Newsom Hails Success of Phone Alerts Urging Power Conservation, Avoiding Rolling Blackouts

A photo illustration shows a background of electric power infrastructure with an Apple iPhone showing an Emergency Alert notification from CalOES urging the public to conserve energy to protect health and safety as the electricity grid is strained during a heat wave in Los Angeles, Calif., on Sept. 6, 2022. Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif.—Alert messages transmitted to millions of cell phones, urging Californians to slash their power use due to strain on the state’s power system, worked dramatically well on Sept. 6, and staved off rolling blackouts, Gov. Gavin Newsom said the next day—but he expressed concern about over-using the message system.

Newsom, speaking to reporters in Beverly Hills, said 27 million messages were sent statewide calling for immediate power conservation, “and within minutes, we saw a roughly 2,600-megawatt reduction in usage.”