Frustrated SF Sunset District residents, merchants demand more PG&E credits for power outages
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Residents and merchants gathered in San Francisco's Sunset District Monday to protest after another round of unplanned outages by PG&E over the weekend.
This comes after some businesses and residents were left without power for over two days due to a fire at a PG&E substation on December 20.
Their demands center around the bill credits PG&E is promising and the claim forms to get them.
MORE: Frustrations running high in San Francisco's Sunset District over multiple power outages
Businesses and homeowners say the last several days have been extremely difficult on them. And now filling out the PG&E claim forms to get bill credit is also challenging, especially for those trying to fill out the Chinese language form.
They tell ABC7 News that for the Chinese version, they have to print out a form, then they can follow the rest of the claims process, which includes listing each item in their refrigerator, taking pictures and offering more details.
They are demanding that the claims process be streamlined and that PG&E increases the credits offered.
MORE: PG&E's $200 credit 'doesn't cut it' as some SF residents continue to recover after power outage
"PG&E needs to step up and do better," said David Lee, executive director of the Chinese American Voters Education Committee. "They can increase their credit as a beginning: $500 for individual households, raise it from $2,500 to $5,000 for small businesses. Make the claims process more streamlined, easier and transparent."
The people protesting say that because of the time of year, their refrigerators were even more full than usual with food bought specifically for the holidays.
Businesses also lost plenty of inventory.
VIDEO: New SF supervisor calls for PG&E accountability for SF power outages
The first day the power went out, many restaurants had full dining rooms and lines of people waiting to come in.
Many customers already eating weren't able to pay their bills.
At Irving Seafood Market, the power outage wasn't just inconvenient, it was catastrophic. The market is always stocked with live seafood, but especially for the holidays from Dungeness crab to lobster to shrimp.
"We waited almost 40 hours. All the seafood died in almost one day," owner Tina Cheng said.
Even after power was restored, Cheng said it took another full day to deep clean the space and remove spoiled inventory before reopening. She had to pay out of pocket to get a waste truck to come and that a $2,500 credit from PG&E does not come close to covering the losses.
Just a block away, restaurant owner Rio Cheung said her business, Mini Potstickers, was also hit hard.
Speaking in Cantonese, Cheung described the emotional toll of throwing away large amounts of food and struggling to navigate the claims process.
A friend translating for Cheung said the forms are complicated and the losses deeply painful. Cheung later became overwhelmed and broke down again while describing the impact.
Many of the affected businesses are run by immigrant families operating on narrow margins. Owners say the holiday season is critical for revenue. Now, they're heading into the new year with spoiled inventory and lost income.
"Saturday is our busiest day. It's the weekend before Christmas, everybody comes in," said Brandon Xu, owner of LOAFHK Bakery and Restaurant. "Just like that, nothing."
Business owners are now calling on PG&E to increase compensation and simplify the claims process for reimbursement. They are asking for at least $500 credits for residents and $5,000 for businesses.
David Lee said PG&E should streamline its forms and clearly communicate when businesses can expect payment.
Several business owners also say PG&E should send representatives into the neighborhood in person, including staff who speak Mandarin and Cantonese, to assist with claims.
ABC7 News reached out to PG&E about the demands from residents and are waiting to hear back.
