SACRAMENTO — The governor's latest nominee for the board that regulates the multibillion-dollar energy and telecommunications industries has been in bankruptcy for more than four years, and faces questions about his qualifications and his commitment to consumer protection.
Timothy A. Simon was one of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's top-level aides, screening applicants for positions in the administration, until the governor selected him Feb. 15 for a vacant seat on the powerful Public Utilities Commission.
In December, while Simon was still working for Schwarzenegger, a judge ordered the state to deduct $1,795 per month from his monthly salary as part of a plan to repay his debts, according to filings in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Oakland. A month later, a court trustee said Simon was in default of his repayment plan.
Simon, an attorney, has already begun his $124,000-a-year job at the commission, though he must still be confirmed by the state Senate. Opposition to his appointment looms.
Asked if Simon's financial troubles would be considered, Senate leader Don Perata (D-Oakland) said, "We weigh everything."
Perata said he also worried that Simon would emerge as another industry-friendly voice on a commission already laden with members sympathetic to business. Before the appointment, Perata said, he told Schwarzenegger aides that he wanted someone who would favor consumers in skirmishes over energy rates and cellphone disputes.
"That simply didn't register very high," Perata said.
Before joining Schwarzenegger's staff, Simon worked as general counsel for Global Crown Capital of San Francisco, which describes itself as a boutique investment firm. An official at the firm who succeeded Simon as general counsel, Henry Wolfgang Carter, said he was surprised to learn of Simon's nomination for the PUC job.
"What does he know about my PG&E bill?" said Carter, who spoke about Simon's job performance at Global Crown Capital to Senate aides who were reviewing Simon's credentials.
State Sen. Christine Kehoe (D-San Diego), who will get a vote on Simon's appointment, also questioned his qualifications. "Mr. Simon's kind of an unknown on public utility issues," she said.
Aaron McLear, the governor's spokesman, said Simon wrote a check this week covering the remaining debt in his bankruptcy case -- $13,000 -- and he expected it to be dropped off at the trustee's office today.
