Story perspectives

Mayor’s Controversial Power Move During Christmas Blackout

2/14/2026

Summary

Story summary

San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie sought emergency power for the Opera House during a Christmas blackout while his daughter performed in the Nutcracker.
Despite outages, PG&E provided backup generators to the ballet after Lurie's involvement.
Critics condemned the decision as residents suffered from a substation-fire blackout.
PG&E CEO Sumeet Singh later said the mayor requested the generators but retracted the claim.
Lurie's office denied directing PG&E to prioritize the ballet.

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Story summary

San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie sought emergency power for the Opera House during a Christmas blackout while his daughter performed in the Nutcracker.
Despite outages, PG&E provided backup generators to the ballet after Lurie's involvement.
Critics condemned the decision as residents suffered from a substation-fire blackout.
PG&E CEO Sumeet Singh later said the mayor requested the generators but retracted the claim.
Lurie's office denied directing PG&E to prioritize the ballet.