East Bay seniors at risk from power outages during high heat
A couple of East Bay communities have experienced persistent power outages in recent months. Pleasanton and Danville leaders worried about their seniors, since some of the outages happened on very hot days.
Raymond Michardi is a long-time Pleasanton resident. The senior said the recent outage was miserable since he couldn't turn on his air conditioning.
"7 o'clock in the evening, it went out, and it didn't come on until the next morning, 3 o'clock in the morning, it was horrible," recalled Michardi, about the most recent incident.
Michardi lives alone and said it's a safety concern when his house feels like an oven.
"I'm not comfortable, but I learned to live with it, grin and bear it I guess," said Michardi.
Pleasanton leaders said the recent outages have impacted 3,000 to 3,500 PG&E customers.
Neighboring Danville complained of similar outages. Benoit Vialle opened the popular French bakery, Maison Benoit, in Downtown Danville in January.
"It was really the worst time because it happened on July 4th, which was really a big day, lots of people visiting the town. And then, it happened again on the following Sunday. And Sunday is the biggest day of the week for us. So in both cases, it really happened at the worst time," said Vialle.
Vialle said those two outages cost him a total of about $12,000 in loss revenue. This year alone, his bakery has experienced at least six power outages.
"It's frustrating, very concerning. I feel bad for the customers who were here and waiting for the product. I feel particularly bad for my employees because I had to send some home. The ones who were still here, it was super hot super hot because there was no A.C. obviously, so the working condition were miserable," said Vialle.
He's now looking for backup options, like a large generator, to keep his business open in the next outage.
Mayor Karen Stepper of Danville and Mayor Karla Brown of Pleasanton said they are working closely with PG&E to prevent future outages.
"We're going to meet with PG&E again. We keep thinking we're going to get it right. We try not to storm the castle so to speak," said Mayor Stepper. "But it's very disappointed to have had them come out three times now, different people, different answers, and not have it fixed," Said Mayor Stepper.
"We're working with PG&E to really find out what is the source of the problem and how can we resolve it because we appreciate their helping us now. But we don't want this to continue to happen. We want long-term, permanent fixes," said Mayor Brown.
In a statement, PG&E blamed the recent heat waves for causing equipment failures. They said wildlife interference with power lines also caused some of the recent outages.
City leaders beleived aging PG&E infrustructure also added to the problem.
"We have some residents that if their house can't be cool, they just aren't safe or comfortable. So we've been opening our cooling centers in Pleasanton, and we have two of those. One is right here at the Pleasanton Library and it's opened 7 days week. And then, our other cooling center is the senior center." said Mayor Brown, and opens 7 days a week. And the other center was Friday Afternoon.
And that was where Michardi spent his Friday afternoon, the senior center, so he could save some money on electricity. But with the recent rate increases, he wanted PG&E to do better.
"My bill just keeps going up and up and up, and I'm a single person at home," said Michardi.