A new "Relaxed Concert" designed for families, young audiences, and those seeking a more casual experience, the Redlands Symphony is making classical music more accessible.
REDLANDS, Calif. — Southern California Edison (SCE) presented its wildfire mitigation efforts to the Redlands City Council on Feb. 18, addressing concerns raised by residents following a series of power shutoffs earlier this year due to high winds.
SCE Government Relations Manager Mark Cloud joined the meeting via Zoom to brief the council on the utility’s public safety power shutoffs (PSPS), grid modernization efforts, and plans for reducing wildfire risks in Redlands and surrounding areas.
Cloud started by explaining Edison's effort to meet the California state mandate to have a 100% decarbonized grid by 2045, while also doing wildfire mitigation work.
“Folks might wonder 'why is my Edison bill so high?' One of the things that your bill is paying for is wildfire mitigation investments; the other thing is for grid modernization and in effect, the energy transition,” Cloud said during his presentation.
Another expense for customers is SCE's 10.75% shareholder return rate to mitigate risk for investors. SCE approved 2024 shareholder return rate was the highest among its California peers, with PG&E at 10.7%, and San Diego Gas & Electric at 10.65%, CalMatters reported.
Edison International (EIX), the parent company of SCE, made $1.197 billion in profit for 2023. This is almost double what they made in 2022 ($612 million). The year end profit report for 2024 is expected later this month.
Cloud outlined SCE’s ongoing investments in wildfire mitigation, including grid hardening efforts such as vegetation management, sectionalizing circuits to isolate outages, and deploying covered conductors—power lines wrapped in protective material to prevent sparks.
Since 2018, SCE has been installing weather stations throughout its service territory to monitor conditions in real time, helping to make data-driven decisions about power shutoffs.
“Our goal is to reduce the fire risk so much that we don’t even need a PSPS protocol anymore,” Cloud said. He noted it will take time but the company is committed to getting there.
In the meantime, Cloud said SCE is working on enhancing its grid technology to minimize outage areas. One way is through sectionalizing the grid.
"Let's get as surgical as we can with the outages," he said. "If we don't need to de-energize an entire circuit, but merely one circuit over here instead of two or three interconnected circuits, let's do that."
Power shutoffs and public concerns
The presentation came just weeks after Redlands residents endured multiple days of power outages amid Santa Ana wind conditions. Cloud acknowledged the challenges and frustrations caused by the PSPS events and assured council members that SCE is working to improve its processes.
“I want to start by saying I’m sorry to all of you who encountered long and unpredictable power outages,” Cloud said. “PSPS is a tool of last resort, and we know how disruptive it can be.”
Residents and council members voiced concerns over the power shutoffs, with some questioning the effectiveness of SCE’s communication and outage maps. One resident, Dennis Bell, expressed frustration with the lack of advance warning and the financial burden on customers.
“I, and every other resident, were not happy with Edison’s hodgepodge fashion and duration of power shutoffs,” Bell said during public comment. “I didn’t receive any notification of the impending shutoffs until after the power went off.”
Council members also highlighted the inaccuracy of SCE’s outage maps, which they said contributed to confusion during the January wind events.
“One of the things we get calls about is, ‘Why is this happening?’” Mayor Pro Temp Marc Shaw said. "We'd like to give them the most accurate information... during the last wind event, the maps weren’t accurate—people with power showed as being out and vice versa.”
Neighborhoods in south Redlands received the brunt of the power shut offs in January.
Cloud acknowledged the issue, stating that SCE is working to improve its mapping and notification systems.
“We will definitely improve over time,” he said. “This event was so wide-scale that it did make it more difficult for us, but I can promise you we learned from it and are making it a point to improve.”
Cloud also noted that the company's community resource centers were overwhelmed in January due to the outages and fires taking place in LA County. These centers are deployed to areas impacted by PSPS outages and support customers.
Another major concern raised during the meeting was the undergrounding of power lines, a topic that has been debated in Redlands for years. Michael Paisner, a resident, reminded the council of its decision to expand exceptions to undergrounding requirements.
“When you have more overhead lines, they’re more vulnerable to being blown over, leading to more power outages,” Paisner said. “I urge you to keep this conversation in mind going forward when those requests come in the future.”
Looking forward
City officials emphasized the need for ongoing discussions with SCE to improve coordination and communication with residents during high wind events.
“This is just the start of a conversation,” Mayor Mario Saucedo said. “We need to work together to provide better information and resources for our residents.”
SCE offers rebates for backup power solutions, including portable generators and battery storage systems, which residents can access through the company’s marketplace website.
