Electric Power Group

The press secretary for Gov. Gray Davis and two state energy consultants have been cleared of wrongdoing by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The three had been under investigation over possible security fraud violations for buying or selling energy company stock last year. "This investigation has been terminated, and no enforcement action has been recommended to the Commission," wrote Robert L.

The press secretary for Gov. Gray Davis and two state energy consultants have been cleared of wrongdoing by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The three had been under investigation over possible security fraud violations for buying or selling energy company stock last year. "This investigation has been terminated, and no enforcement action has been recommended to the Commission," wrote Robert L.

The state Fair Political Practices Commission has been asked to decide whether Vikram Budhraja, a top energy advisor to the governor, had a conflict of interest when he participated in negotiating a contract with an out-of-state energy company he had worked for as a consultant months earlier. State law generally prohibits officials and consultants from participating in government decisions involving companies from which they have received income within the past year.

The state Fair Political Practices Commission has been asked to decide whether Vikram Budhraja, a top energy advisor to the governor, had a conflict of interest when he participated in negotiating a contract with an out-of-state energy company he had worked for as a consultant months earlier. State law generally prohibits officials and consultants from participating in government decisions involving companies from which they have received income within the past year.

Newly released documents show that two officials of a Pasadena-based energy consulting company bought large amounts of Edison International stock before they were hired by the Davis administration to help rescue the state's beleaguered utilities. Vikram Budhraja, president of the Electric Power Group, and Mark Skowronski, an employee of the firm, bought multiple blocks of Edison International stock in January, just before landing a $6.2-million contract with the state.

As blackouts hit California for a second day Tuesday, a key consultant to Gov. Gray Davis said negotiations to buy the power grid owned by the state's largest utilities "are proceeding at an accelerated pace." Wall Street consultant Joseph Fichera said talks with Southern California Edison could be wrapped up within days, although those with PG&E are much less advanced. The administration and PG&E have not reached even an agreement in principle, he said.

California's summer electricity crisis has given way to a new season of debate over what went wrong and how to fix it. The latest sparks flew Thursday as municipal utilities and community activists pushed separate proposals to overhaul the state's electricity market. To prevent a repeat of the summer's record wholesale electricity prices, the California Municipal Utilities Assn.

A Sept. 12 power outage that affected half of Los Angeles was caused by multiple, preventable mistakes -- from faulty design of an equipment replacement project to poor communication among workers, according to a review by a private engineering firm.

SACRAMENTO -- The parent company of Southern California Edison paid $100,000 or more last year to a former executive who has done no work for the company but has helped negotiate long-term electricity contracts for California power buyers, according to state records and Edison officials. The former executive, Vikram Budhraja, said Edison International agreed to pay him a retainer of at least $100,000 a year when he resigned as a Southern California Edison senior vice president in January 2000.

Four top officials in the California Department of Water Resources, including Director Tom Hannigan, face fines totaling $100,000 for allegedly failing to have energy consultants submit personal conflict-of-interest statements in a timely manner, state officials said Friday.

Newly released documents show that two officials of a Pasadena-based energy consulting company bought large amounts of Edison International stock before they were hired by the Davis administration to help rescue the state's beleaguered utilities. Vikram Budhraja, president of the Electric Power Group, and Mark Skowronski, an employee of the firm, bought multiple blocks of Edison International stock in January, just before landing a $6.2-million contract with the state.

As blackouts hit California for a second day Tuesday, a key consultant to Gov. Gray Davis said negotiations to buy the power grid owned by the state's largest utilities "are proceeding at an accelerated pace." Wall Street consultant Joseph Fichera said talks with Southern California Edison could be wrapped up within days, although those with PG&E are much less advanced. The administration and PG&E have not reached even an agreement in principle, he said.

California's summer electricity crisis has given way to a new season of debate over what went wrong and how to fix it. The latest sparks flew Thursday as municipal utilities and community activists pushed separate proposals to overhaul the state's electricity market. To prevent a repeat of the summer's record wholesale electricity prices, the California Municipal Utilities Assn.

Gov. Gray Davis on Friday released details of contracts totaling more than $51 million for the consultants, lawyers and experts his administration has hired to work on the energy crisis, which is bleeding state coffers at a rate higher than previously estimated. A confidential report released to lawmakers this week showed the state buying electricity at a rate of $58.6 million a day from Feb.

All of California's long-term electricity contracts should be overturned because a key negotiator for the state had a personal conflict of interest, according to a state senator and a conservative legal foundation that filed a lawsuit Wednesday in Los Angeles County Superior Court. Sen. Tom McClintock (R-Thousand Oaks) and the U.S.