California Fire Survivors, Local Officials Decry Effort To Reform Liability Laws

Two wildfire survivors joined elected supervisors from three counties and a local government advocate Wednesday in calling on state lawmakers to withhold action this year on changes in the law governing public utility liability for fire damage to private property. Standing in front of a fire-leveled lot in Larkfield, the survivors and local officials challenged the legislative effort led by Gov. Jerry Brown that is shaping up as the most controversial post-fire issue in Sacramento: How to apportion the estimated $10 billion in damages from the October wildfires.