In California, about 10,000 firms filed applications to be spared from the rolling blackouts that are anticipated during the summer. Among them, an upscale Beverly Hills restaurant estimates that "26 to 100" of its patrons are likely to die of food poisoning. A Santa Ana catering firm estimated it would be serving last meals to anywhere from 100 to 1,000 people. More than 300 companies' estimates of death tolls topped 1,000, and hundreds more claimed they might cause at least one person to die. Companies seeking exemptions include dental offices, cemeteries, churches, beauty salons, hotels, night clubs, law firms and at least one dance studio. Several veterinary clinics, claiming patients could die on the operating table, took advantage of the fact that the exemption request form did not specify human fatalities.

Included in the list of 9,239 businesses were: 7 Lakes Country Club, A Better You Plastic Surgery Medical Group, All Eyez On Me Hair Studio, Amity Pen Co., Anheuser-Busch Sales of San Diego, Anytime Towing, Baseline Whatta Steak, Baskin-Robbins, Beverly Hills Liquor & Deli, Big Burrito Kingdom, Boom Boom Room, Burger King, Busy Bee Quality Cleaners, Caruthers Raisin Packing Co., Cash It Here, Church of Scientology Mission of San Francisco, City of Beverly Hills, College Soap Opera 24 Hour Laundry & Deli, Critters of the Cinema, Crumbs of Paris, Crusty Tart Bakery, Crystal Magic, Doty Donuts, El Taco Loco, Enanto Drive-in Liquor, Expert Nails, Fantastic Burgers, Five Cities Swim Club, Gardana Bowling Center, Genzyme Genetics, Gucci America Inc., Happy Teriyaki and Sandwiches, House of Blues, Imagymnation Gymnastics Center, Italy's Italian Restaurant, Jehovah's Witnesses, L.A. Dance Connection, Las Dos Victorias Candy, Lortons Fresh Squeezed Juices, Los Gatos Swim & Racquet Club, Mr. Ralph's Café, Pacific Coast Chocolates, Pinoy-Pinay Filipino Fastfood Restaurant, Poochies Bathhouse, Quality Discount Ice Cream, Rodeo Land Co., SeaWorld, Sharpshooter Range, Sick Dogs Tattoo, Snowy Pines Christmas Trees, Stevedoring Services of America, Stevie G's Prime Time Pizza, T-Shirt Mart, Uptown Touchless Car Wash, and Valencia Pancakes.

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