Monterey Peninsula Water Management District, Petitioner v. Public Utilities Commission, Respondent…

Summary

The court held that the Public Utilities Commission lacked authority to review a water district's user fee merely because the fee appeared on a public utility's customer bill and was collected by the utility. The fee was originated by the district, and the district's performance of work that also satisfied a utility obligation did not transform the fee into a utility surcharge subject to Commission regulation. The court set aside the Commission's decisions and remanded for proceedings distinguishing agency-originated charges from utility-originated charges.