Blackouts possible today

The Palo Alto Utilities Department issued a bulletin this morning that rolling blackouts are again possible today, with the most critical hours being 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The city, along with other Northern California cities, suffered rolling blackouts on Wednesday and Thursday to cope with an energy shortage.

Further blackouts might be averted for now by a decision of the Legislature Thursday night to spend almost $1 billion to buy additional power over the next 12 days.

If rolling blackouts resume, Block 19 on the city's grid would be the next to be shut down. For a complete list of the blocks and the order during a rolling blackout, consult the Utility Department's Web site at www.cpau.com There is also a place to click on that page to determine which block a specific address is in.

--Don Kazak