Wow, you guys still give your money to a Bell out there? :-) The Bells (that being Pacific Bell) are long gone out here. It's ATT, Comcast, some other smallish digital providers, and that's about it.
But yeah, in an earthquake-prone environment, you really don't want to rely on a power company more than necessary (remember, it was PG&E that broke the internet during that huge power outage South of Market two summers ago). And to demonstrate the epic ability of our utility to screw up, I had no power for three consecutive nights a couple of weeks ago. 8:30 PM rolled around and BAM! No power until midnight. No explanation from the power company, either. So, we're pretty much screwed. My advice, good sir or madame, is to STAY on the East Coast.