During last year's wildfires, a group of California lawmakers took a trip to Hawaii with utility executives as the fires raged on in the state, according to Fox News.
In this time together, representatives from utility companies discussed with the California lawmakers how much responsibility they should take on for wildfires. The utility companies are pushing for a new law that would raise electricity prices to help offset costs that occur after wildfires.
Every year, the nonprofit organization Independent Voter project hosts the event and this year it was held in November. Executives of PG&E did not attend, but representatives from Southern California Edison and San Diego Gas and Electric did.
Some of the California Assembly members that attended were Frank Bigelow, Bill Brough, Ian Calderon, Jim Cooper, Tom Daly, Heath Flora, Jim Frazier, Reggie Jones-Sawyer, Freddie Rodriguez and Blanca Rubio.
“We were shocked to learn that while many wildfire victims fled for their lives in Paradise and Malibu this November, utility executives and lobbyists for California's big utilities were wining and dining 12 influential state legislators in a different paradise – Wailea, Maui,” Consumer Watchdog president Jamie Court said in a letter to the lawmakers.
In November, three different fires caused massive damage in California. In Butte County, the Camp Fire became the most destructive fire in state history, destroying 19,000 structures and killing 86 people. Ventura and Los Angeles Counties were faced with the Hill and Woolsey fires, that became responsible for the destruction of 1,600 structures and three deaths.
Due to the damage of the Camp Fire, PG&E just filed for bankruptcy because of the expected $30 billion claims they are expected to receive.
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