Grover Beach mayor among workers laid off from PG&E this week

Grover Beach Mayor John Shoals was one of several PG&E employees laid off this week, but the mayor says he has no plans to leave the area.

“I will continue serving my community with pride,” Shoals said. “I respect the company’s decision and appreciate the support that they have given me over the years. I believe this is a great opportunity for me to move on to the next chapter in my career.”

Shoals has worked for PG&E as a government relations representative since 2009.

PG&E spokesman Blair Jones confirmed the company laid off “a few employees in our service territory,” including two in SLO County. He declined to disclose the exact number affected.

“At PG&E we continually evaluate our organizational structures and needs to best provide our customers with safe, affordable, reliable and clean energy,” Jones said. “To that end, I can confirm that these two positions have been eliminated.”

Jones said the layoff is not related to the anticipated closure of Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant in 2025.

This story was originally published October 27, 2017 at 6:03 PM with the headline "Grover Beach mayor among workers laid off from PG&E this week."