No gas stoves or gas heat? Santa Barbara considers going all-electric in new construction

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Paul Bullock owns the Eagle Inn, where he and his staff use gas stoves to cook breakfast for roughly 60 guests when fully booked. He doesn’t want Santa Barbara City Council to ban natural gas lines in new construction. Photo by Kathryn Barnes/KCRW.

Santa Barbara is the latest city in California to consider phasing out fossil fuels by requiring new construction to be all-electric. But with extreme weather events that can knock power out in an instant, some residents worry putting all our eggs in the electrical basket is unsafe. Supporters say making smart investments in solar panels and batteries will boost our safety and self-reliance while the electric grid becomes more secure.