Public utilities provide electric, gas, water or telephone service to customers in a specified area. Utilities have a duty to provide safe and adequate service on reasonable terms to anyone who lives within the service area on without discriminating between customers. Because most utilities operate in near monopolistic conditions, they can be heavily regulated by local, state, and federal authorities. Generally, the local and state agencies are called Public Service Commissions (PSC) or Public Utility Commissions (PUC). Municipal Utilities and Rural Electric Cooperatives may be unregulated though.
Catheys Valley (formerly, Cathay and Cathey's Valley) is an unincorporated community in Mariposa County, California. It lies in Catheys Valley 22 miles (35.2 km) northeast of Merced, and 8 miles (13 km) southwest of Mariposa, at an elevation of 1325 feet (404 m). Catheys Valley has a population of 1,007. Catheys Valley was named after Andrew Cathey, a native of North Carolina, who settled in this valley around 1850. The ZIP Code is 95306. The community is inside area code 209.