Episode #12 - Public Safety Power Shutoffs with Southern California Edison Spokesperson Jeff Monford

Yucaipa experienced widespread power outages spanning several days in relation to a strong wind event in early January.  These outages were not caused by downed power lines or planned rolling blackouts due to high demand.  Rather, Southern California Edison (SCE) intentionally switched off the power to many circuits in the area as part of a program known as Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS).  The PSPS approach is designed to prevent the start of fires caused by electric infrastructure in windy conditions.  The January PSPS event was among the largest in recent memory, resulting in long power outages.  Naturally, this caused a tremendous amount of concern in the community and raised questions about PSPS, the execution of the shutoffs by SCE, and the City’s ability to effectively respond to such events in the future.

In this episode, City Manager Chris Mann sits down with Southern California Edison spokesperson Jeff Monford to discuss the history and reasoning behind Public Safety Power Shutoffs, what SCE is doing to reduce the frequency and duration of future PSPS events, what the City is doing to help the community withstand future events, and what residents can do to be better prepared.