The decision comes as another punishing heat wave grips much of the state, underscoring the real-world stakes of the debate. In rural areas, losing electricity can also mean losing access to water, since many wells rely on electric pumps. In cities, going without air conditioning or fans during a prolonged hot spell can pose serious health risks, and in extreme cases, prove fatal.

More than a year ago, the California Public Utilities Commission determined that existing safeguards against shutoffs during extreme heat were inadequate and directed the state’s largest utilities to come up with stronger rules. But when those companies submitted their proposal in December, regulators found it did little to change the status quo.

In a unanimous 4-0 vote Thursday, commissioners rejected the utilities’ plan, saying it failed to provide “sufficient health protections for customers.” The panel had originally set May 1 as the deadline for new rules to take effect. When utilities missed that deadline, consumer advocates filed emergency motions demanding action.

With the latest heat wave bearing down on California, the commission responded by lowering the temperature threshold at which utilities must halt shutoffs for unpaid bills, from 100 degrees to 90 degrees. Regulators also ordered utilities to adopt a more precise, region-specific heat standard within six months.

The fight over how to define dangerous heat dates back two years, to what was recorded as California’s hottest July on record. During that scorching stretch, the consumer advocacy group The Utility Reform Network asked the commission to reconsider its definition of extreme heat, arguing in an emergency petition that heat kills more people directly than any other weather-related hazard.

Existing rules already barred utilities from shutting off residential power over nonpayment when forecasts called for temperatures above 100 degrees within a 72-hour window. But advocates argued that a single statewide threshold ignored how differently Californians experience heat depending on where they live.

Regulators declined to treat the request as an emergency at the time, but did direct utilities to develop a revised threshold in coordination with consumer advocates and other stakeholders.

Utilities responded by proposing to use CalHeatScore, a newly developed state tool that rates heat risk by ZIP code on a scale of 0 to 4, drawing on local health data and historical impacts, along with factors such as proximity to cooling centers and the presence of children and older residents, who tend to be more vulnerable to extreme heat.

The sticking point: utilities wanted the shutoff protection to kick in only at Level 3 on that scale, a higher bar than advocates sought, and wanted to keep the 100-degree threshold as a backup whenever the index data wasn’t available. Consumer groups pushed back, calling for protections to begin at the lower Level 2 and for a backup threshold of 90 degrees instead.

Utilities said they couldn’t meet the original deadline because the CalHeatScore data system, managed by the state’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, wasn’t yet ready to support their compliance. Advocates countered that utilities offered little justification for insisting on keeping the higher 100-degree cutoff.

By May, with utilities still lagging, The Utility Reform Network joined forces with the San Diego-based Utility Consumers’ Action Network, the National Consumer Law Center and the Center for Accessible Technology to formally ask the commission to step in.

This week, regulators sided decisively with consumer advocates, rejecting the utilities’ approach as essentially unchanged from prior practice. The commission’s resolution noted that the extreme-heat threshold already sits below 100 degrees in 41 of California’s 58 counties.

A 90-degree day might be unremarkable in dry inland cities such as Bakersfield or Fresno, but that same temperature can pose unusual danger in coastal or mountain communities, where fewer homes have air conditioning and residents are less acclimated to heat. In San Francisco, for instance, extreme heat is defined as anything above 85 degrees. In Del Norte County, in the state’s far northwest corner, the threshold is any temperature above 76.8 degrees, according to the commission.

“A single temperature threshold is needed to better protect residents in areas of the state that are not accustomed to high temperatures,” the commission wrote in its ruling.

Although utilities had pushed for narrower protections, company representatives now say they intend to comply fully with the stricter standard. Last December, the state’s major private electric providers jointly argued that expanding protections to cover lower heat-index levels would trigger shutoffs too frequently, increase unpaid customer debt and add costs without a corresponding health benefit. In a January filing, according to a PG&E spokesperson, the companies described the 90-degree threshold as overly broad.

These protections apply only to shutoffs triggered by nonpayment. They do not prevent outages caused by equipment failures, wildfire prevention shutoffs or other emergencies. Still, advocates say the safeguards matter enormously for vulnerable households.

“When a home loses power, it can set off a cascade of problems for tenants,” said Jason Zeller, an attorney with the Utility Consumers’ Action Network. “Without electricity, tenants can face eviction, and if they have children, they can even risk losing custody.”

Ahead of Thursday’s vote, all three major utilities said they were prepared to fall in line with the commission’s new standards. Southern California Edison said the resolution would strengthen protections during extreme heat events and that it was ready to revise its disconnection policies. San Diego Gas & Electric said it supported the added safety measures and would implement whatever final requirements the commission adopted.

“At PG&E, service disconnection is always a last resort, used only after multiple attempts to reach customers and offer payment plans and assistance programs,” said company spokesperson Adrienne Moore. Region-specific rules are expected to be finalized within six months.

The commission’s independent Public Advocates Office had pushed for stronger protections throughout the process, formally opposing the utilities’ original plan. Office director Linda Serizawa said the vote would give consumers protection “that kicks in when they need it most.”

Original source: CalMatters

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As of Wednesday morning, 25,585 SoCal Edison customers were without power due to a Power Safety Shutoff, as were 23,305 San Bernardino County customers, according to SoCal Edison. Another 180,000 SoCal Edison customers across the Inland Empire were under a Power Safety Shutoff consideration.

Fires and spot fires ignited overnight, burning in Anza, Mentone, and Coachella, according to fire officials. Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department personnel stopped the forward progress of a vegetation fire in Anza Wednesday that threatened nearby structures.

The Anza blaze was first reported about 4:45 a.m. as a four-acre fire in the 54000 block of Highway 371, accompanied by strong winds, according to a department statement.

Crews were able to stop the fire’s expansion within three hours, committing to remain on the scene for an additional four hours for mop-up, the department said.

Highway 371 was closed between Bahrman Road and Cahuilla Casino, but no injuries were reported and no evacuations were ordered.

In Mentone, as of 6 a.m., a single-story commercial structure ignited on the 2100 block of Mentone Boulevard, according to a San Bernardino County Fire Department. They said arriving firefighters quickly transitioned from an offensive fire attack to a defensive attack as the roof collapsed.

Firefighters from the Redlands Fire Department are assisting firefighters in watching the surrounding neighborhoods for ember-sparked blazes caused by gusting Santa Ana winds.

As of 10 a.m., the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said there are “no active fires reported in San Bernardino County. High winds can increase fire danger and pose risks such as downed power lines or flying debris. Please remain vigilant.”

Two homes were lost in Coachella early Wednesday, Cal Fire/Riverside County Firefighters said.

The vegetation fire was 50% contained, fire authorities said, and was initially reported to be burning 15 acres around 3:24 a.m. in the 47100 block of Tyler Street.

Deputies from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department evacuated affected residents with threatened structures. In an update at 7:30 a.m., the fire department noted the fire had been reduced to 11 acres and the forward progress had been stopped.

The American Red Cross Southern California region was requested for assistance.
No roads had been reported closed and no injuries were reported, according to the fire department.

Cal Fire released a statement indicating that engine and hand crews are transferring from stations in Northern California to the Inland Empire to help attack and spot fires as they occur. This is a massive task in the face of an intense Santa Ana windstorm.

Additional firefighting resources will be deployed Wednesday throughout Riverside County for the remainder of the week.

“When fire conditions end, restoration is expected to take up to 8 hours but could take longer if we need daylight for safe inspections or if we find damage,” a SoCal Edison spokesperson said. “The shutoff maps will reflect “power off” until all customers on your circuit segment have had their power restored.”

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By City News Service, News Partner

RIVERSIDE, CA — Southern California Edison said 4,775 customers in Riverside County could have their power shut off on Monday due to a forecast of strong winds that will elevate fire danger.

As of Sunday afternoon, the Glen Avon neighborhood in Jurupa Valley and the Cabazon area were being monitored by SCE for potential shutoffs.

“When there are potentially dangerous weather conditions in fire- prone areas, we may need to call a PSPS event. During these events, we will proactively turn off power in high fire risk areas to reduce the threat of wildfires,” SCE said.

Meanwhile, Riverside Public Utilities said there were no emergency power shutoffs planned for its customers.

“Although SCE has not identified any circuits for potential shutoffs that will affect Riverside Public Utilities at this time, it is always a good idea to be prepared,” RPU officials said in a tweet.

A red flag warning for high fire danger will be in effect from 2 a.m. Monday to 6 p.m. Tuesday in the Riverside County mountains, the Inland Empire and the San Gorgonio Pass.

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