A lawsuit was filed on behalf of several Camp Fire survivors alleging, among other things, that PG&E was negligent in failing to maintain its infrastructure and properly inspect and manage its power transmission lines. We also discuss a report that says CA isn't on track to meet climate change goals; share favorite animated series; and more.
State report says California won’t meet its climate goals because of too much driving. What are the alternatives?
The state air resources board is warning CA can’t meet its climate goals with so many people driving.
We’d have to cut miles driven by a quarter to meet the state’s 2030 emission goal. That’s even with higher electric car sales. But what’s controversial is the Board’s recommendation to meet the standard. We’ll debate it.
Guests:
Chanell Fletcher, director of ClimatePlan, an Oakland-based nonprofit group that advocates for sustainable land use and transportation policies
Jennifer Hernandez, land-use and environmental lawyer at the international law firm Holland & Knight, where she leads the firm’s West Coast Land Use and Environmental Group; she’s representing a civil rights group in a pending lawsuit against the California Air Resources Board alleging that CARB’s move into the housing space violates state and federal civil rights laws
With inches of rain in the forecast, how residents in Malibu and Holy Fire burn area are prepping for possible flooding
Parts of Ventura, Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties are on high alert today as at least two inches of rain are forecast across Southern California between now and Thursday.
While the rain might be a welcome sight given the gravity of the wildfires here recently, other areas are worried about the potential for the rains to cause flooding and debris flow in areas affected by those wildfires. Specifically, the city of Malibu is warning its residents of possible power outages and mudslides in areas that were scorched by the Woolsey Fire that burned parts of Los Angeles and Ventura Counties.
Meanwhile, emergency management officials in Riverside and San Bernardino Counties have
#HolyFloodWatch News Release pic.twitter.com/cbEI0Uv9bW
— CAL FIRE/Riverside County Fire Department (@CALFIRERRU) November 28, 2018
voluntary evacuations in areas including Glen Eden, Alberhill, Rice and Amorose.
We’ll get the latest from affected areas.
Guests:
Fernando Herrera, captain with CALFire Riverside and public information officer for the Holy Flood #2 incident command
Lou La Monte, Malibu city councilmember
A tribute to SpongeBob — and all of your favorite animated series
Fans of SpongeBob are paying tribute to Stephen Hillenburg, a day after the announcement that the 57-year-old creator of the popular animated series had passed away.
Stephen Hillenburg, who used his dual loves of drawing and marine biology to spawn the absurd undersea world of "SpongeBob SquarePants," died earlier this week of Lou Gehrig's disease, also known as ALS.
He had announced he had the disease in March 2017. His death comes just weeks after the passing of another cartoon hero in Marvel creator Stan Lee.
SpongeBob has touched the lives of millions of kids -- and adults, as well. In this segment, AirTalk pays tribute to Hillenberg and the beloved animated character and his friends. Plus, we’ll open up the phones to hear about your other favorite animated series.
With files from the Associated Press
Guests:
Charles Solomon, film critic for KPCC, Animation Scoop and Animation Magazine
Dan Povenmire, co-creator of the Disney TV series “Phineas & Ferb”; he was a writer and storyboard artist and director for “Spongebob Squarepants” from 2001-2004; he tweets
AirTalk special: As California deals with round-the-clock wildfires, how do we determine a utility company’s liability?
A coalition of law firms known as Northern California Fire Lawyers, filed a lawsuit two weeks ago on behalf of several Camp Fire survivors who suffered injuries and lost their homes and businesses as a result of the region’s wildfires, which began on November 8, 2018.
The lawsuit alleges, among other things, that Pacific Gas & Electric Co. was negligent in failing to maintain its infrastructure and properly inspect and manage its power transmission lines, the failure of which ultimately caused the Camp Fire to ignite on Pulga Road near Paradise, California.
According to reports, PG&E asked U.S. energy regulators last month for permission to raise its customers' monthly bills to harden its system against wildfires and deliver a sizable increase in profits to shareholders. In an October filing with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, PG&E laid out a variety of dangers confronting its transmission lines running through Northern California, saying its system faced a higher risk of wildfires than any other utility. San Francisco-based PG&E made the request a month before the Camp Fire broke out and quickly ballooned into the deadliest U.S. wildfire in a century.
No cause has been determined, but speculation has centered on PG&E, which reported an outage around when and where the fire ignited. PG&E already faced financial pressure from its suspected role in a series of deadly fires in California wine country last year. The company's filing last month said it needed to boost revenue to keep investors from fleeing, noting that its credit rating was downgraded and its shares had plummeted since the 2017 fires.
Fire investigators have blamed PG&E equipment for 12 of last year's wildfires. In eight of those fires, investigators said they found evidence of violations of state law and forwarded the findings to prosecutors. California regulators generally allow utilities to pass on the costs of those lawsuits to their customers, but only if the company can show it prudently managed its equipment. The new state law makes it easier for utilities to bill customers if they can show a fire got worse from things outside their control, like severe weather.
Meanwhile, California’s Legislature will be asked to protect utilities from possible bankruptcy by shielding them from billions of dollars in liability linked to this year’s deadly swath of wildfires, it was reported last week. Assemblyman Chris Holden (D-Pasadena), plans to introduce a measure that could allow PG&E and other utilities to pass onto customers some costs related to this year’s fires, the San Jose Mercury News reported. Who's responsible for the Camp Fire and should utilities be shielded from wildfire liability?
With files from the Associated Press
We have reached out to Pacific Gas & Electric but they did not provide a spokesperson in time for the interview.
Guests:
Sharon McNary, KPCC’s infrastructure correspondent; she tweets
Pedro Pizarro, president and CEO of Edison International parent company of SoCal Edison; SoCal Edison is a sponsor of KPCC
Chris Holden (D-Pasadena), California Assemblyman representing the 41st Assembly District, which encompasses the northern San Gabriel Valley; chairman of the state Assembly Utilities and Energy Committee, who plans to introduce a measure that could allow Pacific Gas & Electric and other utilities to pass onto customers some costs related to this year’s fires
Mike Mohler, deputy director of communications for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) which is investigating the Camp Fire
Mark Toney, executive director of the consumer advocacy group The Utility Reform Network (TURN)
Michael Wara, director of the Climate and Energy Policy Program and senior research scholar at the Woods Institute for the Environment at Stanford University
Travis Miller, utilities strategist at Morningstar, a Chicago-based investment research firm that compiles and analyzes fund, stock and general market data