Who Should Pay When Utilities Companies Start a Fire? episode artwork

EPISODE · Sep 1, 2026 · 54 MIN

Who Should Pay When Utilities Companies Start a Fire?

from KQED's Forum · host KQED

Wildfire season is underway in California, but the state’s wildfire fund is running low after billions went to victims of last year’s massive Altadena fire, sparked by faulty equipment owned by Southern California Edison. Governor Newsom and the legislature’s debate over fixing the wildfire fund has hinged on the extent utilities, insurance companies and homeowners would pay into it. We’ll dig into the details, and hear your thoughts on who should pay to rebuild after wildfires. Guests: Guy Marzorati, correspondent, KQED’s California Politics and Government Desk Michael Wara, policy director for the Sustainability Accelerator at the Doerr School of Sustainability, director of the Climate and Energy Policy Program, senior research scholar at the Woods Institute for the Environment, Stanford University Joy Chen, executive director, Every Fire Survivor’s Network Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Sep 1, 2026

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Who Should Pay When Utilities Companies Start a Fire?

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