On October 9th and 28th, Pinole Valley High School and a few other schools in the West Contra Costa Unified School District were suddenly temporarily closed and unsafe. This is due to the reason that the power company that provides both electricity and natural gas to Bay Area, known as PG&E, which is also an acronym for Pacific Gas and Electric Company, decided to shut down all electricity in select neighborhoods, causing a blackout. 

The electricity shutdown was an effort from PG&E to help prevent the risk of wildfires from happening in Northern California because October is the month most wildfires happen in California. This decision, however, caused backlash and many problems for residents currently living in the Bay Area. 

This power outage denied residents in the Bay Area access to electricity. Since electricity plays an important role in many homes, this decision made by PG&E left families and others with mixed emotions and reactions.

Not only did the power outage made difficulties for residents in the area, schools in the West Contra Costa Unified School District were also affected. Schools ranging from elementary to high schools called home to inform parents and guardians that school was closed for the day.  

While students were celebrating that their schools were closed, their education did not. Kalani Zamora, a PVHS freshman student commented, “There was a power outage at my house. It was so dark and I felt like I was being watched. This affected me because I did not have any lights near me other than the flashlight from my phone to do my homework.”

The power outages in select neighborhoods and schools created many obstacles for both families and students living without electricity. Without electricity, families could not do their daily routine such as cooking dinner together, watching a classic Halloween film, etc. And students could not go to school for a day to learn about the subjects they need to graduate high school and be prepared for college and future careers.