California Power Outages
- There are 4,459 customers without power in California right now across 21 counties.
- We're currently tracking 13,795,699 California customers across all 58 counties.
Outages by Utility
4 of 9 reporting outages
Outages by County
21 of 58 with active outages
Who Do I Call to Report a Power Outage?
Call your electric utility's dedicated outage hotline. In California, your utility is determined by where you live. Your local utility handles all outage restoration and power delivery.
| Utility | Outage Hotline | Service Area |
|---|---|---|
| PG&E | 1-800-743-5000 | Northern & Central California |
| Southern California Edison | 1-800-611-1911 | Southern California (excluding LA city & San Diego) |
| SDG&E | 1-800-411-7343 | San Diego County & southern Orange County |
| LADWP | 1-800-342-5397 | City of Los Angeles |
| SMUD | 1-888-456-7683 | Sacramento County area |
About This Data
This tracker aggregates real-time data from 9 electric utilities operating in California — including the three major investor-owned utilities (PG&E, Southern California Edison, and SDG&E), publicly owned utilities (LADWP, SMUD), irrigation districts, and rural electric cooperatives. Together these utilities deliver electricity to virtually all of the state's approximately 15,742,165 customers. Data is refreshed every 15 minutes from each utility's public outage reporting system.
County-level outage assignments use geographic coordinates and FIPS codes from Census Bureau county boundary data. Customer counts are sourced from EIA Form 861 filings and utility self-reported figures. For national outage data across all 50 states, see our national power outage tracker.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many people are without power in California right now?
Right now, 4,459 customers are without power across 21 California counties. This page pulls live data every 15 minutes from 9 utilities — including PG&E, Southern California Edison, SDG&E, LADWP, and SMUD — covering 13,795,699 of the state's roughly 14.5 million electricity customers.
Who do I call to report a power outage in California?
Call your electric utility's outage hotline. In Northern and Central California, call PG&E at 1-800-743-5000. In Southern California, call Southern California Edison at 1-800-611-1911. In San Diego County, call SDG&E at 1-800-411-7343. In the City of Los Angeles, call LADWP at 1-800-342-5397. In the Sacramento area, call SMUD at 1-888-456-7683.
How does the California power grid work?
California's electricity grid is managed by the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) and regulated by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). The state's electricity is delivered by three large investor-owned utilities (IOUs) — PG&E, Southern California Edison, and SDG&E — along with publicly owned utilities like LADWP and SMUD, irrigation districts, and rural electric cooperatives. Unlike some states, California has not deregulated its residential electricity market; most residential customers receive bundled service from their local utility, though Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) programs allow some cities and counties to procure power on behalf of their residents.
What causes power outages in California?
The leading causes of power outages in California include wildfires and Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS), where utilities proactively de-energize lines during high fire-risk conditions such as strong winds and low humidity. Extreme heat waves strain the grid as air conditioning demand surges, sometimes triggering rolling blackouts. Earthquakes can damage infrastructure and cause localized outages. High winds, especially Santa Ana and Diablo wind events, bring down trees and power lines. Other causes include equipment failure, vehicle accidents, and aging infrastructure.
How long do California power outages typically last?
Most routine outages last 1 to 4 hours. During Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS), utilities may cut power for 24 to 48 hours or longer to reduce wildfire risk — these events are most common during California's fire season from late summer through fall. Major wildfire-related outages can last several days or even weeks in severely affected areas. Heat-wave-related rolling blackouts are typically short (1–2 hours per rotation). Utilities publish estimated restoration times on their outage maps and notify customers via alerts.