SF supervisors demand hearing on PG&E blackout

San Francisco Supervisors Call for Hearing on December Power Outage

SAN FRANCISCO – San Francisco supervisors are requesting a hearing by the board regarding the significant power outage in the city last month.

Details of the Outage

Supervisor Alan Wong and other lawmakers state that residents deserve answers about the outage on December 20, which affected about a third of the city at its peak.

Wong noted that the credits offered by Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) are not enough to cover lost food, wages, and other disruptions. The utility has offered $200 to customers and $2,500 to businesses impacted by the December 20 blackout.

Wong mentioned that power was gradually restored during the initial outage, but periodic outages continued for several days. Full restoration was achieved on December 23.

Impact on Residents

“This was not a minor inconvenience,” said Supervisor Wong. “Families lost heat in the middle of winter. Seniors were stranded in their homes. One of my constituents, a 95-year-old man who relies on a ventilator, had to be rushed to the hospital at 2 a.m. People watched their phones die, worried they would lose their only connection to 911.”

Wong’s office sent a letter to the utility after previous outages on December 7 and December 10, addressing the utility’s lack of reliability. The letter described the frequency of the outages as unacceptable.

Utility Response and Investigation

PG&E agreed with Wong’s office about the service issues in the Sunset District and met with the supervisor. However, the root cause of the outage on December 20, which impacted around 130,000 residents citywide, was due to a substation fire near Mission and 8th streets. This fire is still under investigation.

Wong thanked fellow supervisors Bilal Mahmood, Connie Chan, Stephen Sherrill, Danny Sauter, and Myrna Melgar for co-sponsoring his request. The board members have asked board President Rafael Mandelman to refer their request to the appropriate committee.

Wong is also submitting a letter of inquiry to the SF Public Utilities Commission for an analysis of the cost and implementation of a publicly-owned electrical grid for San Francisco.

PG&E’s Position

A PG&E spokesperson addressed the board on Tuesday, requesting that the hearing be scheduled after the results of an independent investigation are available.

“We have hired an independent investigator company named Exponent to conduct a root-cause investigation. We are pushing for it to be completed as soon as possible with preliminary results by February, which we will share with the city,” said Sarah Yoell with PG&E government affairs. “We are proud of our ongoing investments to serve San Francisco.”

Yoell assured that the utility would be transparent with their findings. PG&E also stated that they have met all state requirements and hold a current Safety Certificate approved by the Office of Energy Infrastructure Safety (OEIS).

Summary of Key Facts