Santa Monica

Santa Monica Superior Court was partially closed for more than three hours Monday when a malfunctioning electrical transformer threw the Main Street building into darkness. The power failure affected most of the courtrooms on the south wing of the three-story court building. Lights also went out in many hallways and offices, and the air conditioning system stopped. Power was restored about 3 p.m. By then, however, most of the prisoners who were scheduled for trials has been transferred back to the county jail, authorities said.