Newsom returns to a defining California fight: Who pays for wildfire damage?

California Governor Gavin Newsom is seeking to limit the financial liability of utilities whose equipment sparks wildfires. He is asking state lawmakers to cap the amount utilities have to pay victims and attorneys. This issue has been a defining one for Newsom's nearly eight years in office.

The question of who should cover the cost of wildfire damage has been a contentious one since Newsom took office in 2018. A major wildfire that year, caused by Pacific Gas & Electric equipment, killed 85 people and destroyed over 18,000 buildings. The utility subsequently filed for bankruptcy due to tens of billions of dollars in liability.

A 2019 law created a $21 billion fund to help utilities pay for wildfire damages if they take certain safety measures. Now, Newsom is pushing for further protections for utilities, amid claims against Southern California Edison related to a 2025 fire that killed 19 people, according to the Associated Press.

Brief written by urgent.news from PBS NewsHour, Associated Press — 2 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.