Power outages occur on a regular basis in the Oaks. Usually during the first good rain of the season we spend a couple of hours in the dark. But now, those outages have become a lot more frequent, and one can't help but wondering if we are going through a fundamental failure of an aging and overloaded part of the DWP's power grid.

Through L.A. Council Member Tom LaBonges office the Oaks board has obtained information logged by the DWP over the last 13 months. Here is a summary:

In a power outage the DWP field crews try to isolate the problem to a sub-section of circuit. Then they try to supply the un-affected portions of the power network through other lines and circuits. This, in turn, obviously increases the load elsewhere and increases the risk of yet another failure.

All of this suggests that the DWP's maintenance needs to be stepped up, so that crumbling lines and transformers can be replaced before they reach the end of their useful lives. It also suggests that the peak demand for power seriously overloads the capacity that is in place in our neighborhood right now, and it calls for the necessary upgrades.

If you agree with these conclusions, the Oaks board would like to encourage you to make your voice heard. You can call Council Member Tom LaBonge or his Chief Field Deputy, Rory Fitzpatrick, at (213) 485-3337 or call the Field Deputy for the Oaks, Patricia Malone, at (818) 755-7630. Or email all three of them, plus the DWP's General Manager, Ron Deaton, by clicking here. Tell them you are concerned and that you want reliable and adequate electricity.

See our follow-up story about power outages here.