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Calimesa officials press Edison as repeated PSPS outages strain residents; city pursues energy resiliency programs
Summary
Calimesa officials on Jan. 21 said repeated public-safety power shutoffs and inconsistent utility communications during recent wind events have left residents frustrated, and the city will pursue energy-resiliency programs including free tankless water heaters through the IREN program.
City Manager Will Cobo and council members used the Jan. 21 meeting to report continued frustrations with Southern California Edison’s (SCE) public-safety power shutoffs (PSPS) and to describe city efforts to improve energy resiliency.
Cobo said the city has participated in repeated calls with SCE and that elected and staff officials pressed the utility about inconsistent PSPS maps, conflicting notifications and timing problems that left some residents shut off without accurate, timely information. "There were a number of problems with their PSPS maps," he said, adding that utilities told officials the shutdowns prevented more than 50 potential fire ignitions where damaged lines existed.
Cobo said the city is pursuing short-term resiliency measures and longer-term infrastructure conversations. He described the Inland Regional Energy Network (IREN) program, coordinated among regional councils of governments and utilities, through which Southern California Gas will provide, free of charge, tankless gas water heaters and installation for the fire station and the senior center. The city manager said equipment and installation savings total about $4,000 each (roughly $8,000 combined) and estimated annual gas-efficiency savings of 4,100 therms, roughly $750 per year.
Council members and staff discussed communications problems during PSPS events, the manual nature of re-energization inspections, and options such as voucher programs for food spoilage or grants for medical-device customers to secure backup power. Cobo urged continued advocacy with utilities and state officials to improve communications and reduce broad circuit-level shutoffs.
Ending: Council did not take a formal regulatory action; staff said they will continue engagement with utilities, pursue IREN opportunities and report back on resiliency measures.
