Cal Fire

As California grapples with an increasing possibility that once-in-a-century wildfires are becoming once-a-year occurrences, larger swaths of the state’s population will find themselves living in the crimson high-risk regions of state maps now being revised. Which presents lawmakers with a dilemma: impose costly and politically unpalatable regulations on homeowners and rip up existing infrastructure—or simply accept the risk.

California fire costs burn up the budget, environmentalists criticize Jerry Brown on oil, female surfers got pay equity at Mavericks, plus beer and the quiz.

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.

Rivals for the governor's office Gavin Newsom and John Cox agree that wildfires pose an alarming threat to California—but what would they do to prevent and combat them? Here's what they told us.

In Sacramento, the biggest fights are over wildfire liability—who pays for billions of dollars of damages that result from the loss of so many homes, businesses and lives?—and how much utilities like PG&E can pass liability costs onto their customers.

The state firefighting agency, Cal Fire, spends the bulk of its budget battling wildfires. A new report says it should do more to prevent them.

In the aftermath of California's recent wildfires, the effect of chemical retardant on carefully tended soil remains unknown.