PG&E officials said they have initiated the power shutoff that was expected Wednesday night in the East Bay, South Bay and Santa Cruz area.
As of 10:37 p.m., the shutoffs for those areas had begun and will continue through midnight, PG&E spokesperson Karly Hernandez said.
To all my powerless friends… God Bless you
To PG&E…..you’re toast
I only wish. Too bad they’ll come out of this fine like they always do. Before long they will be giving huge bonuses to their exec team.
CAPITALISM!
Suck it up, or you’re a commie.
No they are trying to prevent people from becoming toast.
If they wanted to do that, they would have upgraded their system long ago. No. They’re not trying to “prevent people from becoming toast.” They’re trying to prevent more lawsuits. They don’t care one bit for their customers. The only things PG&E has ever cared for are the stockholders and their senior management.
Sign from Above – I do agree with you that they are punishing us for something they should have done a long time ago and I’m pissed about this situation. (By the way I still have poser but have been getting strung along for 2 days!) But, I don’t blame the PG&E workers “on the ground”. This was not their decision. It is the overpaid executives that are beholding to their share holders so they can continue getting their obscene salaries and bonuses while they screw us. Their spokes person is now saying this is the new normal!!!! It better not be!
Plus one. PG&E should have spent the money on where it was supposed to go as far as moving their saggy old lines underground. They were feeding their pockets instead of taking care of infrastructure and have been found guilty in a criminal court proceeding if doing just that. No confidence vote. Bring in another power company from this decade please and let’s get rid of criminal enterprises like PG&E.
@ Lost
I totally agree. The “boots on the ground” are not to blame here. They are simply going to work and doing the best they can. It’s the company as a whole. PG&E is blatantly unethical and not one of our elected officials is doing anything about it. They’s rather spend their time outlawing plastic straws! Our electrical grid provider should be a non-profit to protect against these issues.
MEV – You do realize that none of what we pay in electric rates is designed to go toward putting the lines underground. If PG&E put that expense into your monthly bill we would all be paying 10 or 20 times what we pay now.
Whenever we get around to arranging the class action, I’m in. I think its an open shut case of gross negligence that pge did not maintain its transmission lines adequately. Adequate cross arms and support should have been installed to keep lines from arcing in the wind, simply due to the fact that California is an earthquake zone. PGE needs to be shown that denial of service is not a feasible option for them.
@Waiter, You know the state already fined PGE more money than its entire assets and sent them into bankrupcty, right? This is literally the consequence of them being sued over the paradise, ca fire.Sue them more would just make them more shy about providing services during a fire risk, not less.
@Vernon
That’s pure unadulterated BS.
Yes, the state did fine PGE, but it was peanuts. What did send PGE into bankruptcy is claims from insurance companies.
And even then the claims ($9-12 billion depending on who’s counting) were nowhere near PGE’s “entire assets” (~$70 billion). But the claims were a lot more than what PGE can easily pass onto its rate payers, even though CPUC is a joke.
Just walked through downtown Lafayette. No lights, no businesses open but the Police are patrolling. Thank you to emergency services personnel. PGE put us all behind the 8 ball, and HOW IS THIS ACCEPTABLE? Years of neglect on PGE’s part has come to this. Totally unacceptable.
it would literally cost several billion dollars to underground transmission lines… those costs would be absorbed by the rate payer…we dont want that as customers. California is the only state in the country where inverse condemnation applies. Meaning PG&E would be liable for a fire lets say if a strong gust carries branch 1/4 a mile (beyond the mandated swath of land around power lines). The PSPS was a safety precaution. i’m not a fan of the decision, but I can understand why they did it
Finally, someone who gets it. I’m not a fan either, but I think that they are doing what they have to.
I got my propane tanks at the ready for my grill and my bags of charcoal for my Weber. Spare the Air Day??? Not going to happen with me. Cant eat out cause restaurants and fast food will be closed. Oh well…………..
Most areas on claycord are unaffected. You can still eat out.
Lights still on by Northgate High School in Walnut Creek.
Lights out in Moraga and yet there’s still a fire in the Hills
it would literally cost several billion dollars to underground transmission lines… those costs would be absorbed by the rate payer…we dont want that as customers. California is the only state in the country where inverse condemnation applies. Meaning PG&E would be liable for a fire lets say if a strong gust carries branch 1/4 a mile (beyond the mandated swath of land around power lines) and knocks lines together or damaging equipment. The PSPS was a safety precaution. i’m not a fan of the decision, but I can understand why they did it
This is a red herring put out by PG&E to dupe the public into believing that shut offs are the only viable solution.
In reality the answer to wildfire threat is not to bury all transmission lines, but a combination of several things: underground lines where it’s relatively cheap (hint – not in downtown San Jose); local microgrids with solar, wind and battery storage; an early detection system for downed lines.
Plus a much more stringent enforcement of fire codes, meaning that the hated “gubmint” should be able to enter a non-compliant private property, clear the vegetation, and bill the owner for the costs.
Don’t let facts ruin a good story.
You want the state to take over PG&E? Look at Caltrans. Look at DMV.
tashaj – WTF is an “early detection system for downed lines”? Something that tells you before a tree takes out a line? Or could it be when the lights go out unexpectedly?
What are you all talking about?
The shut offs were ORDERED by a Judge as a part of PG&Es probation.
For those asking for a Government utility ~ because you all love the DMV and BART so much.
Nope.
PG&Es probation was ordered after San Bruno fire, and required that it tells its probation officer about any criminal investigation and lawsuits it’s involved. This Jan the judge found that PG&E violated probation terms.
The same judge proposed that as a penalty for probation violation PG&E should comply with all state regulations about wildfire prevention. Which doesn’t say anything about shut offs, but would require PG&E to clear all trees within 4 feet of any power line. In any case, this proposal never went through.
Thank you former Gov. g. brown for letting PG&E off the hook and screwing the customers. Thank you current Gov. g. newsom for grandstanding against PG&E and doing nothing to reverse this decision by your old buddy brown. Thank you PUC board members, appointed by the Governor, for doing nothing at all. Thank you ca. voters for electing these idiots who are directly responsible for all of this.
I feel like even though it is slightly inconvenient, living right next to Kirker Pass, I’m inclined to say that this is a small price to pay to prevent my home, my car, my memories all getting lost in a fire that happens so quickly or when I am at work or in the middle of the night when I have no opportunity to pack up my valuables. Big picture guys.
Yes, isn’t it great that we are thanking PG&E
for providing unreliable service and unmaintained
infrastructure. Maybe if Detroit stopped making
cars we could thank them for reducing deaths
in auto collisions.
Talk about saggy and dangerous lines and polls that should have been replaced decades ago with trees growing into the saggy lines on the Concord side.
People literally need to walk to Sacramento and block the capital building till PG&E is dissolved
Go ahead. And let us know how that works out for you.
I’m in unincorporated Lafayette at the border of pleasant hill and Walnut Creek – near lunardis on Geary road. Power shut down about 11PM last night and still down throughout this area.
This whole situation reminds me of walking dead.
PG&E should shut down everything permanently. Then all the people who are complaining can design and implement their own personal plans for electricity and gas. That is your best money saving option. 😉
I want to run for office on the soul grounds of I will fix PG&E and fix the mountain of issues we got here in CA