Newport-Mesa businesses seek blackout relief

Paul Clinton

NEWPORT-MESA -- Concerned about the effect of a blackout on her Costa

Mesa customers, Winnie Kunze applied to the state’s Public Utilities

Commission for an exemption for her sandwich shop.

If a blackout were to knock out the cooling systems at Globe

Delicatessen, at 1928 Harbor Blvd., the lunch crowd could suffer.

“We have meats. We have cheeses,” Kunze said. “These need

refrigeration. . . . Bacteria develops very quickly.”

Kunze was one of 6,537 businesses statewide that applied for a public

health and safety exemption. The commission invited businesses to apply

for the relief by 5 p.m. Monday.

More than 50 businesses in Newport Beach and Costa Mesa put themselves

on the list.

Another entry on the list was Master Touch Cleaners, a Costa Mesa dry

cleaner at 434 E. 17th St.

Master Touch’s president, Nick Cherkezian, said a power cut could

endanger the public in the event of a spill of any of an array of

chemical solvents used in his business.

“I’m dealing with chemicals here,” Cherkezian said. “In case I have a

spill, I need electricity to take care of it.”

The commission invited the businesses to apply for the exemption via a

Web site (o7 https://www.rotating-outages.comf7 ). The commission hired

Exponent, a Menlo Park consultant, to oversee the process.

Exponent will review the applications and then make a recommendation

to the commission, which will award the exceptions at its Aug. 2 meeting.

The commission has already exempted police and fire departments,

hospitals and groups integral to national defense. That group makes up

about 50% of the available power statewide.

Of the remaining 50%, the commission will award 10% to the businesses.

In their applications, the businesses explained why each should be

spared outages. In the application, each owner was asked to indicate how

many deaths could occur if power were lost.

The commission published a list of applicants on the Web site.

AT A GLANCE

More than 50 businesses in Newport Beach and Costa Mesa applied to the

Public Utilities Commission to be excluded from blackouts. Here are some

that applied:

American Livery Inc. -- 1912 Harbor Blvd., Costa Mesa

B.T.E. Deli -- 2200 Harbor Blvd., Costa Mesa

Bethel Towers of Costa Mesa -- 666 W. 19th St., Costa Mesa

Celestinos Quality Meats -- 270 E. 17th St., Costa Mesa

Glabman Furniture, Inc. -- 3089 Bristol St., Costa Mesa

Globe Delicatessen -- 1928 Harbor Blvd., Costa Mesa

Golden Spoon Yogurt -- 488 E. 17th St., Costa Mesa

Orange County Performing Arts Center -- 600 Town Center Drive, Costa

Mesa

South Coast Repertory -- 655 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa

Tradewinds Market -- 670 West Coast Highway, Newport Beach

Whole Foods Market -- 1870 Harbor Blvd., Costa Mesa