California is burning, and Pacific Gas & Electric—one of the biggest privately-owned utility companies in the state—is coming under criticism for their role in the fires and their failure to provide service and safety to more than 2 million California residents who went days without power last week.

To shed some light on this situation, we talk to Loretta Lynch, energy advocate and former president of the California Public Utilities Commission. She talks about the situation on the ground and makes a compelling case for why we should be holding these utilities companies to account and advocating for government ownership of electricity.

Loretta Lynch served as president of the California Public Utilities Commission
from 2000 through 2002 and served as a commissioner until January 2005. After her term at the PUC, she taught at the Goldman School for Public Policy and was an Executive Fellow at the University of California, Berkeley. Currently, she consults with community, labor, and environmental organizations on regulatory matters.