CPUC Boss Says Agency Needs 20,000 Safety Engineers – It Has 19 On Staff Now

The president of the California Public Utilities Commission says the state is unprepared for what is happening in its mountains … in terms of climate change and wildfires.

Michael Picker made those comments in Sacramento yesterday.

The CPUC has 19 workers statewide who handle power pole safety issues.

He told legislators yesterday that it would take between 15,000 and 20,000 new workers to “police” every utility pole and wire, adding “that’s just not going to work.”

According to the Associated Press … Picker said the agency the CPUC wants to contract for about 100 new workers to help monitor utility safety.

Says Picker … and we quote from the AP article …

“I don’t think that we are prepared in any way here in the state of California for the enormity of what we’re seeing.”

Close quote.

The CPUC relies on utilities to police themselves on power pole safety issues.

And this week … KBUU News has learned that one company can’t even do that.

Verizon Wireless has just filed papers with the state to ask permission for a delay in inspection of its overhead pole installations in the Malibu area.

Verizon says 1670 of its poles were affected by wildfires in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties last year … and because of the fires … it cannot submit its annual inspection report.

Verizon says road closures have delayed its crews from inspecting its poles.

And it says many of its poles are down and it is premature to inspect the facilities because they have not been made safe yet.

Verizon is asking the state agency for permission to delay its inspection report for 6 months.

All across the Malibu region … various communications companies have left their cables dangling from poles.

84 days after the Woolsey Fire … the various communications cmpanies have left a mess on the poles… a dangerous situation in that some of these poles were overloaded to begin with.

Surveys have shown that half of the wooden poles in high fire risk areas of Californoa were overloaded … beyond state standards … in a state that relies on utilities to police their own cables.

Here … Verizon says it can’t even do that in a timely manner. 

In San Francisco .. a federal court judge has told Pacific Gas and Electric officials he may order them to cut off power to vast areas of Northern California in heavy winds.

Preventive power shutoffs to large areas may be necessary because P G and E has been negligent in clearing trees and brush away from power lines.

Southern California Edison could be affected by whatever is ordered up north … as the CPUC is requiting our local power company to submit a new wildfire management plan next week.

Preemptive power blackouts have the potential to be a disaster in the Malibu area … isolating the community with communications blackouts … traffic jams and water pump problems.