Colleges Balk at Cutting Back on Electricity Use

VALENCIA —  The fourth consecutive day of electricity shortages Thursday created hardships for some major users who said they can no longer comply with voluntary conservation measures.

Officials at two colleges in the Santa Clarita Valley said they are refusing to shut down their lights but fear exorbitant penalties will severely affect their budgets.

The colleges are among about 1,500 major customers of Southern California Edison Co. that have been paying lower electricity rates for years under agreements that they would voluntarily cut power usage during electrical shortages. The voluntary cutbacks were rarely ordered, until recently.

Since Monday, Edison has called for all of its 4.3 million customers in Southern California to reduce their electrical usage, particularly from 4 to 7 p.m., including delaying nightly displays of holiday lighting. Colleges and other major users participating in the voluntary conservation plan were asked to cut power altogether for the past several nights.

The agreements “carry penalties if they don’t participate,” said Edison spokesman Paul Klein, who said penalties vary depending on the agreements.

Edison customers include all residents outside the city of Los Angeles. The company serves San Fernando, Hidden Hills, Calabasas, Santa Clarita, Palmdale and Lancaster, as well as unincorporated areas of Los Angeles such as Stevenson Ranch, Acton, Agua Dulce and Castaic.

Not affected by the statewide shortages are most residents of the San Fernando Valley--those within the boundaries of Los Angeles, which owns the Department of Water and Power, as well as Burbank and Glendale, which operate their own public utilities.

“As media reports detail power shortfalls and rising energy costs to customers, the DWP is in good shape--to the benefit of our customers,” said S. David Freeman, DWP general manager. “Our rates are firm and our electricity surplus plentiful.”

The municipal utilities are separate from the California Independent System Operator, which runs the electricity system for about 75% of the state, including Southern California Edison, one of the nation’s largest electric utilities, which serves a population of more than 11 million in a 50,000-square-mile area.

Edison asked customers Thursday to reduce power under a Stage 2 emergency, which was later raised to the state’s first-ever Stage 3 emergency, carrying the possibility of rolling blackouts.

Officials at Valencia’s College of the Canyons refused to comply with the voluntary blackouts this week. Officials at nearby CalArts said Thursday they would no longer comply with the requests that left thousands of students in the dark earlier in the week.

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Times staff writer Jason Song contributed to this story.