SONOMA — More than 1.5 million people in Northern California were in the dark Thursday, most for a second day, after PG&E cut off electricity to more customers to prevent wind-fueled wildfires amid dry weather and strong winds sweeping through the region. Pacific Gas and Electric cut power to more...
Controlled Outages May Be on the Way as PG&E Settles Cases
SAN FRANCISCO — Pacific Gas & Electric may cut power to try to head off wildfires as fall arrives in California and brings with it the most dangerous fire conditions that over the past two years have produced the deadliest and most destructive blazes in state history. The San Francisco...
PG&E Reaches $11B Deal With California Wildfire Insurers
SAN FRANCISCO — Pacific Gas & Electric and a group of insurers announced Friday they reached an $11 billion settlement to cover most of the claims from Califonria's wildfires in 2017 and 2018. The utility said in a statement the tentative agreement covers 85% of the insurance claims from fires...
California Lawmakers Eye Bills on Vaccines, Guns, Housing
SACRAMENTO — California state lawmakers have just two weeks remaining in their session to sort through hundreds of bills, some addressing volatile topics such as vaccinating children and shootings by police. The session that began in January will end Sept. 13 after lawmakers pile bills on the desk of freshman...
Power Outage Hits 17,000 Customers in Oakhurst, Coarsegold
Pacific, Gas & Electric personnel are working to restore power after an outage struck the Sierra foothills around Oakhurst and Coarsegold on Tuesday, affecting about 17,000 of the utility's customers. The outage struck about 1:55 p.m. and was described by PG&E spokesman Denny Boyles as a "transmission level" event. About...
As Hedge Funds Fight for Control of PG&E, Here Is How Workers See It
As the elected leader of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 1245, which represents approximately 12,000 frontline utility workers at Pacific Gas & Electric Co., I have paid careful attention both to legislative activity in Sacramento and to PG&E’s bankruptcy proceeding. Our members work around the clock to deliver...
Report: PG&E Ignored Repairs on Aging Power Lines
SAN FRANCISCO — Pacific Gas & Electric, which is blamed for some of California's deadliest recent fires, knew for years that dozens of its aging power lines posed a wildfire threat but avoided replacing or repairing them, it was reported Wednesday. The Wall Street Journal, using company documents obtained under the federal...
Walters: Another Dicey Utility Overhaul
Californians should always be skeptical when their politicians overhaul the state’s electrical utility system while promising more efficient, less polluting, and reasonably priced service. Californians get their juice from a mélange of “investor-owned” and municipally operated utilities. Inevitably, micromanagement of such a complex system via legislation and regulatory agencies becomes...
Walters: 'Big, Hairy' Goal Could Be Newsom's First Defining Moment
The careers of political executives – presidents, governors and big city mayors – are often, fairly or not, defined by how they deal with the crises they encounter. Franklin Roosevelt and the Great Depression (and later World War II), John Kennedy and the Cuban missile confrontation, Lyndon Johnson and the...
Small Plane Hits Power Lines, Sinks in Lake Near Jamestown
JAMESTOWN — Witnesses said a small plane crashed into Lake Tulloch and sank just before noon Sunday after striking unmarked power lines. The Tuolumne County Sheriff's Office said the pilot was the only person on board when the plane hit the water nose first. Pilot Reportedly Showing Off His Skills...