Protesters gathered early Monday morning in front of Pacific Gas & Electric's headquarters in downtown San Francisco, temporarily keeping employees from entering the building, in a call to break up the embattled utility.
Hoisting a banner that read "Unplug PG&E Not Us," demonstrators blocked off Beale Street between Market and Mission streets during the busy morning commute, backing up traffic and rerouting public bus service as police stood by.
The action was intended to "lift up the voices of people, especially the disabled and people of color, who have been incredibly impacted by the malfeasance of PG&E, not just the last couple of years but for decades," said Pete Woiwode, a member of #PowertoLive, the grassroots coalition that helped organize the rally.
Protester Jessica Lehman, director of San Francisco Senior and Disability Action, characterized the objective more bluntly.
"The goal is to shut them down," she said. "We are calling on the governor, on the California Public Utilities Commission, to put power in the hands of people. Instead of these profits going to shareholders, that money needs to go to create an energy system that is local, renewable, democratically run and safe."
The demonstration comes amid growing demands to turn over PG&E to public ownership in the wake of deadly fires, bankruptcy proceedings and recent massive blackouts all linked to the investor-owned utility.
On Friday, Gov. Gavin Newsom rejected PG&E's bankruptcy plan, part of a $13.5 billion settlement struck with thousands of people who lost homes, businesses and family members in a series of devastating fires sparked by the company's equipment.
Shares for PG&E were down 15.8% Monday after news of Newsom's rejection.
The company needs to ink a deal with the governor before it can draw from a special state fund created to protect California utilities from future wildfire losses. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Dennis Montali would have to approve a settlement by Dec. 20 for the deal to become part of PG&E's official plan to regain its financial footing.
In a statement responding to the protest, PG&E said, "Our employees are hard at work today and focused on providing our customers with safe, reliable, clean and affordable energy; reaching a fair settlement with wildfire victims; and emerging from bankruptcy as the utility that our customers want and deserve."
The Associated Press and KQED's Raquel Maria Dillon contributed to this report.
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