Homes in the Trousdale Estates neighborhood of Beverly Hills have experienced repeated power outages this year. (photo by Joey Waldinger)

More than 2,000 residents in the Trousdale Estates neighborhood of Beverly Hills lost power on Oct. 24 in the latest of a series of outages in the area.

Southern California Edison spokesman David Song said that the outage occurred while a company contracted by the utility was working in the area on a project to increase the reliability of the neighborhood’s circuits.

SCE representatives did not know what caused the outage, but the utility has launched an internal investigation to determine its origin, Song said, adding that it is hard to predict how long the investigation will take.

The outage began at 5:08 p.m., and power was restored to most customers by 8 p.m., although a small minority did not get their power back until after midnight, Song said. A total of 2,211 customers lost service during the outage, he added.

Because the neighborhood is a high-fire risk area, SCE crews had to follow safety procedures that added to the delay in restoring power, Song said.

“These outages are obviously not something foreseen, and we’re always working to improve reliability. We’re confident that when all is said and done, the project will add to reliability of electric circuits in the area,” Song said.

The project to improve the neighborhoods circuits is expected to conclude by February 2023.

Beverly Hills Mayor Lili Bosse vigorously questioned Edison employees at an Oct. 11 City Council meeting for the repeated outages, and she said she has asked Edison representatives to return for a study session at next week’s City Council meeting.

“I had told them at the last meeting I didn’t trust them, and I’d keep bringing them and this issue back again and again. I will not stop, until our residents get reliable service,” Bosse said.