Malibu Residents Brace for More Power Shutoffs This Fire Season

MALIBU, California — Malibu officials are urging residents to prepare for increased power shutoffs as Southern California Edison expands its Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) program this fire season.

A meeting hosted by Edison is planned for September 30 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Malibu City Hall and online. City leaders are encouraging residents to voice their concerns about Edison’s shutoff practices, which they claim have put lives at risk during previous wildfires.

PSPS events are implemented by Edison to cut power during high fire-risk weather to prevent equipment from igniting fires. This practice was authorized by the California Public Utilities Commission in 2018. However, Malibu officials argue these shutoffs frequently last for days and can occur even under low wind conditions, resulting in total communication blackouts for neighborhoods.

The city stated, “Long-lasting outages cripple our ability to communicate with residents at the exact moment they most need lifesaving information.” During the Franklin and Palisades fires, many areas in Malibu lost phone service, internet, and traffic signals, leaving residents vulnerable without essential emergency alerts and evacuation orders.

The outages disrupted schools, business operations, and medical needs for community members. Despite ongoing advocacy over the years, Edison revealed plans this summer for longer and more frequent shutoffs without improving safety measures like providing backup power for essential services.

Malibu officials are encouraging residents to participate in the meeting, whether in person or virtually, and to submit complaints to the California Public Utilities Commission. Residents are also urged to contact their state representatives, including Sen. Ben Allen and Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin, to seek reforms.