The sacking by the California Public Utilities Commission of the lawyer, who has worked on such issues for 35 years, is being seen as a sign of an overly close relationship with the company involved, the Pacific Gas and Electric Co. The explosion happened in San Bruno in 2010, killing eight people and destroying 38 homes. The fines and penalties bill could amount to US$2.5b.

Dedicated public servant

Mr Cagen was seeking information on the testing of the lines but the Commission appeared to back away from this line of investigation. When he protested against the decision to back away, he was fired. Connie Jackson, city manager of San Bruno, said: ‘Bob Cagen is a dedicated public servant who we believe held the public interest in safety as a highest priority. We think he did a great job. This is absolutely ridiculous….The city continues to be very concerned about the dysfunction of the CPUC [the Commission]. That is an alarming and frustrating situation for the city of San Bruno and the victims.’

Previous clash

Mr Cagen had been brought out of retirement to deal with the case and had disagreed with the ulilities commission prior to this episode when he and other safety lawyers vetoed a management decision that PG&E should not be fined for the San Bruno explosison. They were removed from the case but re-instated after the case went public. Source: SF Gate