Over the past several days, we’ve heard from many concerned residents about Southern California Edison’s (SCE) power outages. Some of these outages drag on for more than a week and people are understandably frustrated, particularly our mountain communities, who rely on electricity to stay warm during these cold winter months. The outages are exceptionally harsh on our seniors.
Unfortunately, the county has no control over these events due to current state-imposed regulations that give local jurisdictions zero control over energy resources during such circumstances.
We certainly understand the threat of high winds, which can put significant strain on our energy infrastructure and increase fire danger, and we are very fortunate to not have experienced any devastating emergencies, unlike our neighbors in Los Angeles County. However, it’s clear that there are many issues with how SCE has managed this wind event.
Many residents who live well outside the fire-prone areas are experiencing lengthy outages. In many instances, there has been little communication by SCE to its customers about when power will be restored. The lack of useful information by SCE has been alarming. SCE needs to have greater flexibility built into their circuits to minimize the number of customers who are impacted.
In addition, the State of California continues its premature push for full electrification, which will only amplify the problem. The state needs to realize the impact of its policies on our communities and take action to ensure that what happened during this wind event does not become a new standard in our county.
While we continue to advocate for measures that allow us to more effectively address these issues at the local level, we encourage residents to prepare for potential outages by keeping emergency supplies on hand. The county has guidance and resources for residents at https://prepare.sbcounty.gov/. We also ask that you join us in advocating for reform at the state level. The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) regulates utility providers such as SCE, and it is important that they hear feedback from residents who have been harmed by these power outages. Complaints and concerns about SCE can be filed with the CPUC here: https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/consumer-support/file-a-complaint/utility-complaint.
Since the state oversees Edison, we also encourage you to engage your state representatives on this matter. It is important that our legislators realize the severity of the situation and how these state regulations are failing our communities.
Sincerely,
Dawn Rowe
Supervisor, 3rd District
San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors
Curt Hagman
Supervisor, 4th District
San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors
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