A Day (Two Actually) at the California PUC
Clifford Rechtschaffen was appointed to the California Public Utilities Commission by Governor Jerry Brown in January, 2017. He served as a senior advisor to Governor Brown from 2011 to 2017. In 2011 he also served as acting director of the California Department of Conservation. He served as a special assistant attorney general in the California Attorney General's Office from 2007 to 2010.
PUF's Steve Mitnick: How long have you been a commissioner? What's it like?
Clifford Rechtschaffen: I've been here a year. I was appointed in January 2017, to start a six-year term. It's a challenging but exciting job. We cover a lot of territory. There are a lot of new things to learn, and a lot of challenging things to learn, but this commission has strong, capable leadership and great staff.
There are many talented people here. We have a lot of big bold initiatives and major statutory mandates to implement.
PUF: What's the average day like for you?
Clifford Rechtschaffen: I spend a lot of time meeting with staff. My own staff, to go over what's on the schedule for our upcoming business meetings, or other staff, to strategize about cases where I'm the lead commissioner or have a strong interest in the policy area.