Overview
- State campaign filings released in late May show Pacific Gas & Electric has spent at least $13.5 million on groups and ads opposing Tom Steyer.
- The California Chamber of Commerce PAC and the big utilities have routed additional millions into a committee that has donated about $9.75 million to the main anti-Steyer effort.
- The utility-funded ads focus on Steyer’s past hedge‑fund investments and controversies rather than his energy policy proposals, including an ad that compares him to President Trump.
- Rival campaigns seized on social posts of Steyer with PG&E CEO Patti Poppe to accuse him of hypocrisy, and Steyer’s team says being targeted by utilities proves he is taking on entrenched special interests.
- The clash is playing against a backdrop of oversight fights and audits that found $2.5 billion in wildfire spending unaccounted for, a dynamic that voters care about because of high rates and wildfire risks and that could shape who advances from the June 2 primary.