California Assembly Unanimously Passes Bill to Help Wildfire Victims Made Whole

The California State Assembly unanimously passed a bill Thursday that could pave the way for additional compensation for Northern California wildfire victims who were not fully compensated for their losses. Assembly Bill 2700, introduced by Assemblymember James Gallagher (R-Yuba City), would require the California Public Utilities Commission to produce a report assessing restitution shortfalls for survivors of utility-caused wildfires that occurred before July 2019.

The report would recommend mechanisms for energy companies to address those gaps, with the explicit condition that recommendations cannot include options to shift costs onto ratepayers.

The legislation is a direct response to the devastating wildfires sparked by Pacific Gas & Electric between 2015 and 2018, including the 2017 North Bay firestorm that killed 40 people and destroyed more than 6,000 homes and hundreds of businesses, and the 2018 Camp Fire that leveled the town of Paradise, killing 85 people. Approximately 70,000 survivors endured years of uncertainty while waiting for payouts from the energy giant.

The Fire Victim Trust ultimately reached $14 billion, but that was still $6 billion short of what was owed, covering only about 70% of survivors' claims after attorneys' fees. Victims received their last payment in late 2024 and are still awaiting a small final distribution.

During a May 13 Assembly committee hearing, 2018 Camp Fire survivor Doreen Zimmerman testified in support of the bill on behalf of her late husband, Todd, who passed away in 2024. "During his final hours with me, he repeatedly apologized that the life we had built together over 47 years was gone because of the fire and that he had to die before we were ever made whole," she said.

"Not one more person should ever have to die apologizing for their devastated finances resulting from a utility-caused wildfire on their death bed. Not one more person."

Gallagher, who is running for a Northern California congressional seat, said on the Assembly floor that AB 2700 "strengthens California's commitment to those who lost everything from those natural disasters." Bill co-author Assemblymember Chris Rogers (D-Santa Rosa), a former Santa Rosa council member whose city was devastated by the 2017 Tubbs Fire, added, "This is an acknowledgement that the previous way that we have compensated survivors was inadequate." The bill passed 76-0, with colleagues applauding as it was Gallagher's last bill as an Assembly member.

Supporters of the bill include the Utility Wildfire Survivor Coalition, Sonoma County-based After the Fire, Eaton Fire Residents United (representing victims of the January 2025 Los Angeles fires), and the Adler Law Group. The Fire Victim Trust has not publicly weighed in on the effort.

Will Abrams, a member of the Utility Wildfire Survivor Coalition and a lead advocate on AB 2700, hopes to strengthen the legislation further in the Senate. "It is universally understood that we are going to continue to have utility-caused fires in the state of California," Abrams said.

"There are people with medical debt, there are people living off the land literally because they don't have the money to rebuild their houses, there are people that can't afford rent. We need to provide some certainty."

The legislation now moves to the state Senate. It is part of a broader set of bills addressing California's intertwined crises related to climate change-driven disasters, including wildfire prevention, recovery, insurance, and utility rates.