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.
Hawaiian Gardens is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is the smallest city in the county (approximately 1.0 mi²) and was incorporated on April 9, 1964. The population was 14,779 at the 2000 census. The town's unusual name originated in a 1920s-era refreshment stand that was decorated with palm fronds and bamboo. It was the then-rural area's main landmark for many years, and its name stuck as the small town grew up around it. As one of seven Los Angeles County cities that allow casino gambling, more than $9.2 million (65%) of the city's revenue comes from Hawaiian Gardens Casino, a card club.