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 Bernie Malloy described the department’s surge staffing and coordination with county partners and other agencies. Malloy said the department “up staffed an additional rig in the city” and positioned two strike teams in the county as surge capacity. Malloy said the Santa Ana–style winds meant the city prepared for wildfire risks in addition to outages.

Public works staff described heavy work on traffic signals: technicians swapped large backup batteries and deployed stop signs and barricades at dark intersections. Public works staff reported that some traffic-signal battery backups lasted far less than expected and that crews began swapping car-type batteries at intersections and plan to add generators to key signals. A city traffic technician’s on-the-ground work included “swapping out battery backups from other working signals,” officials said.

Services and outreach: The city opened warming and charging centers at the public library and extended hours at some facilities when staff on site decided to stay open for residents. City staff also logged hundreds of messages and social-media posts. Clifton said the city’s disaster-preparedness coordinator compiled more than 150 utility emails into a spreadsheet to track circuits that went off and on, critical facilities and customer impacts.

Gaps identified: City staff said they receive only the rudimentary circuit names and email notices from the utility and lack direct, consistent operational communications about outages. “We need to translate SoCal Edison’s inadequate communication into a more precise and informative package for our residents,” Clifton told council. Malloy and public-works leaders recommended pursuing formal relationships and better data sharing with utilities to improve response during future shutoffs.

Council reaction and community concerns: Council members and residents described food spoilage, limited library and senior-center hours, and challenges for residents who rely on well pumps. Council members pressed staff on how long signal batteries lasted and whether the city could offer freezer space for residents who lost refrigeration.

Next steps: Staff said the city has started an after-action review and will produce a report to the state’s Office of Emergency Services. Immediate steps under consideration include negotiating clearer communications with the utility; adding generators or more robust backups for traffic signals; improving the city’s public-notification and outreach tools; and refining the list of critical-use facilities and contact information for residents with medical dependencies. Clifton said staff would return with more details and recommended actions after the after-action review was completed.

Ending: Officials said the city handled emergency response across departments and will seek to close communication gaps with the utility and strengthen backup power for traffic and other critical infrastructure.