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# Businesses left in dark
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/businesses-left-in-dark/
- Published: 2004-09-24T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T05:10:26.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Business, Downtown, #archive-import

*By PAM WIGHT Special to the Daily Press*

DOWNTOWN — It was lights out for many businesses and residents of the Third Street Promenade area this week when the failure of a high-voltage line caused widespread power outages that lasted 24 hours.

According to Mark Olsen of Southern California Edison, eight transformers that serve the area went out as a result of the failed high-voltage wire. Electricians worked to get the juice going again from the time the first call came in at 1 p.m. on Wednesday until the same time Thursday. The outage severely affected several local businesses, many of which lost a full day’s revenue.

In the end, many Edison customers were outraged by what they perceived as evasive and unhelpful explanations from the electric company.

“It was awful. I think Edison was playing it close to the chest. They wouldn’t tell us how long the electricity would be off — not even an approximation,” claimed Rafigh Pooya, owner of the Interactive Cafe and the Caspian Grill on Broadway. “Since I didn’t know how long it would be off, I had to keep my employees here. I didn’t know if it was only temporary, so I kept them on all day.”

The Caspian Grill serves fresh seafood, but with no power for refrigeration Pooya was compelled to toss out large volumes of food.

“I lost, easily, $2,000 to $3,000 in the 24 hours that the power was off, between both of my businesses,” said Pooya. “Maybe they want us to feel sympathy with the Iraqi people, who have no electricity.”

Around the corner, at the Hotel Carmel, General Manager Sherry Kellogg was just as furious with Edison’s “aloofness” in its handling of the situation.

“They don’t want to tell you anything,” she said. “First, they say it will be an hour, then they say something different. It seems to be happening more and more often — at least two to three times every summer with Edison.

“Our accommodations were almost sold out, so we probably lost between $5,000 and $8,000,” said Kellogg. “It wasn’t just today’s business, it was also future business. People won’t want to come back here.”

Kathleen Rawson of the Bayside District office said some businesses had sporadic power or shorter outages.

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on September 24, 2004.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/092404.pdf?ref=smdp.com)