Chapter 6.5. Transfer Of Facilities In Master-metered Mobilehome Parks And Manufactured Housing Communities To Gas Or Electric Corporation Ownership of California Public Utilities Code >> Division 1. >> Part 2. >> Chapter 6.5.

(a) The owner of a master-metered mobilehome park or manufactured housing community that provides gas or electric service to residents may transfer ownership and operational responsibility to the gas or electric corporation providing service in the area in which the park or community is located pursuant to this chapter, or as the park or community owner and the serving gas or electric corporation mutually agree.
  (b) Costs, including both costs related to transfer procedures and costs related to construction, related to the transfer of ownership process, whether or not resulting in a transfer of ownership to the serving gas or electric corporation, shall not be passed through to the park or community residents. Costs related to the transfer of ownership process, whether or not resulting in a transfer of ownership to the serving gas or electric corporation, shall not be passed through to the gas or electric corporation, except as otherwise provided in this chapter.
  (c) Residents of mobilehome parks and manufactured housing communities constructed after January 1, 1997, shall be individually metered and served by gas and electric distribution facilities owned, operated, and maintained by the gas or electric corporation providing the service in the area where the new park or community is located consistent with the commission's orders regarding unbundling, aggregation, master-metering, and selection of suppliers by residential customers. Each gas and electric corporation shall cooperate with the owner of any park or community constructed after January 1, 1997, to ensure timely and expeditious installation of the gas and electric distribution system and to eliminate any delay in the design, construction, permitting, and operation of the gas and electric system in the park or community.

(a) Upon receipt of a written notice of intent to transfer from the mobilehome park or manufactured housing community owner, the gas or electric corporation shall within 90 days do all of the following:
  (1) Meet with the park or community owner to describe the procedures involved in a transfer of ownership and operation responsibility.
  (2) Perform a preliminary review of the gas or electric system, or both, in the park or community.
  (3) Inspect documentation provided by the park or community owner of the construction, operation, and condition of the gas or electric system, or both.
  (4) Advise the park or community owner concerning the general condition of the plant and equipment, along with a preliminary opinion concerning the extent of construction work or other activity necessary to comply with Section 2794.
  (5) Offer a preliminary nonbinding estimate of the cost of transfer.
  (6) Offer the park or community owner a preliminary nonbinding cost estimate to perform an engineering evaluation and estimate the construction work and equipment replacement to be performed by the gas or electric corporation at the owner's expense.
  (b) The gas or electric corporation shall develop the cost estimate for the engineering evaluation in good faith using the same methodology as is used for similar projects. The preliminary cost estimate shall be effective for a minimum of 90 days. The gas or electric corporation shall give the owner timely notice of any increase in the estimated cost of the engineering evaluation.
  (c) During 1997, gas and electric corporations shall make a good faith effort to respond within 90 days to the notice provided in subdivision (a).
  (d) The gas or electric corporation may charge a fee for the initial inspection not to exceed one hundred fifty dollars ($150).

(a) Upon receipt from the park or community owner of a deposit representing the gas or electric corporation's estimated cost of the engineering evaluation, the gas or electric corporation shall, within 90 days, do all of the following:
  (1) Develop an engineering plan for bringing the gas or electric system to the standard described in Section 2794, incorporating all relevant documentation including plans, drawings, engineering studies, and other existing documentation provided by the park or community owner, and considering incorporation of all portions of the gas or electric system found to be used, useful, and compatible.
  (2) Develop an appraisal of the value to the gas or electric corporation of the physical plant and equipment found to be used, useful, and compatible that comprise the gas or electric system, or both, to be transferred, including an estimate of the remaining useful life of the gas or electric system. The value to the gas or electric corporation shall take into consideration the expenditures by the park or community owner to comply with the criteria established in Section 2794.
  (3) Present a proposal, in sufficient detail to serve as a bid document for the transfer of ownership of the system to the gas or electric corporation.
  (b) The proposal may be based on either of the following approaches or as the park or community owner and the gas or electric corporation mutually agree:
  (1) The park or community owner is responsible for all construction and equipment replacement activity, if any, at the park or community owner's expense less any credits or allowances, if any, including credits or allowances based on incremental increases in the gas or electric corporation's revenues associated with the park or community owner's investment in the gas or electric system. The construction and equipment replacement and the credits and allowances shall be based on the principles established in the gas or electric corporation's line and service extension rules, if applicable.
  (2) The gas or electric corporation shall pay the park or community owner for the appraised value to the gas or electric corporation of any gas or electric distribution facilities found to be used, useful, and compatible. If any new facilities are necessary, the park or community owner shall be responsible for the costs of the excavation, installation of substructures, conduit and meter panels, and surface repairs. Except as provided in paragraph (4) of subdivision (c), the gas or electric corporation shall be responsible for the costs of any additional construction and equipment replacement, including cabling and transformers.
  (c) The proposal shall include the following:
  (1) A description of construction and equipment replacement activity, if any, to be accomplished at the park or community owner's expense.
  (2) Requirements for any additional provisions or rights for the construction or maintenance of public utility facilities on park or community premises, including easements and rights-of-way acceptable to the gas or electric corporation.
  (3) Any specific requirements or costs, or both, with respect to the presence of used and useful materials or equipment that are nonstandard, including, but not limited to, inventory requirements, specialized equipment requirements, or specialized personnel or training.
  (4) Any specific requirements or costs, or both, with respect to the presence of exceptional construction conditions or operation and maintenance conditions.
  (d) If the actual cost of the engineering evaluation is greater than the gas or electric corporation estimate, the park or community owner shall pay the gas or electric corporation the difference within 30 days of receipt of notice. If the actual cost of the engineering evaluation is less than the deposit, the gas or electric corporation shall pay the park or community owner the difference within 30 days. The content of the proposal shall become the property of the park or community owner.
  (e) Within 90 days of receipt of the proposal for transfer of ownership, a park or community owner may do any of the following:
  (1) Present objections to the gas or electric corporation in writing for resolution and may require mediation of the commission if the parties are unable to resolve the objection.
  (2) Decline to proceed, without prejudice to the right to present a new notice at any future date.
  (3) Accept the proposal and contract with the gas or electric corporation for completion of the construction work and equipment replacement, if any, or the acquisition of the gas or electric system, or both.
  (4) Accept the proposal and contract with an approved third party for completion of the construction work and equipment replacement, if any, in accordance with the applicable gas or electric corporation applicant installation rules.
  (f) Any new facilities provided by the gas or electric corporation to extend distribution or service facilities from the existing gas or electric corporation system within the park to previously undeveloped locations shall be provided in accordance with line extension rules and service extension rules contained in gas or electric corporation tariffs filed with the commission, including any and all free extensions, allowances, and advances subject to refund.
  (g) Upon completion of construction work and equipment replacement, if any, receipt of appropriate inspection approval from the gas or electric corporation and authorities having jurisdiction for the inspections, and completion of all financial transactions among the parties, the park or community owner shall transfer and the gas or electric corporation shall acquire ownership and operational responsibility for the gas or electric system.
  (h) Upon receipt of the proposal described in paragraph (3) of subdivision (a), the park or community owner shall notify the park residents concerning the pendency of a transfer process request and the provisions of the transfer process law.

(a) A gas or electric system shall be considered acceptable for transfer if it is in compliance with the following criteria:
  (1) It is capable of providing the end users a safe and reliable source of gas or electric service.
  (2) It meets the commission's general orders, is compatible, and, in the case of new construction, meets the gas or electric corporation's design and construction standards insofar as they are related to safety and reliability. The parties may waive these requirements by mutual agreement and, where necessary, with commission approval. The deviations as are agreed upon may be reflected in the purchase price.
  (3) It is capable of serving the customary expected load in the park or community determined in accordance with a site-specific study, studies of comparable parks or communities, industry standards, and the gas or electric corporation's rules as approved by the commission.
  (b) As used in this section, "customary expected load" means the anticipated level of service demanded by the dwelling units in the park or community. The park or community owner shall not be responsible for betterments or improvements to the gas or electric corporation's distribution system facilities or operations that do not benefit the park or community.
  (c) Satisfaction of the criteria shall not require any particular system architecture or replacement of used and useful equipment, plant, or facilities, except as needed to comply with subdivision (a). Equipment, facilities, or plant that are part of the existing gas or electric system shall be considered compatible unless their presence in the system would cause substantial increase in the frequency or duration of outages in the case of failure or emergency, or they have no remaining useful life. Pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 2793, equipment, facilities, or plant that require special training for the gas or electric corporation's employees, or require the gas or electric corporation to maintain inventories of nonstandard equipment may be considered compatible, but their presence may be reflected in the appraised value or the cost imposed on the park or community owner.

The park or community owner and the gas or electric corporation shall develop a cost for the transfer of the gas or electric system that reflects the factors in Section 2793, indemnity and liability issues, and any other factors as the parties may mutually agree upon, and to which the gas or electric corporation's ratepayers are indifferent. The parties may agree on a schedule for phasing in facilities to meet expected load increases and betterments, and the costs associated with those activities.

(a) During the pendency of a transfer request, the owner of the park or community shall be responsible for the continued maintenance to preserve the integrity of the park or community gas or electric system and safe and reliable operation of the park or community system in accordance with applicable laws.
  (b) During the pendency of a transfer request the owner of the park or community shall be liable for injury and damage resulting from operation of the submetered gas and electric system. After transfer the gas or electric corporation shall assume responsibility for operation of the gas or electric system and provision of service to residents of the park or community and shall assume liability for any future injury or damage resulting from operation of the gas or electric system except with respect to defects known to the park or community owner and not disclosed to the gas or electric corporation during the transfer of ownership process.

The commission shall permit the gas or electric corporation to recover in its revenue requirement and rates all costs to acquire, improve, upgrade, operate, and maintain transferred mobilehome park or manufactured housing community gas or electric systems.

The commission shall adopt a standard form of agreement for transfer of gas and electric distribution facilities in mobilehome parks and manufactured housing communities that shall be the basis for expedited approval of the transfers. The contract shall be based on this chapter, the regulations of the commission, and on gas or electric corporation rules and regulations, as approved by the commission.

(a) The mobilehome park or manufactured housing community owner may, by written notice, stop the transfer process at any time. Within 60 days of delivery to the park or community owner of an itemized bill, the owner shall reimburse the gas or electric corporation for all costs incurred through the date notice is provided.
  (b) At any time during the transfer of ownership process, either party may apply to the commission for informal mediation and resolution of any issue, finding, determination, or delay in the conversion process.
  (c) If the initiation of the transfer process does not result in a transfer of the park or community owner's gas or electric system to the gas or electric corporation, all information, data, reports, studies, and proposals shall be retained by the gas or electric corporation for a period of five years or offered to the park or community owner. Prior to disposal of the records, the gas or electric corporation shall offer them to the park or community owner, except that the gas or electric corporation shall not be required to provide proprietary information to the park or community owner.