More than 450,000 California residents were left without power during Tuesday's high winds and rain, officials said. PG&E during a briefing on Wednesday.
And in the Bay Area alone, about 108,000 people remained without power as of 4 p.m. Wednesday.
Officials said it was the 38th consecutive day that the company's emergency operations center has been active, pointing to an extraordinary winter season with high levels of rain, snow, flooding, mudslides and other storm-related emergencies across the state.
More than 5,500 crew members are in the field to restore power during extreme weather conditions, said Sumeet Singh, PG&E’s chief operating officer. He added that the company will continue to prioritize safety above all else, which sometimes results in delayed restoration of service in some areas.
“At PG&E, we know how important electricity is to your families, schools, communities and businesses,” Singh said. “And we won’t stop working until we get power back to every single one of our customers.”
Singh said the company is working to recover from this week's most recent storm, the 13th in the past 75 days, which broke the record for the storm with the most power outages for customers in the Bay Area since 1995.
Nearly 367,000 customers across California were without power Tuesday at the height of the storm, Singh said.
Of the total 450,000 customers statewide affected by Tuesday's outages, 290,000 had restored power as of Wednesday afternoon, he said.
“When there is extensive damage, it can take some time to safely access a situation and assessment. We know this can be frustrating,” Singh stressed. “Our commitment is to provide restoration estimates no later than 24 hours after the outage begins, even if we have not been able to access the outage to assess it.”
Angie Gibson, vice president of emergency preparedness and response at PG&E's Emergency Operations Center in Vacaville, noted that the Bay Area counties with the most damage are Santa Clara, San Mateo and Contra Costa counties. Most of the damage comes from uprooting trees due to soil saturation and extreme winds.
He also explained that the upcoming weather will make it easier for crews to assess and restore the affected areas.
"Fortunately, the extreme storm that caused the most damage yesterday has moved out of the territory," Gibson said. "We have good, dry weather, which will continue at least tomorrow with light winds."
Residents who notice a downed power line are encouraged to first call 9-1-1 and then PG&E at 1-800-743-5000. People concerned about their vulnerable neighbors can also receive information about community services in the area by calling 2-1-1.
High winds in the Bay Area Tuesday afternoon are toppling trees and downing power lines across the area, including Highway 92, which is closed near Half Moon Bay.
More than 155,000 PG&E customers in the Bay Area were without power early Tuesday afternoon, most of them in the South Bay and East Bay.
At least 5,000 customers are without power in Walnut Creek, as high winds downed trees and power lines in central Contra Costa County. Most of the damage is around Walnut Creek and Pleasant Hill.
Walnut Creek Police say to avoid the area of Scots Lane between Elise Court and Green View Road due to trees blocking the road.
Police also say to avoid the area of Homestead Avenue, which is blocked from Marshall Drive to Holly Street due to downed trees and power lines.
They also warn people to avoid the area of Houston Road and Camino Verde Street, as there is a 75- to 100-foot-tall tree in the road.
Eastbound Ygnacio Valley Road at Wiget Drive is closed due to downed trees and power lines.
There are also downed trees in the area of Boyd Road and Pleasant Hill Road between Cleaveland Road and W. Hookston in Pleasant Hill, as well as in the Paso Nogal Park area near Wildflower and Longfellow roads.
In Berkeley, police say motorists should avoid the 2900 block of Dwight Way east of Hillside Avenue — near the Clark Kerr campus — because of a fallen tree that knocked down power lines.
San Mateo Police report downed trees and power lines created street closures on 9th Avenue from Palm Avenue to S. El Camino and 12th Avenue from South B Street to S. Railroad Avenue.
Power lines are also down in Scotts Valley, in the area of 380 Bethany Drive.
The CEO of Goal, Mark Zuckerberg, announced to his employees this morning the dismissal of approximately 10 thousand people and closing around 5 thousand additional vacancies that have not yet been filled.
“This will be tough, and there’s no way around it. It will mean saying goodbye to talented and passionate colleagues who have been a part of our success. They have been dedicated to our mission, and I am personally grateful for all of their efforts. We will support people the same way we have before, and treat everyone with the gratitude they deserve,” Zuckerberg said.
The businessman explained that the American technology and social media conglomerate based in Menlo Park, California, said that in the next two months, the heads of the organizations will announce restructuring plans focused on reducing the size of their organizations, canceling lower-priority projects and slowing the pace of hiring.
"With fewer hires, I have made the difficult decision to further reduce the size of our hiring team. We will communicate with members of the hiring team tomorrow if they are affected," he said.
He also said that restructuring and layoffs will be announced in the technology groups at the end of April and then in the business groups at the end of May, while in a small number of cases it is possible that the changes will last until the end of the year.
Following the restructuring, he explained that the freeze on hiring and transfers in each group is expected to be lifted, while at the end of this summer the analysis of the learning year on hybrid work will be ready, which will allow the distributed work model to be perfected.
In this regard, he explained that they also plan to introduce a constant flow of improvements in developer productivity and processes throughout the year.
“When I talked about efficiency this year, I said that part of our work will be to eliminate jobs, which will serve both to build a more agile and technical company, as well as to improve our business performance and realize our long-term vision,” he added.
Zuckerberg stressed that the goals of this work are: to become a better technology company and improve financial performance in a difficult environment in order to execute the long-term vision.
“I’ve tried to be open about all the work that’s underway, and while I know many of you are energized by this, I also recognize that the thought of upcoming changes creates uncertainty and stress. My hope is to make these organic changes as early in the year as possible so that we can get through this period of uncertainty and focus on the critical work ahead,” he said.
As part of the Year of Effectiveness, he said efforts are being focused on returning to a more optimal ratio between engineers and other functions, as well as investing in artificial intelligence tools.
The businessman recalled that the global economy changed, competitive pressures increased and Meta's growth slowed considerably, which led them to reduce budgets, real estate presence and lay off 13 percent of their staff.
In this regard, he explained that we must be prepared for the possibility that this new economic reality will continue for many years.
“Higher interest rates cause the economy to perform worse, greater geopolitical instability creates more volatility, and increased regulation leads to slower growth and higher innovation costs. Against this backdrop, we will need to operate more efficiently than we did with our previous workforce reduction to ensure success.”
Severe storms will continue to hit California this spring, so experts recommend taking steps to prepare for heavy rains.
The storms have had serious consequences, such as the breach of the Pajaro River dam, which affected more than 16,000 people due to evacuation orders, causing the state governor, Gavin Newsom, to declare a state of emergency.
So far there are 33 shelters in 14 counties in the state, around 15,800 people in evacuation and at least 6,800 without electricity, said Diana Crofts-Pelayo, spokeswoman for the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services —Cal OES—, in a press conference organized by Ethnic Media Services in which experts met to talk about the storms that have hit the state.
The situation is not simple, because according to Vance Taylor, head of the Office of Access and Functional Needs of Cal OES, the rains will impact the entire state, which will cause the number of people in shelters to increase.
Crofts-Pelayo noted that although the consequences have been severe, Governor Newsom has made efforts to have a coordinated response in such a way as to protect all affected communities.
In that regard, Corrin Buchanan, deputy secretary for strategic planning and policy at the California Health and Human Services Agency, reported that Cal OES and 20 other agencies are working as a priority with the homeless, people with medical conditions and disabilities, and residents of medical and non-medical facilities.
They urge to follow recommendations before strong storms in California
Crofts Pelayo said it is important for people to follow storm response recommendations from authorities and advised Californians to sign up for the state's alert system at CalAlerts.gov.
"If you are asked to vacate, do so immediately," he said.
She also recommended that people prepare themselves with an emergency kit that includes not only food and water but also important documents of family members.
Taylor stressed that it is important for people to charge their electronic devices such as cell phones and backup batteries in advance, as it is very possible that they will lose power due to storms, so she recommended connecting with relatives for support or shelter in case they need it.
Experts also noted the importance of the community staying together and helping each other, and encouraged people to learn about resources on the ListosCalifornia.org website.
"Sign up for free emergency alerts and know the different evacuation routes in your community, practice your plans and the steps necessary to stay safe," Taylor recommended, as the chances of communities being impacted and affected by heavy rains are very high.
Finally, experts cautioned that while the state is making extensive efforts, it is important for people to stay informed and do what they can to help others. Because storms are widespread events and many people are affected, the state may also reach a limit on what it can do to help.
It is important that those who are emotionally affected by the storms call 1-833-317-4673 and in the case of older adults 1-888-670-1360. Also, those who want assistance or resources can send an e-mail to us@mediaatcalis.ca.gov.
In the wake of Silicon Valley Bank's tumultuous closure and a weekend of uncertainty that has dominated national headlines, the local impact of the financial institution's collapse in the tech-driven region was clear to the dozens of people who lined up outside the bank's Santa Clara branch Monday.
They all expected to access their accounts and keep the lights on in their businesses.
“The last few days have been a little stressful,” Karthik Ramalingam told San José Spotlight. Ramalingam and his wife, who did not want to be identified, are the co-founders of CodeLinkd, a company that teaches kids how to code.
Ramalingam was one of about 50 people milling around outside the bank at one point, some with camping chairs. Many chatted quietly about their worries about the bank's collapse, while others nervously checked their phones and made calls.
Security guards escorted government officials and customers in and out of the building one at a time.
Federal officials shut down the bank on Friday after uncertainty about its solvency led to a run on the bank — a rush of customers to withdraw funds faster than the bank could keep up.
On Sunday night, the Federal Reserve Board said it would protect all depositors at Silicon Valley Bank and New York-based Signature Bank, which closed on Sunday, allowing customers to access all their funds beyond the $250,000 insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC).
Ramalingam and his wife plan to withdraw their funds and redeploy them to other banks, hoping to avoid a similar fate in the future by not having all of their business funds tied up in a single financial institution.
“We are just waiting to get through the line and get our money,” Ramalingam’s wife said. “We have been shopping with other banks today to open accounts. I think it is a good lesson for us to know how to diversify.”
Another man who runs a venture capital firm in Los Altos said several of his portfolio businesses are deposited at Silicon Valley Bank, as are his personal funds. He hoped to avoid having to deal with the bank's swamped website and pick up cashier's checks for his company and several of his portfolio businesses on Monday.
He said the past three days have been stressful and asked not to be identified to protect the companies' privacy.
“I was trying to figure out within my portfolio who had exposure to SVB, what the level of that exposure was, and then we immediately started focusing on what these companies needed to make their March payroll,” he told San José Spotlight.
He said the government's actions to ensure businesses can get their cash out are giving everyone a break, but uncertainty remains.
“My businesses are not completely out of the woods yet, because while the funds are there and backed by the government, access to those funds is still delayed,” he stressed. “So once we have access and can process payroll and transfer those funds to another account, I think everyone will feel relieved.”
A man named Phillip, who did not give his last name, rushed to the bank on Monday afternoon shortly before 2:30 p.m. He was told the branch would close at 3 p.m., but officials had closed early because of the number of customers they had.
“I called the FDIC this morning, they were constantly busy, of course I expected that,” Phillip told San José Spotlight. “The bank’s website was working, but I wanted to get all my money out today.”
Phillip runs a medical device startup in San Jose and said he will likely be back at the bank branch early Tuesday morning to make sure he can get his money and make payroll for his small business.
"I have to do this as soon as possible, otherwise we will stop operating."
Following the closure of Silicon Valley Bank, hundreds of business and venture capital leaders from across Silicon Valley spoke with Rep. Ro Khanna on Friday to express their concerns about both the short-term solutions that have begun to be worked out and the long-term implications of the bank's collapse.
Brook Byers, a senior partner at legendary Silicon Valley venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, was one of many who said Silicon Valley Bank was more than just a checking account for many tech companies, offering them tools and connections in the industry.
“It helps and has benefited thousands of companies and hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of employees who are our nation’s technology and biotechnology innovators. This is our competitive resource,” Byers stressed. “This is the nation’s technological backbone and our competitiveness with China and Russia and around the world.”
Khanna agreed, saying the bank has helped shape the business plans and companies of many Valley entrepreneurs. Looking ahead, Khanna said the FDIC and government should “over-communicate” about every step of the process of taking over the bank and helping customers.
“There are so many questions that people have,” Khanna said.
The original story can be read by giving click here.
Strong winds in the Bay Area have delayed arrivals at San Francisco International Airport on Tuesday as the Federal Aviation Administration began a grounding program that will delay domestic arrivals by an average of 80 minutes.
A grounding program is designed to manage arriving flights by alerting pilots to problems at a destination, allowing them to delay flights, according to a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration.
The ground stop program will be effective from 8:45 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. this Tuesday.
Maximum delays are expected to be 157 minutes, according to the FAA's National Airspace System Status Tracker.
Departures are not affected by the ground stop schedule.
The Mexican foreign minister, Marcelo Ebrard, instructed the Mexican ambassador and consuls in the United States on Monday afternoon to undertake a broad information campaign and to defend Mexico in the face of unacceptable attacks by legislators and former officials of the Republican Party.
"We will not allow Mexico to be trampled," said Foreign Minister Ebrard to the 52 consuls gathered at the Mexican Cultural Institute.
During the meeting, Secretary Ebrard and the consuls reviewed the recent attacks by some legislators and former officials of the Republican Party, who have sought to blame Mexico for the crisis in fentanyl consumption in the United States, and who in some cases have gone so far as to propose an intervention in our country.
In a meeting held yesterday afternoon in Washington DC with the ambassador Esteban Moctezuma and the 52 consuls of Mexico in the United States, the Mexican foreign minister stated that in the fight against fentanyl, Mexico has been the main ally of the United States.
Proof of this, he pointed out, is that, so far in this six-year term, Mexico has seized a record figure of more than six tons of fentanyl, which has prevented billions of deadly doses.
The fight against fentanyl trafficking, he added, has cost hundreds of Mexican federal forces casualties.
"With this cost in human lives, how dare these gentlemen question our commitment or, worse still, call for intervention in our country?" he objected.
Thus, Ebrard asked the ambassador and consuls to hold informative meetings with the Mexican community and political actors, and to submit a weekly report on them.
Finally, at the suggestion of the consuls themselves, information materials will be distributed at the consulates' offices and in local media.
Ebrard emphasized that, beyond extreme positions, the governments of Mexico and the United States are working within the framework of the Bicentennial Understanding to prevent deaths from fentanyl use and to prevent criminal groups from accessing high-powered weapons.
He added that in April there will be a meeting in Washington between the security cabinets of both countries to identify additional steps for cooperation to combat fentanyl and arms trafficking.
He also said that Mexican security authorities have no record of fentanyl production in Mexico, but rather they consider the country to be a trafficking zone for this opioid and its precursors, which come mainly from Asia.
In this regard, Ebrard explained that the current Mexican Administration has followed a strategy based on tightening the legal and regulatory framework, expanding the mechanisms for supervision and monitoring of controlled substances or dual use, strengthening the deployment and surveillance in land and sea ports and customs and in the national territory, and expanding public health services and care for mental disorders.
Finally, he stressed that as a control measure it was decided that the ports would be managed by the Navy and the customs by the Army.
I can say that I have worked in different jobs throughout my life. I had different jobs, I did different things, I was the one in charge and I was also at the lowest rung of the work hierarchy, all jobs left me with something special and wrote an important chapter in the book of my life. My first job, although it did not help me much in improving my work experience, did leave me with unforgettable moments.
My first job was cleaning the windows of my dad's tailor shop.
Sastrería Loli was the business that provided all the economic security that the family had. It was half a block from the Plaza Mayor of Lima, one block from the Government Palace and the Cathedral of Lima, and just a step away from the Lima City Hall. Because of its location, my father was able to serve presidents, politicians and "important" people on the local scene.
The business was very successful while the fashion of wearing suits on a daily basis lasted and especially when they were used for almost any occasion. Although my father did not participate directly in the making of the suits, he did other types of activities such as taking measurements, distributing the work, buying the cuts of fabric and other supplies that were needed for the making.
As for my job, after a quick training from my father, I started with the Saturday job which consisted of cleaning, one by one, the shop windows where combinations of shirts and ties, cufflinks for shirt sleeves, accessories and toiletries were displayed. In addition to the counters, the shop had two other large display cases where my brother showed us his good taste in decoration with his perfectly coordinated sets of sweaters, shirts and pants.
The windows I liked to clean the most were those of the large window that looked out onto the portals of the Plaza de Armas. I had to climb up there and clean them with the special liquid - I still remember its smell - and a beige cloth that, when I got to that point after almost finishing all my work, was usually completely wet. At the foot of that window was where, at the end of my day, I would take out of one of the pockets of my pants, two carts to begin my break playing solo.
A few meters from the window, there were almost always two or three street vendors selling alfajores, pencils, sixth-rate stamp paper for paperwork at the municipality, and sweets accompanied by the classic shoe-shine vendors.
During one of my games I noticed the insistent gaze of the lady selling alfajores, who smilingly watched me sitting on her little stool where she used to offer her sweets with a tray on her knees. I have a son about your age, she said. How old are you, boy? What is your name, son? she continued asking without stopping smiling. I'm going to bring him next Saturday so you can play.
Don't think that I forgot Carmen's promise - that's what I think her name was - and I waited for that Saturday with great anxiety. That day I cleaned the windows much faster than usual so that I could go out and clean the large window as soon as possible.
He greeted me politely, saying: My name is Victor, and you? He held out his hand to me. It was the first time someone had introduced themselves to me with such formality. My name is Pablo, I am six, I said, and he smiled.
Victor was a boy with a lively look, his gestures betrayed a propensity for intense activity, with straight black hair cut almost close to the scalp, with brownish skin ‒he once told me: we are almost the same color‒ he wore a plaid shirt and well-ironed jeans.
We played a lot with my cars. I remember that I had hidden six cars, and we played for a long time until I heard the sound of the metal curtains closing, announcing that it was time to go home for lunch. See you next Saturday, said Victor.
Many Saturdays passed like this, with Victor's presence becoming more and more familiar in my working world. We would go shopping together. Stay close to him, he's "more lively," my sister would whisper to me. We would wander around Jirón de la Unión, go up and down the escalators at Sears, which was one of the few department stores, and climb into the elevators at the Oechsle store, where the elevator operator always looked at us with distrust.
We would dip popsicle sticks in the pool in the square, we would drink sugar cane juice at his friend “the landlord Luis”’s place, and once he tried to treat me to a “cevichito” that he used to “mooch” from his mother’s street vendor friends. We would also play inside the tailor shop, we would go up and down from the attic to the basement, racing before the astonished gaze of my father’s employees who would murmur and question how the street vendor’s son could play with the owner’s son.
Victor was invited to my house for lunch and also to my seventh birthday party. I remember that he arrived well-groomed, dressed in new clothes that I had never seen on him before and with a gift in his hand that he gave me as soon as he walked in. I hope you like it, he said timidly.
After my birthday we saw each other again on a few more Saturdays and it was on one of them that Victor asked me if I wanted to go to a secret place that he was forbidden to go to, it's the pet market, but you have to cross Avenida Abancay, he told me; I've crossed it several times, but I don't know why my mom says it's dangerous. Let's go, I said. Let's go then, Victor replied happily.
Crossing Abancay Avenue was worse than I had imagined, but Victor skillfully positioned himself next to a couple who were crossing with their shopping bags, dodging all kinds of minibuses, cars, motorcycles and tricycles full of fruits and vegetables.
When we arrived at the famous pet market, a whole block full of exotic, wild and domestic animals awaited us in captivity in their cages. There was a bird section where the colorful macaws and albino cockatoos stood out. Within the exotic area there were monkeys the size of a hand, as well as a small feline - according to Victor it was a jaguar.
The domestic animals were predominantly small dogs whose ears had been glued down to make them look like German shepherds; they make good guard dogs, they announced.
We walked up and down the animal market several times and I remember feeling like I wish I had a big house and had all those animals to myself. Can you imagine if we let them all out? They look sad, I don't like injustice, he told me when we were already walking back.
The following Saturday I waited until the last minute to say goodbye. I was going with the whole family to spend the end of the school vacation season at my uncle Lucho’s ranch. I’m sure we’ll see each other again, he told me. Of course, I managed to say. I gave him, in a shoe box – hidden from my mother – three of the cars he liked to play with the most: the Batman one that shot plastic bullets, a grey James Bond one and the black Green Hornet car. Here, it’s for you, I said and gave him a hug.
I never saw Victor again, although sometimes he appears in my dreams, crossing Abancay Avenue with me and freeing, this time, all the animals from the pet market.
This story is dedicated to Victor Santisteban ‒55‒, cowardly murdered during one of the protest marches on Abancay Avenue against the government of Dina Boluarte. Victor was shot down by a tear gas bomb fired directly at him at very close range by a member of the Peruvian National Police.
Approximately 16,000 residents are affected by warnings and evacuation orders due to the levee breach on the Pajaro River, Monterey County officials announced Monday.
According to the most recent update issued by county officials, which was sent out at 11:30 a.m., the river levee breach is 400 feet wide.
Evacuation orders are currently in effect for residents in the Aroyo Seco, Pajaro, San Ardo and Salinas River areas from Greenfield to Gonzales, Gonzales to Spreckels and northwest of Spreckels.
Evacuation warnings are in effect for low-lying areas of Castroville and those near the Elkhorn Marine Preserve and Moro Cojo Slough.
Nearly 5,000 residents have also been ordered to shelter in place in areas west of River Road from Interstate 68 south to Fort Romie Road, and Las Palmas 1 and 2 and Indian Springs.
Additionally, residents who receive water from the Pajaro, Sunny Mesa and San Ardo water districts have been encouraged not to use tap water for drinking and cooking, as it may be contaminated.
President Joseph Biden said this morning that, thanks to his administration's swift action in recent days, "Americans can trust that the banking system is safe" and that "their deposits will be there when they need them" following the bankruptcy of SVB.
Following the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank's shares last Friday, which generated uncertainty in the country's financial system, Signature Bank also reported its collapse.
"Small businesses across the country that had deposit accounts at these banks can breathe easy knowing that they will be able to pay their workers and pay their bills. And their workers can breathe easy, too," Biden said at a press conference.
The president explained that last week, upon learning of the problems facing the banks and the impact they could have on employment, on some small businesses and on the banking system in general, he gave instructions to act quickly and protect those interests.
He also explained that the government regulator in charge, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), took control of the assets of Silicon Valley Bank last Friday and those of Signature Bank over the weekend.
According to the report, the Secretary of the Treasury, Janet Yellen, and a team of banking regulators have taken immediate measures, including the protection of customer deposits and access to them starting today, which includes small businesses.
“Taxpayers will not suffer any losses, and this is an important point. Let me repeat: Taxpayers will not suffer any losses. Instead, the money will come from fees that banks pay to the Deposit Insurance Fund,” President Biden said.
"Thanks to the steps our regulators have already taken, all Americans can rest assured that their deposits will be there when they need them," he added.
He said the management of both banks will be fired and that if the FDIC takes over the bank, the people who run it would no longer have to work there, while investors would not be protected because, he said, they took a risk knowing it was not worth it. “Investors lost their money. That’s how capitalism works.”
Finally, he said that both banks must provide a full explanation of what happened.
Biden recalled that during the Obama-Biden administration, strict requirements were imposed on banks such as Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank, including the Dodd-Frank Act, to ensure that the crisis experienced in 2008 would not be repeated.
“Unfortunately, the last administration – the Trump administration – has removed some of these requirements. I will ask Congress and banking regulators to strengthen the rules for banks to make it less likely that this type of bank failure will happen again and to protect American jobs and small businesses.”
