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Residents urge city to pause PG&E overhead power-line work in Tracy Hills over fire and health concerns
Summary
Dozens of Tracy Hills residents told the City Council they were not notified before PG&E crews began installing above‑ground high-voltage poles near homes and an emergency access route, and they asked the city to pause the work and require the lines be buried. Fire and city officials said they will follow up and work with PG&E and the developer.
Lede: Dozens of residents from the Tracy Hills neighborhood told the Tracy City Council on Jan. 21 they were blindsided when PG&E began installing above‑ground, high‑voltage transmission poles within a few feet of homes and an emergency access route, and they urged the city to halt the work and require undergrounding.
Nut graf: Residents said the poles, some placed roughly 5–10 feet from property lines, raise wildfire, evacuation and long‑term health concerns in an area with frequent high winds and a single, limited egress. City staff and the South San Joaquin County Fire Authority said they had just learned of the easement work and will meet with PG&E and the developer to assess safety and next steps.
Body: Speakers representing large blocks of occupied houses described crews setting 80‑ to 100‑foot poles early on the previous Saturday without advance notice to homeowners. “Some of these poles are being set up 5 to 10 feet from our houses,” said one resident, adding that the community’s utilities had been installed underground when the subdivision was developed.
Multiple residents said an overhead, energized line near the neighborhood’s only emergency exit could create an unacceptable risk if a line fails or sparks during Red Flag conditions. “All it does take is one strong wind to bring down an energized power line and can cause the dry brush or nearby homes to catch fire,” said Mary Areola, a resident who asked the city to require PG&E to pause work on the evacuation route so engineers can reassess options.
Fire Chief Randall Bradley of the South San Joaquin County Fire Authority said his office had learned of the easement work on the day of the meeting and will work with PG&E and the developer. “We do not have any control over PG&E,” Bradley said, but he added that the authority was told the above‑ground work is intended to be temporary and the lines eventually will be undergrounded; he said the fire authority will press for combustibles to be removed beneath any above‑ground spans and will coordinate on evacuation planning.
City staff said they, too, had recently learned of the project and would convene meetings between PG&E, the developer and residents; Councilmember Nygaard said staff would arrange a meeting with PG&E. Assistant City Manager Arturo Sanchez later told the council staff would follow up with the developer and PG&E and report back to the council.
Ending: Residents asked the council to require greater transparency about PG&E projects that affect neighborhoods and to pursue immediate safeguards for the Tracy Hills community. City staff and the fire authority said they would meet with PG&E and the developer and return with more information and options.
