Frustration at utility rising as California blackouts endure

Millions of Californians prepared to be in dark — some for five days, or longer — as nation’s largest utility said it was switching off power again Tuesday to prevent powerful winds from damaging its equipment and sparking more fires.

Pacific Gas & Electric Corp. said its latest blackout will start early Tuesday and affect 605,000 customers — about 1.5 million people —in 29 rrn California counties. anuncement came even before last blackout h ended, which shut power to more than 2.5 million people. It wasn’t clear if power, that for many went out Saturday, would be restored before next round of outs.

What was clear was that patience was wearing thin and frustration at utility was growing. From suburbs of San Francisco up rth to wine country, people searched for places Monday to charge phones and stocked up on ice for n-perishable food.

Powerful winds were driving multiple fires across California and deliberate shut-offs were intended to prevent blazes. Crews are battling a huge wildfire in Soma County wine country that has destroyed 96 buildings.

Petaluma resident Scotty Richardson, whose lights went out Saturday, said prospect that power might t be restored for days makes him “furious, furious.”

Richardson was out Monday getting breakfast, charging his phone and making business calls at Lumberjacks restaurant in Petaluma. He vented frustration at on-again, off-again roller coaster of outs but also anger at utility’s role in causing dely fires in past, and apparently sparking some of this season’s fires.

“PG&E can’t figure out how to deliver power reliably without killing people,” he said. “This is more than three strikes — it’s a failure of epic proportions.”

Richardson and his fiance run a business out of ir home, so “it’s imperative that we have electricity. Everything is done for us by a computer or phone,” he said. Refrigerated foods have spoiled and he worries that ongoing outs might lower property values.

“This has been a massive inconvenience,” he said. “This can’t be new rmal.”

PG&E is under severe financial pressure after its equipment was blamed for a series of destructive wildfires during past three years. Its stock dropped 24% Monday to close at $3.80 and was down more than 50% since Thursday.

Many Californians are skeptical of PG&E’s motives for blackouts, and feel utility is more concerned with its finances than massive inconvenience it’s causing.

“It’s so obvious it’s just to protect m from more liability,” Janet Luoma of Santa Rosa said at a Red Cross evacuation shelter.

At shelter in Santa Rosa, Chris Sherman plugged his laptop into a wall outlet and charged his phone while he waited for all-clear to go home, anticipating that once he did he could lose power.

“y don’t seem to kw what hell y’re doing,” he said about PG&E. “I’m t sure that y’re really protecting anything.”

company reported last week that a transmission tower may have caused a Soma County fire that h forced nearly 200,000 people to evacuate.

PG&E said Monday its power lines may have started two wildfires over weekend in San Francisco Bay Area, even though widespre blackouts were in place to prevent downed lines from sparking in dangerous winds.

fires described in PG&E reports to state regulators match blazes that destroyed a tennis club and forced evacuations in Lafayette, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) east of San Francisco.

fires began in a section of town where PG&E h opted to keep lights on. sites were t designated as a high fire risk, company said.

In Lafayette, where many people lost power on Saturday, people criticized PG&E for poorly communicating about shutoffs.

“Are we getting power tomorrow, are we t getting power tomorrow? We don’t kw,” said Kelly Bitzer, who came to a Safeway supermarket Monday looking for an outlet to charge her phone.

“PG&E has spent millions of dollars giving bonuses to ir executives, but y can’t keep up with ir infrastructure needs,” she said. “It’s very frustrating.”

More than 900,000 power customers — an estimated 2.5 million people — were in dark at height of latest planned blackout, nearly all of m in PG&E’s territory in rrn and central California. By Monday evening a little less than half of those h ir service back.

Sourn California Edison h cut off power to about 800 people as of Monday night and warned that it was considering disconnecting about 400,000 more as winds return midweek. company also faced a growing backlash from regulators and lawmakers.

U.S. Rep. Josh Harder, a Democrat from Modesto, said he plans to introduce legislation that would raise PG&E’s taxes if it pays bonuses to executives while engaging in blackouts.

Public Utilities Commission plans to open a formal investigation into blackouts within next month, allowing regulators to gar evidence and question utility officials. If rules are found to be broken, y can impose fines up to $100,000 per violation per day, said Terrie Prosper, a spokeswoman for commission.

commission said Monday it also plans to review rules governing blackouts, will look to prevent utilities from charging customers when power is off and will convene experts to find grid improvements that might lessen blackouts during next year’s fire season.

state can’t continue experiencing such widespre blackouts, “r should Californians be subject to poor execution that PG&E in particular has exhibited,” Marybel Batjer, president of California Public Utilities Commission, said in a statement.

PG&E has set up what it calls Community Resource Centers in areas affected by power outs, where people can go to charge phones and laptops, get free water, snacks, flashlights and solar lanterns. At one of m, in Berkeley, a few dozen people sat around Monday morning charging ir phones, comparing out stories and seeking information.

“Any word when we’re going to get power?” asked Renata Polt, 87. She said she h expected power might be out for one day and felt “dismay and anger” about extended out.

Cell phone cover in parts of Berkeley was very spotty during out, and residents said y heard it was because cell phone towers didn’t have backup power.

“It’s like, really? body thought of that?” said Alexandra Cons, who lost her house in a dely 1991 fire that rd through Berkeley hills. This week’s ferocious winds combined with utter darkness during blackout at night have been hard on her.

“It’s hard for me to separate out and strong winds from possibility of losing my home again,” she said. “It’s a lot of traumatic memories.”

___

Gecker reported from Berkeley and Lafayette, California. Associated Press writer Johnathan J. Cooper reported from Phoenix.