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Public Safety

1 Fired, 2 Disciplined For San Diego Area Blackout

California's power grid operators have fired an employee and disciplined two others for mistakes that caused a widespread blackout in San Diego County this month.

The 45-minute blackout on April 1 affected 300,000 homes from the Mexican border to Orange County.

The California Independent System Operator says workers mistakenly permitted the routine shutdown of a 600-megawatt power plant and then permitted a blackout rather than allowing the county to import more electricity.

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Cal-ISO spokesman Gregg Fishman says Thursday that a worker was dismissed and two others disciplined. Cal-ISO also is giving grid operators more intensive training.

KPBS has created a public safety coverage policy to guide decisions on what stories we prioritize, as well as whose narratives we need to include to tell complete stories that best serve our audiences. This policy was shaped through months of training with the Poynter Institute and feedback from the community. You can read the full policy here.