California Assemblywoman Christy Smith, D-Santa Clarita, is urging state authorities to require power companies to better tailor Public Safety Power Shutoffs during emergencies so power outages don’t create yet another crisis.
Smith released the following statement on Thursday regarding PSPS outages and their effect particularly on the community of Agua Dulce in her 38th Assembly District:
“The intent of public safety power shutoffs (PSPS) is to thwart potential wildfires, but it has created its own crisis in Agua Dulce, a community whose water supply is reliant on power. We live in an age where wildfires are the new normal — as evidenced by the recent Saddleridge, Tick and Easy fires in our district — but this one-size-fits-all wipeout of power has unintended consequences that must be addressed and is not the panacea to wildfire prevention.
“This new normal, one which residents in our rural communities go up to two days without water, ability to shower, feed their livestock, etc. cannot be accepted.
“I have been in contact with the Governor’s office and the Office of Emergency Services to highlight the urgency surrounding the negative impacts of PSPS, especially with communities with unique conditions like Agua Dulce. I’ve expressed my concern about the California Public Utilities Commission’s inability to tailor this system to specific communities and advocated for more local oversight on these preventative measures and manage this crisis.
“My office will continue to monitor the situation and is always open if you need help accessing services.
“I know PSPS is an unfair burden on the community, one that has interfered and created unfathomable inconvenience. I implore everyone to ready themselves, have a plan for planned outages and visit response.ca.gov, a central hub for resources related to California’s power outage and fire response.”
Smith represents California’s 38th Assembly District, which includes the communities of Santa Clarita, Simi Valley, Agua Dulce, Castaic, Santa Susana Knolls and North San Fernando Valley.
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