Power of Persuasion Used to Remove Lines

High-voltage power lines that sparked protests from hundreds of nearby homeowners will be coming down next week.

The 66,000-volt lines, which sizzle and arc atop 80-foot-high towers, wind past hundreds of homes, prompting safety concerns from residents. The power lines are used as part of an emergency backup system by Rockwell International Corp.

The removal will take about a month, according to city officials.

Paul Yost, a 36-year-old anesthesiologist, began working with residents a year ago to encourage Rockwell and the Southern California Edison Co., which feeds power through the lines, to remove the wires.

“I’m just happy that it’s over with,” said Yost, who published the “Power Line News” to keep residents informed during negotiations with the companies. “We didn’t just yell and scream, we worked for a solution.”

In March, both companies announced preliminary plans to remove the lines, which run above backyards, near balconies and past an elementary school in a circuitous four-mile route. The lines connect Rockwell to an Edison generating station 200 yards away.

Rockwell, the city’s largest employer, spent about $150,000 to reconfigure power generators to eliminate the need for most of the lines.

Southern California Edison estimates the cost of removing the lines and towers at about $250,000, which includes the installation of new poles for some of the lines being rerouted.

“Edison really came through on this,” City Manager Keith Till said. “They definitely deserve our thanks.”