California Wildfires

Gov. Gavin Newsom reset his relationship with President Donald Trump after the Los Angeles fires, but he has yet to secure the disaster aid he wants. Now new political pressures are pushing California’s governor back into confrontation with Trump.

Six conservancies throughout the state will oversee work largely in Southern California and the Sierra Nevada.

California's Public Advocate has been pressing for new utility fire maps since 2023. Utilities are on board — but regulators turned them down.

Evacuating the Tahoe basin in summer could take 14 hours, and 99% of properties are at risk — yet new resorts are being built in high-danger fire areas.

Local governments failed to communicate properly but the Governor's Office of Emergency Services also failed to help counties plan ahead.

Fire investigators have not found Edison responsible for the Eaton fire — but mounting lawsuits heighten concerns about its potential liability for the deadliest and most destructive blaze since the state created a fund to prevent wildfires from bankrupting utilities.

As LA-area wildfires burned, some companies fraudulently towed vehicles to the Inland Empire and charged thousands of dollars for their return, consumers said.

California and other states and counties are using a legal strategy that took down Big Tobacco, hoping to make fossil fuel companies pay for damage they have long denied. But many obstacles remain.

The governor has proposed spending climate bond money dedicated to wildfire mitigation in various ways. Some lawmakers think a focused strategy would be more effective.

Each year, legislation aimed at better wildfire mitigation fails – often due to cost or conflict with environmental regulations.