Politics & Government

Bill May Avert Future Power Outages, Muratsuchi Says

Assembly Bill 66, introduced by Assemblyman Al Muratsuchi, requires electrical corporations to report unplanned outages.

A bill designed to draw attention to and possibly avert future unplanned power outages frequently encountered by South Bay residents awaits a signature from Gov. Jerry Brown, who has until Oct. 13 to sign the bill into law.

Assembly Bill 66, which was introduced by South Bay Assemblyman Al Muratsuchi, requires electrical corporations to report their outages based on frequency and duration, according to a statement from the assemblyman's office. The bill also gives the California Public Utilities Commission the power to tell utilities to remediate persistent outages.

"The recent power outages in the South Bay underscore the need for this bill," Muratsuchi said in the statement. "Businesses, homes, public safety—everyone is affected by these sudden blackouts."

The bill received support from the cities of Rancho Palos Verdes and Rolling Hills Estates, among others. Residents of RPV, RHE and Palos Verdes Estates have all complained of frequent outages, with at least two of the cities requesting presentations about the electrical grid from Southern California Edison officials over the past several years.

With only one dissenting vote, the California State Assembly passed the bill Tuesday—the day after the California State Senate unanimously passed the bill.

"This bill is an important step to solve the recurring power outages in the South Bay and across California," Muratsuchi said. "I urge Gov. Brown to sign AB 66 and give ratepayers a more reliable electrical grid."


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