Thousands of Long Beach residents woke up Monday morning without power after a major outage affected customers across the city.
Southern California Edison reported that the first outages began around 6:40 p.m. Sunday in the Carroll Park neighborhood. The disruption quickly affected tens of thousands of customers, creating widespread impacts for homes and businesses as crews worked to restore electrical service.
According to a Southern California Edison spokesperson, 22,066 customers were affected initially. By Monday morning, that number had fallen, but 13,395 customers remained without power.
The outage left residents dealing with an unexpected loss of electricity during the morning hours, while utility crews were dispatched to troubleshoot the problem and begin restoration efforts.
What Happened
The first reports of the outage came Sunday evening, with Southern California Edison identifying Carroll Park as the area where the initial reports were received.
The utility's outage information showed that the disruption affected a large number of customers almost immediately. While thousands of customers had their service restored overnight, more than 13,000 remained without electricity Monday morning.
SCE spokesperson Diane Castro confirmed the outage figures to KTLA and said additional resources had been brought in to help with the response.
“Additional crews and resources were mobilized to assist with troubleshooting and restoration efforts,” Castro said.
The company estimated that power could be restored by approximately noon Monday, although officials cautioned that the estimated time could change depending on what crews found while investigating the outage.
For residents without electricity, the disruption can affect more than household lighting. Refrigerators, air conditioning systems, internet connections, medical equipment and other electrically powered devices can all be impacted during an extended outage.
Businesses in affected areas can also face interruptions, particularly those that rely on refrigeration, electronic payment systems or other equipment that requires continuous electricity.
What Authorities and Edison Are Saying
Southern California Edison said crews were working to restore service as quickly and safely as possible.
“Our crews are focused on restoring power as quickly and safely as possible and then we will look into the cause,” Castro said.
The utility's response included bringing in additional personnel and resources to troubleshoot the outage and accelerate restoration.
SCE has not immediately identified the specific cause of the power failure. That means residents may have to wait until crews complete their work and the company conducts a more detailed investigation before a definitive explanation is available.
Castro also indicated that the noon restoration estimate was not guaranteed and could change as the situation developed.
The utility's outage information is intended to provide residents with updated estimates as crews assess affected areas and restore individual sections of the electrical system.
What the Numbers Show
The scale of the outage changed significantly between Sunday evening and Monday morning.
- 22,066 customers were initially affected.
- 13,395 customers remained without power Monday morning.
- The first reports came in at approximately 6:40 p.m. Sunday.
- Carroll Park was identified as the neighborhood where the first reports were received.
- The initial estimated restoration time was approximately noon Monday.
The decline from more than 22,000 affected customers to roughly 13,400 suggests that some service had already been restored overnight, although a substantial number of customers were still waiting for electricity Monday morning.
Why It Matters
Large power outages can quickly become a significant disruption for a community, particularly when thousands of customers are affected at the same time.
Residents may lose access to air conditioning, refrigeration and other essential household services. Businesses can also experience financial losses if they are forced to temporarily close or operate without equipment and electronic systems.
The outage also highlights the importance of accurate restoration estimates. While SCE projected that service could return around noon, the company acknowledged that the timeline could change as crews investigated the problem.
For customers who remained without power, the uncertainty meant they had to plan around the possibility of a longer disruption.
A Cautious View
While the number of affected customers is significant, the outage figures changed as restoration work progressed, so the situation should not necessarily be viewed as a static citywide blackout. Thousands of customers had already regained service by Monday morning, and the utility was actively deploying additional crews. Until SCE completes its investigation, it is also unclear whether the outage was caused by equipment failure, infrastructure damage, weather or another issue. Residents should therefore rely on updated utility information rather than speculation about the cause or expected duration.
What Happens Next
Southern California Edison crews are continuing troubleshooting and restoration efforts in affected areas.
The company initially estimated that power would be restored by noon Monday, but officials warned that the timeline could change depending on the circumstances discovered by field crews.
Once power is restored, SCE is expected to investigate the underlying cause of the outage. Determining what caused the disruption could help explain why such a large number of customers lost service and whether additional repairs or maintenance will be necessary.
Residents can monitor the utility's outage information for updates regarding restoration times and the status of individual affected areas.
SCE provides an Outage Status webpage where customers can check current information about outages and restoration efforts. For Long Beach, the outage information number provided by the utility is 800-563-601.
What We Still Don't Know
- What caused the outage affecting thousands of Long Beach customers.
- Whether all remaining customers will have power restored by noon Monday.
- Whether the restoration estimate will change as crews continue troubleshooting.
- Whether additional equipment repairs or maintenance will be required after the immediate outage is resolved.
- How many customers ultimately experienced an extended interruption before service was fully restored.
For now, residents affected by the outage are being asked to monitor Southern California Edison for updates while crews continue working to restore electricity.