Heatwave Taxes Power Grid

The best that California's utilities can hope for this week is a little bit of cloudiness to keep the sunshine--and balckouts--at bay.

Energy officials are predicting record-breaking power usage across California today and throughout the week, as a blistering heat wave continues to grip the state.

Officials appealed for conservation, asking consumers Sunday to help avoid straining the power system as offices, industrial plants and schools reopen today and demand increases. In Los Angeles, however, a cooling trend was expected to keep energy usage at normal levels, said Department of Water and Power spokeswoman Gale Harris.