Clifford Rechtschaffen, Commissioner
Clifford Rechtschaffen was appointed to the California Public Utilities Commission by Governor Jerry Brown in January 2017. At the CPUC his key areas of interest include decarbonization, safety, environmental justice, enforcement, and improving the accessibility of Commission proceedings. Commissioner Rechtschaffen is the assigned Commissioner on the integrated resource planning, transportation electrification, building electrification, Renewables Portfolio Standard, biomethane and renewable gas, supplier diversity, and several risk assessment and safety proceedings. He also co-leads several internal agency initiatives, including implementation of the Commission's Environmental and Social Justice Action Plan, implementation of the Commission’s enforcement policy, and efforts to make CPUC proceedings more streamlined and accessible to the public. Commissioner Rechtschaffen is a member of the Joint Federal-State Task Force on Electric Transmission, serves as one of two Commissioners on the Senate Bill 350 Disadvantaged Communities Advisory Group, is a member of the Western Energy Imbalance Market Body of State Regulators, and is on advisory board of the California Stationary Fuel Cell Collaborative and the Financial Research Institute.
Prior to joining the CPUC, Commissioner Rechtschaffen served as a senior advisor to Governor Brown from 2011 to 2017, where he worked on climate, energy, and environmental issues. In 2011 he also served as acting director of the California Department of Conservation. Commissioner Rechtschaffen served as a special assistant attorney general in the California Attorney General's Office from 2007 to 2010. From 1993 to 2007, he taught environmental law, directed the environmental law program, and co-founded the Environmental Law and Justice Clinic at Golden Gate University School of Law. In 2005, he was a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Ljubljana in Slovenia. He is the author of several books and numerous articles on environmental law and policy. He was a deputy attorney general in the Environment Section of the California Attorney General's Office from 1986 to 1993, a Reginald Heber Smith Community Lawyer Fellow at the Marin County Legal Aid Foundation from 1985 to 1986, and a law clerk for the Honorable Thelton Henderson, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, from 1984 to 1985. He is a graduate of Yale Law School and Princeton University. He lives in Oakland and is a diehard Golden State Warriors fan.
Diversity Statement: The California Public Utilities Commission embraces diversity and inclusiveness as core values. Practicing inclusion involves supporting and respecting people of all backgrounds, especially those that have historically been marginalized.
News
May 2, 2022 Op-Ed: New CPUC Rules Increase Transparency
Feb. 18, 2022 Op-Ed: Revisiting California's natural gas hookup subsidies
Dec. 14, 2021: Advancing Environmental Justice at the California Public Utilities Commission
Sept. 25, 2019 Op-Ed: Recent Changes to California’s Self-Generation Incentive Program, Explained
Sept. 19, 2019: Keynote address at AEE Conference: Safety, Security and Sustainability
September 2019 Newsletter Article: Examining the Impacts of CPUC Decisions on Utility Bills
Sept. 12, 2019: Redefining utility affordability: CPUC pursues broad approach to guide decisions
Aug. 16, 2019: West Coast Utility Commissions Discuss Changing Wildfire Risk and Mitigation Efforts
June 13, 2019: CPUCs Transition to a Resilience Agency - Commissioner Cliff Rechtschaffen
Proposed Decision Modifying Biomethane Injection Standards pursuant to Senate Bill 840
Jan. 29, 2019 Op-Ed: Creating a New Risk Evaluation Paradigm in the Face of California's Wildfires
Nov. 2 Webinar - Environmental and Social Justice Action Plan
Oct. 15, 2018: Commissioner Rechtschaffen's Blog: CPUC Acts to Cut Methane Pollution
Sept. 24, 2018: Opportunity To Join The Low-Income Oversight Board
August 2018: Seeking New Disadvantaged Communities Advisory Group Member
Sept. 16, 2017: CPUC Commissioners Guzman Aceves and Rechtschaffen Confirmed by State Senate
Dec. 28, 2016: Governor’s Press Release Announcing Appointment
Commissioner Remarks at Voting Meetings
Contact
California Public Utilities Commission
505 Van Ness Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94102
Request a meeting with Commissioner Rechtschaffen
Request Commissioner Rechtschaffen speak at or attend your event
Staff
Sean Simon
Chief of Staff
Yuliya Shmidt
Advisor
Sandy Goldberg
Advisor
Simi Rose George
Advisor
Joanna Perez-Green
Advisor
Karin Sung
Advisor
Winnie Chen
Assistant