Karen Snyder says her patience is running thin after repeated power shutoffs at her home - even though wildfire weather hasn't been a factor.
"Since June, they have turned the power off June 18, June 30, July 7, July 10, July 17, and it is scheduled to go off again July 22," Snyder said.
SoCal Edison confirmed the outages are part of its ongoing wildfire mitigation work, not Public Safety Power Shutoffs tied to high fire danger.
"The notification is they are upgrading the equipment. Other times they say it's maintenance. Today, he told me they are coating the wires," Snyder said.
The utility says it has been replacing bare electrical wires with insulated, or "covered," conductors in high fire-risk areas as part of it's Wildfire Mitigation Plan.
"We know there have been several outages as they have been installing covered conductor in more and more sections of it," said Southern California Edison spokesperson Jeff Monford. "We are nearly finished with the work up there."
According to Edison, more than 200 customers in Lake Elsinore were affected by the most recent planned outage. Maps show at least four scheduled maintenance events in the area tied to the wire replacement project.
"That is our main tool for reducing the risk of wildfire when certain conditions are met, and we focus on the high fire risk areas that the state designates," Monford said.
Snyder says she understands the need for fire prevention, but the frequent shutoffs are still a burden.
"We just kind of try and get through with it the best we can," she said. "I mean, you end up throwing food away."
Southern California Edison says once the upgraded wires are fully installed, residents in high-risk zones should see fewer wildfire-related shutoffs in the future.