Don't forget... some years ago California made PG&E pick between distribution and generation. Can't do both... that's an evil capitalist monopoly!
So, PG&E chose distribution and purchased power from the distributors.
Only, they now had no excess capacity, because that was being sold out of state where it was more profitable. Which meant that during times of high demand, PG&E had to purchase power on the spot market, which was subject to, oddly enough, demand pricing, which caused rates to soar, which was, in part (only part because of government mandated price caps... WE'RE HELPING!). Now, the distribution companies also did some manipulation designed to drive up spot market prices, but that was, somehow, still PG&E's fault...
Cue screeching from the politicians who created that mess, screaming about how PG&E was gouging consumers to line its pockets, when nothing was farther from the truth.
Now California is crying about how PG&E criminally neglected its infrastructure, when even a most cursory glance reveals that in a lot of cases California law is a direct impediment in the ability to maintain those lines.
Part of me likes to think that some of this is PG&E's board just sitting around and voting to enact their Screw you Newsome Plan Phase 1.