Concerns Raised After Recent Power Outages in Long Beach

Town hall forum planned to address recent outages.

A series of power outages that have struck Long Beach within about one month have generated new concern among residents who were left in the dark.

Officials will be holding a town hall meeting Saturday to discuss the recent outages, which have affected the downtown, East side and nearby areas. The forum is being held by Southern California Edison and the Public Utilities Commission. Assembly members Anthony Rendon and Patrick O’Donnell, Sen. Ricardo Lara (D-33), and Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia will also be in attendance.

SCE officials said the utility is bringing in an independent consultant to assist with its investigation into the outages.

Residents said they hope whatever solution SCE finds for its power issues, it is a permanent one.

The most recent power outage was reported Aug. 15 affecting more than 20,800 customers in the East side of Long Beach and the Traffic Circle area. The outage was resolved within a few hours, according to SCE's online outage map.

The city's most notable, recent outage occurred July 15 after an underground electrical fire sent exploding manhole covers flying into the air. The outage lasted about three days, leaving about 4,800 customers without power during its peak.

SCE officials said the outages that occurred in the downtown area last month were probably not connected to the recent outages in East Long Beach, but they are investigating the incidents as a whole. SCE said the recent outages were likely heat related.

Resident will be giving feedback to SCE and PUC officials at the town hall meeting. Edison will also share what it has learned so far in its investigation into the outages.

The town hall meeting will be held Aug. 22 in Cesar Chavez Park at 401 Golden Avenue, Long Beach.

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