Neighbors press PG&E for answers as committee opens hearing on recurrent outages

The Land Use & Transportation Committee held an informational hearing on Feb. 26 with Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E) about recurring power outages that began in early January 2024 and extended storm‑related outages after Feb. 3.

PG&E representatives described planned and unplanned outages across the region, noted the company’s storm‑response phases (make safe, gain access, patrol and assess, repair and restore) and said the Feb. storm was among the largest single‑day outage events in company history. PG&E reported approximately 20,000 affected customers in San Francisco at the peak and about 4,692 customers remaining without power by 8 a.m. the next day. The company noted automatic bill credits for customers who experienced outages of 48 hours or longer and described a claims process for food spoilage and property damage.

Residents from neighborhoods including Sherwood Forest, Mount Davidson and West Portal testified about repeated outages lasting multiple days, denied claims, safety concerns for seniors and people with medical devices (CPAPs, electric wheelchairs), and requests that PG&E prioritize infrastructure upgrades, provide clearer timelines and coordinate with city emergency services. Several speakers said their circuits had repeated failures unrelated to storms and asked why these areas were not prioritized for repairs or undergrounding.

PG&E said it will coordinate with the Department of Emergency Management, Public Works and Rec & Park during storm restoration and can provide targeted follow‑up on specific circuits; company staff agreed to meet with the supervisor’s office for neighborhood‑level data and timelines for corrective work. Committee Chair Mirna Melgar continued the hearing to the call of the chair to allow follow‑up and requested PG&E return with more detailed, area‑specific information.