There was also a fiber optic cable cut....probably more likely to cause “communication issues” (”911” was down too). “Power outage” might be another bad news media headline:
https://www.independent.com/2025/07/22/emergency-lines-down-in-santa-barbara-county/
https://www.sce.com/outages-safety/outage-center/check-outage-status
No doubt, to a “journalist,” a power outage and a comms outage are the same thing.