Following a series of Pacific Gas & Electric outages meant to reduce fire risk in parts of Santa Cruz County over the summer, the California Public Utilities Commission is requiring the company to mitigate the effects on residents who were left without power, sometimes for days. The commission responded to a letter sent by Santa Cruz County Chair of the Board of Supervisors Bruce McPherson in September.
power outages
Posted inEnvironment
PG&E warns of another power shut-off affecting up to 29,000 customers; Santa Cruz County not on list
Twenty counties in Northern and Central California could be affected Thursday in order to reduce the risk of wildfire from energized power lines; as of Tuesday afternoon, Santa Cruz County was among those counties.
Posted inLatest News
High winds cause thousands to lose power around county as red flag warning remains in effect
Monday’s outages were largely triggered by high winds, with the Santa Cruz Mountains under red flag warnings and expecting to see gusts from 35 to 50 mph through the afternoon.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
‘We’re here to talk about it’: PG&E addresses community concerns over increased, prolonged outages across county
After an increasing number of both unplanned and planned outages countywide over the past few months, PG&E representatives hosted two virtual community forums to address customer concerns. With the new “fast trip” setting, some outages have been sparked by birds, squirrels and vegetation, leading to hours of no power and no explanation for customers.
Posted inLatest News
PG&E sheds light on Ben Lomond power outage, what was tripping the ‘fast trip’ tech: It was squirrels
Thousands of Ben Lomond residents were angry at PG&E over the weekend as power went out. A spokesperson for the utility company told Lookout on Monday that squirrels biting or touching a line triggered the new “fast trip” mechanism.
Posted inLatest News
Unscheduled power outages leave Corralitos customers frustrated, concerned with PG&E
The second outage in nearly two weeks was particularly worrisome with fire season in full effect in Santa Cruz County. “If there had been a fire, none of us would have known until the smoke was on us,” one Eureka Canyon resident said.
Posted inCoast Life
Nearly 5,000 lose power: What we know about PG&E’s Santa Cruz, San Lorenzo Valley outages
The first outage began at approximately 8:31 p.m. Wednesday when Ben Lomond area residents lost power that wasn’t restored until midday Thursday because of a fallen tree into electrical equipment, according to PG&E. That outage at its peak affected 2,194 customers.
Posted inLatest News
Another summer of California power outages poses threat to Newsom as he faces recall
As the COVID pandemic wanes, potential summer and fall outages are a test for a governor whose first term has been defined by emergencies beyond his control.
Posted inLatest News
‘Happy Birthday’ foil balloons cause widespread power outage in Downtown Santa Cruz
The outage began around 12:11 p.m. Power was restored quickly for some, but 690 customers remained without power nearly an hour later as crews replaced a transformer.
Posted inEnvironment
Power outage hits more than 7,000 customers in Santa Cruz County
New Leaf Community Markets brand manager Lindsay Gizdich said the store is moving from Pacific Avenue in order to have…
