In addition to Canadian supplies, power was found at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, the municipal utility that serves most of the state's biggest city. The department was also tapped to find emergency supplies during a similar crisis last week. He said he had no warning about the blackout but was fortunate enough to have a uninterrupted power supply device that gave him about 20 minutes of extra time on his personal computer enough time to save his work and shut it down. In San Francisco, at least two students were trapped in an elevator that stopped between floors at the Hastings School of Law, and automated teller machines on several blocks of downtown San Francisco shut down immediately. The city of San Francisco plans to sue power generators over the outages, accusing them of artificially manipulating supplies to keep prices high, said Marc Slavin, deputy city attorney.
Wholesalers vehemently deny such allegations.
The commercial paper defaults are only the third such corporate defaults in the last six years. Demand has remained high, supplies are strapped because no new plants have been built in the state in recent years and imports are tight because other states are fighting over the power. In addition, spiraling prices for natural gas are forcing power plants to raise their prices. Most power plants are fired by natural gas.