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.

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.

“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.

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San Rafael, CA – As the COVID-19 pandemic eased in 2022, local government inspectors who check the accuracy of pricing in the Marin County marketplace doubled the number of on-site inspections when compared with the previous year. The result was a 241% increase in items found overcharged to customers.

In fact, there was a larger increase — 281% — in items found to be undercharged to customers.

Those were some of the key figures mentioned in the new 2022 Marin County Consumer Protection Report, presented to the Marin County Board of Supervisors on March 7. Staff from the Marin County Department of Agriculture / Weights and Measures (AWMs) performed 12,537 inspections (up from 6,449 in 2021) at 387 businesses (up from 307) to ensure accuracy of measuring devices and checking the prices charged to consumers.

AWMs Inspector Raoul Wertz said there were 467 overcharged items discovered during unannounced routine inspections in 2022, up from 137 in 2021. Undercharged items went from 87 to 332.

The department responded to 41 customer inquiries, concerns, and complaints about Marin businesses, a 70% increase from the prior year. Complaints often involve retail overcharging, allegations of gas pumps “shorting” customers on fuel, or credit/debit card skimmers. The complaints are typically shared via a phone hotline – (415) 473-7888 – an email to staff, or an online form on the department’s website. Staff investigates complaints of posted prices not being honored or inability to view prices when a purchase is being rung up at the checkout stand.

Wertz also pointed out that 4.5% of all retail items randomly price-checked by inspectors in 2022 rang up at a higher price than posted. For instance, a grocery cart with 25 items likely includes one overcharge, he said.

“We attribute the increase in complaints in 2022 to consumers being more aware of prices in the wake of pandemic pricing and media coverage of price gouging,” Wertz said.

AWMs Assistant Director Scott Wise acknowledged that since the pandemic brick-and-mortar retail stores have faced significant challenges such as reduced sales, increased online competition, supply chain disruptions, inflation, and worker shortages. “In short, this has been an incredibly challenging time for businesses with many closing for good.  Please remember to support our Marin County businesses by shopping locally whenever possible,” he said.

Weights and Measures inspectors urge consumers to shop with care, pay attention to posted prices and promotional offers, and always retain and check their receipts to ensure the correct price was paid for merchandise and services.

There were 226 notices of violation issued in the 2021-22 fiscal year to 169 local businesses. When AWMs inspectors find violations, businesses receive a notice of violation. If the violation is egregious or the business has repeatedly received the same type of violations, there would likely be a fine. The department’s goal is to gain compliance through education and outreach.

This marked the seventh consecutive year the AWMs staff produced a Consumer Protection Report. The department’s weights and measures inspection staff has only 2.3 full-time positions, but employees spent 4,599 hours serving t­he public’s interest by ensuring accuracy and equity in the marke­­­­tplace and protecting the health and welfare of Marin residents.

Want to watch out for yourself and others more closely? There are helpful consumer tips on the Ag, Weights & Measures website.

Prepare your household and clean on and around your property as needed. Call 911 for downed power lines. Call 311 to report clogged drains or fallen trees.

With rains and winds expected through March 12, help keep Berkeley safe by doing your part to reduce hazards and flooding in your neighborhood. Report downed power lines, clogged drains, fallen trees, and other storm-related issues.

While official forecasts can change day to day, the outlook for Berkeley includes some periods of strong wind gusts. A National Weather Service flood watch is in effect for the Bay Area through Sunday, March 12, with the worst rains anticipated on Thursday into Friday.

The combination of wind with drenched soil increases the risk of downed trees, which could lead to power outages as well.

Prepare, stay alert, use extra caution on roads, and report issues.

• If your property has a history of flooding, sandbags used effectively can help divert the path of water.A limited number of sandbags are available to Berkeley residents and businesses on a first-come first-served basis:

City’s Corporation Yard
1326 Allston Way
Monday—Friday, 8 am – 4 pm

Bring ID or a business card.

• Report downed power lines to 911.If you see damaged power lines or electrical equipment, call 911 immediately, then notify PG&E by calling 1-800-743-5002. Do not touch or drive over a downed power line.
• Call 311 or key city lines to report clogged storm drains, fallen trees that block roads or other storm damage.After hours, you can also call these numbers:
  • (510) 981-6620, for clogged storm drains, flooding, lights or traffic signals
  • (510) 981-6660, to report downed trees

We expect high call volumes. If you have issues unrelated to the storm, try to keep phone lines free by reporting issues through our Report & Pay online reporting tool or via email, customerservice@berkeleyca.gov.

PREPARE YOUR HOUSEHOLD FOR WINTER STORMS

Other significant storms may lie ahead. Protect your home from possible flooding by taking steps to prepare in advance:

• Clean on and around your property as needed: gutters, rain downspouts, driveways, and culverts. Remove trash and debris around fences and gardens, and clear basement drains.
• Check submersible pumps and sump pumps to make sure they are operating properly.
• Keep flashlights and spare batteries on hand in case of a power failure.

STAY SAFE DURING POWER OUTAGES

Storm damage to power lines may cause outages. Stay informed by signing up to get outage alerts from PG&E for your address by text, email, or phone. PG&E also has an online outage map, which is updated every 15 minutes.

If you experience a power outage, unplug or turn off all electrical appliances to avoid overloading circuits and to prevent fire hazards when power is restored. Leave a single lamp on to alert you when power returns. Turn your appliances back on one at a time when conditions return to normal. If you are driving and encounter a signal that is out, treat it as a four-way stop.

HELP CLEAN STORM DRAINS

City crews will be working throughout the storm to address storm-related calls, but you can help reduce flooding by examining the storm drains near you.

You can use simple tools like a rake and garbage bags to remove debris from storm drains, a network that helps quickly remove surface water from our streets.

Fallen leaves and other debris can always accumulate, despite year-round efforts to maintain, inspect, clean, and repair the approximately 7,000 storm drains.

Learn more about how you can clean out storm drains near you on our Adopt-a-Drain storm drain program, where you can sign up to be a regular volunteer.

With the storm expected to bring heavy rain and winds, help keep your household and our community safe by reporting issues and doing your part to reduce flooding in your neighborhood.

LINKS

• Winter Storm Preparedness(City of Berkeley)
• PG&E Outage alerts
• Report & Pay (City of Berkeley online reporting tool)
• Adopt a Drain(City of Berkeley)

Keep up with City of Berkeley news via our news page, email, or on Twitter @cityofberkeley