Candidate for California Insurance Commissioner Dina Padilla is calling on Attorney General Jerry Brown to investigate the role of PG&E in the San Bruno fire of September 9. In a statement released to the press, Ms. Padilla asked that criminal charges be filed against PG&E saying, "I believe that PG&E is criminally negligent and is incapable in properly defending the lives and property of California residents."

Pacific Gas & Electric Co. owns the the pipeline that ruptured and ignited the conflagration that destroyed dozens of homes and killed at least 4 people. Padilla blamed lack of proper safety oversight on the corporate take-over of California public utilities, adding that the fault lies with the deregulation of industry by both Democrats and Republicans.

Residents of the San Bruno neighborhood say that they had been complaining for weeks preceding the blast of a gas smell, but that nothing was done.

Read more | Photos | Infrastructure decay in San Bruno gas explosion