Residents urge action after repeated Southern California Edison power shutoffs; city says it is coordinating with state regulators

Several Thousand Oaks residents and community groups told the City Council on Jan. 28 that recent Southern California Edison public safety power shutoffs (PSPS) caused economic and safety harms, while city officials said they are coordinating regional advocacy and local emergency follow-up.

Steve Lutz, a Newbury Park resident, told the council his household experienced three recent outages and blamed Edison’s infrastructure and management. “This is all about money,” he said. “These public safety power shutoffs are not about public safety. They’re about profit.” Lutz said families lost “hundreds of dollars” of food and that some residents spent “if not $1,000” on alternate power or meals.

Rich Hammond, also of Newbury Park, pointed the council to state rules and local weather data. “Why then did so many Thousand…