Bay Bridge Lights Up, Treasure Island Left in the Dark - What Gives, SF?

In the City by the Bay, the glaring contrast between aesthetic brilliance and basic utility couldn't be more stark. San Francisco, known for its innovative spirit, is gearing up to light the Bay Bridge with a mesmerizing $11 million display, showcasing 50,000 LEDs—a twinkling tribute to the city's love for high-tech spectacle. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/02/us/bay-bridge-lights.html

Meanwhile, just a stone's throw away, Treasure Island is mired in a less glamorous reality, grappling with its 500 power outage since 1997.

Yes, you heard right. While the city dazzles tourists and residents alike with its illuminated marvels, Treasure Island suffers blackout after blackout—an average of one every 2-3 weeks, making its residents experts in navigating their own homes by touch.

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors seemed to take a step in the right direction back in 2017, approving a $1.66 million emergency replace two failing generators on Treasure Island, aimed at bolstering the beleaguered power grid. The resolution, promisingly named R0307-17, hinted at a brighter, more reliable future. But fast forward to the present day, and the island's reality remains dimly lit, both literally and metaphorically.

While $11 million pour into making the Bay Bridge a nighttime enchantment, Treasure Island residents are left wondering why their plight seems less worthy of investment. In a recent escalation, Mayor London N. Breed and other city officials have ramped up their rhetoric against Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) for their role in citywide outages, as highlighted in a stern letter available for perusal on the city's official website. Yet, it's ironic—or perhaps just plain negligent—that the city itself manages Treasure Island’s grid, which has been a notorious weak link for over a quarter of a century.

The city's sudden urgency addressing a single weekend of PG&E-caused disruptions starkly contrasts with the decades-long saga endured by Treasure Islanders. This selective attention is akin to furiously pointing out a neighbor’s slightly overgrown lawn while your own house is engulfed in flames.

This tale of two utilities lays bare a disheartening disparity. On one hand, PG&E is scrutinized and lambasted for fleeting failures; on the other, the city’s own mismanagement of Treasure Island’s grid—an enduring saga of neglect—is met with what can only be described as a shrug of municipal indifference.

What we witness here is a vivid display of priorities, where a bridge's aesthetic overhaul is deemed more crucial than the basic wellbeing of a community repeatedly left in the dark. It begs the question: What is the real standard of care and commitment by our city leaders? Why does the sparkle of LEDs on a bridge overshadow the necessity of keeping the lights on for its citizens?

In conclusion, while San Francisco’s Bay Bridge prepares to shimmer anew in a grand display of luminous excess, the residents of Treasure Island remain ensnared in a recurring nightmare of darkness. It's high time the city shifts some of its innovative zeal from aesthetic showcases to ensuring that all its communities can enjoy the basic, essential service of reliable power. San Francisco, let’s not just be a beacon of innovation in public spectacles; let’s illuminate our commitment to all residents by keeping their lights on.