Senators Steve Glazer (D-Contra Costa) and Mike McGuire (D-Healdsburg) unveiled legislation on Wednesday to help hospitals and all Californians deal with some of the worst effects of power outages. CHA supports the legislation (see video from press event).
Senate bills 801, 802, and 431 would protect people whose lives could be endangered if they can’t use needed electrical resources, ensure that hospitals can continue to serve the needs of patients, and ensure people can use their cell phones during a long, deliberate power outage.
Specifically, the bills would:
- Require utilities to provide back-up battery packs to all customers whose lives would be endangered by an extended, deliberate power outage
- Clarify that hospitals can run back-up diesel generators for the duration of a planned utility power shut-off even if the governor has not declared a disaster or state of emergency
- Require mobile phone companies to provide at least 72 hours of back-up power on their towers