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Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Property, Plant and Equipment

The major components of depreciable plant and equipment as of December 31, 2020 and 2019 are as follows:

			2020						2019
Equipment			$	567,904					521,183
Transmission and distribution			1,699,953						2,207,051
Office buildings and other structures			930,203						260,220
Total depreciable plant and equipment			$	3,198,060					2,988,454

Depreciation is computed using the straight-line method over the estimated remaining service lives of groups of assets. The estimated service lives of depreciable plant and equipment are as follows:

			Useful Lives
Equipment			5 to 35 years
Transmission and distribution plant			35 to 75 years
Office buildings and other structures			7 to 50 years

Schedule of Real Estate Investments

The major components of real estate investments as of December 31, 2020 and 2019 are as follows:

			2020						2019
Land			$	14,168					14,168
Buildings and improvements			43,961						43,531
Total real estate investment			$	58,129					57,699

Schedule of Future Minimum Rental Payments for Operating Leases

The following schedule shows the future minimum rental payments to be received from third parties under operating leases that have remaining noncancelable lease terms in excess of one year as of December 31, 2020:

Year ending December 31:			Rental Revenue
2021			$	4,264
2022			2,745
2023			2,565
2024			2,645
2025			2,833
Thereafter			7,711

Schedule of Balancing and Memorandum Accounts

SJWC met the recognition requirements for certain of its balancing and memorandum accounts and certain amounts subject to balancing and memorandum accounts and recorded regulatory assets, net, as follows:

			For the year ended December 31, 2020
			Beginning Balance						Regulatory Asset Increase (Decrease)						Refunds (Collections) Adjustments												Ending Balance
Revenue accounts:
Monterey WRAM			$	7,015					2,464						2,598												12,077
2014 - 2017 WCMA			708						—						(42)												666
2012 General Rate Case true-up			752						—						—												752
Cost of capital memorandum accounts			(1,553)						(8)						—												(1,561)
Tax memorandum account			(6,643)						(2)						6,978												333
All others			(2,219)						62						(67)												(2,224)
Total revenue accounts			(1,940)						2,516						9,467												10,043
Cost-recovery accounts:
Water supply costs			4,328						3,828						(33)												8,123
Pension			2,449						1,008						21												3,478
PRVMA			—						1,219						(111)												1,108
CEMA			—						2,266						—												2,266
All others			446						3						(4)												445
Total cost-recovery accounts			7,223						8,324						(127)												15,420
Total			$	5,283					10,840						9,340												25,463

			For the year ended December 31, 2019
			Beginning Balance						Regulatory Asset Increase (Decrease)						Refunds (Collections) Adjustments												Ending Balance
Revenue accounts:
Monterey WRAM			$	6,847					4,582						(4,414)												7,015
2014 - 2017 WCMA			7,750						—						(7,042)												708
2018 WCMA			9,386						(9,386)						—												—
2012 General Rate Case true-up			11,328						96						(10,672)												752
Cost of capital memorandum accounts			(1,523)						(30)						—												(1,553)
Tax memorandum account			(6,504)						(139)						—												(6,643)
All others			(1,735)						(107)						(377)												(2,219)
Total revenue accounts			25,549						(4,984)						(22,505)												(1,940)
Cost-recovery accounts:
Water supply costs			9,617						207						(5,496)												4,328
Pension			(1,843)						745						3,547												2,449
All others			1,090						10						(654)												446
Total cost-recovery accounts			8,864						962						(2,603)												7,223
Total			$	34,413					(4,022)						(25,108)												5,283

Schedule of Regulatory Assets and Liabilities

Regulatory assets, net, are comprised of the following as of December 31:

			2020						2019
Regulatory assets:
Income tax temporary differences, net (a)			$	6,230					2,433
Postretirement pensions and other medical benefits			95,559						73,525
Business combinations debt premium, net			22,479						25,020
Balancing and memorandum accounts, net			25,463						5,283
WRA (b)			323						9,108
Other, net (c)			8,176						5,048
Total regulatory assets, net			158,230						120,417
Less: current regulatory asset, net			1,748						6,472
Total regulatory assets, net, less current portion			$	156,482					113,945

___________________________________

(a)The company expects to recover regulatory assets related to plant depreciation income tax temporary differences over the average lives of the plant assets of between 5 to 75 years.

(b)WRA is a Connecticut Water decoupling mechanism that qualifies as an alternative revenue program. It is used to reconcile actual water demands with the demands projected in the most recent general rate case and allows companies to implement a surcharge or surcredit as necessary to recover the revenues approved in the general rate case.

(c)Other, net includes other regulatory mechanisms, accrued benefits for vacation, and asset retirement obligations that have not yet been passed through in rates.

Schedule of Estimated Refunds of Advances for Construction and Contributions in Aid of Construction

Estimated refunds for the next five years and thereafter are shown below:

			Estimated Refunds
2021			$	3,050
2022			3,050
2023			3,038
2024			2,958
2025			2,896
Thereafter			52,462

Schedule of Asset Retirement Obligations

As of December 31, 2020 and 2019, the asset retirement obligation is as follows:

			2020						2019
Retirement obligation			$	4,619					4,803
Discount rate			6		%				6		%
Retirement obligation, present value			$	939					942

Disaggregation of Revenue

The major streams of revenue for SJW Group are as follows:

			2020						2019						2018
Revenue from contracts with customers			$	549,270					447,720						389,302
Alternative revenue programs, net			(493)						(18,232)						10,456
Other balancing and memorandum accounts revenue and regulatory mechanisms, net			10,217						(14,403)						(7,541)
Rental income			5,532						5,397						5,482
			$	564,526					420,482						397,699

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