SACRAMENTO — During his inaugural address last January, Gov. Gavin Newsom made only a passing reference to wildfires and never mentioned the state's largest utility, Pacific Gas & Electric. Both soon became inescapable topics. PG&E filed for bankruptcy barely three weeks after the Democratic governor was sworn in, triggering a series of...
Looking Down and Back on a Decade from Space
There has been no shortage of big news over the last decade. Spanning the globe, some stories were expected while others caught the world off guard. Some were so massive they were visible from space, captured through state-of-the-art imaging satellites belonging to technology company and imagery provider Maxar Technologies. Together,...
Wildfires Cause Turmoil in CA Property Insurance Market
NEW YORK — Kent Michitsch seemed to be running out of traditional options to insure the home he’s lived in for more than 30 years northeast of San Diego as California’s massive property insurance market reels from three consecutive years of destructive wildfires. Michitsch, 57, has received three non-renewal notices...
AP Exclusive: Early PG&E Blackouts Forewarned Later Problems
SAN FRANCISCO — The state senators grilling the CEO of Pacific Gas & Electric Corp. were upset — like millions of other Californians, some spent days in the dark when the nation’s largest utility shut off power during windstorms this fall. The lawmakers demanded that the executive explain why blackouts...
Judge OKs Nearly $25 Billion for PG&E Fire Victims, Insurers
SAN FRANCISCO — A federal bankruptcy judge on Tuesday approved two Pacific Gas & Electric settlements totaling $24.5 billion to help pay the losses suffered by homeowners, businesses and insurers in the aftermath of catastrophic Northern California wildfires that sent the nation’s largest utility into a financial morass. The decision...
Latest Fire-Prevention Power Outage Ending in California
SAN FRANCISCO — Pacific Gas & Electric expected to restore power Thursday to virtually all the 120,000 people it intentionally blacked out to avoid the risk of catastrophic wildfires. The nation’s largest utility cut the juice on Wednesday in 10 Northern and central California counties because of concerns that dry,...
CEO says PG&E Got Complacent About Power Outages
SACRAMENTO — The head of Pacific Gas & Electric Corp. has told a California legislative committee that the utility became complacent about power shutdowns after successfully completing a few smaller ones. Utility CEO Bill Johnson made the comments Monday in testimony before a California legislative committee that also detailed a...
Utility’s Boss to Testify About Power Shutoffs in California
SACRAMENTO — The CEO of the nation’s largest utility is expected to face angry California lawmakers on Monday over the company’s decision to turn off power for millions of people to prevent its outdated equipment from starting wildfires. Pacific Gas & Electric Corp. CEO Bill Johnson is scheduled to testify...
Regulators to Open Inquiry Into PG&E Outages
SAN FRANCISCO — California regulators will vote Wednesday on whether to open an investigation into pre-emptive power outages that blacked out large parts of the state for much of October as strong winds sparked fears of wildfires. Pacific Gas & Electric Co. initiated multiple rounds of shut-offs and plunged nearly...
AP FACT CHECK: Is Trump's 'Read the Transcript' Defense Valid?
WASHINGTON — It's been his drumbeating demand: "Read the transcript!" "Just read the transcript." "Can't we read English?" "Just read the Transcript, everything else is made up garbage." "READ THE TRANSCRIPT!" Heading into public hearings this week, people have read the transcript, and that's why President Donald Trump has an impeachment...