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2d ago

New S.F. Outage Renews Pressure on PG&E as Richmond Generators Near Removal

City leaders escalate demands for accountability during ongoing investigations into the Dec. 20 substation fire.

A downed tree at a parking lot in Fort Bragg on Dec. 24, 2025. Downed trees and power outages dotted Mendocino County as a series of winter storms brought heavy rain and wind to the region Christmas week. (Photo by Mary Rose Kaczorowski via Bay City News)
Pacific Gas and Electric Co., which has been running seven noisy generators in San Francisco’s Richmond District to provide alternative power, says residents could be back to grid power as soon as Monday. 
More than 11,000 PG&E customers were without power after a transformer in the Richmond neighborhood caught fire.
PG&E says it will soon remove the roaring generators that have been providing alternative power to San Francisco’s Richmond District since Monday.

Overview

  • PG&E said about 6,050 customers in the Sunset and Golden Gate Park area lost power Saturday and were restored in roughly three hours, with the cause still under review.
  • The utility told Richmond customers they could return to grid power as soon as tomorrow and said it is preparing to restore normal operations at the substation.
  • Seven diesel generators at 24th Avenue and Balboa have run continuously for a week, with neighbors reporting indoor noise levels up to 100 decibels and warning about health risks.
  • PG&E is offering hotel stays and $200 per day for food to residents affected by the generators, along with expedited claims, a $200 residential bill credit and up to $2,500 for businesses.
  • Newly appointed Supervisor Alan Wong called for a public hearing after what he counted as the Sunset’s fifth outage this month, as protesters rallied downtown to push for public power and oppose rate hikes.