SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — Just one month into the job, newly appointed San Francisco Supervisor Alan Wong says he is already dealing with repeated power outages impacting residents in the Sunset District, several outages in just December alone.
“I really want to ensure that we have a resilient power grid that is able to effectively manage any sort of incidents, storms or anything that comes up,” Supervisor Wong said.
Residents say the outages have lasted far longer than expected, creating serious challenges for families and businesses alike.
“What hurts the residents was that after they gave the time for when it would end, it didn’t end,” Wong said. “And it kept going and going and going.”
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During the outages, residents reported medical emergencies, while small businesses say they suffered major financial losses.
“So people were not able to engage in commerce for nearly an entire day and lost their stock,” Wong said.
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PG&E says it is offering a $200 bill credit for impacted residents and up to $2,500 for businesses, but Wong says that compensation does not go far enough.
PG&E also says customers can file claims for additional reimbursement, but Wong worries many residents will struggle to navigate the process.
“It’s extremely difficult for some who may not be proficient because of language or technological barriers,” Wong said. “PG&E should be coming out with workers walking the streets with bilingual skills so they can talk to everybody with the forms in hand, helping people sign up for the claims process.”
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PG&E tells ABC7 News it is doing additional outreach to Chinese-speaking residents affected by the outages. Wong says his office will continue pushing the utility company for accountability and long-term infrastructure improvements.
“If what happened during these past outages happens again during something more major, like an earthquake or a fire, real lives could be lost,” Wong said. “I think we were lucky this time.”
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