They call it grid defection.
The first time Barklee Sanders’ power went off, he didn’t think much of it. Before moving to San Francisco’s Treasure Island, he’d lived in Upstate New York and Oklahoma, where harsh weather frequently snuffed out the lights. He had weathered worse storms.
But days later, the power went out again. Within weeks, the rolling darkness became routine.
“When I moved here, I was like, this is not normal,” said Sanders. “But it’s not like you’re notified when you sign a lease. It’s not advertised.”
A view of Treasure Island from Yerba Buena Island in 2019, where power outages have plagued residents for many years. (Kevin N. Hume/The Examiner)
In the last decade, Treasure Island residents have suffered from years of constant blackouts, leaving the island without power for hours. But calls to upgrade the aging electrical…