No Power, Shifting Timelines: Rainbow District Still In the Dark Wednesday Night

Update: 10a Thursday. Power was restored overnight. Back to business. In a tough business climate already, this was a tough one to take for some. Many are asking why it took so long. So far, no word. 

Update: 6:30 pm. Business owners now being told power won’t be restored until at least 12am Thursday morning. That would make this nearly 24 hours without power for one of West Hollywood’s busiest blocks. GYM Bar, Circus of Books, Mickey’s WeHo, BlockParty WeHo, Revolver, Fiesta Cantina, Beaches Tropicana, Veron Hair Studio and Green Queen are all still without power — and no business. They were originally told power would be restored by 2pm, then 11pm now, as of this update, businesses are being told midnight. 

Original story published at 5p below.

Power remained out across much of West Hollywood’s Rainbow District Wednesday afternoon, well past a Southern California Edison restoration target that came and went without results. One business owner confirmed “it’s been 3 hours past when they said we’d have power back.” 

The outage started around 1 a.m. when heavy overnight rain swept through the area, cutting electricity to businesses along the north side of Santa Monica Boulevard. One business owner told WEHOonline SoCal Edison said the outage was due to a transformer being “hit early this morning and knocking it out.” By midmorning, storefronts were still dark. By 2 p.m., the Edison deadline had passed. Still nothing. Owners were getting frustrated with one saying this is “ridiculous.”

Some businesses couldn’t open at all. Others posted signs and sent staff home. The stretch of Santa Monica Boulevard that defines the city’s LGBTQ+ entertainment corridor sat unusually quiet on a weekday that should have been routine. Establishments that do daytime business like Mickey’s, BlockParty, Fiesta Cantina, Green Queen, and Veron Hair Studio were still without power as we went to publish at 5p Wednesday. 

Traffic signals in the area kept working throughout the outage, but that did little to help shop owners watching another hour tick by with no power and no clear word on when it would return.

Edison has not provided an updated restoration estimate as of publication. WEHOonline will update this story when power is restored or new information becomes available.

Business owners and residents can track the outage in real time at sce.com/outages or call Southern California Edison directly at 800-611-1911 to report the outage.