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General (Policies) | 9 Months Ended
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Sep. 30, 2019
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract] |
Basis of Accounting, Policy | The unaudited interim financial information has been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) and in accordance with the instructions for Form 10-Q and Rule 10-01 of Regulation S-X promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). The Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements in SJW Group’s 2018 Annual Report on Form 10-K should be read with the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.
Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements, Policy | Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements In February 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2016-02, “Leases (Topic 842),” as amended, which supersedes the lease requirements in “Leases (Topic 840).” This ASU generally requires lessees to recognize operating and financing lease liabilities and corresponding right-of-use assets on the Consolidated Balance Sheets and to provide enhanced disclosures surrounding the amount, timing and uncertainty of cash flows arising from leasing arrangements. ASU 2016-02 also makes some changes to lessor accounting and aligns with the new revenue recognition guidance. SJW Group adopted the new standard effective January 1, 2019, on a modified retrospective basis and did not restate comparative periods. SJW Group also elected the package of practical expedients permitted under the transition guidance and combined lease and non-lease components. In addition, SJW Group kept leases with an initial term of 12 months or less off the Consolidated Balance Sheets and recognized the associated lease payments in the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income on a straight-line basis over the lease term. The adoption of this standard did not have a material impact on SJW Group’s consolidated financial statements.
Revenue Recognition, Policy | Revenue Water sales are seasonal in nature and influenced by weather conditions. The timing of precipitation and climatic conditions can cause seasonal water consumption by customers to vary significantly. Due to the seasonal nature of the water business, the operating results for interim periods are not indicative of the operating results for a 12-month period. Revenue is generally higher in the warm, dry summer months when water usage and sales are greater, and lower in the winter months when cooler temperatures and increased rainfall curtail water usage and sales. In response to the drought from 2014 to 2016 in California, the State Water Resources Control Board (the “State Water Board”) imposed mandatory water use restrictions and conservation targets. The Santa Clara Valley Water District (“Valley Water”), San Jose Water Company’s principal water supplier, also mandated water use restrictions along with conservation targets at levels higher than the State Water Board. While the Governor of California declared the drought over on April 7, 2017, the State Water Board made certain water use restrictions permanent. Further, Valley Water has maintained a conservation target of 20% compared to 2013 water usage. In 2018, Governor Edmund G. Brown signed into law Assembly Bill 1668 and Senate Bill 606. Both bills set an initial limit for indoor water use of 55 gallons per person per day by 2022 and reduced the limit further to 50 gallons per person per day by 2030. Implementation details remain to be developed as to how local water providers will meet this mandate as well as to how the California Public Utilities Commission (“CPUC”) will direct its regulated utilities to comply. To encourage conservation, San Jose Water Company received approval from the CPUC to implement a Mandatory Conservation Revenue Adjustment Memorandum Account in 2014. This account was subsequently replaced with a Water Conservation Memorandum Account (“WCMA”). The WCMA allows San Jose Water Company to track lost revenue, net of related water costs, associated with reduced sales due to water conservation and associated calls for water use reductions. San Jose Water Company records the lost revenue captured in the WCMA regulatory accounts once the revenue recognition requirements of FASB Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 980 - “Regulated Operations,” subtopic 605-25 are met. For further discussion, please see Note 8 and Note 9. The major streams of revenue for SJW Group are as follows:
| Three months ended September 30, |  | Nine months ended September 30,
| 2019 |  | 2018 |  | 2019 |  | 2018
Revenue from contracts with customers | $ | 130,777 |  |  | 120,007 |  |  | $ | 314,003 |  |  | 294,319 |
Alternative revenue programs, net - WCMA | (11,912 | ) |  | 4,193 |  |  | (14,218 | ) |  | 7,794 |
Other balancing and memorandum accounts revenue, net | (6,221 | ) |  | (788 | ) |  | (9,229 | ) |  | (7,235 | )
Rental income | 1,353 |  |  | 1,441 |  |  | 4,088 |  |  | 4,103 |
| $ | 113,997 |  |  | 124,853 |  |  | $ | 294,644 |  |  | 298,981 |
Earnings Per Share, Policy | Basic earnings per share is calculated using income available to common stockholders, divided by the weighted average number of shares outstanding during the period. Diluted earnings per share is calculated using income available to common stockholders divided by the weighted average number of shares of common stock including both shares outstanding and shares potentially issuable in connection with restricted common stock awards under SJW Group’s Long-Term Incentive Plan (as amended, the “Incentive Plan”) and shares potentially issuable under the Employee Stock Purchase Plan (“ESPP”).
Utility Plant Depreciation, Policy | A portion of depreciation expense is allocated to administrative and general expense.

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