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California governor demands probe of power blackouts

Posted at 11:35 AM, Aug 17, 2020
and last updated 2020-08-17 14:39:36-04

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - California Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed an emergency proclamation allowing some energy users and utilities to tap backup energy sources amid a days-long heatwave that has prompted rolling blackouts affecting hundreds of thousands of households.

The governor also sent an irate letter to state energy overseers demanding to know why blackouts Friday and Saturday occurred with such little notice to the public. He said the state's failure to anticipate and mitigate the service disruptions was "unacceptable."

Californians packed beaches and river banks over the weekend to cool off from scorching triple-digit temperature that raised the risk of more wildfires and fears of coronavirus spread.

To read the full letter, click here.