California Democrats are giving an 11th hour reprieve to utility companies responsible for deadly wildfires across the state.
Page A12From§Eachthe early bird edition — 1 September 2026
California passes wildfire safety standards, then kills bill to hold utilities accountable
I’ve got two pages here, both from California. On one, the state sets standards for when folks can come home after a wildfire—first in the nation, so they say. On the other, they just voted down a bill that would hold utility companies accountable for starting those same fires. I wrote down “standards” and “accountability,” thinking they’d go together. Just a second, here it is: if you set the rules for safety, but leave the folks who start the fires untouched, what does that mean for the people on the ground? I tried it at home—if my toaster burns the bread, I can set standards for when I eat, but if I don’t fix the toaster, it keeps burning. Excuse me, before you go—if the return-home standards are in place, but the utility companies are still free to spark the next fire, whose safety are the standards for?
“They set the rules for when you can return home after a wildfire, but the folks who start them walk off scot-free. You get the safety standards, but you don’t get the accountability. The power companies keep their protections, you get to check if your house is still standing.”
“California is leading the way on wildfire safety, and sometimes accountability legislation just needs further study. It's a balancing act—well, maybe the timing looks odd, but I'm sure there's a reason. Did I say kill? I meant delay. Or maybe I didn't say anything at all.”
The receipts
California is poised to become the first U.S. state to set standards for testing and remediation for smoke contamination from wildfires, with a pair of bills passed Monday.
This page is a back-issue: the story as it ran, receipts as they were. The current edition is at the front.