After a lengthy process, Sonoma County has reached a settlement with PG&E for the utility's responsibility in the 2019 Kincade fire.
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The settlement includes millions of dollars to be allocated to local initiatives and requires five years of oversight of PG&E's fire safety initiatives in Sonoma County.
But District Attorney Jill Ravitch said the process was strenuous, requiring three senior attorneys and an investigator to work the case for the last year, taking focus away from other, equally important issues.
"The Attorney General has a lot more resources," said Ravitch at a Monday press conference. "I have to ask why the Attorney General isn't stepping into this type of complex litigation and leaving it to smaller counties like us."
These kinds of cases would benefit from aid from the California Attorney General's Office, as well as from the state legislature, which would help keep corporations in check.
"Having strict liability in place, having probation in place, having elevated fines in place – these are some of the tools that might help," she said.
PG&E will also be required to hire at least 80 new wildfire safety related positions in Sonoma County.
The more than $20 million is to be funneled into "non-profit organizations that provide services to Sonoma County residents impacted by wildfires and evacuations," according to a statement made by the DA's office on Monday, as well public education efforts in fire safety and vegetation management, civil penalties, and reimburse the DA for the cost of the case.
The Kincade Fire started October 23, 2019, under a PG&E transmission tower in Sonoma County, according to the statement. The fire burned for 15 days, destroying more than 77,000 acres and hundreds of homes and structures.
Nearly 200,000 residents had to be evacuated. The cause of the fire was determined to be a broken jumper cable.
The utility has reached settlements with six California counties and is still facing civil claims.
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