By Alma de la Melena Cox

WATSONVILLE – Doing a job safely is not enough. Driving to and from a job safely is vital, too. That’s why PG&E Electric Troubleman Grant Estrada created something he calls the Truck Rodeo. Using 10-ton trucks, the Rodeo puts the attention on vehicles and their drivers.

“Our trucks are our office and our toolbox; it is the most beneficial tool that we have,” said Estrada.

Braking distance is measured, a reminder that heavy vehicles take longer to stop.

PG&E Troubleman Mark Cori added, “It has everything we need, whether we’re going to an outage or to repair a service.”

At the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds in Watsonville, PG&E recently held its fourth annual Truck Rodeo. The troublemen who drive the specialized bucket trucks – used for electric system repairs – participated in a series of inspections and challenges which mirrored what they face in the real world.

The event was fun, but the purpose was serious: To encourage on-road safety.

Chip Stanley, a PG&E senior human performance specialist, talked about the benefit of the Truck Rodeo. “The guys know we’re compliant and the public knows we’re safe.”

The Truck Rodeo starts with peer-to-peer vehicle inspections.

• Pole-climbing gear is evaluated for sharpness
• Ladders and crucial insulated rubber gloves – used to handle live wires – are all checked
• Even storage is given a checkmark for tidiness

While weighing trucks for weight compliance, Estrada saw something invaluable in the data — a correlation between truck roll-over and a side-to-side weight imbalance.

Vehicles are inspected for many things, including proper tool storage.

“Most of it is us,” said Estrada. “How do we load our tools in the truck? We were unaware of what we were doing to ourselves.”

To prevent this, he said, requires a simple fix — raising awareness of how tools are stored.

After the static review, drivers simulate real-world possibilities. They stop abruptly at speeds of 40 to 45 mph. The distance it takes for the heavy trucks to stop is measured. Drivers see how critical it is to allow more distance between their truck and other drivers on the road.

When asked what motivates him to be a part of the Truck Rodeo, Stanley said, “We’re doing it because we care, we want them to come home safely every day to their families and whatever we can do to help – that is what this is all about.”

PG&E will continue to raise safety awareness by rolling-out more events like this one throughout its service territory.

Email Currents at currents@pge.com.

By Tony Khing

SAN FRANCISCO – Since he can remember, Ken Forward always has had a thirst for power. Knowledge about electrical power, that is.

“When I went through school, that was one of my loves,” said Forward, a 10-year PG&E employee who is a business systems manager in technology deployment in Electric Operations. As a child, he disassembled slot cars and got them to run them off the race track through a battery-powered connection. “I was always interested in electricity and how cities were powered.”

In college, you learn theory, says PG&E's Ken Forward. An internship "especially one where you do real work and get real visibility and exposure, helps your learn what it takes to get things accomplished." (Photo by David Kligman.)

Thanks to a PG&E internship while he was attending Washington State University, Forward pursued his passion.  Two of his major achievements are a project to support the energy needs for Kaiser Permanente’s flagship hospital in Oakland and working with new technology to improve electric safety and reliability at the PG&E Applied Technical Services facility in San Ramon.

Since mid-June, more than 200 college undergraduate and graduate students – the most interns ever in company history – are seeing if they can follow in Forward’s footsteps.  They’ve come to PG&E from 94 universities – including from schools in Canada and Puerto Rico. Most of the students are studying electrical and mechanical engineering. And more than 40 percent are women.

A New Way to Find Employees

PG&E’s internship program, like those with most major companies, has turned into a pipeline for future employees. “Internships have become the new interview,” said Dr. Tommy Moreno, PG&E’s manager of university programs. “Over a 10-week period, we’re evaluating the intern, but they’re also evaluating the employer. The potential for recruitment, development and retention is much higher because we’ve tested each other.”

PG&E’s emphasis on internships has shown in the growth of the program. Moreno, who will be speaking on a panel about internships during the World Conference on Continuing Engineering Education at Stanford University on Wednesday (June 25), said the program had less than 50 participants in 2011. Next year, PG&E is projected to surpass this year’s standard by having more than 300 interns.

In this 2002 photo, Ken Forward (second row, sixth from left) posed with his fellow PG&E interns.

What can these potential future energy leaders expect during their summer with PG&E? If Forward’s experience as an electrical engineering intern in the utility’s Diablo Canyon Power Plant near San Luis Obispo is any indicator, a lot.

For instance, Forward designed and helped implement various repair and maintenance projects around the plant. He also supported the engineering department in the same projects for containment refueling.

“I did real work,” Forward said. “PG&E is really good about assigning real projects to interns to give them real world experience. In some cases, engineering interns are able to use their PG&E project experience as their senior project to help them achieve their engineering degrees.”

Forward was given numerous projects when he started his summer internship and was expected to complete them when his internship ended. But he completed his assignments in half the time. His efficiency allowed Forward’s supervisor to give him regular work assignments and enabled him to support full-time engineers on their projects.

The Benefits of an Internship

The experience he gained in his two intern stints (for a combined 12 months) was invaluable. Forward said his assignments gave him visibility into how everything works and helped him understand PG&E’s operations and the utility industry.

“In college, you learn how things are designed. You learn theory,” Forward said. “Having an internship, especially one where you do real work and get real visibility and exposure, helps you learn what it takes to get things accomplished.”

Ken Forward. once a PG&E intern, is now a business systems manager in technology deployment in Electric Operations.

Forward’s 12-month internship, which he learned about at a National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) conference, and a good work ethic placed him in good stead for a full-time position at PG&E.

“I made sure my standards for completing tasks were above what was expected of me,” Forward said. “I asked questions, did work in a timely fashion and showed initiative. You can’t wait around for someone to tell you something. You need to get out there and network to let people know you’re driven and you’re not going to do the bare minimum. You want to aspire and pursue the next level.”

It’s easy to be this passionate when you’re in a place and in an industry where you want to be.

“PG&E was definitely one of the companies on my radar,” Forward said. “I really wanted to work here. There aren’t a lot of utility companies that have been around for over 100 years, serve more than 15 million customers and where the average employee tenure is 15-20-plus years. It was something I wanted and am excited and happy that it came to fruition.

“In today’s world, power and electricity is what drives our global society,” he concluded. “Being part of a company that helps supply a commodity considered a necessity is very exciting.”

Besides the summer internship program, PG&E also offers an engineer rotation development program for recent engineering graduates and a managers in training program which prepares new college hires for leadership roles in the Customer Operations Team. In addition, PG&E has an MBA leadership program which helps the company find top talent from the nation’s top business schools.

Email Tony Khing at tony.khing@pge.com.

By Libby O’Connell

Although Alonzo Lopez was born far away in Mexcala, Mexico, his roots are on the Peninsula.

With decades of service to PG&E and the San Bruno community, and deep family ties to the area, most of what the gas crew foreman cares about can be found locally.

Alonzo Lopez, a nearly 30-year veteran of PGE, has strong ties to his hometown of San Bruno.

Quick with a smile and a joke, Lopez’s warm, upbeat disposition shows through in his local commercial for PG&E. And it has earned him hugs from strangers and the trust of his crew and customers.

(Click here to watch the ad featuring Alonzo Lopez.)

The second youngest of 11 kids, Lopez was two years old when his dad secured visas for the family to join him in the Bay Area to start a new life. “My dad was up on a work visa and worked seven days a week at two sanitation jobs, with Sunset Scavenger and at the Colma dump. There wasn’t any government assistance at that time, and he worked for 10 years before he could bring us all up,” Lopez says.

Lopez recalls a fun and active childhood in Daly City. “We played in the street and didn’t come back until dark. It was great. My seven older sisters did everything for me, so getting married was a rude awakening!” he jokes. His house was down the street from Jefferson High, where he played football, softball, ran track and scandalously dated a senior while he was a sophomore. “She was the original cougar!” he says of his wife, Brijit, of 26 years.

Three decades of PG&E service

Alonzo will celebrate 30 years with the company in December. He said PG&E was one of the many companies he applied to after working for his uncle’s iron works shop in Daly City. “Out of all of those applications, PG&E called first, and it was the best move I ever made.”

Starting out as a “gas helper” (now called utility worker) in San Francisco in 1984, Lopez and his teammates found and repaired leaks, responded to dig-ins, installed new service and anything that else that came their way. He became an apprentice fitter in 1986 and is now a gas crew foreman. He still welds on occasion, as he does in the commercial. “Welding is fun—you put something together and you know it’s going to be there a long time; you do it right and you feel good about it, I take pride in it.”

He says he’s proud of the way PG&E puts safety first, but admits he learned some things the hard way. “If you look at my record, the times I injured myself were early in my career, because when you’re younger, you think you’re stronger than you are.” says Lopez, a longtime member of the Grassroots Safety Team. “You have to have a mindset of being safe at work and wherever you are.”

Modeling workplace safety

Lopez says he makes an effort to model and mentor safety with incoming crew members.  “I tell them that you’ve got to ask for help — I know you can pick it up and you’re strong, but it’s still better to ask for help than risk getting hurt. You want to be in it for a long career here, so you do it right the first time.”

The safety culture is something he’s brought home as well. “Once when my son was about nine years old, he saw me out with the weed whacker and asked me where my safety glasses were,” he laughs. “He was right.” When he was in the 4^th grade, Christian asked his mom if she would drive him by a job site so he could see his dad at work and later drew a picture of him in a flash suit. The image must have stuck: While Christian Lopez’s first job was with the San Bruno police reserves, he later followed in his father’s footsteps and now works as a gas fieldperson out of PG&E’s Harrison yard in San Francisco.

Alonzo Lopez and his son Christian, who also works at PG&E, appeared briefly in the TV ad together.

Ties to the San Bruno community run deep for Lopez’s family. He and Brijit moved to San Bruno a year after they were married, “…a week before the Loma Prieta earthquake,” said Lopez. The couple has been members of St. Roberts parish for 20 years, building relationships and community connections along the way. His 13-year-old daughter, Victoria, recently graduated from St. Roberts School and his wife has worked at the school — including as vice principal — for five years. Older daughter, Valentina, attends Notre Dame de Namur University in Belmont.

Lopez enjoys the outdoors.  A self-described putterer, he and his son started building a log cabin in the Yosemite area by hand 10 years ago, and over the course of several long weekends of hard work are nearing completion.

Giving back to the San Bruno community

Lopez was a volunteer fireman in San Bruno from 1998 to 2003 until the group was disbanded. He’s still a member of Engine Company #1, a society that’s been around since early 1900s. “It was so fun, we’d meet twice a month and go on drills,” said Lopez.

He’s also involved in the St. Vincent de Paul Society, distributing food and presents at the holidays, and the Building Together organization, which renovates and builds homes for low-income families. “It’s fun when you get to watch the homeowners come back to see the results. I start bawling,” he laughs. “I can cry on a dime.”

Lopez’s son appears briefly in the commercial for a quick jobsite hug as Lopez talks about how proud he is of Christian. “We’re affectionate as a family, so it is something we would normally do,” says Lopez. “But when we were filming, the producer suddenly shouted ‘Hug!’ and we were caught off guard. So it looks really hilarious and awkward to us!”

Something about Lopez makes people feel a connection; one customer ran up to hug him after recognizing him from the ad. “We were responding to a leak recently and a homeowner asked if he should evacuate his family. I told him, ‘No you’re fine,’ and he said, ‘Oh! You’re the one on TV, so we’re OK.’”

Lopez is becoming comfortable with the recognition. At a recent San Bruno beautification task force event with his wife, who is a member of the group, a San Bruno cable TV reporter asked to interview Lopez about the project. ”My wife goes, ‘Oh brother…’ ”

With the humility, heart and sense of humor Lopez brings to his work every day, there’s little chance that fame will go to his head. He’ll just keep helping everyone, every way he can.

Click to read stories about other PG&E employees featured in the ads, including Scott Salyers, an electric troubleman in Bakersfield; Fred Quinn, a field safety supervisor in Sacramento;  Sandy Lok, a gas estimating supervisor in San Francisco; Javier Blancas, a welder in Fresno; and Ron Garnett, a crew foreman in Monterey.

Email Currents at currents@pge.com.

BAKERSFIELD —As part of its ongoing commitment to educate and prepare students today for the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) careers of tomorrow, PG&E is offering a New Energy Academy summer internship program for 28 Independence High School students. These Bakersfield students will learn about PG&E’s vision and values, safety culture, and gain hands-on experience within the company’s local customer care, fleet, gas and electric operations.

New Energy Academy students watched PG&E crews install bird protection devices on power poles in Lamont today. (Photos by Katie Allen.)

The four-week program began on June 9^th with an orientation and an introduction to gas and electric safety and training. Throughout the course of the internship, students are offered multiple certification opportunities, including CPR certification through the American Red Cross, Kern Chapter, OSHA-10, safety training and Flagging for Construction Safety.

The remaining three weeks of the program will focus on career development and on the job training. This week, students will be in the field shadowing PG&E employees on the job.

“PG&E’s New Energy Academy Internship Program allows local students interested in our field an opportunity to actually see, feel, and understand what we do. Students will have the opportunity to work side-by-side with our field crews, and for the first time, they will be able to assist gas maintenance and construction crews with locating and marking pipes, assisting our fleet mechanics, and observing our transmission line work,” said Denise Newton, senior manager of PG&E’s Kern Division Leadership Team. “We are proud to further enhance their education by allowing these students to have hands-on real work experience.”

Students will learn a series of soft skills including workplace etiquette, interview skills and resume development. The internship participants will also receive a stipend for their participation in the four-week program.

Bakersfield PG&E lineman Valentino Walker explains the project to two Independence High School students participating in the first NEA Summer Internship Program.

The New Energy Academy program at Independence High School is one of four programs in Northern and Central California funded by PG&E. The others are in Fresno, Sacramento, and Stockton.

In 2013, PG&E contributed more than $23 million to more than 1,300 charitable organizations, including matching the generosity of employees who donated more than $6.5 million and volunteered more than 48,000 hours to company-supported events. Community investments are funded entirely by the company’s shareholders. For more information, visit www.pgecorpfoundation.org.

Email Currents at currents@pge.com.

By Libby O’Connell

Delbert Abercrombie came to the lineman’s life later than most. After several years as a PG&E gas service rep, he took the lineman test at 39, when his daughter, Shonda, was in high school.

“His education was basically from a one-room schoolhouse,” says Shonda Abercrombie, now a PG&E gas damage prevention supervisor in Bakersfield. “So he had to do the math ‘the long way,’ but he got there. It was harder for him, but he made it, and he did it for quite a while.”

Shonda Abercrombie is a gas damage prevention supervisor in Bakersfield.

Watching her father see things through with integrity and against tough odds provided an example that has served Abercrombie well throughout her 18 years with the company. Her determination to rise to the challenge and dedication to helping others through tough times make her a great representative of PG&E in the company’s local advertising campaign.

When she was 26 and faced with raising twin girls alone, Abercrombie turned to her father for advice. “He was always there for me,” she says. “He’s the one who suggested I apply at PG&E.” She started in the downtown Bakersfield office as a utility clerk, and after a few years took the Engineers and Scientists of California mechanical test for the mapping department. “I called my dad and said, ‘I’m so glad you taught me how to fix things and do things for myself!’ ”

Military mom

As a parent of twin daughters “different as night and day” who are both now serving in the U.S. Army, Abercrombie knows how important it is to teach children to be self-sufficient and confident. Both were athletes in high school with numerous college volleyball scholarship offers. One chose to take the ROTC route and play college volleyball, the other enlisted just a year after playing junior college volleyball, and now they are both serving their country. Today, one twin is a Human Resources specialist in Colorado attached to an armory unit soon to be deployed to Kuwait. The other just returned from Guantanamo Bay, her “relief” assignment after serving in Iraq.

Shonda Abercrombie with daughter Erika Greer, who serves in the U.S. Army.

Abercrombie never expected to be a military mom but as a long-time service supporter is proud of her twins. “It’s incredibly unnatural — you spend your entire life in a mode of protection, warning them about crossing the street safely, bad boyfriends, bullies — whatever you can do to keep them safe. And that’s your job. And all of a sudden you send them off to war with a weapon in their hands.”

A strong faith carries her through and the experience has changed her relationship with her girls in unexpected ways. “When you have children in the military, your kids will see and do things you’ll never understand. You don’t have the “been-there-done-that” type of wisdom to offer anymore, and now that my daughter has been to war, she has a perspective I’ll never have. She’s earned my respect and she’s earned her right to make choices, and I am privileged to be her parent.”

This level of insight and understanding has inspired Abercrombie to support troops beyond just her two daughters. As the president of the local Blue Star Mom chapter, she organizes a variety of support services for military families and biannual package drives to send necessities and small luxuries to our troops overseas.

The contents of the packages aren’t as important as the very fact that they’re being sent: “The troops love everything we send, but they mostly need to know that they’re being thought of and remembered most. As things are starting to wind down you hear and see less about our troops, and we’re now hearing more from our soldiers, ‘Don’t forget about us.’ We still have hundreds of thousands of troops abroad.”

Abercrombie’s 18 years with PG&E have included a succession of rotational opportunities working primarily on process improvements and resulting in supervisory roles in both Electric and Gas Operations. “We have been very dependent upon each other to be successful,” she says.

Shonda Abercrombie with daughter Elayne Greer, who serves in the U.S. Army.

Home town, family support

Life-long local connections in Bakersfield make a difference, she says.

“I’ve had temporary positions in other places, but it was difficult because I didn’t realize how much I needed the support system of my friends. When my dad retired he moved to Arkansas, and he said, ‘One thing I did not account for is that everywhere I go, everybody is a stranger. I never see a familiar face.’ And I feel the same way. A small-town mentality is where I’m comfortable, because if something happens someone will help you. Bakersfield has a little over 350,000 people, but it still feels small enough to have that community feeling. You can’t go anywhere where you don’t recognize someone.”

That recognition has increased with her role in our local ad campaign, and she relishes the opportunity to tell neighbors and customers about the company’s good work. “Any time I can get the tiniest opportunity to talk about the company, I take it. There are so many things we do to benefit our customers — I talk about scholarships, employment opportunities, our community donations. And I talk about the leak surveys, and why my guys are out there. I tell them it’s like having an officer patrolling the neighborhood, we want to make sure you’re safe and that the continuity of the pipeline is good.”

Her father has been gone four years now and his legacy is still evident in her compassion. “My dad very much filled the role as the man in my daughters’ lives and he was a big influence on me. So between the two of us, there are some very strong traits I hope we’ve passed on to them: fulfilling our commitments and standing by our word are very big with us.”

With her commitment to our customers, her gas teams, her girls, and our troops and their families, Abercrombie caring and dedication to others is inspiring. Nevertheless, she still says, “You still wish you could do more.”

Click here to watch the commercial featuring Shonda Abercrombie, and find out more about the Blue Star Moms.

Email Currents at currents@pge.com.

This summer, PG&E has hired more than 200 interns, the most ever at the utility.  They come from universities in many states and from several different countries. This is also the most diverse group of interns to have ever worked at PG&E.

Intern Julian Alvarez talks with Sue de Leeuw, PG&E's director of Brand Strategy and Advertising.

Over the next few weeks, PG&E will offer a look at our 2014 interns. And we’ll start with Julian Alvarez, who will be writing these profiles.

Alvarez, 28, from Livermore, is a senior at the University of Alabama where he majors in Communication Studies. He is interning with PG&E’s Corporate Affairs department, which includes Corporate Relations, Government Relations and Community Relations.

“It’s exciting to see how PG&E functions at this level,” Alvarez says. “My day to day work has implications across the entire operating area.”

Tommy Moreno, PG&E’s manager of University Programs, said this year’s group of interns already has quickly become fully involved with the company’s various lines of business.

“Managers and interns alike realize the importance of the role of internships in the student’s career development,” Moreno said. “Summer internships at PG&E engage students in meaningful activities that help maximize their life experiences while guiding them in making more informed career decisions.”

Alvarez has served in the U.S. Army for 11 years and has served in Iraq and Afghanistan.  His military service has helped prepare him for the corporate world.

In 2012, Julian Alvarez was interviewed by a TV reporter after learning he had won a PG&E Bright Minds scholarship. Alvarez is a PG&E intern this summer.

“Having a mentality of mission accomplishment has helped me to complete my tasks even when I have had a rough time,” he says. “The corporate environment is a lot different than what I’m used to, but I have adjusted well and really enjoy it here.”

As part of his internship, Alvarez had the chance to visit the state Capitol as well as help surprise PG&E’s newest Bright Minds scholar Bernice Liu. That was a very familiar experience for Alvarez, who won a PG&E Bright Minds scholarship in 2012.

“This has been a phenomenal experience, after I finish school I would love to move back to California and work for PG&E,” says Alvarez.

 Email Currents at currents@pge.com.

By Brandi Ehlers

The Galt City Council presented PG&E’s Eric Brown with the Galt Community of Character Coalition for Integrity award for his work with students.

Galt Union School District's John Durand, center, presents PG&E's Eric Brown with an award for his work with students. At left is Bob Bell, Brown's manager at PG&E. (Photo by Brandi Ehlers.)

Brown, a supervising program manager with PG&E’s vegetation management department in Electric Operations, received the award for his work with the Cosumnes River Preserve and the Galt Union School District. The Galt Community of Character Coalition is a community-based organization focused on creating a community culture based on values, goodwill and accepted character traits by inspiring and motivating individuals, families, and organizations to take responsibility for their choices and actions, to make a difference in the community, and to display and recognize good character.

“Eric Brown was nominated for Galt’s Integrity Award because he exemplifies this virtue in his words and actions,” said John Durand, service learning coordinator for the school district and the person who nominated Brown for the award.

“Eric has supported Galt youth by providing high quality outdoor learning experiences on the Cosumnes River Preserve. The school district really appreciates his hard work and dedication.”

The presentation was made June 17.

The Cosumnes River Preserve is located in a critical corridor of PG&E electric transmission lines that require the company to pay extra attention to the vegetation in the area. While PG&E recognizes the important esthetic and environmental value of trees, the company needs to keep its rights-of-way safe and clear from trees and other vegetation that could come into contact with electrical lines to avoid potential fire hazards and outages. Brown worked with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to come to a positive solution. Through an educational program, students and the BLM are able to manage the Preserve in a way that will not conflict with the overhead high-voltage power lines.

The Cosumnes River Preserve Environmental Education Program was awarded a $10,000 PG&E Bright Ideas Grant in 2013. The education program supports outdoor educational opportunities at the 46,000-acre Cosumnes River Preserve, teaching students how to protect, restore and manage the area. The grant helped to resurrect the discontinued educational program with the school district and helped students visit the preserve and plant and care for young oak trees, restoring several acres of forest and wetland habitat.

The PG&E Bright Ideas grant program provides funding each year to schools throughout its service area to develop projects and curriculum that educate students about renewable energy, conservation and environmental stewardship. Since 2005, PG&E has awarded nearly $2 million in Bright Ideas grants. In the 2013-2014 school year, more than 30 schools across California received grants for a total of $255,000.

“I am extremely appreciative of this award,” said Brown. “I have a great opportunity to work for an company that supports these types of partnerships and this opportunity at the Cosumnes River Preserve with the Galt Union School District is a winning situation for everyone involved.”

Email Currents at currents@pge.com.

By Jonathan Marshall

In keeping with its strong support for clean transportation, PG&E is giving employees an opportunity to charge plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) at selected company locations in Northern and Central California.

PG&E will offer electric-vehicle charging stations for its employees at several locations.

The utility is launching an employee personal vehicle charging pilot project at seven locations, including the main office in San Francisco, Oakland airport, several sites in San Ramon, and one in San Luis Obispo. These locations already have charging facilities for clean corporate vehicles in the utility’s fleet. The Level 2 chargers will fully charge a Chevy Volt in about four hours, or longer for an all-electric vehicle.

Employees will pay market rates for electricity through personal accounts with ChargePoint, which provides the chargers and handles billing. PG&E and other regulated utilities are barred from directly selling charging services to the public.

“We already have the charging infrastructure for our own fleet, so we thought, why not make it available to employees for personal use,” said David Meisel, PG&E’s senior director for transportation services. “If this pilot is successful, we plan to increase the number of charging locations for employees, and to share lessons learned with other employers to help stimulate broader adoption of electrified vehicles.”

Last year, Americans purchased nearly 100,000 plug-in vehicles. Sales within the United States and internationally are projected to grow fast, as declining battery prices bring the benefits of clean, quiet, peppy, and low-maintenance electric vehicles to millions of new customers.

PG&E employees will pay market rates for electricity through personal accounts.

As PG&E Corporation Chairman, CEO and President Tony Earley wrote in a recent article, “Large-scale transportation electrification is one of our greatest opportunities — maybe the greatest — to change America’s energy future. That’s a bold aspiration to be sure. But, it’s one that, however distant the possibility may seem today, is within reach if we continue to pursue it.”

Market researchers predict — no surprise — that California will continue to lead sales of these new vehicles. One key facilitator will be the availability of convenient charging stations. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that California has nearly 1,800 public charging stations and more than 5,200 public charging outlets—more than a quarter of the national total.

A 2012 survey by CALSTART estimated that an additional 800 charging stations were available to employees of 27 companies in the state. More companies like PG&E are joining their ranks every year.

Workplace charging programs like PG&E’s “fill a critical gap in PEV charging infrastructure needs by extending electric miles, building range confidence and creating second “PEV showrooms” that help increase sales and technology adoption among employees,” according to the California Plug-In Electric Vehicle Collaborative.

Employers may understandably view workplace charging as a low priority and a possible hassle. But there are plenty of direct employer benefits in addition to the obvious environmental gains. As CALSTART notes, “Workplace charging can act as a relatively low cost employee benefit that helps an employer achieve business goals while helping their employees with transportation needs,” by attracting productive staff, improving morale and reducing turnover.

Email Jonathan Marshall at jonathan.marshall@pge.com.

By David Kligman

Throughout PG&E's service area today, linemen such as Ellis Thornton in Ukiah were honored for their work. (Photo by David Kligman.)

UKIAH — Electric line workers are essential to PG&E’s Electric Operations. They work long hours in freezing temperatures and sweltering heat to provide Californians with safe and reliable power year-round.

Today (July 10), the company’s more than 1,500 line workers, foremen, apprentices and troublemen were recognized for the important work they do. The State Assembly designated July 10th as Journeyman Linemen Recognition Day in California.

PG&E joined the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 1245 (IBEW 1245) to host celebrations at 54 PG&E locations from Humboldt County to Kern County and everywhere in between. (Click here to see photos from the various events on PG&E’s Facebook page.)

At the L Street Yard in Davis, 16 workers from PG&E’s Transmission-Line General Construction team gathered for the event. They were given baseball caps and a copy of the 1934 novel “Slim,” about the early days of electric line workers.

“It’s been quite an experience working at PG&E over the past 31 years,” said Steven Graham, a sub foreman in Davis. “What we do in T-line is a vital part of California’s infrastructure. We build the towers that the electric lines run on. I’ve been lucky enough to work all over California, and getting to watch that network of towers grow and develop has been extremely rewarding.”

Mark Chommanard, based in San Carlos, has been a PG&E line worker for 10 years. (Photo by Arleen Reetz.)

In San Carlos, about 60 electric workers gathered, including Mark Chommanard, a journeyman lineman. A 10-year veteran, Chommanard said he appreciated the recognition.

Asked what he likes best about his job, he said, “I love the physicality, the mental aspect and the camaraderie. I also love being outdoors in the Bay Area.”

More than 100 Fresno Division linemen gathered for the event. Besides the recognition, they appreciated the opportunity to spend time together away from job sites.

Rosendo Gonzales, a crew foreman, took part in the celebration in Salinas.

“We work long hours and there is no room for mistakes because the job is not forgiving, but here at PG&E they send you to school, give you all the tools and support so that you can grow and develop,” said Gonzales, a 36-year employee. “I have been blessed with good teachers and the company invests in its employees to ensure we come home every day. Today is a special day and I am appreciative of this recognition.”

In yards in Shasta and Butte counties, dozens of linemen participated, including Brian Smith. Then Smith, a seven-year PG&E employee, went to replace a transformer near an ostrich ranch in rural Butte County.

“Awesome” is how Kiel Menzel, a 13-year lineman for PG&E who works out of the Oroville yard, describes being a lineman.

“When I get home safely each day my daughter asks, ‘How was your day?’ I look forward to that every day,” Menzel said.

Rosendo Gonzales, based in Salinas, joined PG&E 36 years ago after a stint in the Navy. (Photo by Monica Tell.)

In Ukiah in Mendocino County, seven frontline electric employees were honored. Among them was line worker Ellis Thornton.

“We just go out do our work like everybody else in the world, but it’s a nice gesture,” he said.

Damian Bird, a 13-year line worker for PG&E, said the recognition is extra special for his team, which works in remote locations far from big cities.

“When a storm hits or disasters happen, we’re there to get people back on their feet. So this is a nice pat on the back,” he said.

The events began at 7 a.m. as the work day began. Employees were treated to breakfast while local managers and superintendents thanked them.

Randy Beckler, electric construction supervisor, said the public doesn’t always understand how much hard work  goes into safely and reliably powering communities and cities.

“Thanks,” Beckler told his group of employees. “We put ourselves on the line every day. We appreciate it.”

After joining in the Linemen Appreciation Day events, PG&E's Brian Smith replaced a transformer in rural Butte County. (Photo by Paul Moreno)

PG&E’s line workers are part of the team responsible for safely building, maintaining and repairing the utility’s electric power grid for commercial, industrial, agricultural and residential customers in Northern and Central California.

Due in part to their hard work, customers experienced the fewest service interruptions and shortest duration of power outages in company history in 2013. Since 2006, customers have seen a 40 percent improvement in the average duration of service disruptions and a 27 percent improvement in the number of customer interruptions.

“The job of a lineman is absolutely essential, both to California’s economy and our way of life,” said Geisha Williams, PG&E’s executive vice president of Electric Operations. “It’s a job that can be quite unpredictable and — as a result — requires a unique combination of strength, coordination and problem solving to be successful.”

PG&E line workers are dedicated, beginning with PG&E’s industry-leading five-year apprenticeship program to ensure they have the skills and abilities to sustain a long and successful career. After successfully completing the program, apprentices graduate to journeyman status.

In Davis, PG&E line workers listen as company Executive Vice President Geisha Williams and Tom Dalzell of the IBEW 1245 thank them on video for their hard work and dedication. (Photo by Blake Sumner.)

Tom Dalzell, business manager for IBEW 1245, said line workers have long played an important role within the union.

“These men and women are working at heights, with high voltages and often in bad weather to power the areas they live and work in,” he said. “It’s tough work, and we’re proud of the critical role they play.”

(Click here to watch a video message from Geisha Williams and Tom Dalzell.)

Customers also joined in the appreciation by using the hashtag #ThankaLineman on social media.

While it was a special day, the line workers were soon in their work trucks off to continue their role safely powering California.

Blake Sumner, Arleen Reetz, Denny Boyles, Monica Tell and Paul Moreno contributed to this story. Email David Kligman at David.Kligman@pge.com.

By Julian Alvarez

Have you ever wondered what the day-to-day life of an intern is like?  Whitney Pearson has the distinction of being the intern working in PG&E’s “intern department,” better known as the University Programs office.

Tommy Moreno, manager of PG&E's University Programs, chats with Whitney Pearson, one of the utility's 200 interns working this summer. (Photos by Julian Alvarez.)

More than 200 interns are working for PG&E this summer, and Pearson’s role with University Programs has given her a unique perspective on all of their experiences.

“It gave me a bigger appreciation for the hard work and behind-the-scenes details put in by every team member,” she said.

Pearson has been focused on various projects at PG&E’s San Francisco headquarters, setting up schedules and preparing for events.

“From my first week on the job I’ve been working hand in hand with the team to get everything ready for all of the intern events this summer,” she said. Her first event was a summer kick-off that began with an introduction by Geisha Williams, PG&E’s executive vice president of Electric Operations, and included team-building events at Fort Scott.

Pearson, 27, from Brentwood in Contra Costa County, is currently working toward a degree in Business Management at the University of Phoenix.  She also will be returning to Cal State East Bay next spring to finish a degree in history.

Whitney Pearson is working toward a degree in business management and hopes to become a recruiter.

Once she graduates, Pearson would like to become a recruiter.

Eight years of experience working in the retail industry “helped me to learn to work with different people and different mindsets,” she said. These qualities are essential in the recruiters’ role seeking out the best candidates for PG&E.

Pearson said she wanted to work at PG&E because “I was looking for a change in my career and PG&E offered many new challenges.”

She offers this advice to anyone interested in applying for a PG&E internship:  “Be who you are, express what you want to learn and share the attributes that would make you the best candidate.”

Julian Alvarez is an intern in PG&E’s Corporate Affairs department this summer. Email Currents at currents@pge.com

By Blake Sumner

If you’ve ever seen an episode of “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” then you’re probably familiar with the scenario: Forensic investigators solve crimes by examining the evidence.

PG&E has its own team of detectives. They’re not looking to nab bad guys but their work is just as important to public safety. They analyze the reason for downed electric lines and provide recommendations to prevent similar instances from occurring.

In Fresno County, PG&E's Abe Ortiz examines a downed power line site.

And that’s extremely important in terms of public safety. Anytime an energized overhead wire goes down in PG&E’s service territory, it represents a potential serious risk to the public.

Satvir Nagra, a manager of electric distribution planning, said the ultimate goal is to reduce the number of wires down, prevent future outages and keep the wires where they belong — in the air.

“Any time a wire falls on the ground, there is a potential for a fire or an injury,” Nagra said. “We have protective devices on the system that are designed to prevent those incidents from happening, but there still is a potential for something dangerous to happen. The great thing about this initiative is that each time we look to enhance public safety, we’re also improving our own reliability and the integrity of our system.”

The work began in 2012; all investigations start with the company’s troublemen. Whenever an outage occurs due to a downed wire, the troubleman is responsible for making the site safe so that service restoration work can begin.

“When you roll up on a wire down call, it’s an adrenaline rush,” said Fresno-based troubleman John Porter. “You have to be thinking the whole time about how to safely isolate the wire and protect the public. I’ve rolled up on a situation with hot primary wire sitting in someone’s back yard. You’ve got to keep your cool. You’re thinking next steps. How do I isolate this and where is my isolation point? How do I make this situation safe?”

The ultimate goal of the project is to reduce the number of wires down, prevent future outages and keep the wires where they belong — in the air.

Each week, this information is compiled into a list of wire down incidents across the service territory and assigned to electric distribution engineers throughout PG&E’s territory. They’re the employees responsible for reviewing and investigating the incident.

After reviewing the outage report, the engineer contacts the responding troubleman to gather additional information. The engineer also reviews the area’s outage history, taking into account factors like the number of splices on the wire, slack lines, conductor size and fault duties.

Once all the information has been collected, the engineer visits the location of the wire down to collect important field data. After the site examination, the engineer proposes work recommendations — such as replacing old wires, poles or conductors — that will address the issues.

Findings are then shared with colleagues in Electric Distribution Planning. This information is used to create a job package and, once the package has been created, it goes on to Estimating. Finally a crew is dispatched to perform the work.

Fresno electrical distribution engineer Abe Ortiz admits his role isn’t that far off from those crime scene investigators.

“There are two main components of my job,” he said. “First, I would compare it to playing the role of a detective who arrives shortly after the event has taken place. From there, I switch gears and need to focus on finding solutions that will prevent similar events from taking place.”

Email Currents at currents@pge.com.

By Brandi Ehlers

OAKDALE — Crews from PG&E’s Vegetation Management department and Windy Tree Service recently gathered at the Guardian House to help prune some trees in the backyard children’s play area that had become overgrown.

PG&E arranged for tree trimming at a nonprofit center that provides emergency shelter for children in Stanislaus County.

About eight years ago, volunteers planted a row of cypress trees along the back of the Guardian House – a local shelter for children facing circumstances of abuse or neglect – to provide a visual barrier and privacy screen for the children. Over the years, the cypress trees had become overgrown and needed some attention.

“This work was an amazing blessing to our program,” said Colleen Garcia, executive director of the Children’s Crisis Center of Stanislaus County. “We just don’t have the funding for this work and it is so important to be able to keep a safe environment for our children. PG&E is a wonderful community partner to provide protection and safety for these children who have no place to go.”

As a non-profit, the Guardian House could not afford to perform the tree pruning on its own. Art Cutler, a local PG&E customer service representative in Angel’s Camp, raised the issue to the company’s Vegetation Management department, and staffers – along with Windy Tree Service – volunteered their time to complete the work in one day. Cutler has been a longtime supporter of Guardian home.

“They did a fabulous job creating a safe place for the children to grow and play,” said Elsie Martin, founder of the Guardian House. “I want to thank them from the bottom of my heart.”

Garcia added that when the children went outside after the work was completed they could immediately see the difference. This opened up a conversation with the children about how PG&E and Windy Tree Service partnered with the Crisis Center to provide a safe place for the children to play.

“There is nothing better than giving back to our customers and helping support great organizations that serve the needs of an at risk population,” said Richard Yarnell, a program manager for PG&E’s Vegetation Management department.

The Children’s Crisis Center of Stanislaus County is a private, nonprofit, child abuse prevention and intervention program serving all of Stanislaus County. The Center provides 24-hour emergency shelter and childcare services to children from birth to 17 years of age. All services are provided free of charge.

Email Currents at currents@pge.com.

By Libby O’Connell

Throughout his childhood on the San Francisco Peninsula,  Matt Fritz was a team player.  Baseball, soccer, basketball – if it involved a ball and the will to win, he was all in.

Matt Fritz, a PG&E gas supervisor, loves the small-town feel of Eureka where he lives with his wife and two children.

In a local television ad for the Eureka area, PG&E Gas Supervisor Matt Fritz talks about being motivated by daily challenges and the honor of being part of something bigger than him. Fritz  has the soul of an athlete both on the field and off — and it’s his discipline around safety, his focus on teamwork and his dedication to community that show he’s on everyone’s side.

(Click here to watch the ad featuring Matt Fritz.)

Fritz began his career with PG&E in 2001 close to his hometown of Burlingame. As an apprentice lineman, he worked out of the San Carlos office and was excited to be a part of PG&E. There was just one small problem: “I’m not exactly huge on heights,” he admits with a smile. “I thought I could persevere. I just wanted to get a foot in the door at PG&E.” Despite his determination to rise to every challenge, the lineman’s life was not for him. With the prospect of pole-climbing and bucket trucks ahead, Fritz quickly found a new home on the gas side as a fieldman.

Fritz and his wife moved to Eureka with their two young children eight years ago. “It was good timing for us,” he says. “There were better opportunities for my family at the time and it’s a great place to raise kids. It has a small town feel and we’ve made some great friends here — really loyal, family-oriented people.”

Just like sports, field work at PG&E requires fitness. That's why Matt Fritz participates in the Industrial Athlete program.

Fritz started coaching his kids’ sports teams as soon as they were able to play. Recently, he’s led his son Kai’s baseball and basketball teams while his wife coaches his daughter Maya’s indoor soccer team. “We have to lay out a calendar every month,” he says. “Most of the time, we’re running around like chickens with our heads cut off!” Most of the notice he’s had locally from the television ads have been from his teams and their parents. “It’s been fun for the kids to see their coach on TV,” he says.

Playing to your strengths and bringing your all are a part of the game, and Fritz brings that sensibility to his role leading gas teams. “It really comes down to having passion around constantly improving,” he says. “There always has to be a new challenge or a better way of doing something.”

And it’s important that everyone understands the rules through clear communication. “Whether it’s in a game or on the job, you need to establish what you expect up front; you have to have your team huddle or your tailboard to make sure everyone understands the plan and their role and to talk about ideas.”

As a leader, Fritz says he likes to see his team cross-trained.  “We all have our strengths and weaknesses,” he says. “In basketball, for instance, you can be good at assists but not rebounding, and the same thing goes here: Some guys may be good at tapping our welding or surveying. Others step up as leaders. It’s about having the right people in the right position at the right time.”

Matt Fritz knows the importance of "having the right people in the right position at the right time."

Fritz now incorporates his love of sports into his work.  It’s quite literally the basis for a physical training regimen he has great passion for that aims to keep field workers safer and better able to execute their work: The “Industrial Athlete” program is a series of workouts and stretches designed to strengthen the areas of the body most prone to injury, like the knees and lower back, in addition to supporting overall fitness. He meets with a few electric linemen and some gas department teammates three times a week at 5 a.m. to go through the workouts at a gym across the street from the service center. The program focuses on building core and leg strength, as well as back and stomach muscles.

“It’s all about protecting and preventing,” he says. “You’re healthier to show up for work—and also able to run around with your kids after.”

Email Currents at currents@pge.com.

By Brandi Ehlers

SACRAMENTO – PG&E is celebrating more than a decade at the California State Fair. In addition to enjoying fried food, farm animals and rides, fair goers can stop by the PG&E booth to learn more about the utility’s commitment to safety and how customers can practice safe digging.

Along with offering safety brochures and information, this year’s exhibit will feature both gas and electric safety demonstration boards. These tools help PG&E employees demonstrate what can happen when something contacts a power line or if someone digs into a gas line.

“This year we wanted to provide our customers with an interactive, visual reminder of what can go wrong when working around gas and electric lines,” said Rob Black, senior director with PG&E’s Community Relations Department. “Our goal is to make sure everyone is safe, so we hope these visual reminders really help bring the importance of safety home.”

Also new this year is a partnership with the local IBEW, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, which represents the men and women who demonstrate our safety boards.

PG&E also sponsors the fair’s Center Stage with shows by hypnotist Suzy Haner at 5, 7 and 9 p.m. daily

PG&E volunteers will be at the State Fair today (July 18) through the end of the event, Sunday, July 27. The fair, held at Cal Expo, is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday-Thursday and from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday-Sunday.

Email Currents at currents@pge.com.

By Denny Boyles

MENDOTA — As she watched dozens of families wait patiently in the sun for pre-packaged boxes of food, Maria Ayala explained how the drought has affected residents of this Fresno County farming community.

More than two dozen PG&E employees volunteered their time to distribute food to farming residents impacted by the drought. (Photo by Denny Boyles.)

“In their minds they should be at work, not here, in this heat and in this line for food,” said Ayala, drought relief coordinator for the Community Food Bank of Fresno said. “We try to make this as easy and as comfortable as possible but they still have to stand in the sun for most of the wait. If they didn’t absolutely need this food to feed their families they wouldn’t be here.”

Today (July 24), more than two dozen PG&E volunteers joined the food bank, volunteers from the American Red Cross, the Salvation Army, the United Way and the Fresno Economic Opportunities Commission to distribute food to more than 300 families. Most of the people who received the food would normally be working this time of year, harvesting crops or maintaining fields. Without water, the work has also dried up, Ayala said.

Fulfilling this need not only drew dozens of local PG&E workers, but also a group of teenagers on a summer mission trip from their church in Idaho. Group leader Marc Schlegel said he and the teens were spending a week in the Central Valley participating in service projects. In Mendota, they worked side-by-side with the PG&E volunteers.

Most of the people who received the food would normally be working this time of year, harvesting crops or maintaining fields. (Photo by Angela Vega.)

“I know for the youth it’s been a surprise that so many people in communities such as Mendota need this type of assistance,” Schlegel said. “It’s something they’ve never been exposed to — certainly not at this level.”

As he helped pass out food, PG&E intern Francisco Caballero said he also was surprised by the number of people who came for the packages of food, and was grateful for the opportunity to help.

“It’s giving me a chance to bond with the people I hope to work with at PG&E, and giving all of us insight into this community that we serve,” Caballero said. “We are seeing the need here firsthand. If you don’t understand that this need exists, you can’t truly serve a community like Mendota.”

Ayala said having a volunteer partner like PG&E means helping a greater number of residents.

“We simply couldn’t do it alone, we couldn’t help so many in such a short amount of time,” Ayala said. “PG&E is crucial to this effort being a success.”

Email Currents at currents@pge.com.

By Libby O’Connell

After taking a number and waiting in what she thought would be a tedious line at the Department of Motor Vehicles, PG&E lineman Terry Washington’s mother was surprised when the clerk tapped her on the shoulder and guided her to the front of the line.

“He said, ‘I know you from your commercial, Miss Washington. Throw that number away!’ And he helped her right away,” says Washington with a laugh. “That is VIP right there.”

PG&E line worker Terry Washington — and even his family — is getting a lot of attention these days.

Getting special treatment at the DMV was a small (but valuable) benefit of local celebrity for his mother, but for Washington himself, he’s simply glad to have the opportunity to represent PG&E for his hometown of Richmond.

Last year, a still photograph of Washington was animated and used for all of 2-3 seconds in PG&E’s “Your Energy Plus Ours” television commercial, and even then, the 13-year employee got recognized in his community.

Now, with a full-length television commercial featuring Washington, his mom and sister playing throughout the service territory, “It’s been off the charts, it’s overwhelming — but a good overwhelming,” he says. “When we’re working in Richmond or nearby, people ask me to take pictures with them. It’s crazy! Once we were working in Hercules and there was a party going on next door, and the man made me come over to the party to meet everyone! I’m on people’s Facebook — and I’m not a Facebook person at all.”

(Click here to watch the ad featuring Terry Washington.)

It might be surprising to learn that the gregarious, good-natured Washington is not only not a Facebook person — he doesn’t much like to talk about himself. Being raised the middle of nine siblings left him with an appreciation for family but a desire for solitude.

“My mom used to make a big pan of potatoes, rice, bacon, sausage, pancakes, biscuits, and I kid you not, it would be gone just like that. The plates would be wiped out,” he says. “I miss those days. It was always noisy. But now I’m kind of a loner…maybe because our house was always so full of people!”

Washington says he’s close to all of his family, particularly his younger sisters Tiana and Tasha, his brother Joe and his niece Tyenesha, with whom he has a special bond. He proudly rattles off a list of family members’ accomplishments, including a brother in Oklahoma with a master’s degree in human resources and a sister in medical school at Marquette. He says his parents instilled in all of the children a sense of determination and a belief in their own abilities.

While he believes technology will make his work safer, Terry Washington says nothing is as important as being focused and following proper procedures.

“It came from my mom and dad not to let anyone stop you; life is too short, and you need to try to live life to the fullest. There’s always ups and downs, but don’t give up,” he says. “I believe that’s the reason why our family is successful.”

As a result of the commercial, Washington was invited to speak at some Richmond elementary schools and pass along the same wisdom.

“I told them to always strive for what they want to be. Just because someone tells you that you can’t do it, keep going. Continue to follow your dream.”

Despite learning about voltage and soldering from his dad, an avid electronics enthusiast, he didn’t take a direct path to working with electricity.

“I promised my mom that if I found a good job I would keep it,” says Washington.

The first job he found was as a meter reader, an exceptionally good fit for someone who likes to work alone and be outside.

“I thought meter reading was the best job in the world and I would have done that forever!” he said. “But I started talking to different individuals about the line of progression and what to get into. Someone asked if I was afraid of heights, and I said no, so they suggested I become a lineman.”

Now, seven years later, Washington is continuously delighted by his switch.

“I just love it, I’m not kidding you!” he says. “The thrill is in working with the electricity itself: you don’t see it, but you know it’s there. It’s an awesome power and a force that’s all around us. You can’t ever take it for granted. You can’t be afraid to do the work, but you have to respect the power.”

As the Grassroots Safety Team chairperson for Richmond, he’s excited about the future of the industry and believes that technology will make the work continuously safer. But, he says, there’s nothing to take the place of maintaining focus and diligently adhering to safety procedures.

“You have to approach every job with the two-minute rule: you stop and think it through first. You might have thought this would work a particular way, but you take a step back and re-evaluate. No job is easy, so once you think it’s easy, it’s time for you to find another career because you’re getting complacent.”

When he’s off the job, Washington says he mostly hangs out at home and lives quietly.

“I try to relax, take it easy, keep low.” With his high energy on the job — and the pressures of local fame — it’s no wonder he needs time to recharge. “It’s really been a humbling experience and a blessing,” he says.

It’s a good bet that for his photo op-seeking customers, his celebrity mother (at least at the DMV), and the Richmond children who got to see a real TV star in the classroom, it’s been a fun experience, too.

Email Currents at currents@pge.com.

By Tracy Correa

BAKERSFIELD — The calendar may say July, but it was like Christmas in the dining hall of the Pinewood Glen Senior Community today (July 30).

More than 80 seniors benefitted from PG&E’s Christmas in July event — a program launched in 2011 that provides low-income seniors with gifts and bags stuffed with basic necessities that many of them struggle to afford.

Winnie Smith, 76, was thrilled her winning ticket number earned her a mini vacuum. (Photos by Tracy Correa.)

The gifts were a huge hit with seniors like Winnie Smith, who was handed a wrapped box by a PG&E volunteer after her winning ticket number was drawn. She wasted no time tearing off the Christmas paper to reveal her prize, and a wide grin.

“It’s a little mini vacuum. Oh, I love it. I was just thinking I needed to buy one of these,” said Smith. The 76-year-old said today’s visitors and party would have been enough for her, the gifts were just an added bonus.

The annual PG&E event grew out of the Bakersfield Police Department’s Christmas for Seniors program that provides holiday gifts for low-income seniors in December.  PG&E employees organized Christmas in July after realizing that seniors needed help during the summer months, too. PG&E President Chris Johns attended that first-year event and it has been a huge hit ever since for the utility’s Kern County employees.

Over the past four years, PG&E employees have personally donated about $6,000 — including $1,600 this year — to buy gifts and supplies for local seniors at a new senior residential community each year. PG&E has also contributed about $5,000 annually toward the larger Christmas for Seniors program and topped that amount this year with a $6,000 check presented today.

PG&E employees personally gave $1,600 to help fill these bags with basic necessities.

It was a party-like atmosphere at Pinewood Glen where large tables were filled with colorful Christmas presents handed out as prizes to those whose winning ticket numbers were called. Another long table held rows of blue PG&E tote bags stuffed with items such as paper towels, cleaning supplies and toiletries. There were even gift bags with dog or cat treats for some of the seniors who own pets.

PG&E’s David Christensen, senior program manager for local government partnerships, hosted the event once again. He thanked PG&E and its employees for their ongoing support and “thousands of dollars” given to the program. Denise Newton, senior manager of PG&E’s Kern Division Leadership Team, presented the utility’s $6,000 check for the Christmas for Seniors program.

“It is absolutely a blessing,” said Sandy Morris, who oversees the Christmas for Seniors program that was the impetus for PG&E’s Christmas in July.

Morris said the event is a huge help to seniors like those at Pinewood Glen who live modestly off social security and struggle to make ends meet all year long. “Things like shaving cream for the men is often a luxury they can’t afford, instead they use soap and water to shave,” she said, noting why the toiletry gifts are so important.

Bakersfield City Council Member Russell Johnson spoke at the event and thanked PG&E for its ongoing support. “PG&E has supported the city of Bakersfield in many, many ways and is allowing us to help you,” he told the seniors.

PG&E’s Enjoli Black hands Penny Deutsehmann a container filled with household items that she just won in a drawing.

In addition to the ticket prizes and tote bags filled with toiletries and household items, each resident was given a table fan affixed with a personal note written by a local Girl Scout. The notes included phrases such as, “You’re amazing” and “Hope you stay cool this summer.”

In all, more than 20 PG&E employees, friends and two of the utility’s summer jobs interns volunteered at today’s event.

Penny Deutsehmann, 61, said she was very touched.

“I feel absolutely wonderful,” she said as she leaned on her walker. “And, it’s wonderful that you all are out here.”

E-mail Tracy Correa at Tracy.Correa@pge.com

By Monica Tell

MONTEREY — One of the teams that oversees PG&E’s safe and reliable electric operations was a sea of blue this week during a cleanup at Monterey’s Del Monte Beach.

From left, Lee Kirk, Tanya Moniz-Witten and Heather Duncan were among the PG&E employees who collected more than 700 pounds of trash and recyclables during a beach cleanup. (Photos by Vivek Narayanan).

It was one of the largest ever PG&E volunteer events.

PG&E’s Electric Distribution Operations leadership team was in Monterey on Tuesday (July 29) for a meeting. Later, the 300 employees — who wore blue PG&E volunteer T-shirts — walked to the beach to join forces with Save Our Shores, a local nonprofit committed to marine conservation, to clean up the popular surfing and beachcombing spot.

The volunteers were greeted by several Save our Shores stewards who divided employees into seven groups. They walked volunteers through a safety message, proper use of tools and handed each group a checklist of debris that can harm marine life and visitors to the beach.

“Clean-up!” one of the teams shouted as they dispersed on a mission to find glass, plastic and balloons and other debris.

Save Our Shores steward Karen Gunby said she appreciated the opportunity to work with a company like PG&E.

Following a team meeting, PG&E Electric Distribution Operations employees scour Del Monte beach in Monterey for trash.

“Del Monte beach is one of the most popular beaches in Monterey and working together we can make an impact,” she said. “You look at the beach and think it’s clean but every little piece of debris gets into the ocean and becomes toxic marine debris.” PG&E employees Pam Corby of Sacramento and Juanita Elliott, who works in Concord, carried a bucket-full of plastic, soda cans and cigarette butts.

“It’s amazing the amount of trash we found,” Elliott said. “Even with 300 PG&E volunteers out here today, there’s enough trash to go around.”

As PG&E volunteers combed the beach for trash and debris, Save our Shores volunteers prepared for their return and had bags available for each team to sort the trash between garbage and recyclables. Each team’s litter was weighed.

As PG&E volunteers made it back to unload what they had collected, there was a sense of accomplishment. Many were amazed at what they found and others were shocked because what looked to be a relatively clean beach at a glance was not so clean after all. Some 662 pounds of trash and 56 pounds of recyclables were collected.

With 300 employees assisting the Save Our Shores organization, the cleanup was one of PG&E's largest ever volunteer events.

Items collected included a large piece of carpet, bicycle handlebars, a hubcap and bricks.

The day ended with a group photo taken by a PG&E volunteer from a bucket truck. The teams felt a sense of accomplishment and walked away with a new sense of awareness.

Ali Eppy, a Save our Shores steward and 14-year beach cleaner said volunteers will now see the beach in a whole new light: “Thank you PG&E for coming out to take care of our beach.”

Email Currents at Currents@pge.com. 

By Julian Alvarez

SAN RAMON — Adrian Figueroa wasn’t sure what to expect when he traveled from Puerto Rico to California for a PG&E internship. He was pleasantly surprised.

Adrian Figueroa of Puerto Rico is spending his summer working at a PG&E facility where new smart grid technologies are tested. (Photo by Julian Alvarez.)

Figueroa, 22, of Dorado, Puerto Rico is currently interning with Distribution Electric Operations at the Applied Technology Services facility in San Ramon. This is where new smart grid technologies are tested and validated before being put to use throughout the power grid.

Figueroa was busy from Day One.

“Literally from my first day at ATS, I met with international vendors,” he said. “I realized it would be a very different and interactive experience, and would help me see how big corporations make decisions.”

Figueroa is a senior at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez where he’s pursuing a degree in electrical engineering.

“My school prepared me well enough for everything related to power systems, which is exactly in what I’m working with,” he said.

Figueroa has worked on some interesting projects including developing a process to gather data for testing PG&E’s fault location application. This app will enhance grid system safety by identifying previously undetected and potentially hazardous conditions on the grid.

Traveling throughout California has been part of Figueroa’s internship. Besides local attractions in Contra Costa County, Figueroa has visited Muir Woods, Yosemite, San Francisco and Santa Cruz.

Figueroa’s advice to anyone interested in applying for a PG&E internship: “Believe in yourself no matter your differences. Nobody has the perfect knowledge of everything before entering a new company.”

Click here to read about other PG&E summer interns.

Julian Alvarez is an intern in PG&E’s Corporate Affairs department this summer. Email Currents at currents@pge.com.

SAN LUIS OBISPO — PG&E employees from Diablo Canyon Power Plant helped support Make-A-Wish on Friday (Aug. 1) by raising $16,000 at the 17th annual Nuclear Challenge Golf Tournament held at Cypress Ridge Golf Club in Arroyo Grande.

PG&E employees from the Diablo Canyon Power Plant raised $16,000 to support the local Make-A-Wish chapter. From left, Danya Nunley, Eliana Nunley, Shanna Wasson Taylor and PG&E's Heather Lewis, Doug Wise and Bill De Prater.

More than 200 PG&E employees and volunteers took part in the tournament to benefit the Make-A-Wish foundation’s Tri-Counties chapter. Since the tournament’s inception in 1997, PG&E employees have raised more than $250,000 for the chapter.

“PG&E’s support through the Nuclear Challenge Golf Tournament helps Make-A-Wish grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions,” said Shanna Wasson Taylor, chief executive officer for Make-A-Wish Tri-Counties. “This year’s tournament guest of honor, wish kid Eliana Nunley from Arroyo Grande, was excited to thank PG&E’s employees in person for their role in making wishes come true. Without the great effort of groups like PG&E our wish granting work would just not be possible.”

Eliana, 10, lives with leukemia. For her wish, Eliana asked to visit New York City to see a Broadway show. During her visit, she was able to see a performance of “Evita” and then went back stage to meet the actors in person.

During the post-tournament event, PG&E organizers Bill De Prater, Heather Lewis, Doug Wise and others presented the $16,000 check to Make-A-Wish’s Taylor on behalf of the tournament participants.

“PG&E is honored to once again support the Make-A-Wish Foundation of the Tri-Counties as they continue to make the wishes of local children a reality,” said De Prater. “Our employees are proud of their long-time commitment to Make-A-Wish and to supporting the communities in which we live and serve.”

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