California Gov. Gavin Newsom is facing sharp criticism as he pushes late-session legislation that would protect major for-profit utilities from wildfire liability. The proposal would sharply limit the ability of wildfire survivors and insurers to seek damages from power companies, according to the Korean article.
Newsom’s office says wildfire survivors are the priority, but victims’ groups, local governments and consumer advocates are strongly opposing the plan. The article says the three largest for-profit utilities in California are among the main beneficiaries, and that they gave nearly $1 million in campaign and political support to Newsom during his time in office.
The article also says those utilities have spent $3.5 million on advocacy TV ads through a shadow coalition led by Newsom’s former spokesman and a political consultant. It adds that eight of California’s 20 largest wildfires were caused by negligence by those three utilities, including the 2025 Eaton Fire, which killed 19 people and was linked by a government investigation to an unattended transmission line owned by Southern California Edison.
The article says Edison reported $4.5 billion in net income last year and paid its CEO $16.5 million in compensation. Critics cited in the article argue that strong legal accountability is needed to keep utility companies from repeating conduct that can trigger destructive wildfires.
