northern california
The money will help thousands of victims of wildfires blamed on the company's shoddy equipment.
The utility shut off power as a preventive effort ― but such cuts can leave vulnerable groups who depend on electricity at risk.
Lawmakers wanted answers from Bill Johnson and executives from the state’s other two investor-owned utilities about the shutoffs last month.
About 100,000 residents have been ordered to evacuate and more than 2 million are expected to lose power.
WHAT'S HAPPENING
As strong winds are expected over the weekend, utility companies are warning of possible widespread electricity shutoffs to prevent more fires.
The measures will allow emergency workers to get compensated while recovering from post-traumatic stress from their jobs.
California, along with a coalition of other states, says the new "public charge" rule creates unnecessary barriers for immigrants to obtain legal status.
Employees at a recycling facility in Humboldt County, California, recovered all but $320.
Mussels are the “canaries in the coal mine for climate change — only this canary provides food and habitat for hundreds of other species," says a biologist.
The settlement with the California utility included $270 million to the town of Paradise, which was mostly destroyed in the fire.