Supervisor Kathryn Barger issued the following statement today, calling on state lawmakers to ensure any wildfire liability reforms negotiated with Governor Gavin Newsom protect the rights of wildfire survivors and do not shift the burden of catastrophic fires onto the people and communities that endured them.
“California needs a sustainable wildfire liability system, and I support efforts to get financial assistance to survivors faster. But faster payments cannot come at the expense of a survivor’s right to pursue full and fair compensation.
The Eaton Fire continues showing us that wildfire devastation lingers. In Altadena, families lost homes, businesses and everything they had built. While many survivors are rebuilding and navigating the financial and emotional consequences of that loss, others have not even been able to begin rebuilding because they remain paralyzed by overwhelming financial pressures and constraints. A fast-pay program can be part of the solution, but it should be an option for survivors—not a substitute for their legal rights.
Any reforms that limit recovery, weaken accountability or shift costs onto survivors, local governments or taxpayers deserve serious scrutiny.
I have also sent a letter to Governor Newsom requesting clarity on such a legislative proposal so that the facts are clearly laid out for survivors and the public. People who lost everything deserve to understand exactly what is being proposed and how it could affect their ability to recover.
I am asking every lawmaker involved in these negotiations to put themselves in the shoes of a wildfire survivor before they agree to any final proposal. Reforming California’s wildfire liability system is important, but don’t make survivors pay the price. As lawmakers negotiate, they must do what is right for the people who survived these wildfires.”