Council Asks for More Details on Power Outage in Western Malibu

A tree downed by gusty winds, not faulty poles, caused a power outage that impacted all of western Malibu over the weekend, according to a Southern California Edison representative.

"There were no poles that were a problem on this," said Mark Olsen, Southern California Edison's Regional Public Affairs Director, at Tuesday's Malibu City Council meeting at Malibu City Hall. "The tree was cut down. It had become weakened."

He said crews worked through the night and into the next day on Bonsall Drive near Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, and power was restored to more than 3,500 customers by the late afternoon Sunday. 

Hans Laetz, who lives in western Malibu, asked for further answers on the outage.

"Why did one single tree knock out the city’s power for 12 hours. Why did that happen? This isn’t Baghdad," Laetz said.

Malibu Councilwoman Laura Zahn Rosenthal asked that Edison return in a month to provide an update on why the outage was so widespread.

"I think though living here and looking at what the east coast had to deal with. I think we put that in perspective," Rosenthal said.

Mayor Pro Tem Joan House said she lost power at her house.

"I would like to learn more information," House said.

Councilman Skylar Peak praised the work of Edison to restore power.

"I was nothing more than utterly impressed with the crews that were out there," Peak said.