Thousands lose power in San Francisco area amid rainy weather

Recurring Power Outages in San Francisco [00:00]

• A specific San Francisco neighborhood experienced its fourth power outage in two weeks, highlighting a recurring issue.
• PG&E reported that 3,400 customers in the Seacliff and Richmond districts lost power around 3:30 PM.
• Power was restored, but this outage was the third time that week these west-side areas were affected.
• The cause of this particular outage was not immediately known, but it has become a significant source of frustration for residents and businesses.
• These recent issues follow a New Year's Eve outage in the Richmond District and a larger citywide outage the Saturday before Christmas.

"PG& says 3,400 customers in the Secliffe and Richmond districts lost power around 3:30 this afternoon."

Impact on Local Businesses [00:44]

• Local shops and stores reported that these power outages consistently cost them money and lead to lost inventory.
• This loss of inventory is particularly damaging during the crucial holiday season for businesses.
• Jamal Deni, who works at Richmond Market on Balboa Street, stated this was their third power outage in a few weeks.
• The unpredictability of the outages causes operational challenges, as seen when cameras stop working, raising safety concerns.

"Local shops and stores tell us that those outages cost them every single time and they also cost them lost inventory during a crucial holiday season for businesses."

Community Frustration and Desire for Alternatives [01:38]

• Residents expressed their frustration with the ongoing outages, questioning when they will cease.
• There is a desire for the city to find alternative solutions to PG&E, with one resident stating they "generally don't like monopolies."
• The sentiment is that PG&E does not seem to care as much about local issues, potentially due to larger statewide problems like wildfires and financial difficulties.
• Local businesses are perceived to be suffering more significantly than individual residents.

"I generally don't like monopolies. love to have another option um because they don't seem to care that much."

Business Disruptions and Financial Losses [02:32]

• Michael Duca, owner of DD Cycles, was not affected by the latest outage but had previously lost power for multiple days with 130,000 other San Francisco customers just before Christmas.
• Duca stated that this pre-Christmas outage "tanked business and everything."
• The outages create a ripple effect for businesses, with owners still recovering from the impact.
• A major issue for businesses is the failure of credit card machines during blackouts, which is critical as few people pay with cash or checks anymore.

"The credit card machine goes down. That's the biggie. In the old days, it would have been too bad because people paid with check and cash. 99.9 people no longer pay with check or cash."