Southern California Edison (SCE) has informed residents in several Malibu neighborhoods, including Winding Way and Escondido Canyon, that the power lines along their streets will be placed underground beginning in 2026. This move is part of an ongoing effort to improve safety and reduce fire risks in high-risk areas, particularly in locations north of Pacific Coast Highway (PCH), including Ramirez Canyon, Winding Way West, and parts of Latigo Canyon Road.
The neighborhoods affected by this project are part of the notorious Cuthbert Circuit, an area where power lines have repeatedly failed or been turned off during high wind events due to the increased risk of fire. SCE’s decision to move these lines underground comes after mounting pressure from the state legislature, which has mandated that utilities place distribution lines underground in very high fire-risk zones.
However, while the notification has provided some clarity, many questions remain unanswered. Among the key uncertainties are the specifics of how the undergrounding project will impact residents. For instance, it is unclear whether service drops — the power lines that connect neighborhood transformers to individual homes — will also be undergrounded as part of the project. It’s also unknown whether homeowners will be responsible for digging trenches, installing underground conduits, and rewiring their electric meters to accommodate the new infrastructure.
Additionally, the status of other utility lines remains in question. Residents have raised concerns about cable TV, internet, and fiber optic lines currently running on utility poles. Will these also be buried underground, or will they remain overhead, creating a patchwork of underground and above-ground wires?
Furthermore, it is not yet clear whether there will be an option for residents to voluntarily underground all utilities at once,or if the plan will be limited solely to power lines. Notably, the power lines along PCH do not appear to be part of the undergrounding initiative, at least not according to the current disclosures from SCE.
As the project approaches its planned start date, more details are expected to be shared by SCE, but for now, residents in the affected areas are left with more questions than answers about what this major infrastructure change will mean for them.