Capay Valley residents frustrated by repeated power outages

Residents in Capay Valley, a rural area in Yolo County, are voicing frustration over a series of power outages in recent weeks, prompting calls for action from Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E).

“Just because we’re rural doesn’t mean we don’t have the same problems,” said Wyatt Cline, a resident of Guinda, a small town in the area.

Cline said his family has experienced around six power outages in the last couple of weeks.

“You have to be able to pump water, flush the toilet. A lot of people can’t afford generators. They don’t have solar back batteries. Elderly people on oxygen, you know. So it affects everybody in an adverse way,” Cline said.

To assist residents, the local fire department has provided a temporary solution by opening the fire station from noon to 9 p.m.

“Telling them that they come down here and cool off and use the Wi-Fi, they can use the bathrooms if people (need) to plug in crock pots, cook or just charge devices,” said Capay Valley Fire Chief Jesse Capitanio.

Capitanio, who does not have a generator at his own home, said the recent outages have been particularly difficult.

“We had a spate recently of about half a dozen outages of significant duration within a ten-day period, which was more challenging than usual. We’re used to some impacts, but this has been pretty unprecedented,” Capitanio said.

PG&E spokesperson Paul Moreno said there have been 12 outages in Capay Valley over the past few weeks. While some outages lasted only minutes, others stretched for hours, affecting anywhere from one to nearly 1,000 customers at a time.

“We understand this is frustrating. This is not acceptable to us either, which is why we’re working to investigate the causes of these outages and find some solutions and we’re going to continue to do that until the issue is resolved,” Moreno said.

Moreno explained that the outages have been caused by various factors, many of which are out of PG&E’s control.

“They range from, tree falling into power lines, a vehicle, hitting a support cable on a pole, a buzzard hey came into contact with the power lines and then issues with transformers,” Moreno said.

Residents said an email was sent out to the community, indicating that a town hall may be held in the future to discuss the ongoing issues.

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