ALTADENA, Calif. () — Victims of the devastating Los Angeles fires are dealing with a new headache. A controversial campaign that some utility companies are helping pay for is trying to put a cap on how much settlement money victims get.
Morgan Whirledge, who is rebuilding this Altadena home destroyed in the Eaton Fire, is angry and frustrated as flyers claiming to protect wildfire victims fill mailboxes in his area.
“To try to disguise yourself as being supportive of survivors after what we’ve been through is really insulting,” he said.
The campaign Wildfire Victims First, which calls on lawmakers to support legislation to reduce the rising cost of wildfires, is paid for in part by Southern California Edison, Pacific Gas & Electric and San Diego Gas & Electric – the same companies accused of starting at least half a dozens of the state’s most destructive wildfires, including the Eaton Fire.
“This will create billions of dollars of more protection for the utilities that they don’t have to pay for wildfire victims in the future,” said Joy Chen, executive director of Every Fire Survivor’s Network.
The group is pushing to limit how much fire victims can receive in lawsuit settlements for pain and suffering, and calling for insurers to carry more of the cost of utility-sparked fires.
Chen, who has met with the governor’s office, says it’s all part of supporting a bail-out bill that Gov. Gavin Newsom is working on behind the scenes.
It comes as SoCal Edison’s profits following the fire jump from $1.3 billion to nearly $4.5 billion. Shareholder dividends are also increasing, along with executive pay.
Fire victims like Whirledge say it all feels like a slap in the face.
“Make us whole and stop trying to deceive us,” he said.
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