At Town Hall Meeting, SCE Says Triggering Event For July 15 Outage Was Failed 12 KV Connection (Splice) Area Ocean Blvd./Pacific Ave And "A Few Components Of Network System Weren't Configured Correctly" And As A Result of First Incident Could Have Compromised Network System's Components; Says July 30 Outage Resulted From Failure Of Cable Likely Compromised In July 15 Event</a>

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At Town Hall Meeting, SCE Says Triggering Event For July 15 Outage Was Failed 12 KV Connection (Splice) Area Ocean Blvd./Pacific Ave And "A Few Components Of Network System Weren't Configured Correctly" And As A Result of First Incident Could Have Compromised Network System's Components; Says July 30 Outage Resulted From Failure Of Cable Likely Compromised In July 15 Event

City Officials Urge Individuals To Make Preparations In Case Of Wider, More Serious Emergencies...And Members of Public Urge Alternatives To SCE Including Solar

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(Aug. 24, 2015) -- A State Senator, three Assemblymembers, Long Beach's Mayor, senior City Management, LBFD command staff, a CA Public Utilities Comm'n member and senior staffer and about 80 residents heard -- and in some cases sounded off -- at an Aug. 22 California Legislature convened Town Hall at Cesar Chavez Park where Southern CA Edison representatives described causes of two July power outages, measures taken in response, offered apologies, fielded questions and heard criticism of what LB officials and residents said were less than communicative communications.

For on-demand extended VIDEO coverage the event, click here to launch video.

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Left to right: Assemblymembers Mike Gipson (D, Carson), Patrick O'Donnell (D, Los Angeles), Anthony Rendon (D, NLB-Lakewood), State Senator Ricardo Lara (D, LB-Huntington Park), LB Mayor Robert Garcia

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SCE's Paul Grigaux (VP Transmission, Substations and Operations) and Greg Ferree (VP Distribution) described the triggering causes for a July 15 outage (lasted 54 hours for most, longer for some) that (SCE said at the time) affected roughly 4,000+ downtown area customers (a customer is an SCE account, so our unofficial estimate was over 10,000 residents), followed by a July 30 outage that at one point affected roughly 30,000 SCE customers (our unofficial estimate: 60,000-90,000+ residents) from downtown LB to Willow Street, and from Cherry Ave. to WLB with power restored to roughly 29,000 customers within a few hours.

Left to Right: Paul Grigaux (SCE VP Transmission, Substations and Operations) and Greg Ferree (SCE VP Distribution)

An SCE printed handout distributed at the Aug. 22 meeting indicated the process of de-energizing and testing the network multiple times in the July 15 event affected roughly 30,705 customers and de-energizing the network in the July 30 event affected about 17,000 customers for about two and a half hours. SCE's handout included the map below showing the areas affected:

Graphic source: SCE printed handout at Aug. 22 event

SCE's reps told the Aug. 22 Town Hall style meeting at Cesar Chavez Park that the triggering event for the July 15-17 mainly downtown area outage was a failed 12,000 volt connection (splice) in the area of Ocean Blvd./Pacific Ave. and said a few components of its network system weren't configured correctly...and as a result of the first incident, it could have compromised components of the network system. A July 30 outage, SCE said, resulted from failure of a cable likely compromised in the July 30 event.

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Mr. Ferree said SCE crews had completed a detailed inspection after the second outage of roughly 300 power vaults (underground areas that contain the type of equipment including transformers, wires, connections and the like) one sees elsewhere on above-ground power poles. Mr. Ferree said SCE had reinforced the network by establishing 8 new inter-tie connection points and increased cable capacity at 25 locations in the system. SCE said it currently has three ongoing investigations into the events, including one conducted by an SCE-hired consultant for what it said would be an independent review with its results made public.

Both events caused the city to activate its Emergency Communications and Operations Center and deploy large police, fire and public works resources to deal with multiple issues including darkened streets, uncontrolled intersections and people stuck in elevators.

Downtown LB resident Gary Shelton described hardships faced by residents, including the elderly in high rise buildings with elevators out and no air conditioning. Quentin Roberts, VP of sales for LB's Convention and Visitors Bureau said [paraphrase] that the event inevitably left some visitors wondering about the city's reliability.

Senator Ricardo Lara (D., LB-Huntington Park) questioned if the $100 sum SCE offered to impacted residents was sufficient; SCE rep Grigaux noted that the $100 was in addition to claims that residents could file seeking reimbursement. Sen. Lara also asked if materials were available in other languages; SCE said they were. Assemblyman Mike Gipson (D., Carson) sought better communication on issues with Councilmembers in surrounding cities. Assemblyman Patrick O'Donnell (D. LB) asked how SCE determined which customers particularly needed assistance.

Deputy Fire Chief Brandt stressed the need for accurate information for first responders, saying bluntly at one point that firefighters need to know early on what they're dealing with. Long Beach Deputy City Manager Arturo Sanchez cited issues in SCE's initial responses. City Disaster Preparedness Director Reggie Harrison noted that the outage affected a fairly contained geographic area and didn't involve multiple fires or collapsed buildings (that one might expect in a serious earthquake)...and said what took place shows that all residents should prepare individually for the possibility of a more serious, region wide and longer emergency.

CPUC Commissioner Catherine J.K. Sandoval and CPUC Program and Project Supervisor (Safety and Enforcement Division) Fadi Daye indicated their agency would be conducting its own follow-up investigation into what took place.

Event chair, Assemblyman Anthony Rendon (D, NLB-Lakewood), asked residents to keep their comments to one minute. Joe Ganem said he'd offer two words to those in charge of SCE's communications during the event: "You're fired." Another speaker said the City should explore its options for seeking alternatives to SCE. And number of speakers urged greater use of solar power (and a representative of one solar company was present and spoke briefly of the benefits of solar energy.)