When service equipment fails, the first question is almost always the same: is this the utility's problem or mine? Getting the answer right is what determines how quickly your power comes back on.
The dividing line is simpler than it sounds. The meter itself — the device that records your consumption — belongs to the utility. Everything it plugs into does not. The meter socket, the service mast or riser, the weatherhead, the conduit and the conductors running into your main panel are all part of the building, and they are the property owner's responsibility to maintain and replace.
That is why a utility crew will sometimes pull a meter, red-tag the installation and leave. They are not being unhelpful. They have found that the equipment on your side of the connection is unsafe to energise, and by law they cannot restore power until a licensed electrician corrects it.
The failures we see most often in the high desert are environmental. Sun and heat cycling degrade the gasket and the enclosure, wind-driven grit works its way into the socket, and moisture eventually finds a path in. Once corrosion starts inside a meter socket, resistance rises, heat builds, and the jaws that grip the meter blades begin to burn. Scorch marks around the meter are the visible end of a process that started long before.
The second common failure is mechanical. A service mast anchored into aged fascia or a weakened rafter gradually pulls loose — sometimes helped along by a tree limb or a high-wind event. A leaning mast puts strain on the service drop and on the roof penetration, and it will not pass inspection in that condition.
A proper replacement addresses the whole assembly rather than the visibly damaged part. New socket, new mast where required, new weatherhead, fresh sealing at every penetration, and grounding verified end to end. It is also permitted, inspected work in Los Angeles County, which means the paperwork matters as much as the wiring.
The practical advice is short: if you see scorching, hear buzzing, or notice the mast has shifted, treat it as urgent. Nebady's Electric Corporation answers 24 hours a day, coordinates the disconnect and reconnect with the utility, and handles the red-tag correction and re-inspection so you are not managing three parties yourself.