A highway sign in California points to the heart of the Valley. (Photo: Filip Bjorkman)It should come as no surprise that a representative from the Central Valley’s largest city heads California’s New Democratic lawmakers. And with Perea at the helm, inland Democrats were vocal in staking out their turf in the year’s prominent battles.
A devastated zone in San Bruno following the 2010 gas pipeline explosion. (Photo: Brocken Inaglory)Pacific Gas and Electric Co. should pay an unprecedented $1.4 billion in fines and penalties stemming from the 2010 gas pipeline blast in San Bruno that killed eight people and destroyed three dozen homes, state regulators ruled. Penalties against PG&E stemming from the explosion now exceed $2 billion – the $1.4 billion announced Tuesday and $635 million from an earlier decision involving aging pipelines.