SACRAMENTO, CA (KMJ) – Wildfires and blackouts – Governor Gavin Newsom spoke of his plans to transform the state’s largest utility.
During a press conference on Friday, Governor Newsom first thanked the firefighting efforts by Cal Fire and other agencies, who have been faced with historic winds and extreme fire dangers.
“2000 fires just in the last week. It gives you the totality of the magnitude of the work that is being done out there, and the heroism that often doesn’t even get recognized because it’s not even identified in the first place,” said Newsom.
Gov. Newsom then outlined what his administration has done to beef up California’s firefighting tools since he took office, and said the state is actively preparing for the next year’s wildfire season.
With counties losing power during Pacific Gas and Electric Company’s long and widespread blackouts — which Newsom said highlighted the utility’s “culture of ineptitude” he redoubled the call for PG&E to make good with the state.
Gov. Newsom says they are addressing the protocols for planned power outages by the utility companies.
The Governor has already called on the California Public Utilities Commission to reform power shutoff rules and regulations as part of the CPUC’s investigation into the utility shutoffs.
Newsom is appointing an “energy czar” to help guide PG&E out of bankruptcy.
If an agreement on the company’s future does not emerge in the courts, the Governor could take the company out of private ownership, entirely.
Click to hear the report by KMJ’s Liz Kern:
