Crime & Safety

Power Outages Persist in Parts of LCF

While the majority of La Cañada Flintridge enjoyed a return of electricity Monday morning, some folks are still in the dark, or experienced only momentary flickers.

It's on. It's off. It's on. It's off.

Electricity is teasing parts of La Cañada, returning to homes darkened since Wednesday's windstorm, then disappearing again, just in time for Monday's return to work and school.

"Last night, we were awakened when the power finally came on. I stumbled around the house at 2:00 a.m., turning off all of the lights, and went to bed happy it was finally over . . . or so I thought,'' resident Jack Schaedel wrote in a Monday email to Patch.

Find out what's happening in La Cañada Flintridgewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"We woke up this morning around 6 a.m. to find out the power was gone. While I was getting ready for work, the power came on, just before 8 am. Before I could even call my wife or tweet the update, it went out again,'' he added.

As Schaedel first Tweeted here, and then posted this photo, Robin Hill Road and other patches south of Foothill Boulevard were pitch dark Sunday night.

Find out what's happening in La Cañada Flintridgewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Southern California Edison reports that as of 10 p.m. Sunday, 37,526 of its customers were without service - a significant drop from the 135,000 customers in the dark Friday, many of them from the San Gabriel Valley. And while La Cañada lost many old-growth trees, with several residents suffering damages to their cars, fences and other property, the city avoided much of the calamity communities such as Pasadena and endured.

A 'Local Emergency'

Still, La Cañada City Manager Mark Alexander on Thursday, as director of emergency services, declared the existence of a local emergency. He made the delcaration because of the hurricane-force windstorm's demand for city resources, and the perceived threat on the city for additional resources. While this kind of declaration allows him to call for a city curfew, the emergency did not reach that level.

Such declarations also allow the city to tap aid from other agencies and to suspend certain city policies to secure resources more quickly.

"Fortunately, the city was not put into a position of having to obtain mutual aid or suspend the purchasing requirements but, nonetheless, we've had our hands full with road clearing and the clean-up effort,'' Alexander said.

must ratify declarations within seven days, so he will ask members to do so at the regular 7 p.m. meeting. Additional agenda items include the approval and acceptance of work by Allied Building Contractors, Inc. for the crosswalk flashing beacons and bulbouts on Foothill Boulevard between Lasheart Drive and Verdugo Boulevard, and council's possible appeal of the LCF Planning Commission's approval of the new sign for the coming Sprouts, at 920 Foothill Blvd.

See what else is on Monday night's council agenda by viewing the PDF at the right.

Flickers of Power

While LCF resident Charles Hofgaarden commented on Patch Monday morning that Flintridge Avenue still did not have power, Schaedel described his home's power restoration as intermittent.

SoCal Edison crews restored power to Schaedel's neighborhood around 1 a.m. Saturday, after workers chopped the cypress tree that had been hovering over his home. His family had power Sunday morning, but it went out again Sunday afternoon. It popped back on in the early morning hours of Monday, but went out again as he readied for work.

“I have to admit, it is a little frustrating, but I know the crews are working hard,”  Schaedel said.

He estimates a loss of $100 worth of food, and more than $1,000 in lost productivity, as Schaedel has been unable to service his law firm clients from home during the past five days. Schaedel pointed out he strongly supports the city manager’s emergency declaration.

Open for Business

re-opened Sunday, with parts of the Gardens open and others remaining closed. returned to class Monday, with all power restored, according to the District website. Students and staff lost two days last week due to wind damage. also returned to class Monday after a two-day loss, and at , where students returned to class Friday, full power had been restored by Monday, the school posted on its Facebook page.


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