[VT – San Francisco, January 5, 2026 ] The massive power outage that began on December 20 and left nearly one-third of San Francisco without electricity has triggered growing concern among residents and city officials. With some neighborhoods experiencing continued instability for several days and full restoration not completed until December 23, District 4 Supervisor Alan Wong (Chinese name: 王兆倫) has formally requested a public hearing to investigate the cause of the outage, assess the response effort, and ensure accountability.
“This was not a minor inconvenience,” Wong said. “Families lost heat in the middle of winter. Seniors were stranded in their homes. One of my constituents, a 95-year-old man dependent on a ventilator, had to be rushed to the hospital at 2 a.m. People watched their phones die, worried they would lose their only connection to 911.”
The outage had widespread ripple effects across the city: traffic lights went dark at major intersections, garage doors and building systems stopped functioning, and local businesses — especially those along Irving Street — were forced to throw away large quantities of perishable goods during one of the busiest shopping weeks of the year.
The December 20 incident followed earlier outages in the Sunset District on December 7 and December 10, after which Wong’s office sent a formal letter to PG&E criticizing the unacceptable frequency of power failures. PG&E acknowledged the reliability issues and agreed to meet with Wong to discuss Sunset-specific concerns. However, the root cause of the December 20 outage — reportedly tied to a substation fire near Mission and 18th Streets — remains under investigation.
“Residents deserve answers,” Wong stressed. “A system where one failure can knock out power to half the city is not resilient. Flat credits of $200 for residents and $2,500 for businesses fall far short of real recovery. People deserve meaningful remedies, concrete corrective actions, and accountability.”
In addition to requesting the hearing, Wong will submit a Letter of Inquiry to the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, asking city departments to analyze the practical, financial, and operational feasibility of establishing a publicly owned electric grid. The inquiry seeks information on acquisition costs, financing options, operational capacity, and realistic implementation timelines, with the goal of clarifying what options the City can pursue moving forward.
“This is about accountability, preparedness, and reliability,” Wong said. “Residents should not have to wonder whether the lights will stay on.”
Wong thanked Supervisors Mahmood, Chan, Sherrill, Melgar, and Sauter for co-sponsoring the request and urged the Board of Supervisors President to refer the matter to committee promptly so the public can receive answers without delay.
