Bird Caused Downtown Power Outage

A bird caused a daylong power outage in downtown Millbrae on Saturday, a Pacific Gas & Electric Company representative told City Council members Tuesday.

PG&E representative Kathy Lavezzo said the bird knocked a wire down at Taylor Boulevard and El Camino Real, causing the power outage that lasted from about 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Councilwoman Gina Papan said downtown businesses lost a lot of money. “Restaurants couldn’t cook,” Papan said. “I understand Pape’s Meat was having a big sale,” she said jokingly.

Lavezzo said 634 customers were initially without power but lights were turned back on for all but 190 customers at 11:14 a.m. Power was restored to all of downtown by 6:24 p.m., she said.

“Extreme apologies to all of our customers that were inconvenienced by our outage,” she said, adding that she would help distribute claim forms to affected business owners.

Lavezzo was at the council meeting to present the city with a $17,000 rebate check for installing LED streetlights.

The city installed 278 energy-efficient streetlights, mostly using federal stimulus funds, she said.

The lights will provide $8,500 in annual energy savings and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 36,800 pounds a year, or the equivalent of taking four homes off the grid, Lavezzo said.

The council was scheduled to , but City Manager Marcia Raines postponed both items until July 27.

The tentative agreements called for the Millbrae Police Officers Association and Sanitation Workers Association to accept 5 percent wage and benefit concessions.

The agreements, which would cover July 1 through June 30, 2012, would save the city nearly $200,000 combined, according to city reports.

The council also postponed closed session talks with developer Millbrae Paradise LLC and the city’s Redevelopment Agency regarding the agency's interest in 13 affordable units in the housing project located at 151 El Camino Real.

Vice Mayor Marge Colapietro complained that she didn’t have time to read information sent out to council members right before the meeting.

“We should never go into a meeting until we look at everything that is presented to us,” Colapietro said.

She had a testy exchange with Councilwoman Nadia Holober, who requested the information, which she said were public documents that the council had reviewed previously.

Mayor Daniel Quigg said he didn’t want to meet on the item without reviewing the information, and after more back and forth, the council passed a motion to postpone the discussion until July 27. 

In other matters, the council called for a City Council election and requested election services on Nov. 8. The seats of Mayor Daniel Quigg, Vice Mayor Marge Colapietro and Councilman Paul Seto are up for election.

Interested candidates have between July 18 and Aug. 12 to file nomination papers, unless the incumbents don’t file reelection papers by Aug. 7, according to a staff report. In that case, the nomination period would be extended until Aug. 15.