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.
Compromise seemed distant as legislators raced to complete a final report on the issue of wildfire liability by week’s end. Organized labor and trial lawyers clashed.
Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposal to limit electric utilities’ liability costs for future fires faced tough questions at a committee hearing even as utility representatives said the change is needed to keep them solvent.
Between the end of last year’s deadly wildfires and the start of this summer’s fatal blazes, utilities and insurers with a stake in the aftermath have poured more than $3.2 million into California campaign donations and another $5.2 million into state lobbying—a big spike.
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.
A new statewide poll shows that voters are increasingly concerned about environmental policy, which could play out in the governor's race between Newsom and Cox.
California legislators confront the question of how to pay for fire damage. Should PG&E be relieved of costs related to devastating 2017 wildfires, and should the law be changed for future fires?