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How's this for bad timing? As the economy keeps tanking, and as tens of thousands of people are losing their jobs, state regulators are preparing to vote on a rate hike that could grant Southern California Edison Co. more than $1 billion in additional ratepayer cash over the next three years. A vote had been scheduled for Thursday.

The overwhelming majority of Ventura County residents would not be affected by the impending split of the 805 area code, according to a proposal submitted Wednesday to the California Public Utilities Commission. The California-Nevada Code Administration, the telecommunications industry group that has overseen regional telephone number distribution since 1984, submitted a proposal to keep using the 805 area code for the vast majority of Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties.

Lists are a quick and easy way to access information. That's why the new "Streetwise Small Business Book of Lists" might be a welcome addition to your business library. Here's a short list of the reasons that you may find the book helpful. 1. Time- and money-saving ideas: The subtitle sums it up, "Hundreds of Lists to Help You Reduce Costs, Increase Revenues, and Boost Your Profits."

I do not understand the motivation of "Caller ID Is Coming: Beware!" (editorial, Feb. 29). Why do I have to be beware? The need to beware assumes that I have something to hide, or that the other party is "out to get me." How pleasant it would be if I were to call a large company that I do business with and hear, "Hello, Mr. Jahncke, I see that you have purchased .J.J. in the past, what can we help you with today?" This would be only one of several possibilities that would be enabled.

The California Public Utilities Commission on Thursday accused SBC Pacific Bell of hiding nearly $2 billion in revenue over three years and called on the state's largest local phone company to refund $349 million to customers. Although one of the largest in state history, the refund recommended in an independent audit is expected to be vigorously contested by PacBell.

California regulators said the falsification of customer service and other data uncovered at Southern California Edison Co. in 2004 was so pervasive that the utility should pay more than $100 million in refunds and penalties. The preliminary report by California Public Utilities Commission staff more than doubles the potential financial hit for Edison and marks the launch of a formal investigation into widespread manipulation of the company's performance surveys and reports.

A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO, I JOINED AN ESTIMATED 6 MILLION OTHER sheep in Southern California and acquired a mobile phone. Although proud to have held out as long as I did, I felt like a traitor to the flickering cause of appropriate social behavior when I entered the cell phone store. Fellow woolly ruminants, you can guess what happened next. Shame quickly gave way to giddy excitement. I signed up for a service plan that gave me an absurd 350 minutes of phone time a month for only 35 bucks.

It's a good time to be a health insurer. Three of the biggest names in the insurance game reported rock-solid profits last week. Aetna said its third-quarter net income jumped 53% over the same period last year, to $497.6 million. WellPoint, parent of Anthem Blue Cross in California, said its profit rose 1.2% to $739.1 million. Health Net posted a net income of $62.7 million, compared with a loss of $66 million a year earlier. Angela Braly, chief executive of WellPoint, attributed the company's strong performance to "disciplined administrative expense control.

California utility regulators forged ahead Thursday with a controversial plan that could clear the way for another try at deregulating the state's electricity market -- a concept last tested in the years leading up to the devastating 2000-01 energy crisis. State law prohibits the Public Utilities Commission from reinstating competition between the state's major utilities and unregulated power providers before 2015.

Galen Dean of Yucaipa has worked on and off for Southern California Edison Co. for 29 years. As he puts it, he's done "pretty much everything except climb poles. " When he retires in four years he expects to get about $1,500 a month from his Edison pension plan. And he has no problem with the fact that ratepayers will foot the bill for at least a portion of those payments. "It's totally justified," said Dean, 59. "Our salaries are lower than what private enterprises pay. The pension helps make up for that.