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.
Oak View is a census-designated place (CDP) in Ventura County, California, United States located in the western portion of the Ojai Valley situated between the towns of Casitas Springs (south) and Mira Monte (north). According to the 2000 census, the population of Oak View is 4,199, making it the third largest town in the Ojai Valley. The town is adjacent to the Ventura River and nearby Lake Casitas.