Fire Victims, Local Governments and Insurers Respond to Draft Recommendations from the Commission on Catastrophic Wildfire
May 30, 2019
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Sara Floor, sfloor@counties.org, 916.327-7500, ext.516
Fire victims, local governments and insurers appreciate the continued focus on wildfire and solutions that will keep our communities safe and our utilities strong. Catastrophic wildfire is a direct threat to the safety of Californians, and we support the Administration and Legislature’s immediate focus on solutions that strengthen our emergency response systems, mitigate wildfires, help achieve the state’s clean energy goals and support safe, reliable and affordable power.
Our coalition agrees with the Governor and our legislative leaders that a change to California’s current utility liability law is not a responsible solution. We applaud the Administration and the Legislature for committing to focus on legislation that will provide certainty and accountability while protecting fire victims. We appreciate the work of the Commission on Catastrophic Wildfire and their recently released report, but we urge them to reject the recommendation to replace the current strict liability application of inverse condemnation. This does not solve the immediate issue at hand of protecting victims, and ensuring utilities are safe, stable and reliable. As we enter into another fire season, our coalition is committed to working on immediate solutions and look forward to the work ahead.
California State Association of Counties, Rural County Representatives of California, Urban Counties of California, Up from the Ashes, Consumer Attorneys of California, Personal Insurance Federation of California, American Property Casualty Insurance Association
