Of all the constituencies clamoring for help as firenados ravage California, homeowners worried about their fire insurance seem among the least likely this year to get legislative relief.
Legislation that would alter liability law for California utilities whose equipment sparks wildfires faces a show-down today before a special two-house legislative conference committee.
Climate-warming compounds are released by charred forests long after wildfires have been put out. That may do more to warm the planet more than the immediate harm from smoky air.
Legislators begin to tackle the complex law surrounding fire liability, without knowledge of the cause of the most devastating fire in California history. One legislator questions whether they should act without that information.
California utility companies worry they may be held liable for billions of dollars in damages from last year’s wildfires. State leaders may help them by changing liability rules.