Rancho Palos Verdes homes without gas could lose electricity next

More than 130 homes in Rancho Palos Verdes first had their gas shut off , and now some of those residents are being warned that the power could be next .

Mayor John Cruikshank tells KNX News, "The city wants to see all of our power, gas, and utilities stay on. Unfortunately, our city doesn't have a lot of power to force them to do that."

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He said the California Public Utilities Commission and Governor Newsom are the ones in charge.

Cruikshank does, however, offer some options to help residents cope. "Power could be brought to a home through generators. We can find alternate methods to replace gas with electric appliances. There's a lot of different types of work around. So we're looking at all the different alternatives for our residents right now."

KNX News' Karen Adams spoke with one resident who says he and his family are, in a word, frustrated.

"Frustration with the way that the city has handled this really for the last 20 years, frustration with the way SoCal Gas has handled this. Also with the unknown."

He said that of the 145 homes in the area, maybe 20 have been damaged, but, "The rest of the homes are being punished by having their utilities removed because the utility companies, it appears to be, are unwilling to reroute the lines."

He believes the utility company should route everything from the neighborhood's west side, where the land is not moving.

The city is holding a commute meeting for residents who are impacted by all of this. With so many people expected to attend, officials are encouraging folks to join via Zoom .

Locals who wish to attend in person are asked to consider carpooling or walking. The meeting begins at 6:00 p.m. at Ladera Linda Community Park .

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