What are Public Safety Power Shutoffs?

Over the last decade, California has experienced increased, intense, and record-breaking wildfires in Northern and Southern California. These fires have resulted in devastating loss of life and billions of dollars in damage to property and infrastructure. Electric utility infrastructure has historically been responsible for less than ten percent of reported wildfires; however, fires attributed to power lines comprise roughly half of the most destructive fires in California history. With the continuing threat of wildfire, utilities may proactively cut power to electrical lines that may fail in certain weather conditions to reduce the likelihood that their infrastructure could cause or contribute to a wildfire. This effort to reduce the risk of fires caused by electric infrastructure by temporarily turning off power to specific areas is called a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS). However, a PSPS can leave communities and essential facilities without power, which brings its own risks and hardships, particularly for vulnerable communities and individuals.

Who is in charge of Public Safety Power Shutoffs?

Southern California Edison owns and operates the electrical distribution system in Moorpark (and across Ventura County) and initiates Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) when they determine that weather conditions pose an extreme risk of igniting a wildfire. The PSPS program is regulated by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) and by state law. Local governments do not have any direct regulatory or jurisdictional authority over the PSPS program, although the City of Moorpark does work to mitigate impacts of PSPS power outages locally.  Please visit the below websites for more history, background, and resources for PSPS de-energization events:

• SCE PSPS website
• CPUC PSPS website

• Check the SCE Map of PSPS Outages
• Check the SCE Map of Current Power Outages and SCE Community Resource Centers (includes SCE's official charging locations throughout affected communities)
• View SCE's Circuit Name Map for PSPS Alerts
• Sign up for SCE PSPS Alerts (receive by E-mail, text, or phone call)
• View Customer Resources & Support

You may also contact SCE Customer Service at (800) 655-4555 for information about PSPS or other matters related to your electric utility service.

When Will Power Be Restored?

Once SCE determines that weather conditions warrant re-energization of a circuit, they must inspect the lines before actually re-energizing a circuit, using a combination of people and drones.  SCE officially states that this process takes up to 8 hours after they issue a "Preparation to Restore" notice for a circuit.  The following table shows the actual amount of time it took SCE to re-energize circuits in the October 15-17, 2026 PSPS outages.  Because SCE sometimes restores power segment-to-segment, actual re-energization of portions of a circuit may have been faster in actuality; the dates shown below are when SCE advised a circuit has been fully re-energized.  Again, however, remember that SCE officially states "up to 8 hours" before actual restoration.

SCE's grid in Moorpark consists of ten separate circuits (view map), of which five have historically been most subject to Public Safety Power Shutoffs (Brennan, Gabbert, Morganstein, Strathern, and Zone).  The Enchanted circuit has also been de-energized multiple times, but less so than the other five according to SCE.  The Anton circuit, a small portion of which serves Moorpark, has also frequently been de-energized.

By the end of 2025, SCE completed improvements to the Brennan, Strathern, and Zone circuits to reduce the frequency of PSPS outages.  SCE has pledged to continue its grid hardening efforts on two other circuits serving Moorpark to achieve similar reductions in PSPS outages:

• Gabbert Circuit: SCE will implement operational protocols to raise PSPS windspeed thresholds.
• Morganstein Circuit: SCE will replace 10.29 miles of existing overhead wire with new covered conductor, as well as implement operational protocols to raise PSPS windspeed thresholds.

SCE hosts an online grid hardening portal to map its upcoming grid hardening efforts for public view.

On May 29, 2026, SCE provided local government officials in Ventura County with an update on its PSPS efforts.  Key updates consisted of:

• Drone Inspections: One of the frequent complaints of PSPS outages was the long lead time between SCE's decision to re-energize a circuit and actually re-energizing that circuit. Once a decision is made, SCE must visually inspect an entire circuit before re-energizing it. SCE received regulatory approval to utilize drones to inspect the lines, which will greatly increase the time it takes to inspect the lines.  The drones are able to inspect the lines at night.
• Lower Thresholds for PSPS Outages: SCE is taking a more cautious approach for initiating PSPS outages in 2026.  This will result in an increased number of outages in 2026, assuming the same weather conditions as prior years.
• Fewer Unfruitful PSPS Warnings: Beginning in 2026, SCE will be issuing fewer warnings of pending PSPS outages. However, SCE will be more likely to actually de-energize circuits whenever a PSPS warning is issued.

On October 16-18, 2026, SCE de-energized ~148,000 customers, including ~65,000 in Ventura County and ~7,000 in Moorpark and the surrounding neighborhoods.  On November 4, 2026, SCE made a presentation to the Moorpark City Council about this Public Safety Power Shutoff and progress in hardening its infrastructure (video).  In addition to sharing the above figures, SCE advised:

• Customers should have a plan for PSPS outages (where to go to continue working, where nearby Customer Resource Centers are located - normally the Arroyo Vista Recreation Center at 4550 Tierra Rejada Road in Moorpark - and portable power stations, generators, or batteries.
• For very large-scale events, SCE cannot always roll the electrical load from adjacent circuits to PSPS-affected circuits because adjacent circuits may also also overloaded and/or at risk of a PSPS outage.
• There are prioritization factors besides PSPS outage frequency when SCE selects which circuits to upgrade. These include the age of a circuit, the need to retrofit a circuit to current code requirements, and frequency of maintenance-related de-energizations that could be alleviated.
• Some covered conductor hardening projects have been completed in Moorpark, with more to come.  In the past year, lines in Moorpark had increased from 90% covered conductor to 91% covered conductor. Grid hardening projects can be found at www.sce.com/outages-safety/wildfire-safety/grid-hardening.
• Even when a circuit is entirely underground, there is above-ground infrastructure at its substations that can necessitate PSPS outages.
• Undergrounding utility lines cost approximately $1 million per quarter mile.

What are SCE's thresholds for de-energizing a circuit?

SCE utilizes an internal formula based on weather and vegetation conditions to calculate a "Fire Protection Index" (FPI) score for every circuit, on a 0-17 scale.  For different portions of its electric grid, SCE will initiate a PSPS whenever an FPI score exceeds 11, 12, or 13.  All circuits in Ventura County get triggered for a PSPS outage by an FPI score of 12 or higher. Generally, the rule of thumb for SCE to initiate a PSPS depends on whether a circuit has bare or covered wires:

• For Bare Wire Circuits: Sustained windspeeds of 31 mph, or gusts of 46 mph
• For Covered Wire Circuits: Sustained windspeeds of 40 mph, or gusts of 58 mph

Additional information is available from SCE at www.sce.com/pspsdecisionmaking.

How have Public Safety Power Shutoffs affected Moorpark?

Moorpark has been affected by SCE's Public Safety Power Shutoffs in 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026. Many times, SCE has de-energized significant swaths of Moorpark during these events, sometimes for periods of multiple days. The largest-scale PSPS event took place from January 19-21, 2021, during which SCE proactively de-energized six of the ten circuits that serve Moorpark, turning off power to 8,362 customers for upwards of 40 consecutive hours. The outage included most of the community's critical Los Angeles Avenue corridor where many of Moorpark's businesses and employers are located.

SCE's Response to PSPS De-Energization Events

In addition to the CPUC meetings and February 12, 2021 Corrective Action Plan described below, SCE has undertaken efforts to prevent PSPS outages and mitigate the effects when they do occur. 

On March 23, 2021, SCE hosted an online community meeting (watch video recording) specifically for the Moorpark and Simi Valley communities, which had both been severely impacted by PSPS outages. At the meeting, SCE presented key actions to improve their PSPS performance and took questions from the public. Key takeaways during the meeting include:

• Expedited Grid Hardening: As required in its Corrective Action Plan, SCE identified its circuits that were most frequently impacted by PSPS outages (defined as four or more de-energization events since 2019). SCE then analyzed those 72 circuits across its service area to identify ways to reduce the need for potential PSPS outages (while acknowledging it could not guarantee no PSPS outages if extreme enough weather occurred). Grid hardening options include segmenting circuits, relocating wires underground, installing switches, installing improved weather detection infrastructure, and switching to insulated wires as well as operational changes such as switching protocols and using in-person observers.
• Improved Communications: SCE committed to improving the frequency, accuracy, and clarity of communications of potential and actual PSPS de-energization events.
• Improved Mitigation Programs and Outreach: SCE explained how they will improve outreach and awareness of its wildfire mitigation programs, including portable power rebates, critical care backup batteries, hotel discounts, income-qualified solar installations, and other rebate programs.

On August 3, 2021, the CPUC conducted a hearing at which SCE representatives explained their readiness for the 2021 PSPS season (watch video). During its presentation, SCE noted the following accomplishments:

• Grid Hardening: Removed 81,000 customers from PSPS scope (did not specify how many in Moorpark). Installed more than 700 miles of covered conductor. Installed 7 new switches, installed 9 new weather stations, and added automation to 17 existing switches.  SCE expected a 70% reduction in PSPS duration and a 47% reduction in PSPS frequency for the most frequently impacted circuits.
• Improved Communications: SCE also touted improved PSPS communications systems to provide better accuracy and timing of their messages.  Their improvements include:
  • Including more actionable information in messages, such as estimates of when power will be restored rather than just saying power is being restored
  • Reducing false positives where SCE customers inaccurately received notifications that their power is on/off
  • Removing duplicate messages where customers received multiple identical messages

On July 6, 2022, SCE provided an update at a Moorpark City Council meeting (watch video). During their presentation, SCE shared the following updates:

• Grid Hardening: Across its network, SCE removed 81,000 customers from PSPS areas.
• Decreased PSPS Outages: Across its network, SCE reduced PSPS outage time by 73% in 2021.  However, SCE also reminded people that, even with covered conductor (insulated wire), PSPS outages are still possible during extremely hazardous weather conditions.

On October 18, 2023, SCE provided another update at a Moorpark City Council meeting (watch video). During their presentation, SCE shared the following updates:

• Fewer PSPS Outages: For its Moorpark service area, SCE reported a year-over-year decrease in the frequency of sustained interruptions (>five minutes) from 2.1 times per year in 2021 to 1.7 times per year in 2022. The average for SCE's entire grid in both years was 1.1 times per year.
• Shorter PSPS Outages: For its Moorpark service areas, SCE reported a year-over-year decrease in the average duration of sustained interruptions from 1,465 minutes to 283 minutes.

On March 5, 2025, SCE provided another update at a Moorpark City Council meeting (watch video).  During their presentation, SCE shared the following updates:

• Communications Failures: SCE acknowledged communications inadequacies during January 2025, when the need to send millions of needed notifications to customers overwhelmed its software systems.
• Grid Hardening:
  • SCE has relocated 0.61 miles of utility lines within Moorpark since 2021.
  • SCE has replaced approximately 117 miles of distribution lines with covered conductor within Moorpark.

On October 1, 2025, SCE provided an update to the Moorpark City Council regarding its efforts to address PSPS impacts (watch video).  Among the information shared by SCE was:

• Grid Hardening: SCE has completed hardening (“covered conductor” improvements) of 117 of the 130 miles of its overhead wires in Moorpark.  Completion of the remaining 13 miles was not scheduled to be completed by 2026.  SCE noted that covered conductor reduces the likelihood of a PSPS outage, but does not entirely prevent it.
• Brennan Circuit: SCE completed improvements on the Brennan circuit in 2025, which will reduce the likelihood of PSPS outages in Moorpark’s Peach Hill community compared to previous years.

On May 29, 2026, SCE provided local government officials in Ventura County with an update on its PSPS efforts.  Key updates consisted of:

• Drone Inspections: One of the frequent complaints of PSPS outages was the long lead time between SCE's decision to re-energize a circuit and actually re-energizing that circuit. Once a decision is made, SCE must visually inspect an entire circuit before re-energizing it. SCE received regulatory approval to utilize drones to inspect the lines, which will greatly increase the time it takes to inspect the lines.  The drones are able to inspect the lines at night.
• Lower Thresholds for PSPS Outages: SCE is taking a more cautious approach for initiating PSPS outages in 2026.  This will result in an increased number of outages in 2026, assuming the same weather conditions as prior years.
• Fewer Unfruitful PSPS Warnings: Beginning in 2026, SCE will be issuing fewer warnings of pending PSPS outages. However, SCE will be more likely to actually de-energize circuits whenever a PSPS warning is issued.

State Response to SCE's PSPS De-Energization Events

In California, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has regulatory oversight of investor-owned utilities like SCE (local governments do not have regulatory authority). On January 19, 2021, CPUC President Marybel Batjer sent a letter to SCE expressing deep concerns with SCE's execution of PSPS outages and ordered multiple SCE executives to appear before the CPUC at a public meeting to be held on January 26, 2021, and submit a Corrective Action Plan to the CPUC by February 12, 2021 explaining how SCE will improve its performance. She was specifically concerned with:

1. Transparency of the PSPS decision-making process
2. Execution of the notification process
3. Coordination and communication with state and local governments
4. Identification and notification of Medical Baseline and Access and Functional Needs customers
5. Quality of PSPS post-event reports

At the CPUC's January 26, 2021 meeting (watch video), SCE officials took questions and comments from the CPUC Commissioners, local government officials (including Moorpark officials), and members of the public for nearly five hours. As ordered by the CPUC, SCE then submitted its February 12, 2021 Corrective Action Plan to the CPUC.

The CPUC held a follow-up public meeting on March 1, 2021 (watch video) to discuss SCE's Corrective Action Plan, with SCE officials to present the plan, answer questions, and receive CPUC Commissioner and public comments. Pursuant to CPUC direction, SCE continues to provide bi-weekly updates to the CPUC to demonstrate ongoing compliance and adherence to its Corrective Action Plan.

On August 3, 2021, the CPUC conducted a hearing at which SCE representatives explained their readiness for the 2021 PSPS season (watch video).

In addition to the above, the CPUC requires SCE to prepare and submit annual Wildfire Mitigation Plans to report and their planning and prevention/mitigation efforts, dating back to 2019.

• SCE Wildfire Mitigation Plans

In November 2022, the CPUC issued Southern California Edison a citation for $1,020,000 for violations related to the outbreak of the Easy Fire, which broke out in western Simi Valley on October 30, 2019, and burned into eastern Moorpark. The CPUC's Safety and Enforcement Division concluded that SCE failed to install and maintain its 66 kV conductor and insulator adequately and safely.

In June 2023, the CPUC settled with SCE for PSPS violations that occurred in 2020, resulting in $7,000,000 in fines levied upon SCE.

In November 2024, the CPUC issued SCE a $2,339,690 penalty for PSPS violations, including failure to provide 135,570 customer notifications in 2021.

In May 2025, the CPUC issued $826,260 in penalties against SCE for PSPS violations in 2022 and 2023, including failure to provide 11,556 notifications in 2022 and 55,558 notifications in 2023, failure to send required notifications to Medical Baseline customers in 2023, and failure to provide estimated restoration times to public safety agencies, among other issues.  These fines are subject to appeal by SCE, with a deadline to respond by June 9, 2025.

City's Response to PSPS De-Energization Events

Although the City does not have direct regulatory control over SCE or PSPS outages, City officials were actively engaged with SCE and state legislators and regulators to address the impacts of PSPS outages on Moorpark. In 2021, City activities have included:

• January 26, 2021 CPUC Hearing: In addition to verbal testimony from then-Mayor Janice Parvin (meeting video), the City submitted written comments expressing concerns with SCE's poor performance.
• SCE Corrective Action Plan: City staff reviewed SCE's February 12, 2021 Corrective Action Plan, with particular interest in SCE's plans to analyze frequently-impacted circuits for expedited grid hardening efforts. While SCE's failure to take the actions contained in the plan two years ago when it began de-energizing circuits is confoundingly frustrating, the plan does contain meaningful changes that, if implemented, will reduce (though not eliminate) the impacts of PSPS in many portions of Moorpark. Moorpark officials did attend the CPUC's March 1 public meeting on SCE's Corrective Action Plan, but did not provide verbal or written comments.
• March 23, 2021 SCE Community Meeting for Moorpark/Simi Valley: City officials were active participants in the community meeting, pushing SCE to expand its grid hardening efforts to expeditiously remove PSPS risk from the rest of Moorpark. While SCE said they remained committed to doing so, they did not provide a timeline.
• Legal Actions: The City is actively participating in the CPUC's investigatory and rulemaking processes, with CPUC granting Moorpark official party status on April 19, 2021.  As part of its lobbying efforts with the CPUC, the City sent a March 18, 2025 comment letter in response to SCE's After-Action Report for its January 4, 2025 PSPS de-energization event.  The City also sent a comment letter to the CPUC on July 21, 2026 in response to SCE's PSPS 2026 Pre-Season Report.  As a result of resultant legal actions, some improvements have already been gained through CPUC rulemaking, including:
  • SCE's Community Resource Centers (CRCs) will provide charging for medical devices, not just small personal electronics (In Moorpark, CRCs can be located either at the Arroyo Vista Recreation Center or at City Hall, depending on where power is out).
  • SCE will improve outreach and education for tenants of master-metered properties, such as mobile home parks.
  • SCE will develop notification protocols for circumstances where telecommunications systems are not working.
• State Legislation: City officials have had multiple conversations with State Senator Henry Stern and State Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin (who represent Moorpark in the California legislature) to discuss ways to address PSPS outages and their impacts. Many options were explored, and Senator Stern introduced legislation in 2021 (Senate Bill No. SB 533) in Sacramento that would have established a five-strikes-and-you're-out requirement. If a circuit was de-energized five times due to PSPS outages, a utility would have 12 months to harden infrastructure to remove the need for a PSPS outage on that circuit. Moorpark Mayor Janice Parvin spoke as a lead witness in support of SB 533 at the Senate Energy, Utilities, and Communications Committee hearing on April 19, 2021.
  
  However, subsequent to the bill's introduction, SCE's Corrective Action Plan established a four-strikes-and-you're out timeline, thus rendering SB 533 largely moot. On April 26, 2021, SB 533 was amended to require electrical corporations to identify (in their Wildfire Mitigation Plans, which are submitted annually to the California Public Utilities Commission for review) circuits that have frequently been de-energized to mitigate the risk of wildfire and the measures taken, or planned to be taken, by the electrical corporation to reduce the need for future de-energization of those circuits. In doing so, electrical corporations will be held more accountable to follow through with their plans, such as SCE's Corrective Action Plan.
  
  City officials continued to advocate for SB 533 through the California State Assembly and State Senate, and Governor Newsom signed SB 533 into law on September 23, 2021.

Additionally, because City infrastructure and facilities have also been subject to multiple PSPS de-energization events, City officials have created and repeatedly implemented PSPS protocols to ensure it can continue to provide municipal services, including police and other emergency services, traffic signals, debris removal, building inspection, and other critical services during extreme weather events and power outages.