Murrieta officials review weeklong public-safety power shutoffs and emergency response

City Manager Clifton outlined Murrieta’s response on Jan. 21 to widespread power outages during a multi-day high-wind event that included extended public-safety power shutoffs by Southern California Edison.

Clifton told the City Council the city activated a management watch and then the emergency operations center, and that firefighters, police and public-works crews were proactively upstaffed before the winds arrived. “We activated our EOC the day before the wind really started blowing, and we activated what’s called a management watch,” Clifton said.

Why it matters: City officials said the outages tested city systems — traffic signals, wells for residents not served by a water district, and community access to heat, refrigeration and communications — and exposed gaps in utility-to-city communications. Council members pressed staff for clearer plans for traffic signals, critical-care residents and extended facility hours during outages.

What happened: Fire Chief…