People v. Southern California Gas Co.

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On November 15, 2018, the California Court of Appeal ordered the Los Angeles County Superior Court to show cause why a resident of Porter Ranch was not entitled to restitution in conjunction with Southern California Gas Company’s (SoCalGas’s) pleading guilty to failing to timely report the release of hazardous materials in connection with the gas leak at SoCalGas’s Aliso Canyon/Porter Ranch gas storage facility in October 2015. The resident had asked the Superior Court to set aside SoCalGas’s plea agreement and to award restitution to victims of the leak, but the Superior Court denied the motion. In August 2018, the Appellate Division of the Superior Court concluded that the Superior Court had not abused its discretion in concluding that the violation to which SoCalGas pleaded guilty was not causally connected to the victims’ damages. The resident subsequently filed this petition for writ of mandamus in the Court of Appeal. The Superior Court must serve its written return by December 17.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney and Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas) agreed to a proposed settlement in the criminal case stemming from the 2015 methane link from SoCalGas’s Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility. SoCalGas agreed to plead no contest to a misdemeanor violation of failing to timely report the leak. SoCalGas must pay approximately $550,000 for fines, penalty assessments, and response costs and must also install and maintain an infrared methane leak detection system, and must hire and maintain six full-time employees for at least three years to operate and maintain the system. The settlement agreement indicated that the settlement’s requirements would cost SoCalGas between $4,004,172 and $4,304,172.