The outage stretched across several blocks, with residents near Broderick and Bay, Fillmore and Retiro Way, and surrounding streets all reporting losses. Meanwhile, some lucky souls near Chestnut and Pierce apparently held onto power — congratulations on winning the infrastructure lottery.

As one Marina resident put it, the power "went out and flickered once or twice" before going dark for good. Another local noted that "several fire trucks and cop cars just zoomed by in the Marina," suggesting the cause may have been more dramatic than your standard transformer hiccup.

PG&E's response? Investigating. No ETA on restoration — though at least one resident received a text alert estimating a 3 AM return. Nothing like learning your electricity might come back in the middle of the night to really inspire confidence in the monopoly utility you're legally required to pay.

And here's the fun part: cell towers in the area were reportedly slammed with traffic as every Marina resident simultaneously pivoted to mobile data to stream, scroll, and — naturally — fly drones to capture aerial footage of the blackout. Peak San Francisco behavior, honestly.

This is what happens when a state-sanctioned monopoly has zero competitive pressure to actually maintain its infrastructure. PG&E has paid billions in settlements, gone through bankruptcy, and still can't reliably deliver the one product it exists to provide. Residents across San Francisco pay some of the highest utility rates in the country, and in return they get flickering lights and a vague text message.

Maybe it's time California had a real conversation about utility deregulation — or at the very least, accountability mechanisms with actual teeth. Until then, keep your flashlights charged, Marina. PG&E is "investigating."