Malibu City officials are calling on residents to attend a community meeting Tuesday to voice concerns about Southern California Edison's public safety power shutoffs (PSPS), which they say leave Malibu disproportionately vulnerable during wildfire emergencies.
The meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Malibu City Hall Council Chambers, 23825 Stuart Ranch Road, with a virtual option available. City leaders are encouraging residents to demand meaningful changes to SCE's practices and to file complaints with state regulators.
"PSPS events have left Malibu in total communications blackouts during major wildfires, blocking access to life-saving evacuation and emergency information," according to a city news advisory. The shutoffs also disrupt work, school and commuting while creating economic hardships.
The city's most pressing concern is the stark disparity in how Malibu is treated compared to other SCE service areas. In 2024, Malibu officials said the city experienced outages three times more frequently than other SCE cities, and those outages lasted 30 times longer. While other cities averaged three hours without power, Malibu residents waited more than three days for restoration.
Edison tracks power outages in several ways and according to SCE data, of the roughly 80 hours Malibu residents were without power last year, 60 of those hours were due to PSPS.
SCE has announced plans for more frequent and longer outages this fire season but has not provided critical mitigation measures such as backup power for traffic signals or cell towers, according to city officials.
Beyond attending Tuesday's meeting, residents are encouraged to file complaints with the California Public Utilities Commission Public Advisor's Office at 866-849-8390 or public.advisor@cpuc.ca.gov. The city is also urging community members to contact state Sen. Ben Allen at 310-414-8190 and Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin at 805-370-0542 to demand regulatory changes.
The outages have become increasingly common along the Malibu coast and Santa Monica Mountains, where the electrical grid threads through high fire-threat canyons and ridgelines. The area regularly experiences Santa Ana winds, dry vegetation and low humidity — conditions that can turn downed power lines into ignition sources.
Since the 2018 Woolsey Fire, SCE has relied more heavily on PSPS as a strategy to prevent utility-sparked wildfires during extreme fire weather. The utility began warning Malibu about possible shutoffs as early as late 2017, when 70 mph to 80 mph gusts swept through the area.
SCE's criteria for shutoffs center on extreme fire weather — a combination of strong winds, dry fuels and low humidity. When those conditions threaten to cause wire slap, vegetation contact or pole failures, the utility may preemptively de-energize circuits in high-threat areas. The CPUC oversees preparation, reporting and customer protections for these events.
Malibu is divided into eight SCE circuit areas that can be shut off selectively. The city maintains a PSPS information hub and is frequently placed on PSPS watch during Santa Ana wind periods.
Multiple shutoff events were executed across SCE's territory in late 2024, including periods from Nov. 1-8, Nov. 27-29 and Dec. 29-31. These overlapped with major windstorms that also contributed to the January 2025 fires in the Palisades and Los Angeles areas.
SCE says PSPS is a "last resort" and aims to provide approximately three days' notice when possible, but rapidly changing weather conditions can shorten lead time. The shutoffs create particular hardship for medical-baseline customers and disrupt traffic signals, police communications, water pumps and refrigerated goods storage.
In May 2025, SCE agreed to pay $82.5 million to the U.S. Forest Service over the 2020 Bobcat Fire, without admitting wrongdoing. In September 2025, the federal government filed lawsuits alleging SCE equipment caused catastrophic fires including the January 2025 Eaton Fire and the 2022 Fairview Fire.
The CPUC previously approved a settlement penalizing SCE $550 million over its role in several 2017-2018 wildfires, including a $110 million fine and $375 million disallowance.
SCE and local officials warned in June 2025 that PSPS events could become more frequent and longer this fire season given fuel and wind forecasts.
Public safety officials warn that all downed power lines should be treated as energized. Residents should stay at least 100 feet away and call 911 immediately.