Gov. Gavin Newsom publicly lambasted PG&E Corp.’s plan to overhaul its board of directors, accusing the beleaguered utility Thursday of putting the interests of Wall Street ahead of the Californians it serves.

In a letter to John Simon, PG&E’s interim CEO, Newsom said he was “troubled” to find out that the company was poised to nominate a slate of new board members whom he described as “hedge fund financiers, out-of-state executives and others with little or no experience in California and inadequate expertise in utility operations, regulation and safety.”

“With this move, PG&E would send a clear message that it is prioritizing quick profits for Wall Street over public safety and reliable and affordable energy service,” Newsom wrote. “Time and again, PG&E has broken the public trust and its responsibilities to ratepayers, wildfire victims, and employees. This board appears to be more of the same.”

PG&E plans to replace at least half of its board in the coming months after the parent company and its primary subsidiary, Pacific Gas and Electric Co., filed for bankruptcy protection in January because of their mounting liability from 2017 and 2018 wildfires.

The company has yet to publicly announce the nominees it wants shareholders to elect at their annual meeting in May. Newsom’s office was told about PG&E’s choices this week.

PG&E responded to Newsom’s letter with a statement saying the company acknowledges the “serious concerns” he raised and shares his “urgency for action.”

PG&E has not indicated whether the governor’s letter will prompt it to delay its deadline for board member nominations — a date the company has repeatedly pushed back, most recently to Friday.

“We recognize the importance of adding perspectives to the board that will bring about the right changes in safety, as well as help address the serious operational and financial challenges the business faces now and in the future,” the PG&E statement said.

Newsom said in the letter that the nominees under consideration raise “serious doubts about the company’s commitment to make changes needed to deliver safe, reliable and affordable power” to its customers.

“California deserves better,” he said.

Newsom said the majority of PG&E’s board should be Californians with expertise in regulation, safety and clean energy. New board members should “be resolved to change the culture of the company” and be committed to treating wildfire victims and employees fairly, he said.

BlueMountain Capital Management, a hedge fund that owns millions of PG&E shares, already put forth its own slate of 13 candidates, including former state treasurer and gubernatorial candidate Phil Angelides. The fund said in a statement that it shares Newsom’s views about “the director qualifications necessary to position PG&E for long-term success.”

Angelides told The Chronicle that Newsom “deserves credit for speaking up.”

“This is a utility that has a monopoly over most of Northern California, and it’s important that he step forward, as he has done, to express what’s in the long-term interest of the state — which I happen to think, if done correctly, is also coincident with building a strong and viable and sustainable PG&E.”

PG&E is also searching for a new CEO after the abrupt exit of Geisha Williams on the eve of the company’s announcement that it and the utility subsidiary planned to file for bankruptcy protection. Bill Johnson, the outgoing CEO of the Tennessee Valley Authority, is reportedly the company’s top choice for the role.

J.D. Morris is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jd.morris@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @thejdmorris