Thomas MacBride

Thomas MacBride, Jr. has practiced before the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) for more than 45 years. He has served as regulatory counsel to a wide variety of entities with interests in matters before the CPUC including ground and water transportation providers, publicly and privately owned water service providers, telecommunications and energy companies, trade associations, municipalities, real estate developers, homeowners’ associations, and independent metering and billing companies. Mr. MacBride has participated in a number of legislative initiatives to reform CPUC procedures, including the 1983 legislation revising provisions of the California Public Utilities Code regarding rehearing of CPUC decisions; the 1985 legislation that expanded the CPUC’s Commission’s authority to exempt certain financial transactions from otherwise applicable statutory requirements for advance formal CPUC approval; and the 1989 legislation that revised the fashion in which CPUC decisions are published.

Prior to joining Downey Brand, Mr. MacBride was a partner at the San Francisco firm of Goodin, Macbride, Squeri & Day from 1985 until 2021. Earlier in his career, upon graduation from law school, he joined the staff of the CPUC where he served as Staff Counsel and as the Advisor to the late Commissioner Vernon L. Sturgeon. Mr. MacBride earned his J.D. from the University of California, San Francisco College of the Law.