REGULATION

San Diego Labor Lawyer Appointed to PUC: Josiah Neeper, 65, who has represented the city and Port of San Diego, the University of San Diego and the Zoological Society of San Diego, joins the five-member board at a critical time. The seat has been vacant all year. The Public Utilities Commission is considering substantial deregulation of the state’s $20-billion electric industry, and it also must resolve important issues relating to its recent decision to open local phone service to competition next year. Neeper says he is looking forward to dealing with such complex and pivotal questions. “That’s the excitement,” he said. “It is the interesting challenge.” If Neeper is confirmed by the Senate, all PUC members will have been appointed by Gov. Pete Wilson.