Sonali Tiwary
If you live or work along Malibu's Cuthbert, Galahad, Maguire, or Merlin circuits, your power may go off Thursday — and stay off longer than the wind does. Southern California Edison is weighing proactive Public Safety Power Shutoffs on these four circuits as Santa Ana winds push toward coastal Los Angeles and Ventura counties with gusts forecast at 55 to 70 mph and humidity dropping to single digits. City of Malibu PSPS notice confirmed the circuits are in "consideration" status as of Wednesday morning.
Southern California Edison placed four Malibu circuits — Cuthbert, Galahad, Maguire, and Merlin — under PSPS consideration beginning October 15, 2026. The National Weather Service Los Angeles issued Red Flag Warnings across Los Angeles and Ventura counties, with relative humidity forecast as low as 5% to 10% and offshore wind gusts reaching 55 to 70 mph. Fuel moisture levels in coastal chaparral have dropped below critical fire-weather thresholds after a dry summer, accelerating potential fire spread rates across canyon terrain. SCE has not issued a final de-energization order yet; that decision typically arrives 24 to 48 hours before conditions peak.
Malibu residents, business operators, and canyon commuters face elevated wildfire danger and sudden multi-day electrical blackouts as Southern California Edison prepares proactive Public Safety Power Shutoffs across four critical municipal circuits. Homeowners along Cuthbert, Galahad, Maguire, and Merlin circuits must secure outdoor furniture, prepare backup generator power for essential medical devices, and charge mobile communication gear. California wildfire liability and insurance and maintain complete vehicle fuel tanks if rapid evacuation becomes necessary.
What most coverage doesn't address is the restoration timeline. Once SCE de-energizes a circuit, state utility regulations require crews to physically inspect every mile of overhead conductor — on the ground or from aircraft — in daylight before the breakers come back on. The inspection protects against re-energizing a line with a tree limb resting on it or a wire that snapped into brush during peak gusts.
The practical math: if strong winds run past midnight Thursday and inspection can only begin Friday morning, affected neighborhoods stay dark through Friday and into Saturday regardless of how calm conditions feel outside. California fire recovery and displacement water well pumps, temperature-sensitive medications requiring refrigeration, or medical devices on continuous power should treat this as a minimum 24-hour outage with genuine two-day exposure. Fully charged backup batteries and portable power stations should be staged before Thursday afternoon wind arrival. Learn how California residents can prepare for wildfire evacuations before a Red Flag Warning.
The Malibu Times has documented recurring resident concerns about grid reliability during offshore wind season, particularly for properties west of Pacific Coast Highway on circuits with greater canyon exposure than urban SCE service areas. Check what California homeowners insurance covers during wildfire events.
What circuits in Malibu are affected by the SCE power shutoff?
Southern California Edison may implement Public Safety Power Shutoffs across Malibu's Cuthbert, Galahad, Maguire, and Merlin circuits starting October 15, 2026. The proactive shutoffs aim to prevent electrical infrastructure from igniting catastrophic wildfires during intense Santa Ana wind gusts reaching up to 70 mph alongside single-digit relative humidity levels.
The final de-energization decision will post to SCE's outage center and the City of Malibu's alert system as Thursday approaches. Check back for confirmed shutoff timing and the restoration schedule once SCE's inspection window is known.
