Michael Peevey, president of the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), on April 25 ducked a meeting of the Senate Budget and Fiscal Review subcommittee so he could imbibe with utility company representatives at an upscale Napa winery, according to the NBC Bay Area Investigative Unit. Peevey was asked to appear before the subcommittee to answer questions about a recent report raising concerns about the CPUC's commitment to safety, as well as its snug relationship with the utilities it is supposed to regulate. But Peevey snubbed the senate subcommittee and went to the winery for a meeting sponsored by the California Foundation for the Environment and the Economy. This is the outfit that in previous years has taken Peevey and his wife on overseas junkets -- for example, to Sevilla and Barcelona. Representatives of power companies go along on the merry trips. Peevey spoke only five to seven minutes at the Napa huddlew, according to the San Francisco Sentinel.

According to NBC, Peevey was asked to appear before the subcommittee "to justify keeping the job he has held for the past decade." NBC quoted Sen. Jerry Hill, who represents San Bruno, which is still recovering from an explosion that was probably due to lax regulation: "The governor needs to replace the president of the [California] Public Utilities Commission," said Hill, citing Peevey's "cozy relationship with the utilities, which this report indicates." Two other lawmakers echoed Hill's sentiments, reported NBC.