File photo. 

State and local elected officials will be hosting a town hall meeting at Cesar Chavez Park on Saturday, August 22 from 10:30AM to 12:30PM, in the wake of recent power outages, to provide testimony and respond to community concerns, Assemblymember Patrick O’Donnell’s office announced Thursday.

According to the release, Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia will be in attendance, as well as State Senator Ricardo Lara, assemblymembers Patrick O’Donnell and Anthony Rendon, Southern California Edison and Public Utilities Commission officials to provide testimony and respond to community concerns.  

“This town hall is an opportunity for residents to learn more about the power outage, including filing claims for damages, and to ask questions of SCE, the PUC, and our elected officials,” said Mayor Garcia. “I want to encourage anyone with questions or concerns to attend this important community event.”

The meeting’s aim is to educate residents about resources available to help recover from financial losses, according to O’Donnell’s team. 

“The failure of our power grid left tens of thousands in the dark for hours, and in many cases, days at a time—including my own District Office,” said O’Donnell. “We have an obligation not just to our community, but to the entire state to understand what went wrong and whether Long Beach represents a microcosm of a larger issue facing our electrical infrastructure. By bringing together SCE, residents, business owners, regulators, and our elected leaders we can begin exploring the best approach to protecting our future safety and economic well-being.”

To RSVP to the event, click here.