Bay Area

Power Outages During Tuesday’s Storm Totaled More Than 450,000 Statewide

Over 450,000 California residents were without power during Tuesday’s high winds and rain, PG&E officials said during a briefing on Wednesday. And in the Bay Area alone, approximately 108,000 people were still without power as of 4 p.m. Wednesday. Officials said it was the 38th consecutive day the company’s emergency operations center has been active, pointing to an extraordinary winter season with high levels of rain, snows, flooding, mudslides and other storm-related emergencies throughout the state.

Published

1 year ago

March 21, 2023

Oakland Post

More than 5,500 crew members are in the field to restore power during extreme weather, said Sumeet Singh, PG&E chief operating officer. He added that the company will continue to prioritize safety above all, which sometimes means that it takes a while to restore service in some areas.

By Olivia Wynkoop
Bay City News

Over 450,000 California residents were without power during Tuesday’s high winds and rain, PG&E officials said during a briefing on Wednesday.

And in the Bay Area alone, approximately 108,000 people were still without power as of 4 p.m. Wednesday.

Officials said it was the 38th consecutive day the company’s emergency operations center has been active, pointing to an extraordinary winter season with high levels of rain, snows, flooding, mudslides and other storm-related emergencies throughout the state.

“At PG&E, we know how important that electricity is to your families, schools, communities and businesses,” said Singh. “And we will not stop working until we get power back for every single one of our customers.”

Singh said the company is working to recover from the most recent storm event this week — the 13th storm in the past 75 days — which broke a record for the storm with the greatest amount of power outages for customers in the Bay Area since 1995.

On Tuesday, nearly 367,000 customers across California were without power at the peak of the storm, Singh said.

Of the total 450,000 customers around the state impacted by outages on Tuesday, 290,000 have had their power restored as of Wednesday afternoon, he said.

“When there is extensive damage, it can take some time to safely access a situation and assessment. We know this can be frustrating,” said Singh. “Our commitment is to provide restoration estimates no later than 24 hours after the outage starts even if we haven’t been able to access the outage to assess it.”

Angie Gibson, vice president of emergency preparedness and response at PG&E’s Emergency Operations Center in Vacaville, said the Bay Area counties with the most damage are Santa Clara, San Mateo and Contra Costa counties. Most damage stems from trees uprooting due to soil saturation and extreme winds..

She said upcoming weather will make it easier for crews to assess and restore in affected areas.

“The extreme storm that produced the major damage yesterday has thankfully exited the territory,” said Gibson. “We have fair and dry weather, which will continue through at least tomorrow with light winds.”

Residents who notice a downed power line are encouraged to first call 9-1-1, then PG&E at 1-800-743-5000. People concerned about their vulnerable neighbors can also receive information on community services in the area at 2-1-1.

Copyright © 2023 Bay City News, Inc. All rights reserved. Republication, rebroadcast or redistribution without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. Bay City News is a 24/7 news service covering the greater Bay Area.

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Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

Published

6 days ago

April 26, 2024

Oakland Post

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

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Alameda County

DA Pamela Price Stands by Mom Who Lost Son to Gun Violence in Oakland

Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018.

Published

1 week ago

April 22, 2024

Oakland Post

District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones

Publisher’s note: Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018. The photo was too small for readers to see where the women were and what they were doing. Here we show Price and Jones as they complete a walk in memory of Scott. For more information and to contribute, please contact Carol Jones at 510-978-5517 at morefoundation.help@gmail.com. Courtesy photo.

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Bay Area

State Controller Malia Cohen Keynote Speaker at S.F. Wealth Conference

California State Controller Malia Cohen delivered the keynote speech to over 50 business women at the Black Wealth Brunch held on March 28 at the War Memorial and Performing Arts Center at 301 Van Ness Ave. in San Francisco. The Enterprising Women Networking SF Chapter of the American Business Women’s Association (ABWA) hosted the Green Room event to launch its platform designed to close the racial wealth gap in Black and Brown communities.

Published

2 weeks ago

April 20, 2024

Oakland Post

American Business Women’s Association Vice President Velma Landers, left, with California State Controller Malia Cohen (center), and ABWA President LaRonda Smith at the Enterprising Women Networking SF Chapter of the ABWA at the Black Wealth Brunch.

By Carla Thomas

The Enterprising Women Networking SF Chapter of the American Business Women’s Association (ABWA) hosted the Green Room event to launch its platform designed to close the racial wealth gap in Black and Brown communities.

“Our goal is to educate Black and Brown families in the masses about financial wellness, wealth building, and how to protect and preserve wealth,” said ABWA San Francisco Chapter President LaRonda Smith.

ABWA’s mission is to bring together businesswomen of diverse occupations and provide opportunities for them to help themselves and others grow personally and professionally through leadership, education, networking support, and national recognition.

“This day is about recognizing influential women, hearing from an accomplished woman as our keynote speaker and allowing women to come together as powerful people,” said ABWA SF Chapter Vice President Velma Landers.

More than 60 attendees dined on the culinary delights of Chef Sharon Lee of The Spot catering, which included a full soul food brunch of skewered shrimp, chicken, blackened salmon, and mac and cheese.

Cohen discussed the many economic disparities women and people of color face. From pay equity to financial literacy, Cohen shared not only statistics, but was excited about a new solution in motion which entailed partnering with Californians for Financial Education.

“I want everyone to reach their full potential,” she said. “Just a few weeks ago in Sacramento, I partnered with an organization, Californians for Financial Education.

“We gathered 990 signatures and submitted it to the [California] Secretary of State to get an initiative on the ballot that guarantees personal finance courses for every public school kid in the state of California.

“Every California student deserves an equal opportunity to learn about filing taxes, interest rates, budgets, and understanding the impact of credit scores. The way we begin to do that is to teach it,” Cohen said.

By equipping students with information, Cohen hopes to close the financial wealth gap, and give everyone an opportunity to reach their full financial potential. “They have to first be equipped with the information and education is the key. Then all we need are opportunities to step into spaces and places of power.”

Cohen went on to share that in her own upbringing, she was not guided on financial principles that could jump start her finances. “Communities of color don’t have the same information and I don’t know about you, but I did not grow up listening to my parents discussing their assets, their investments, and diversifying their portfolio. This is the kind of nomenclature and language we are trying to introduce to our future generations so we can pivot from a life of poverty so we can pivot away and never return to poverty.”

Cohen urged audience members to pass the initiative on the November 2024 ballot.

“When we come together as women, uplift women, and support women, we all win. By networking and learning together, we can continue to build generational wealth,” said Landers. “Passing a powerful initiative will ensure the next generation of California students will be empowered to make more informed financial decisions, decisions that will last them a lifetime.”