Bay Briefing: Battling the PG&E ‘Hydra’ - SFChronicle.com

Bay Briefing: Battling the PG&E ‘Hydra’ - SFChronicle.com: Good morning, Bay Area. It’s Friday, Oct. 18, and the fallout from last week’s power outages has inspired a Greek mythology reference. Here’s what you need to know to start your day. Local governments not impressed Five local governments are not pleased with PG&E’s handling of forced widespread outages last week. In a blistering critique filed with the California Public Utilities Commission, local officials accused PG&E of keeping them at arm’s-length, fumbling efforts to communicate behind the scenes and intentionally overstating the areas likely to lose power, among other missteps. The experience was “like battling the Hydra,” the governments said, referring to the serpent monster from Greek mythology that grows new heads whenever one is severed. Each time local officials encountered helpful PG&E employees, someone else who worked for the utility would erect a new obstacle, the filing said. Read more , including PG&E’s response, from reporter J.D. Morris. Background: Our full coverage of PG&E outages . Caltrain, BART and 600 fewer parking spaces A huge project near Millbrae Station — a bustling transit hub where BART and Caltrain meet near San Francisco Inter