, Porter bested her competition. She announced her campaign in March, giving her only part of the semiannual reporting period ending in June to raise money, but also providing her a likely surge from loyal donors who usually shower campaigns soon after they launch. She raised more than she spent — roughly $1 million, her campaign said — an important stat that Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis and the eccentric, largely self-funded entrepreneur Stephen J. Cloobeck cannot claim. That leaves her with around $2 million in the bank headed into a mad dash for donors evaluating the field. The large crop of Democrats vying to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom didn't shatter any donation records with the former vice president's specter looming over the political class. But some came closer to Porter than others. Xavier Becerra: Becerra, the former Health and Human Services secretary, pulled more than $1.3 million and transferred another $1.1 million from his congressional campaign committee, leaving him with around $2.1 million banked, as we previously reported. He spent $450,000. Antonio Villaraigosa: He raised just more than $1 million and spent $470,000, leaving the former Los Angeles mayor with $3.3 million on hand. Villaraigosa is the rare Democratic candidate who could struggle without Harris in the field, though, as he loses the opportunities he took to criticize her for perceived vulnerabilities — including her public discussion of former President Joe Biden's fitness, or lack thereof. (Granted, he has blasted Becerra for the same reason, and can continue to do so.) Toni Atkins: The former legislative leader raised just shy of $650,000 and has upward of $4.2 million on hand. Today, she's touting that cash position as well as backing from an electrical workers' union and carpenters in a memo obtained by Playbook. Atkins 'has more available resources than most other Democrats in the field,' the memo reads. 'More importantly, 93 percent of her donors come from within California, a clear sign of the grassroots power and in-state support her campaign has generated.' Betty Yee: The former controller had a comparatively slow start to the year and a high burn rate, raising $238,000 — less than the $255,000 she spent. She has $637,000 left in the bank. Eleni Kounalakis: Wednesday was a great day for the lieutenant governor — when Harris decided not to run and Rep. Nancy Pelosi expressed support for Kounalakis on cable TV. The momentum didn't last. Kounalakis reported raising barely more than $100,000 and spent nearly three times that much — $290,000 — over the same span. To make matters worse, the $9 million cash on hand that her team touted Wednesday didn't materialize. She technically has only $4.6 million on hand in her governor's race account, with an additional $4.6 million stowed away in her lieutenant governor's account that can't all be transferred due to campaign finance limits. Stephen J. Cloobeck: The entrepreneur is a billionaire and acting like it. He churned through $1.5 million, spending $1.1 million-plus on consultants and $26,500 flying private from Los Angeles to Sacramento. That's far more than the $160,000 he raised, and he now has just $729,000 on hand. But Cloobeck won't let his account run dry. He reported pouring another $10 million of his fortune into the race Thursday. Tony Thurmond: Thurmond's bid to become the first state superintendent to jump straight to the governor's mansion did not inspire a ton of donations. He raised only $70,000, spent $180,000 and had $558,000 on hand at the end of June. REPUBLICANS NECK AND NECK — Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco raised $1.6 million, while former Fox News host Steve Hilton raised around $900,000 less. Their similar totals, which include a $200,000 personal loan from Hilton to his campaign, make clear that the GOP hasn't coalesced around a candidate, and cash will be at a premium now that Harris isn't providing a valuable foil to Republicans. Bianco burned $609,000 and has $1 million socked away while Hilton spent $1 million and has just under $800,000 left. GOOD MORNING. Happy Friday. Thanks for waking up with Playbook. Like what you're reading? Sign up to get California Playbook in your inbox, and forward it to a friend. You can also text us at 916-562-0685 — save it as 'CA Playbook' in your contacts. Or drop us a line at dgardiner@ and bjones@ or on X — @DustinGardiner and @jonesblakej. WHERE'S GAVIN? Nothing official announced. Big News: On Wednesday, Aug. 27, POLITICO is hosting its inaugural California policy summit. At The California Agenda, some of the state's most prominent political figures will share the stage with influential voices in tech, energy, housing and other areas to chart the path forward for a state at the forefront of critical policy debates. The live and streamed event is free, but advanced registration is required. Request an invite here. 2028 WATCH HARRIS THE OUTSIDER — Harris profusely denied that she stayed out of the governor's race to run for another office: 'No, no, no,' she told late night's Stephen Colbert in an interview that aired Thursday evening. But her effort to put distance between herself and government institutions is hardly unique among future presidential aspirants. The onetime California attorney general, senator and vice president said the reason she stayed out was 'more, perhaps, basic' than leaving the door open to a presidential run. She was tired from working from within a system that she for decades defended as an elected official, first when she became a local prosecutor in the Bay Area. 'Recently I made the decision that,' Harris said, 'for now, I don't want to go back in the system. I think it's broken.' She expressed doubt that Democratic institutions have been strong enough to defend 'our most fundamental principles' during Trump's second term. Harris reiterated that her near-term plans are to travel the country on a sort of listening tour. On Biden … 'There were some who did' tell Harris to prepare for the possibility that Biden would drop out of the running, she recalled, but she asserted it 'was Joe's decision.' As for the cascade of Democrats urging Biden to drop out, she said, 'It's an instinct of mine to be someone who does not participate in piling on. And I was not going to pile on.' On her news diet … Harris said she watched lots of cooking shows after her loss and turned off the news for months: 'You know, I'm just not into self mutilation.' On Trump … The former vice president acknowledged, at Colbert's suggestion, that she predicted much of what Trump has done in his second term. 'What I did not predict was the capitulation,' she said, 'and perhaps it's naive of me, someone who has seen a lot that most people haven't seen.' DOWN BALLOT HAPPY FRYDAY — As we previously reported, Newsom adviser and chief service officer Josh Fryday surged since announcing his candidacy for lieutenant governor, raking in $1.6 million and spending only $165,000 of it. Treasurer Fiona Ma still has more cash on hand, $4.5 million, but Fryday topped her $933,000 raised. Former Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs trailed, bringing in $725,000, but his burn rate slowed. He spent only $275,000 and had $666,000 on hand. And former Sausalito Mayor Janelle Kellman, looking for traction, raised $238,000 and spent $127,000. On The Economy MORNING MONEY: CAPITAL RISK — POLITICO's flagship financial newsletter has a new Friday edition built for the economic era we're living in: one shaped by political volatility, disruption and a wave of policy decisions with sector-wide consequences. Each week, Morning Money: Capital Risk brings sharp reporting and analysis on how political risk is moving markets and how investors are adapting. Want to know how health care regulation, tariffs, or court rulings could ripple through the economy? Start here. CLIMATE AND ENERGY TAKING THE TEMPERATURE — After Harris' exit, climate advocates see a wide-open lane for a possible champion, especially as oil and gas companies step up their campaign contributions. Read last night's California Climate for more on who's taking money from whom, who isn't, and how the governor's race shakeup is playing out in one of the state's key policy arenas. Top Talkers TRUMP HAMMERS UCLA — 'The Trump administration has frozen hundreds of science, medical and other federal grants to UCLA worth nearly $200 million, citing the university's alleged 'discrimination' in admissions and failure to 'promote a research environment free of antisemitism,'' the Los Angeles Times writes. 'The cancellation of grants is the first large-scale targeted funding claw-back against UCLA under the Trump administration.' MONEY TROUBLES — ICE raids and deportations could cost California up to $275 billion in lost wages and other funds, a study from the Bay Area Council Economic Institute finds. USA Today reports that the institute's research director and author of the study said that the amount 'took us by surprise' and that 'we anticipated it would be big, but we didn't realize how expansive and significant a role undocumented workers play in sustaining California's economy.' CAREER MOVES — ICE says that it has made more than 1,000 tentative job offers as the Trump administration ramps up hiring, The Associated Press reports. Spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said that offers were made July 4 and that 'many of these offers were to ICE officers who retired under President Biden.' AROUND THE STATE — Former Stanford and Sacramento State football coach Troy Taylor is suing ESPN over defamation claims. (The Sacramento Bee) — San Jose and San Francisco are among the top 10 metros in the U.S. for adults over 25 years old with a bachelor's degree, while four other metros in the state are among the five least college-educated nationwide, data shows. (San Francisco Chronicle) — The San Diego County district attorney has launched an inquiry after the county canceled a multimillion-dollar contract to distribute a nasal spray that can reverse opioid overdoses. (The San Diego Union-Tribune) Compiled by Juliann Ventura PLAYBOOKERS PEOPLE MOVES — Ryan Ewart has joined Southwest Strategies Group as a senior account executive. He was previously director of outreach for Assemblymember Laurie Davies. BIRTHDAYS — former state Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins (favorite treat: egg custard pie) … Playbook alumna Lara Korte (favorite cocktail: martini) … Newsom spokesperson Brandon Richards … Adam Ashton at CalMatters WANT A SHOUT-OUT FEATURED? — Send us a birthday, career move or another special occasion to include in POLITICO's California Playbook. You can now submit a shout-out using this Google form.
