In Sacramento, Republican lawmakers were quick to criticize Gov. Gray Davis, ignoring the role GOP lawmakers played in adopting the state's flawed deregulation plan.
"It sharpens the perspective that the governor's inaction and delays are now a major cause of these uncertainties," said Assemblyman Bill Leonard (R-San Bernardino).
Democrat Davis, for his part, issued only a terse statement: "I assure you we are working night and day in Sacramento to stabilize the electricity supply for California."
The outages, ordered by the California Independent System Operator--the state's electricity overseer--surprised everyone from Davis to power company executives to emergency relief workers.
"We didn't know it was coming. The blackout came on the television news and then, right away, all the lights went out," said San Francisco Fire Chief Mike Kearney, who works in the city's Ocean View neighborhood.
Computers crashed. Traffic signals went out. Stores and restaurants were forced to close over the busy lunch hour, or make do under primitive conditions.
Across the state, most Californians responded calmly, though many expressed anger at the scant notice they received before the plug was pulled.
Forecasters predicted that the state's heat wave would continue today, with temperatures remaining 10 to 15 degrees above normal. The weather should start cooling Wednesday, but temperatures may still be five to 10 degrees above normal.
In Washington, President Bush met Monday with his national energy task force, but warned that there are no "short-term fixes."
At a separate appearance, Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham cited California's power troubles as a symptom of the worst energy crunch since the 1970s.
Speaking at a U.S. Chamber of Commerce energy conference, he said: "The failure to meet this challenge will threaten our nation's economic prosperity, compromise our national security and literally alter the way we live our lives."
Monday's blackouts began after the state's alternative energy producers cut production, taking 3,000 megawatts out of the system, or enough to power 3 million homes. More than a quarter of the state's energy supply is provided by producers of solar, wind and other alternative sources, which have gone months without payment from the state's cash-strapped utilities.
