March 14, 2001

ROSEMEAD, Calif., March 14, 2001-In a survey of more than 1,200 publicly held companies, Southern California Edison (SCE) ranks as one of the top companies in America in terms of diversity, according to NEXT STEP magazine, a quarterly publication focused on diversity.

The publication's current online edition ranks SCE as one of the "Diversity 100," a select group of companies that "embraces diversity by establishing initiatives so that all employees can prosper."  The recognized companies were not given a numerical ranking.

SCE, an Edison International company, was one of eight utilities on the list.  SCE was one of 16 companies to garner special recognition for having more than 10% of its board of directors composed of minorities, and one of 32 that extends benefits to same-sex partners.

In recent years, SCE has been cited by several publications for its diversity efforts.  In 2000, for the second straight year, LATINA Style magazine named SCE one of the "50 best companies for Latinas to work for in the U.S."  Last July, as part of its annual corporate diversity survey, Fortune magazine named SCE for the third straight year as one of America's "50 best companies for minorities."  And in 1999, A. Magazine recognized SCE for providing one of "the best work environments for Asian Americans" and named the utility as one of the nation's top five Fortune 500 companies for Asian Americans.

"We're pleased that our proactive efforts to build and maintain an inclusive, ethnically diverse work force has been recognized once again," said Stephen E. Frank, SCE chairman, president and CEO.  "We firmly believe that our utility work force should reflect the rich diversity of the consumer base and communities we serve in Southern California."

At SCE, one of the nation's largest electric utilities, ethnic minority employees make up almost 43% of the company's total work force, and 26% of its officials and managers.  Minority representation on the board of directors is 25%.

"This ranking represents another validation of the company's efforts to respond to employee needs, including work-life issues, diversity or dependent child care support," said Frank Quevedo, SCE's vice president of equal opportunity.  "We are determined to have our work force reflect California's ethnically rich, culturally diverse labor pool."

The NEXT STEP Diversity 100 list was compiled through a survey delving into 11 areas, among them the title of the highest ranking diversity officer, the size of a company's diversity staff, demographics of a firm's work force and board, policies regarding same-sex partners, and efforts to implement multicultural customer service functions.

The complete Diversity 100 list can be found at www.nextstepmag.com.

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An Edison International company, Southern California Edison is one of the nation's largest electric utilities, serving a population of more than 11 million via 4.3 million customer accounts in a 50,000-square-mile service area within central, coastal and Southern California.