AnonymousSource: Das Williams, 1st District County Supervisor
PG&E and Southern California Edison coming to the Board of Supervisors Tuesday, August 27th to update us on their Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) program to prevent wildfires
Local power utilities (Southern California Edison/PG&E) recently developed plans to shut down power during critical fire weather in order to reduce the risk of wildfires. The Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) could lead to multi-day power outages in many areas during periods of extremely hot, dry and/or windy weather.
The loss of electricity for days at a time has tremendous potential for disruption and the public needs to be prepared for such an occurrence. Our Office of Emergency Management is urging that residents need to be prepared to endure a power outage lasting 3-7 days.
PG&E and Southern California Edison will be attending our Board hearing on Tuesday, August 27th to present on the program and answer our questions. If you would like to learn more about these potential power outages and how to prepare for them, and add your public comment to the discussion so we can hear you too, please join our Board hearing in Santa Maria (located at 511 E. Lakeside Parkway) or remotely in Santa Barbara (located at 105 E. Anapamu Street, 4th floor).
You can also watch the meeting on channel 20 or online on the County Youtube Channel. The item is the fifth on our Departmental Agenda and will likely be up around 10am, however please follow my County facebook page for updates on when the item will come up. Our complete agenda can be found here. I will also be sharing video of the meeting for those who cannot attend or watch.
My staff member, Lisa Valencia Sherratt, has been doing outreach on this issue. If you have questions we might be able to answer, questions you would like me to ask PG&E and/or SCE, or have a group you would like to be presented with information on this program, please email Lisa or call her at 805-568-2155.
For further information please see the links below:
- County of Santa Barbara Preparing for Public Safety Power Shutoff
- County of Santa Barbara Public Safety Power Shutoff Bilingual Fact Sheet
- PG&E Public Safety Power Shutoff Info Page (1-877-660-6789)
- Southern California Edison Public Safety Power Shutoff Page (1-800-655-4555)
- California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) De-Energization (PSPS) Page
For Persons Dependent on Electricity
If you, a loved one, or anyone you know is dependent on electricity to survive (meaning they require an oxygen tank or any other life saving device), here is critical information:
Individuals dependent on a life saving device that requires electricity need to enroll in their electricity provider’s Medical Baseline Program. This will result in a discount on your electricity bill in the amount that it costs to keep your life saving device going. Enrollment in the program is how both PG&E and SCE will identify those dependent on electricity.
Here is how you sign up for the Medical Baseline Program:
- Print the application for your correct electricity provider (you can also stop by our office located on the 4th floor of the County Admin Building at 105 E. Anapamu Street to obtain a copy)
- Fill out the application
- Take the application to your medical provider (also call your medical provider because they may already have these applications in their office)
- Mail the application to the address on the bottom
If you live north of the Gaviota Tunnel, your electricity provider is PG&E. South of the Gaviota Tunnel, your provider is Southern California Edison.
Up to 7 days without power will be a disaster. I remember after the Northridge Quake the power was out for ~24 hrs give or take. This will slam us in unimaginable ways. It will be like a week long camping trip in our own city. I don’t mind camping one bit, but it will get tiresome for most in short order. I guess I better dust off my mom’s old “Foxfire” books.
Research this, people! They’re out to save their own butt.
I am against this play of theirs. Please read some articles & opinion pieces by searching online for “effects in california of PGE turning off power”. And I thought it was a good idea when they first floated it…
They want HOSPITALS to live and work off generators for up to a week or more?! BUSINESSES? What about CELL TOWERS?!
Get in the know, people!
The power company executives and management continue to receive MILLIONS in salaries and MILLIONS in “annual bonuses” . They refuse to invest in underground grid systems and safer infrastructure that a % of every bill you have paid since the 1980’s is supposed to go for. SCE and PG&E linemen make an average of $200K a year and receive lifetime benefits… but hey- you won’t be without electricity for a week or two, suck it up!
What if your employer put you on unpaid leave for a week? What if you are self employed and could not work for that week? The unintended consequences of this thing will be painful. It’s like the Patriot Act: do you want security or privacy & freedom? Once they flip off the power switch for we’ll all have security, but at what cost.
That will never happen, Because of the Wildfires that destroyed the city of Paradise City in northern California, has made the government step in and say the energy company’s are no linger liable for anything that is caused due to a “PPSS”. The reason 88 people died is fear of being sued FOR shutting the power off in the first place. This is a reality that IS going to happen.