Privacy Policy - California Water Service Group

Last updated: January 01, 2023

California Water Service Group, its affiliates, subsidiaries and related entities (together, “Group,” “us” or “we”), is committed to the privacy of our customers, visitors to our websites (100years.calwatergroup.com, and other websites owned or operated by Group), users of our mobile applications, stockholders, investors, and investment advisors (“you” or “your”). This Privacy Policy (“Policy”) addresses information Group obtains from you in providing stockholder or other related services (the “Services”). The Policy discloses types of information we collect from you, how information is collected, and addresses the uses and other processing of collected information.

Our Terms of Use, in which this Policy is incorporated by reference, constitutes an agreement between you and Group that conditions your interaction with our Services, where and as permitted by applicable law. By continuing to access or use our Services, you acknowledge that you have reviewed and agree to the provisions of this Policy.

Categories of Information that Group Collects

Information that You Provide to Group

In order to provide you with Services, Group receives, collects, stores, uses, and processes information, including “Personal Information.” Personal Information means any information that identifies, relates to, describes, is reasonably capable of being associated with, or could reasonably be linked, directly or indirectly, with a natural person or household. This includes information you provide to us, information which is collected about you automatically, and information we obtain from third parties. Information that is aggregated, de-identified, or anonymized is not considered Personal Information. Information that is made available from federal, state, or local government records, also is not considered Personal Information pursuant to this Policy.

You may make the following categories of Personal Information available to us based on our business relationship with you, including by using or accessing our Services:

Personal Information provided when you communicate with us, such as when you contact us by phone or email, including voice or image information (including when a call), contact information, and the content of the communications themselves. You will always be informed prior to our recording your call, and you may exit the call, if you wish not to be recorded.
Personal Information you provide on any form on our website, mobile applications, survey, poll or otherwise.

Group may supplement the aforementioned Personal Information with additional information obtained from other sources, such as online and offline data providers. Such supplemental information may include contact information for you, such as your email address, demographic data, or other relevant information.

Information Group Obtains From Your Use of Our Services

Group collects Personal Information about visits to or uses of our website and mobile applications, such as the number of visitors that click on certain links or use certain Services. Group uses standard industry software to create summary statistics of the collected data, which may be used to improve our website or mobile applications or for other internal purposes.

When you visit or use our website or mobile applications, we also automatically receive some Personal Information, such as your Internet Protocol (“IP”) Address and the type of Internet browser, operating system, Internet service provider and handheld/mobile device you are using to view the website or mobile application. We may use your IP Address to help diagnose technical issues or administer the website or mobile applications. We may also use your IP Address to provide localized content to you on our website or mobile applications, which is related to your generalized geographic location.

Cookies: When you visit or use certain of our Services (such as our website(s)), cookies are generated and placed on your device in order to understand information described above, such as how users interact with our website and accounts (including what pages are accessed, and how users interact with the website, accounts and portals). Your browser may give you the ability to control cookies.

Sensitive Personal Information

Certain of the Personal Information we collect also falls under the sub-category of ‘Sensitive Personal Information,’ as defined by certain laws.We only collect and use Sensitive Personal Information as necessary to provide you with goods and services, and do not sell or share Sensitive Personal Information.

How We Use Your Personal Information

Group receives, collects, stores, uses, and processes Personal Information that you provide or otherwise make available to us for the following purposes:

To provide, administer, and utilize our websites.
To improve our operational efficiency, to provide training, and to provide you with better service.
To contact you in response to an inquiry or otherwise communicate with you.
To perform analyses on the data and other Personal Information we have collected.
To prevent potentially fraudulent, prohibited, or illegal activities, and enforce our Terms of Use.
To comply with legal requirements, or assert or defend a legal claim.

How We Share Your Information with Third Parties

Group does not sell or share your Personal Information to Third Parties, and will not sell or share your Personal Information to Third Parties without your explicit consent. In addition, Third Parties are required to protect your privacy and security, and are subject to review of their data handling processes before we share Personal Information with them.

Group may share or release Personal Information only with your prior consent or in the following circumstances:

Change of Control: We may share Personal Information with Third Parties in connection with, or during the negotiation of, any merger, sale of company stock or assets, restructuring, financing, acquisition, divestiture, dissolution or change of control involving all or a portion of our business, including in connection with bankruptcy or similar proceeding.
For Legal Reasons: We may share Personal Information with Third Parties as reasonably necessary (a) to comply with any applicable law, regulation, legal process, valid warrant, subpoena, court order, request from the California Public Utilities Commission, Securities Exchange Commission, or other state or federal government agency with legal authority to obtain Personal Information from us; (b) to enforce or comply with our Terms of Use or other applicable agreements or policies, (c) to protect our rights or property, or the security or integrity of our Services, or (d) to protect us, users of our Services or the public from harm or potentially prohibited or illegal activities.
Safety: We may share Personal Information with Third Parties to protect the personal safety of our customers, employees or the public, or to assist emergency responders in situations of immediate threat to life or property.

Links to Other Websites, Mobile Applications, or Other Online Services

While visiting or using Group’s Services, you may encounter and choose to access websites, mobile applications, or other online services that may not be owned, operated, or otherwise associated with Group by clicking on hypertext links or icons. Group does not control and is not responsible for what outside entities do in connection with their websites, mobile applications, or other online services, or how they handle your Personal Information. Please consult the privacy policies of these other websites, mobile applications, and other online services for further information.

Internet Browser “Do Not Track” Signals and Other Similar Mechanisms

Some browsers have “do not track” features that allow you to tell a website not to track you. These features are not all uniform and certain options you select are both browser and device specific. We do not currently respond to “do not track” signals.

Retention

Unless otherwise stated above, we retain Personal Information and other information you provide or otherwise make available to us to fulfill the purposes described above.

We use the following criteria to determine how long to retain Personal Information:

Your requests to us regarding your information, or our products or services;
Any legal obligations to retain the data, or for our own legal purposes (such as enforcing our agreements or litigation);
Recommendations and legal requirements from the California Public Utilities Commission, the Securities & Exchange Commission, and applicable state statutes; and
Technical considerations and feasibility, and level of protections in place for your Personal Information.

Security

We use reasonable procedures and practices to safeguard Personal Information under our control. The Internet, wireless networks and information storage are not 100% secure. We cannot guarantee the security of your Personal Information stored or sent to us. We encourage you to take precautions to protect your Personal Information.

To the maximum extent allowed by applicable law, you agree and acknowledge that Group will not be liable or responsible for use or disclosure of your information that are the result of unauthorized or illegal access to our systems or those of our vendors, agents, contractors, affiliates, or partners. If you have reason to believe that the security of your communications or Personal Information has been compromised, please notify us immediately using the contact information below.

Children’s Privacy

We do not monitor the age of users of our Services, we do not intentionally collect information from children under the age of 16, and do not have actual knowledge of sharing personal information of a child under the age of 16. If you are under the age of 16, you should not submit Personal Information on this website or any other website without the consent of your parent or guardian. If a parent or guardian of a child under 16 believes that the child has provided us with Personal Information, the parent or guardian of that child should contact us at [email protected].

We do not sell or share the Personal Information of any individuals, and therefore necessarily do not sell or share the information of children of any age.

Your California Privacy Rights

California Consumer Privacy Act

Pursuant to the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 sections 1798.100 et seq. (“CCPA”) and the California Privacy Rights Act of 2020 (‘CPRA’), California residents have certain additional rights in relation to their Personal Information, subject to certain exceptions. For example, you may have may the right to:

1. Transparency. Businesses that collect Personal Information subject to the above listed laws have a responsibility to provide you with notice regarding the categories of Personal Information to be collected, the purposes for which the categories of Personal Information are collected or used, whether that information is sold or shared, and the length of time we intend to retain each category of Personal Information, or if that is not possible, the criteria used to determine that period, among other information.

2. Access the categories and specific pieces of Personal Information we have collected about you, the categories of sources from which the Personal Information is collected, the business purpose for collecting the Personal Information, and the categories of third parties with whom Group shares Personal Information.

3. Correct inaccurate or obsolete Personal Information that the Company may maintain.

4. Delete the Personal Information under certain circumstances.

5. Opt-out of the sale or sharing of personal information. Although these are rights in California, i.e., to opt out of the transfer of personal information to third parties for valuable consideration or cross-context behavioral advertising purposes, Group does not sell or share your personal information.

Group does not discriminate against our users on the basis of their exercising any of their rights afforded by the CCPA and CPRA, which is further in accordance with California residents’ rights under the law.

To request access to your Personal Information, or correct or delete your Personal Information, you may contact us through either of the following methods:

via email at [email protected]; or
via phone at (855) 225-9283 (enter the five digits of your zip code or the first three letters of your city, and then select option #6 for CCPA and CPRA requests);

Please specify in your request what Personal Information you would like to access, correct or delete.

We will first acknowledge receipt of your request within 10 business days after receipt of your request. We will provide a substantive response to your request within 45 calendar days after its receipt. If we require more time (up to 90 days or the permitted timeframe), we will inform you of the reason and extension period in writing.

Only you or an authorized agent (as described below) may make a verifiable consumer request related to your Personal Information.

How to Authorize an Agent. You may designate an authorized agent to submit your verified consumer request on your behalf, only if the authorized agent has your written permission to do so and you have taken steps to verify your identity directly with us.
How We Verify Your Request. To respond to your request we must verify your identity or the authority of your authorized agent. We will only use the Personal Information provided in that context to verify your identity or the authority of your authorized agent to make the request. Making a verifiable consumer request does not require you to create an account with us. To allow us to verify your request, we will require that you provide at least two pieces of Personal Information, including your email address and phone number, we already have in our possession. We will verify your consumer request by comparing the information you provide to information already in our possession, and take additional steps to minimize the risk of fraud.

California’s Shine the Light Law

California Civil Code Section 1798.83, also known as “Shine The Light” law, permits California residents to annually request information regarding the disclosure of your Personal Information (if any) to third parties for the third parties’ direct marketing purposes in the preceding calendar year. We do not share Personal Information with third parties for the third parties’ direct marketing purposes.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

Group reserves the right to change this Policy at any time at its sole discretion. Such changes shall be effective immediately upon posting them to Group’s website, or otherwise providing them to you. If we make any material changes to this Policy, we will provide notice of such changes, as appropriate. Your use of our Services after such changes have been posted shall constitute your acceptance of all provisions of the revised Policy.

Contact

If you have questions regarding our Policy or need to access the policy in an alternative format due to a disability, please contact us at [email protected] or (855) 225-9283.