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.
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.
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.
Activism
Oakland Post: Week of March 13 – 19, 2024
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of March 13 – 19, 2024
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Activism
Oakland Post: Week of March 6 – 12, 2024
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of March 6 – 12, 2024
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.
Activism
Who are the Alameda County District 4 Supervisor Candidates’ Top Campaign Contributors?
Below, we’ve listed each candidate’s 10 highest campaign contributors. For Miley, two of his top campaign donors also bought their own advertisements to support him and/or oppose Esteen through independent expenditures. Such expenditures, though separate from campaign donations, are also public record, and we listed them. Additionally, the National Organization of Realtors has spent about $70,500 on their own independent expenditures to support Miley.
By Zack Haber
Nate Miley, who has served on Alameda County’s Board of Supervisors since 2000, is running for reelection to the District 4 supervisor seat.
Jennifer Esteen, a nurse and activist, is seeking to unseat him and become one of the five members of the powerful board that sets the county’s budget, governs its unincorporated areas, and oversees the sheriff, Alameda Health System, and mental health system.
District 4 includes most of East Oakland’s hills and flatlands beyond Fruitvale, part of Pleasanton and unincorporated areas south of San Leandro like Ashland and Castro Valley.
Voting is open and will remain open until March 5.
In California, campaign donations of $100 or more are public record. The records show that Miley has received about $550,000 in total campaign donations since he won the previous District 4 election in March 2020. Esteen has raised about $255,000 in total campaign donations since she started collecting them last July. All figures are accurate through Feb. 20.
While Miley has raised more money, Esteen has received donations from more sources. Miley received donations of $100 or more from 439 different sources. Esteen received such donations from 507 different sources.
Below, we’ve listed each candidate’s 10 highest campaign contributors. For Miley, two of his top campaign donors also bought their own advertisements to support him and/or oppose Esteen through independent expenditures. Such expenditures, though separate from campaign donations, are also public record, and we listed them. Additionally, the National Organization of Realtors has spent about $70,500 on their own independent expenditures to support Miley.
Nate Miley’s top campaign contributors:
The California Apartment Association, a trade group representing landlords and investors in California’s rental housing business, has spent about $129,500 supporting Miley’s election bid through about $59,500 in ads against Esteen, $55,000 in ads supporting Miley, and $15,000 in campaign donations.
The independent expenditure committee Preserve Agriculture in Alameda County has spent about $46,025 supporting Miley through about $27,200 in their own ads, and $18,825 in donations to his campaign. Preserve Agriculture has supported reelection efforts for former Alameda County DA Nancy O’Malley, and Sheriff Greg Ahern, a republican. It’s received funding from Chevron, PG&E, and a the California Apartment Association.
Organizations associated with the Laborers’ International Union of North America, or LiUNA, have donated about $35,000 in total. Construction and General Laborers Local 304, a local chapter of the union representing which represents over 4,000 workers, donated $20,000.
Laborers Pacific Southwest Regional Organizing Coalition, which represents 70,000 LiUNA members in Arizona, California, Hawaii and New Mexico, donated $15,000.
William ‘Bill’ Crotinger and the East Oakland-based company Argent Materials have donated $26,000. Crotinger is the president and founder of Argent, a concrete and asphalt recycling yard. Argent’s website says it is an eco-friendly company that diverts materials from landfills. In 2018, Argent paid the EPA $27,000 under a settlement for committing Clean Water Act violations.
Michael Morgan of Hayward, owner of We Are Hemp, a marijuana dispensary in Ashland, has donated $21,500.
Alameda County District 1 Supervisor David Haubert has donated $21,250 from his 2024 reelection campaign. He’s running unopposed for the District 1 seat.
SEIU 1021, which represents over 60,000 workers in local governments, non-profit agencies, healthcare programs, and schools in Northern California, has donated $20,000.
UA Local 342, which represents around 4,000 pipe trades industry workers in Contra Costa and Alameda counties, donated $20,000.
The union representing the county’s deputy sheriffs, Deputy Sheriff’s Association of Alameda County, has donated $17,000.
Becton Healthcare Resources and its managers have donated $14,625. Becton’s mission statement says it provides “behavioral health management services to organizations and groups that serve the serious and persistent mentally ill population.”
Jennifer Esteen’s top campaign contributors:
Mary Quinn Delaney of Piedmont, founder of Akonadi Foundation, has donated $20,000. Akonadi Foundation gives grants to nonprofit organizations, especially focusing on racial justice organizing,
Bridget Galli of Castro Valley has donated $7,000. Galli is a yoga instructor and a co-owner of Castro Valley Yoga.
Rachel Gelman of Oakland has donated $5,000. Gelman is an activist who has vowed to redistribute her inherited wealth to working class, Indigenous and Black communities.
California Worker Families Party has donated $5,000. The organization’s website describes itself as a “grassroots party for the multiracial working class.”
David Stern of Albany has donated $5,000. Stern is a retired UC Berkeley Professor of Education.
Oakland Rising Committee—a collaborative of racial, economic, and environmental justice organizations—has donated about $3,050.
Fredeke Von Bothmer-Goodyear, an unemployed resident of San Francisco, has donated $2,600.
Robert Britton of Castro Valley has donated $2,500. Britton is retired and worked in the labor movement for decades.
Progressive Era PAC has donated about $2,400. Its mission statement says it “exists to elect governing majorities of leaders in California committed to building a progressive era for people of color.”
East Bay Stonewall Democrats Club has donated $2,250. The club was founded in 1982 to give voice to the East Bay LGBTQIA+ communities.
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