Talk about sticker shock.
The owner of a family-owned restaurant in Chinatown was recently hit with a huge gas bill.
Typically, Hop Woo restaurant’s monthly bill comes out to $5,000 to $6,000, but last month, Judy Cen was shocked to see how much she was getting charged: Nearly $14,000.
The BBQ and seafood restaurant has been in business for decades and workers need gas to cook.
Cu said her husband died seven months ago and she’s struggling to be able to make that payment.
She’s not alone.
Many residential and business customers in Southern California are noticing the hike in prices.
SoCal Gas sent a notice to customers in December letting them know January’s gas bill would be “shockingly” high.
Experts say some driving factors include an unprecedented cold snap across the nation that caused natural gas prices in the west to more than double, pipeline constraints and higher consumption.
Gov. Gavin Newsome urged the Federal Regulatory Commission, which regulates wholesale natural gas, to investigate the price spike.
And help is on the way for residential customers. The California Public Utilities Commission voted to accelerate the state’s climate credit, that means that credits of $90 to $120 should be applied to bills as early as February or March.
Meanwhile, Cu is unsure of what to do next.
The restaurant is still trying to recover from the coronavirus pandemic slowdown.
Her daughter posed the gas bill on social media and encouraged customers to continue supporting their business so they can pay their high gas bill.
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