Governor Gavin Newsom is asking state lawmakers to rewrite how California assigns financial responsibility for wildfires sparked by equipment owned by publicly traded utilities. The governor is attempting to broker a deal to shield these utilities from financial trouble by limiting the amount they have to pay victims and attorneys.
Newsom argues that the current status quo is not going to work. He is seeking these changes to protect utilities from financial instability resulting from wildfires sparked by their equipment.
However, California lawmakers are lining up against the push. One critic blasted the proposal, describing it as a massive transfer of liability.