CALIFORNIA WATER SERVICE GROUP

This annual report, including all documents incorporated by reference, contains forward-looking statements within the meaning established by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (the PSLRA). The forward-looking statements are intended to qualify under provisions of the federal securities laws for “safe harbor” treatment established by the PSLRA. Forward-looking statements in this annual report are based on currently available information, expectations, estimates, assumptions and projections, and our management's beliefs, assumptions, judgments and expectations about us, the water utility industry and general economic conditions. These statements are not statements of historical fact. When used in our documents, statements that are not historical in nature, including words like “will,” “would,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “may,” “could,” “estimates,” “assumes,” “anticipates,” “projects,” “progress,” “predicts,” “hopes,” “targets,” “forecasts,” “should,” “seeks,” “indicates,” or variations of these words or similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Examples of forward-looking statements in this annual report include, but are not limited to, statements describing our intention, indication or expectation regarding our financial performance, dividends or targeted payout ratio, our expectations, anticipations or beliefs regarding governmental, legislative, judicial, administrative or regulatory timelines, decisions, approvals, authorizations, requirements or other actions, including our 2021 GRC, rate amounts or cost recovery, certain PFAS regulations, and associated impacts, such as our expected or estimated revenue benefit or loss, authorized return on equity, cost of debt and capital structure, expectations regarding regulatory asset and operating revenue recognition, sources of funding or capital requirements, estimates of, or expectations regarding, capital expenditures, funding needs or other capital requirements, obligations, contingencies or commitments, our expectations regarding water sources, our beliefs regarding adequacy of water supplies, our anticipation regarding renewing water supply contracts, and estimated water prices, estimated future amortization expense, estimates relating to our significant accounting policies, such as deferred revenue or assets or refund of advances, our expectations regarding stock-based compensation and estimated contributions to our pension plans and other postretirement benefit plans, our estimated annual effective tax rate and expectations regarding tax benefits, our intentions regarding use of net proceeds from any future equity or debt issuances or borrowings or our intentions or anticipations regarding our sources of funding, capital structure or capital allocation plans. The forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. They are based on numerous assumptions that we believe are reasonable, but they are open to a wide range of uncertainties and business risks. Consequently, actual results may vary materially from what is contained in a forward-looking statement.

Factors which may cause actual results to be different than those expected or anticipated include, but are not limited to:

•the outcome and timeliness of regulatory commissions' actions concerning rate relief and other matters, including with respect to our 2021 GRC;

•changes in regulatory commissions' policies and procedures, such as the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC)’s decision in 2020 to preclude companies from proposing fully decoupled WRAMs (which impacted our 2021 GRC);

•our ability to collect eligible customer arrearages and program administrative costs under the California Extended Water and Wastewater Arrearages Payment Program;

•our ability to invest or apply the proceeds from the issuance of common stock in an accretive manner;

•governmental and regulatory commissions' decisions, including decisions on proper disposition of property;

•consequences of eminent domain actions relating to our water systems;

•increased risk of inverse condemnation losses as a result of climate change and drought;

•changes in California State Water Resources Control Board water quality standards;

•changes in environmental compliance and water quality requirements;

•electric power interruptions, especially as a result of Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) programs;

•availability of water supplies;

•housing and customer growth;

•the impact of opposition to rate increases;

•our ability to recover costs;

•our ability to renew leases to operate water systems owned by others on beneficial terms;

•issues with the implementation, maintenance or security of our information technology systems;

•civil disturbances or terrorist threats or acts;

•the adequacy of our efforts to mitigate physical and cyber security risks and threats;

•the ability of our enterprise risk management processes to identify or address risks adequately;

•labor relations matters as we negotiate with the unions;

•changes in customer water use patterns and the effects of conservation, including as a result of drought conditions;

•our ability to complete, in a timely manner or at all, successfully integrate, and achieve anticipated benefits from announced acquisitions;

•the impact of weather, climate change, natural disasters, and actual or threatened public health emergencies, including disease outbreaks, on our operations, water quality, water availability, water sales and operating results and the adequacy of our emergency preparedness;

•restrictive covenants in or changes to the credit ratings on our current or future debt that could increase our financing costs or affect our ability to borrow, make payments on debt or pay dividends;

•risks associated with expanding our business and operations geographically;

•the impact of stagnating or worsening business and economic conditions, including inflationary pressures, general economic slowdown or a recession, increasing interest rates, instability of certain financial institutions, changes in monetary policy, adverse capital markets activity or macroeconomic conditions as a result of geopolitical conflicts, and the prospect of a shutdown of the U.S. federal government;

•the impact of market conditions and volatility on unrealized gains or losses on our non-qualified benefit plan investments and our operating results;

•the impact of weather and timing of meter reads on our accrued unbilled revenue;

•the impact of evolving legal and regulatory requirements, including emerging environmental, social and governance requirements; and

•the risks set forth in “Risk Factors” included elsewhere in this annual report.

In light of these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this annual report or as of the date of any document incorporated by reference in this annual report, as applicable. When considering forward-looking statements, investors should keep in mind the cautionary statements in this annual report and the documents incorporated by reference. We are not under any obligation, and we expressly disclaim any obligation, to update or alter any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.