Customers with questions about SmartMeters are still waiting for an audit to start. It's been five months since the California Public Utilities Commission said a review would be done, and that state agency missed its own deadline.

Sen. Dean Florez, D-Shafter, is dropping out of the race to become lieutenant governor. Florez' decision came in response to San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom's announcement Friday that he's seeking the office.

In a press conference Monday, Senate Majority Leader Dean Florez blasted the California Public Utilities Commission for working with Pacific Gas and Electric Co. and not for the people of the Central Valley.

A pair of prominent citizens -- Kern County Supervisor Michael Rubio and businesswoman Shannon Grove -- took steps Thursday toward fulfilling their political aspirations.

An independent eye will take a look at SmartMeters, the highly vilified electrical meters deployed by Pacific Gas and Electric Co. The California Public Utilities Commission declared "extraordinary circumstances" Friday to quickly hire an independent examiner.

A ceremony Tuesday marked the start of a long-anticipated widening project on Highway 46. The highway, which is northwest of Bakersfield, is a primary route to the central coast. Numerous crashes along 46 have earned it the nickname "blood alley."

Senate Majority Leader Dean Florez has called for an investigation into a Bakersfield business that kept dead horses behind its building. It turns out the business sells animal cadavers to veterinary schools, which helps train future veterinarians.

Good news for a change for Pacific Gas and Electric Co. customers. The California Public Utilities Commission approved a request by PG&E to refund $424 million to customers. The PUC denies the refund is related to the controversy over SmartMeters.

Emotions ran high at a public hearing on Pacific Gas and Electric Co.'s SmartMeter program. Many customers told of astronomical hikes in energy bills after the utility company installed the new devices. But, PG&E defended its program, saying the meters are not to blame.

Pacific Gas and Electric Co. has set up shop at the Marriott Hotel in downtown Bakersfield where its fielding questions from customers who are worried about high power bills. Many customers have complained about the new SmartMeters.

A state senator is joining angry power customers in demanding answers about the new SmartMeter program, which some blame for skyrocketing power bills. Senate Majority Leader Dean Florez said Thursday that he's hearing too many questions about the meters.

A state senator will hold a pair of events in town to focus on the uproar over Pacific Gas and Electric Co.'s SmartMeter program. Some consumers feel they've experienced a "dramatic" increase in charges even as their consumption has dropped, Dean Florez said.

More than 27,000 inmates would be given an early release from prison in an attempt to save the state some money. That's more people than places such as Wasco, Arvin and Lamont. But people aren't exactly crazy about the idea.

California's largest biodiesel plant is ready for business. State Sen. Dean Florez joined executives Wednesday for a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Crimson Renewable Energy's new Kern County plant off Interstate 5.