Outage Sparks Political Response
Following a significant power disruption that affected numerous areas of San Francisco over the weekend, political figures are demanding answers and potential changes to the state's utility structure.
PG&E attributed the incident to a fire at a substation located in the Mission District. The company stated the cause of the fire remains undetermined at this time.
Company records indicate the substation underwent an inspection on December 5th, with maintenance work having been finalized in October of this year.
When questioned by ABC7 News about whether any issues were detected during these checks or how the outage might have been avoided, a PG&E representative confirmed no prior warning signs were identified.
Steyer Criticizes Utility Model
The event has quickly entered the political arena, becoming a topic in the upcoming 2026 governor's race. Democratic candidate Tom Steyer seized on the situation to advocate for reforming the utility sector.
"If there's a worst time for the electricity grid to go down, it's the big holiday weekend," Steyer remarked in an interview with ABC7 News.
He contends that PG&E, which serves as the main electricity provider for San Francisco, has little motivation to enhance its services due to operating without significant competition.
"Monopolies don't work. They provide the worst service at the highest price," he said. "Look here we are, and it's an absolutely perfect example."
Calls for Regulatory Change
Steyer communicated with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) last Monday, urging the body to focus more on system dependability rather than financial gains.
He argued that the existing framework favors investor profits over essential public service, asking the CPUC to shift its regulatory emphasis toward ensuring reliability, robustness, and safeguarding consumers.
In his correspondence, Steyer noted that recurring power failures, especially those impacting busy city centers and local enterprises, damage public confidence and highlight weaknesses in California's energy infrastructure.
Regarding how to address the monopoly concern, Steyer did not provide a detailed plan but indicated any modifications would be implemented cautiously over time.
"It's going to be a series of steps," he explained. "We'll do it really deliberately. It's not going to be something that we're going to do recklessly."
The candidate further stated that, if elected, he would pursue broader, long-term changes, such as faster development of decentralized and community-focused energy solutions.
Investigations Underway
The CPUC has announced it is initiating an internal review of the power failure.
PG&E has also engaged an independent external investigator to examine the circumstances and root causes of the incident.
