LA fire survivors say Newsom is trying to help utilities reduce their wildfire costs again
Wildfire survivors and insurers accuse Gov. Newsom of quietly pushing last-minute legislation that would again shield utilities from billions in fire liability.
Wildfire survivors who lost homes and loved ones in California’s deadliest blazes are accusing Gov. Gavin Newsom of trying once more to ease the financial burden on utilities at their expense.
Legislation quietly inserted into last-minute budget trailer bills would shift billions of dollars in wildfire costs away from the state’s investor-owned electric companies and onto ratepayers, taxpayers, or both. The move has drawn sharp condemnation from fire victims and the insurance industry, who argue it repeats a pattern of protecting corporate interests over those harmed by preventable fires.
The timing is no accident. With the legislative session nearing its end, the bills surfaced without public hearings or broad stakeholder input. Survivors say this stealth approach denies them a voice in decisions that directly affect their ability to recover damages from future fires sparked by utility equipment.
One coalition of LA fire survivors pointed to the legislation as the latest example of Sacramento prioritizing utility balance sheets over accountability. The insurance industry echoed that critique, warning that reducing utility liability would further destabilize an already collapsing homeowners insurance market in high-fire zones.
Newsom’s office has not publicly detailed the bills’ full scope, but the pattern is familiar: after the 2018 Camp Fire and subsequent blazes, lawmakers created mechanisms to limit utility exposure. Critics contend these protections have done little to prevent fires while leaving victims under-compensated and premiums skyrocketing for everyone else.
Whether these trailer bills pass in the final frantic days of session will signal whether Sacramento has learned anything from a decade of deadly utility-sparked wildfires, or whether survivor voices will once again be sidelined.
Original reporting: CalMatters.
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