The Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) Division maintains a panel of 27 ALJs who have been trained, and who have served, as ADR neutrals. These ALJs have completed a 40-hour program at the CPUC, the National Judicial College (NJC), or other providers. Many ALJs have received supplemental training at the NJC, Harvard Law School, University of Southern California, U.S. District Court, and programs. ALJs also receive periodic short-training courses throughout the year. The current ADR panel is made up of the following ALJs:
Biographies for ADR Neutrals
Carol A. Brown
Carol A. Brown joined the ALJ Division at the CPUC in November 1999. Since that time she has handled a variety of energy matters, including gas supply and rate proceedings, but has mainly been assigned to electricity procurement matters.
Prior to joining the CPUC, Carol was Chief Counsel to the Cal-OSHA Appeal Board in Sacramento. Before moving to northern California, Carol lived and worked in Newport Beach in southern California. She was a Senior Litigation Attorney with the Resolution Trust Corporation (RTC) from 1992-1995, and before that was an associate with Walker, Kendrick & Jackson, a business/real-estate firm. While with the law firm she practiced primarily in state courts, but with the RTC she had the opportunity to practice before the federal courts in California.
Judge Brown received her law degree from USC School of Law, a M.A. from Cal-State University Fullerton and her B.A. from USC.
While at the RTC, Carol took both the beginning and the advanced intensive training courses in mediation/arbitration taught in Washington D.C., attended numerous other settlement and negotiation skill training courses, and actively participates in the CPUC's ADR program, including functioning as the mediator in a number of proceedings.
Maribeth Bushey
Maribeth Bushey is an Administrative Law Judge at the California Public Utilities Commission. She has practiced public utility law for nearly 20 years, both before regulatory agencies and, for the last nine years, as an ALJ with the CPUC. Her work has focused on general rate cases and enforcement proceedings for water, telephone, and transportation companies.
ALJ Bushey is a member of the Michigan, Oregon, and California state bars. She has served the Marin County Superior Courts as an arbitrator and settlement conference panelist.
Michelle Cooke
Michelle Cooke is an Assistant Chief Administrative Law Judge at the California Public Utilities Commission. Her case assignments have focused on the energy industry, especially facilities siting cases, with the occasional special assignment to take advantage of her facilitation skills. She has overseen water industry cases as an Assistant Chief, and now has primary responsibility for overseeing rail and transportation porceedings.
Before becoming an Administrative Law Judge, Judge Cooke served as a Commissioner Advisor on Energy and Transportation for three years. In that capacity, she briefed the Commissioner on technical matters, managed the energy and transportation caseload, drafted alternates and speeches, and served as a liaison to other Commission staff.
Judge Cooke has been with the Commission since 1990 where she has advised Commissioners and administrative law judges as a staff expert on resource planning, demand-side management, and avoided cost issues. She has coordinated the efforts of inter-disciplinary teams of analysts, engineers, lawyers, and judges, to support Commission decision making and implementation efforts in various program areas.
Judge Cooke holds a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematical Economics from Pomona College and has a Certificate in Business Administration from University of California, Berkeley, Extension. She has also completed course work at the National Judicial College. She has served as President of the Pomona College Alumni Association, Treasurer of C5 Children's School, and actively participates in the Commission's Food from the Bar campaign for the San Francisco Food Bank.
Regina DeAngelis
Regina DeAngelis is an Administrative Law Judge at the California Public Utilities Commission. She has practiced in the area of public utility law for approximately 15 years and has been an Administrative Law Judge since 2007. Prior to her work as an Administrative Law Judge, DeAngelis worked as an attorney for several law firms in San Francisco and the Commission’s Legal Division. During her career, she has participated in energy, water, and telecommunications matters before the Commission. Judge DeAngelis holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Northwestern University and a Juris Doctor degree from Boston University School of Law. She also has completed judicial course work at the National Judicial College, University of Nevada at Reno; and mediation training through University of California, Hastings College of Law.
Bruce DeBerry
Bruce DeBerry is an Administrative Law Judge at the California Public Utilities Commission. Bruce has been at the California Public Utilities Commission for approximately 30 years. His current case assignments are primarily in the energy industry, although he has conducted proceedings for water and transportation utilities as well. As an ALJ, DeBerry serves as presiding officer and conducts hearings in which both written evidence and testimony from expert witnesses are presented. As an ALJ he also prepares proposed decisions for Commission consideration.
Although appointed as an ALJ in 1983, Judge DeBerry served in a special appointment as the project manager of the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Plant cost reasonableness review. In this assignment, he supervised about 12 staff and 40 consulting firms for 5 years in policy, engineering and cost analysis. Prior to this work, Bruce was a project manager on numerous major general rate cases for energy utilities and served as an expert witness in energy, water, and telecommunication matters.
Between 1989 and 1997, Judge DeBerry served as Deputy Director in the Transportation and Utility Safety Division, and under the Director he managed about 300 staff in 20 locations throughout the State involving trucking, passenger, rail, and utility safety matters. His primary duties focused on human resource issues, budgeting, planning and problem solving. Between 1997 and 2001, he served as Director of the Information and Management Services Division which includes human resources, information management, contracts, and related administrative matters for the Commission. He also served as Deputy Executive Director and taught portions of an expert witness course over many years. In 2001 he returned to the ALJ Division.
Judge DeBerry holds a degree in Civil Engineering, and is a registered engineer in California. He also has an MBA, was a member of the honorary business society, and has completed course work at the National Judicial College. He has served as president of church organizations, and participated in the construction of housing in Mexico and Habitat for Humanity projects.
Dorothy Duda
Dorothy Duda is an Administrative Law Judge at the California Public Utilities Commission. Her case assignments focus on the telecommunications industry, particularly cases relating to requirements of the Federal Telecommunications Act such as wholesale pricing of unbundled network components that SBC and Verizon lease to competitors, and arbitration of interconnection agreements. As an ALJ, Judge Duda serves as presiding officer, conducts hearings, and prepares proposed decisions in formal proceedings before the Commission.
Before becoming an Administrative Law Judge, Judge Duda served for three and a half years as an Advisor to Commissioners Jessie Knight and Richard Bilas. In that capacity, she briefed the Commissioners on technical matters in the telecommunications and energy industries, managed the Commissioner's assigned caseload, drafted alternate decisions and speeches, and served as a liaison to other Commission staff.
Judge Duda has been with the Commission since 1992 where she has advised Commissioners and administrative law judges as a staff expert on natural gas, electric industry, and telecommunications issues. She has coordinated the efforts of inter-disciplinary teams of analysts, engineers, lawyers, and judges, to support Commission decision making and implementation efforts in various program areas.
Judge Duda holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Policy Analysis and Government from Pomona College and an M.B.A. from the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley. She has also completed course work at the National Judicial College. She serves on the board of her children's nonprofit daycare center, is an active Girl Scouts leader, and teaches alcohol and drug abuse awareness classes at a local elementary school.
Maryam Ebke
Maryam Ebke is an Administrative Judge at the California Public Utilities Commission. Her current work includes energy and water applications.
Judge Ebke has been with the Commission since 1990. Before becoming an Administrative Law Judge, Judge Ebke worked on various major electric policy proceedings at the CPUC. Between 2004 and 2005, Judge Ebke acted as the interim director of the Division of Strategic Planning at the CPUC, working extensively with management on issues related to the agency such as budgeting and management policies. During that time, she managed staff’s work on telecommunication, water and energy issues. Judge Ebke has represented the PUC in interagency meetings and workshops on issues related to energy planning, procurement and transmission planning and permitting.
Prior to her work at the CPUC, Judge Ebke worked as a consulting engineer designing mechanical systems for high rise buildings. Judge Ebke holds a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from California State University, Sacramento and is a licensed mechanical engineer in the State of California. She has also completed coursework at the National Judicial College in Reno, Nevada.
Janet Econome
Janet Econome is an Assistant Chief Administrative Law Judge at the California Public Utilities Commission, and has been an Administrative Law Judge since 1991. Currently, Judge Econome supervises energy policy matters before the Commission. In her tenure at the Commission, she had handled a wide variety of energy policy and rate cases, as well as Commission investigations and complaint cases in all subject areas before the Commission. In her capacity as an administrative law judge, Ms. Econome served as presiding officer and conducted hearings and prepared proposed decisions in formal proceedings before the Commission.
Between 1978 and 1991, Judge Econome practiced general civil litigation, handling both trials and appeals, primarily in the land use, constitutional law, and general business areas. Judge Econome has had over 80 hours of mediation training and has mediated several cases at the Commission. Judge Econome is also on a panel of volunteer mediators with the Alternative Dispute Resolution Program of the United District Court for the Northern District of California.
Judge Econome obtained a B.A. from the University of California at Berkeley in 1975 and a J.D. from Hastings College of the Law in 1978.
Janice Grau
Janice Grau is an Administrative Law Judge at the California Public Utilities Commission. Most of her case assignments relate to telecommunications matters, but she also has experience in water, transportation, and energy.
Before becoming an Administrative Law Judge, Judge Grau was an attorney in the Commission's Legal Division. She represented the Commission's Division of Ratepayer Advocates, primarily in telecommunications matters, and the Commission before the Federal Communications Commission and in federal court.
Prior to joining the Commission in 1986, Judge Grau was an attorney at the law firm of Carroll, Burdick and McDonough. In private practice, she defended insurance companies in complex insurance coverage litigation.
Judge Grau has a JD from the University of San Francisco, where she was on the law review staff. She also has a BA in Comparative Literature from the University of California at Berkeley and attended the University of Bordeaux.
Judge Grau has received mediation and alternative dispute resolution training through the Commission's mediation training program. With her free time she enjoys Yoga, baseball, film, and Internet research.
Timothy Kenney
Timothy Kenney is an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) at the California Public Utilities Commission. Most of his cases relate to energy matters, but he also has experience in telecommunications. Judge Kenney joined the California Public Utilities Commission in 1984 and has been an ALJ since 1994.
Judge Kenney's formal education includes an MBA from the University of California at Berkeley, a BA in Accounting from Golden Gate University, and an AS in Physical Sciences from the College of Marin. He is also a Certified Public Accountant. Judge Kenney has received mediation and alternative dispute resolution training through the Commission's mediation training program.
Victoria Kolakowski
Victoria Kolakowski has been an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) at the California Public Utilities Commission since January 2007. Prior to rejoining the CPUC, she served for a year as an Administrative Law Judge at the California Department of Insurance. She has served on the faculty of the National Judicial College and on the administrative judiciary committee of the National Association of Women Judges.
In addition to serving as an ALJ, Judge Kolakowski served as Acting Assistant Chief Counsel at the California Electricity Oversight Board, where she was a senior attorney handling matters involving wholesale electricity market monitoring and design, including the Refund Proceedings at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and in federal courts for recovery of overcharges arising out the Energy Crisis of 2000-01.
Judge Kolakowski served in-house as general counsel for Telegen Corporation and as patent counsel for Ampex Corporation. As an attorney in private practice, she was both a sole practitioner and an attorney with a small patent boutique firm where she oversaw all outside patent work for Pacific Telesis and its subsidiaries. She also served as a policy analyst for the Division of Ratepayer Advocates and as a utilities engineer in the Consumer Protection and Safety Division.
Judge Kolakowski received joint Juris Doctor and Master in Public Administration degrees from Louisiana State University, a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of New Orleans, a Master of Science in Bio-Medical Engineering from Tulane University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Natural Sciences degree from New College of Florida. She is admitted to practice law before all courts in California as well as the Federal Circuit, District of Columbia Circuit and Ninth Circuit Courts of Appeal, as well as the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
Kenneth L. Koss
Kenneth Koss has been Administrative Law Judge at the California Public Utilities Commission since 2003. In addition to presiding over Commission proceedings, Judge Koss also is the ADR Coordinator for the Commission and assists with training and development for the Commission's ADR Program. He also served as the Division Coordinator for the Intervenor Compensation Program for three years.
Judge Koss has been with the Commission since 1972. Before becoming an ALJ, Judge Koss was the director of the Rail Safety and Carriers Division from 1996-2002, where he was responsible for the CPUC rail transit, rail crossing, railroad and motor carrier safety and licensing programs, and managed a staff ranging from 100 to 200 employees. His other past duties included managing the Energy Division's energy efficiency program in 2002, and acting as the Liaison Officer and Commissioner Advisor to the California Transportation Commission from 1991-1996.
Judge Koss earned a Bachelor of Arts in Urban Studies from the University of California, Riverside; and, a Masters in Transportation Systems Management from Cal. State University, Los Angeles. Judge Koss also holds a Class B License (non-attorney) to practice before the USDOT Surface Transportation Board.
Douglas M. Long
Douglas M. Long has been an Administrative Law Judge at the California Public Utilities Commission, since 2002. Judge Long serves as presiding officer, conducts hearings, and prepares proposed decisions in formal Commission proceedings. He has presided over energy and water industry ratemaking matters.
Prior to 2002, Judge Long was employed at the Commission as a Program Manager for 13 years, and earlier, as a Principal Financial Examiner for 3 more years, serving as a branch manager first for the former Commission Advisory & Compliance Division and then the current Energy Division. Judge Long briefly served as the Commission’s Ex Officio member of the California Independent System Operator’s Board of Governors in 2000. As a Financial Examiner, he planned, conducted and supervised audits and financial studies, specializing in energy and water utility proceedings. Judge Long joined the Commission staff in 1977.
Judge Long is an inactive Certified Public Accountant, licensed by the State of California. His educational background includes a Bachelors of Economics degree from the James Cook University of North Queensland (Australia), and both a Bachelors and Masters of Science (Accounting) degrees from Golden Gate University (San Francisco, California). He has also completed course work with the National Judicial College in Reno, Nevada and is currently a candidate in its Administrative Law Adjudication Skills Certificate Program. Judge Long has completed Commission-sponsored training through U.C. Hastings College of the Law in alternative dispute resolution, and at U. C. Berkeley, in its graduate school program for continuing education on public utility regulation.
Burton W. Mattson
Burton W. Mattson is an Administrative Law Judge with the California Public Utilities Commission. His assignments have involved all Commission-regulated industries, including electricity, natural gas, telecommunications, water, and transportation.
Judge Mattson has been with the Commission since 1975, performing technical, analytical, policy, management and administrative law duties. He has testified as an expert witness before the Commission, California Energy Commission, and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on many subjects, including costs, revenue allocation, rates, rate design, resources, electricity imports, and pricing for purchases of electricity from cogenerators and small power producers. He became an ALJ in 1989, and conducts workshops, hearings and formal proceedings. These have included investigation, rulemaking, ratemaking and adjudicatory proceedings in matters ranging from household goods, electric outages, ratemaking, and consumer complaints to interconnection agreements. He has issued rulings and decisions in all areas the Commission regulates. He has also conducted arbitrations under the Telecommunications Act of 1996, filing Final Arbitrator's Reports.
His most recent proceedings have been in the energy industry. Subjects have included an investigation into interruptible programs and curtailment priorities for electric utilities, ratemaking for a gas industry settlement, ratemaking for senior executive retention bonuses, electric industry reliability issues for summer 2004, bankruptcy matters, general rate case proceedings, and a rulemaking regarding implementation and enforcement of operation and maintenance standards for California's electric generation facilities.
Judge Mattson holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of California, Davis, graduating with highest honors. He was awarded the Department of Economics Citation for Outstanding Undergraduate Accomplishment in 1973. He has taken several post-graduate classes, including subjects in energy economics, statistics, corporate finance, mathematical modeling, organizational communication, supervision, writing, and regulation. He has completed courses at the National Judicial College in both fair hearing and judicial writing. He has also completed three courses specifically oriented to alternative dispute resolution, including both mediation and early neutral evaluation: Mediation Training in 1993 by the Bates Edwards Group; Mediation Skills Workshop in 1998 by The Mediation Institute; and Alternative Dispute Resolution Training in 2005 by the Commission. He conducted one mediation in 2002.
A. Kirk McKenzie
A. Kirk McKenzie has been an Administrative Law Judge at the California Public Utilities Commission since 1992. In that time, he has handled major telecommunications, electric and water proceedings, including complaint cases involving these industries.
Prior to joining the CPUC, ALJ McKenzie practiced public utility and commercial law for 20 years. He served as an in-house attorney for Pacific Gas and Electric Company from 1979 to 1983, and then was associated with Lindsay, Hart, Neil & Weigler, a major law firm in Portland, Oregon that represented clients before the Bonneville Power Administration. Immediately before joining the CPUC, ALJ McKenzie served as outside counsel for the California Energy Commission in a number of important proceedings before the CPUC.
In addition to his public utility work, ALJ McKenzie’s experience in private practice includes serving as counsel in several important appeals. These appeals include Eastman Kodak Co. v. Image Technical Services, Inc., 504 U.S. 451 (1992), California Retail Liquor Dealers Assn. v. Midcal Aluminum, Inc., 445 U.S. 97 (1980), and Walt Disney Productions v. Air Pirates, 581 F.2d 751 (9th Cir. 1978); cert. denied, 439 U.S. 1132 (1979).
ALJ McKenzie received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History from Stanford University in 1968, and a Juris Doctor Degree from Yale Law School in 1971. He is a member of the California, Oregon and New York bars. He has also served since 1990 as a member of the board of Humanities West, a nonprofit corporation that presents programs on the humanities. He has completed Commission training in alternative dispute resolution.
Angela K. Minkin
Angela Minkin has worked for the Commission since 1985. She began her professional career at the Commission as an Auditor I, and has risen through the professional ranks, serving now as Chief Administrative Law Judge. Angie has served in the ALJ Division since 1994, and has been assigned to a variety of controversial proceedings, including those related to electric restructuring, transition costs, and performance-based ratemaking. As manager of the ALJ Division, she is responsible for setting priorities, providing direction and leadership to a multi-disciplinary team, and ensuring that formal matters are completed according to legislatively-prescribed deadlines. She actively encourages the use of ADR to help accomplish these goals.
Angie earned her M.S. in Special Education from the University of Colorado at Boulder. She has taken several courses in regulation and administrative law courses, as well as courses in public policy mediation and ADR.
Myra J. Prestidge
Myra Prestidge is an Administrative Law Judge at the California Public Utilities Commission. She has been an Administrative Law Judge with the Commission since 1999 and has handled complaint, administrative rulemaking, energy, and telecommunications cases.
She graduated from the University of Santa Clara in 1984 and is a licensed attorney in California. Before coming to the Commission, Ms. Prestidge spent the majority of her legal career advising and representing local governments on municipal law issues, including contracts, public construction, tort claims, land use, code enforcement, conflicts of interest, and labor and employment law matters. She has served as Senior Assistant City Attorney for the City of Mountain View and Assistant City Attorney for the cities of American Canyon and Redwood City.
Thomas R. Pulsifer
Thomas Pulsifer is an Administrative Law Judge at the California Public Utilities Commission, a position he has held since 1991. In his capacity as an ALJ, Mr. Pulsifer serves as presiding officer, conducts hearings and prepares proposed decisions in formal proceedings before the Commission. Since 1991, he has presided over various major policy proceedings dealing with electric, gas, and telecommunications industry matters.
Prior to 1991, Mr. Pulsifer was employed at the Commission as a Program and Project Supervisor (PPS) (from 1986 to 1991) and as a Financial Examiner from 1977 to 1986). As a PPS, Mr. Pulsifer was responsible for supervising and coordinating the work of professional staff and contract consultants in major gas and electric proceedings, including the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Plant Prudency Review and the proposed Southern Calif. Edison/SDG&E merger. As a Financial Examiner with the Commission, he was responsible for conducting and supervising various audits, financial studies, and specialized regulatory analysis in gas, electric, and water utility proceedings.
Mr. Pulsifer is a Certified Public Accountant, licensed by the State of California. His educational background includes a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Business Administration (with an accounting concentration) from California State University Sacramento and a Master of Business Administration (with a concentration in finance) from California State University East Bay. He has also completed course work with the National Judicial College in Reno, Nevada. ALJ Pulsifer has completed Commission training in alternative dispute resolution.
Jacqueline A. Reed
Jacqueline A. Reed is an Administrative Law Judge at the California Public Utilities Commission, and has been since 1991. Currently, Judge Reed primarily handles Commission applications and complaints in the areas of telecommunications, energy and transportation. As an ALJ, Judge Reed serves as presiding officer, conducts hearings, and prepares proposed decisions in formal proceedings before the Commission.
Before becoming an Administrative Law Judge, Judge Reed served as Advisor to a Chairman and then Commissioner of the District of Columbia Public Service Commission. In that capacity, she briefed the Commissioner on legal issues in the telecommunications, gas, electric and transportation areas, managed the Commissioner's caseload, assisted in the drafting of Commission decisions, and drafted speeches and comments.
Judge Reed has a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center and a B.A. from Brown University. She has also completed coursework at the Institute of Public Utilities at Michigan State University and the National Judicial College, and has received mediation and alternative dispute training through the Commission's mediation training program.
Victor D. Ryerson
Judge Ryerson has been an administrative law judge since 1990, presiding in administrative proceedings at two different California agencies. His work involves presiding over hearings, preparing proposed decisions, and handling law and motion matters, settlement conferences, mediations, and arbitrations. At the California Public Utilities Commission he has issued major decisions concerning electric, telecommunication, and water utilities, and transportation carriers. From 2003 to 2005 he served as an administrative law judge with the Office of Administrative Hearings in Oakland, and decided more than 150 cases under the California Administrative Procedure Act, Lanterman Act, and various local agency regulations. He has served as a neutral mediator in major public utility cases, as well as in cases involving smaller disputes between customers and utility companies.
Before becoming an administrative law judge in 1990, Judge Ryerson had a general civil litigation practice emphasizing transportation matters, and for several years he served as chief legal officer for a major short line railroad company, which included corporate, regulatory, and litigation duties. He is admitted to practice in California and the District of Columbia.
Judge Ryerson completed the Civil Mediation program at the National Judicial College in Reno, Nevada, and a 40-hour course in Public Policy Mediation conducted by the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution of the Pepperdine University School of Law. He received his Juris Doctor, from the University of California at Davis in 1976.
Anne E. Simon
Anne Simon is an Administrative Law Judge at the California Public Utilities Commission. Her case assignments include energy programs, telecommunications, and rail safety. As an ALJ, Judge Simon serves as presiding officer, conducts hearings and prepares proposed decisions in formal proceedings before the Commission.
Prior to coming to the Commission in 2002, Judge Simon served for six years as an administrative law judge in the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. In that capacity, she conducted evidentiary hearings, resolved discovery disputes, and prepared proposed decisions in appeals of agency decisions. She also facilitated settlement conferences for cases in the formal hearing process.
Judge Simon holds a Bachelor of Arts in history from Harvard University and a Juris Doctor degree from Yale Law School. She has also completed course work at the National Judicial College. Judge Simon has practiced as an attorney in the areas of environmental law, civil rights, and international human rights in Connecticut, New York, and California.
Timothy J. Sullivan
Timothy J. Sullivan is an Administrative Law Judge at the Public Utilities Commission. Judge Sullivan has broad experience throughout the Commission over his 20 year career. He has served as an advisor to four Commissioners. His work has covered all areas of Commission regulation.
Judge Sullivan holds a Ph.D. in public policy from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and an AB in mathematics from Yale. He has also completed course work at the National Judicial College and at USC.
Judge Sullivan authored Resolving Development Disputes through Negotiation, which examined the role of bargaining and mediation as an alternative to litigation in advancing the public interest. Judge Sullivan has also taken additional mediation training at the Commission.
Charlotte F. TerKeurst
Charlotte F. TerKeurst is an Administrative Law Judge at the California Public Utilities Commission. Judge TerKeurst serves as presiding officer, conducts hearings, and prepares proposed decisions in formal proceedings before the Commission. Her case assignments currently focus on the energy industry, with emphasis on transmission planning and siting cases. Other current or recent cases have addressed natural gas prices during the 2000 – 2001 energy crisis and electricity and gas residential rate design.
Judge TerKeurst has been an ALJ with the Commission since 2002 and also held that position between 1986 and 1991. During her earlier stint as an ALJ, Judge TerKeurst handled telecommunications and energy matters, including new regulatory frameworks for local telephone companies, AT&T, and gas utilities. Joining the Commission in 1980, Judge TerKeurst served on the technical staff analyzing energy resource issues, as a Commissioner's advisor, and as a supervisor in the Energy Resources Department before becoming an ALJ.
During her eleven-year absence from the Commission, Judge TerKeurst worked for other state regulatory commissions and as a consultant. She was Manager of the Telecommunications Department at the Missouri Public Service Commission between 1991 and 1993 and Manager of the Telecommunications Division at the Illinois Commerce Commission between 1993 and 1997. She represented the Illinois commission in a four-state mediation between Ameritech and AT&T as the 1996 federal Telecommunications Act was implemented. Between 1997 and 2002, she consulted on telecommunications regulatory issues. She has provided expert witness testimony and litigation support in numerous regulatory jurisdictions and court proceedings.
Judge TerKeurst holds a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics from the University of Mississippi and a Master of Science degree in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois. She has completed course work at the National Judicial College and at the Berkeley and Los Angeles campuses of the University of California. She taught a course in telecommunications regulation at Golden Gate University for several years.
Sarah R. Thomas
Sarah Rubenstein Thomas is an Administrative Law Judge at the California Public Utilities Commission. She joined the ALJ Division in 1999, and since that time she has handled telecommunications and energy matters, including the New Regulatory Framework (NRF) review of Pacific Bell, the forestalled merger of Sprint and MCI-WorldCom, a proceeding examining how telecommunications, energy and water companies allocate gains on sale of utility property, the Energy Efficiency proceeding, the Low Income Energy Efficiency proceeding, an investigation into the activities of the holding companies of California's 3 largest energy utilities, and several complaint cases. Judge Thomas was the Commission's law and motion judge for 3 years, and has co-run the ALJ Division's legal intern program for 4 years.
Judge Thomas received her J.D. from Boalt Hall School of Law (University of California, Berkeley) in 1986, and her B.A. from U.C. Berkeley in 1981. She was a litigation attorney for 5 years at Heller, Ehrman, White & McAuliffe, a top 10 San Francisco law firm. She then moved to Pacific Bell/Pacific Telesis, where she continued as a litigator for 4 years, and then spent 2 years working before the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on implementation of the federal Telecommunications Act of 1996. Judge Thomas represented persons with HIV/AIDS for two years as Client Services Director of San Francisco's AIDS Legal Referral Panel. She joined the Commission in November 1999.
Judge Thomas has participated in mediations and arbitrations of many cases on behalf of clients during her nearly 20 years as a lawyer. She has undergone extensive mediation training at the Commission.
Jean Vieth
Jean Vieth has been an Administrative Law Judge at the California Public Utilities Commission since 1998. Judge Vieth currently works in the Adjudicatory Proceedings section, where her diverse assignments span all Commission-regulated industries: energy, telecommunications, water and transportation. Her caseload typically includes customer and competitor complaints and Commission-initiated investigations, as well as other types of regulatory proceedings. In this capacity, Judge Vieth serves as the presiding officer at hearings and issues written, proposed dispositions of both litigated and ex parte filings. Judge Vieth also serves as an advisor to the Commission's Docket Office.
Since joining the Commission in 1989, Judge Vieth has held positions as staff counsel, appellate counsel, and legislative counsel. She also has served two Commissioners as an advisor on energy, water, and legal matters. Prior to joining the Commission, Judge Vieth practiced general business litigation as an associate with the San Francisco law firm, Stimmel & Stimmel PC (now Stimmel, Stimmel & Smith PC), where she represented clients in the courts and before various arbitration panels.
Judge Vieth received a Juris Doctor from Golden Gate University School of Law. She received her undergraduate education at Denison University and at the University of Idaho, where she obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Plant Science.
Christine Walwyn
Christine Walwyn is an Administrative Law Judge at the California Public Utilities Commission. Over the past 15 years, she has been the assigned judge on rate cases and other major policy proceedings for electric, gas, telephone, and water utilities. From 1981-85, she was a Commissioner on the Nevada Public Utilities Commission. Prior to working in the public sector, Ms. Walwyn was a corporate officer of a bank affiliated leasing company and president of the board of a business trade association.
Judge Walwyn obtained a B.A. from the University of California at Davis and an M.B.A. from the University of Nevada at Reno. She has served as a facilitator in organizing and running community-based workshops for the Commission in the Carmel River Dam proceeding and has also mediated a complaint case at the Commission. She has over 80 hours of mediation training, including training in complex public policy dispute resolution at Humboldt State's Institute for the Study of Alternative Dispute Resolution.
Philip Weismehl
Philip Weismehl is an Assistant Chief Administrative Law Judge at the California Public Utilities Commission, a position he has held since 1992. During that period he has overseen the work of ALJs handling most of the Commission's formal telecommunications workload and currently oversees various areas of energy work as well. He has also been the ALJ Division's legislative coordinator. He has conducted training for the ALJ Division in the area of judicial ethics.
Before joining the ALJ Division, Judge Weismehl had been a member of the Commission's Legal Division since 1976, working in virtually every area of Commission practice including the advisory, appellate and staff counsel areas. His case load included almost every area of Commission jurisdiction, focusing ultimately on large complex energy proceedings. He also served as a legislative liaison for the Commission.
Before joining the Commission, Judge Weismehl worked for the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission and was a staff member of the California State Senate.
Judge Weismehl has a JD from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law (Boalt Hall) and a B.A. from the University of Illinois. He has completed training courses in alternative dispute resolution, focusing on mediation.
Steven Weissman
Steven Weissman is an Administrative Law Judge at the California Public Utilities Commission, where he presides over electric and gas policy matters. Judge Weissman was an ALJ for eleven years before working as the Energy Advisor to Commissioner Carl Wood. Judge Weissman also served as Project Manager for the Commission's investigation of price and reliability concerns in California electricity markets and as the Commission's staff liaison to Governor Davis' Green Team. He has served as a staff counsel and advisor to two former CPUC commissioners, and has been Principal Consultant to the Assembly Natural Resources Committee and former Legal Director for the Local Government Commission.
Judge Weissman created the CPUC's Alternatives to Litigation program that included training administrative law judges to serve as mediators. He is a practicing mediator (handling both two-party disputes and environmental disputes with numerous parties) and a charter member of the mediation panel for the United States District Court for the Northern California District.
His educational background includes a Bachelor's degree in Psychology from the University of Michigan, a law degree from the University of California at Davis, and a Masters in Public Administration from Harvard University, where his training included classes led by members of the Harvard Negotiating Project.
In addition, Steven Weissman is an appointed member of the Berkeley Downtown Area Plan Advisory Committee, and teaches energy regulation and environmental law.
Mark S. Wetzell
Mark S. Wetzell has been with the Commission since 1972, performing investigative, technical, analytical, policy, management, and administrative law duties. He received his appointment as Administrative Law Judge in 1987 after serving as an analyst and a manager in the Transportation Division. He has presided over compliance investigations, complaints, rulemakings, and ratemaking proceedings including general rate cases. His assignments have involved all Commission-regulated industries, including electricity, natural gas, telecommunications, water, and transportation. His recent case assignments have been in the energy industry.
ALJ Wetzell holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of California at Los Angeles, graduating with honors. He has taken several post-graduate courses, including subjects in transportation, energy economics, statistics, supervision, writing, and regulation. He has completed courses at the National Judicial College at Reno, Nevada. He has also completed Commission training in alternative dispute resolution.
Hallie Yacknin
Hallie Yacknin is an Administrative Law Judge at the California Public Utilities Commission. As an ALJ, Judge Yacknin serves as presiding officer and conducts hearings and prepares proposed decisions in formal proceedings before the Commission. She also is currently serving as a law and motion judge and, in that capacity, handles protective orders and discovery disputes.
Before becoming an Administrative Law Judge, Judge Yacknin served as an Assistant General Counsel in the Commission's Legal Division for six years. In that capacity, she advised the Office of Ratepayer Advocates in the litigation of energy, water, and telecommunications proceedings before the Commission, and supervised a group of 12 attorneys providing legal services to the office.
Judge Yacknin has been with the Commission since 1988 and, until becoming an assistant general counsel, served as staff counsel in the Legal Division representing staff primarily in electric and gas matters before the Commission.
Judge Yacknin received her J.D. and a Master of Arts degree in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Iowa, and her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California at Davis. She has also completed course work at the National Judicial College.
Amy C. Yip-Kikugawa
Amy C. Yip-Kikugawa has been an Administrative Law Judge at the California Public Utilities Commission since 2007. Most of her case assignments relate to energy matters.
Before becoming an Administrative Law Judge, Judge Yip-Kikugawa was an appellate attorney in the Commission's Legal Division, where she represented the Commission in cases before the California Courts of Appeal and Supreme Court. Prior to joining the Commission in 2000, Judge Yip-Kikugawa worked as a financial advisor at an investment advisory firm in Honolulu, Hawaii and as a consultant with Ernst & Young.
Judge Yip-Kikugawa received a J.D. from the University of San Francisco, an M.B.A. from The Ohio State University, and a B.S. from Georgetown University. She has completed Commission training in alternative dispute resolution.