Power outages across the Santa Clarita Valley have caused concern to many residents, prompting lawmakers to take action, officials said.

Assemblywoman Christy Smith, D-Santa Clarita, and Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who represents the 5th District, joined the fight to seek alternatives to planned Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) in the event of high fire danger weather events, according to their offices.

Smith has contacted the governor’s office and the Office of Emergency Services to highlight the urgency surrounding the potential negative impacts of the power outages.

“The intent of Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) is to thwart potential wildfires, but it has created its own crisis in Agua Dulce, a community whose water supply is reliant on power. We live in an age where wildfires are the new normal — as evidenced by the recent Saddleridge, Tick and Easy Fires in our district — but this one-size-fits-all wipeout of power has unintended consequences that must be addressed and is not the panacea to wildfire prevention,” Smith said. “This new normal, one which residents in our rural communities go up to two days without water, ability to shower, feed their livestock, etc. cannot be accepted.”

See Related: FEMA Assistance For Power Outage Area Residents Requested By Wilk, Lackey 

Barger wrote to the head of Southern California Edison, Kevin Payne, about developing better communication with the community regarding potentially life-threatening outages for those who need powered medical devices. 

“The loss of power is not an inconvenience; it is serious and could be life-threatening for vulnerable populations that depend on medical devices. Residents in rural areas of my district also depend on power to pump water from their wells,” Barger said. “The impacts PSPS is having on schools, public transportation systems, Metrolink experienced delays, medical facilities and other important infrastructure needs cannot be understated.” 

The two lawmakers join Senator Scott Wilk, R-Santa Clarita, and Assemblyman Tom Lackey, R-Palmdale, who recently wrote a letter to President Donald Trump asking for federal assistance regarding the power outages. 

“It is unacceptable and dangerous. In these, as in many rural communities, water is drawn from wells. Without power, there is no water. Without power there is no cell service, leaving residents unable to call for help in an emergency,” Wilk said. “Additionally, medically vulnerable people are left without access to life-saving equipment like ventilators, sleep apnea and dialysis machines. Our constituents need help, and we are asking the federal government to step in where the state has failed.”

In the past week, thousands of Santa Clarita Valley residents have been impacted by the power outages, with more planned in the coming days. 

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