Redding Today

Senator Brian Dahle has urged Governor Gavin Newsom to convene a special legislative session to address the ongoing issues of wildfires, power outages, and homeowners insurance cancellations. Dahle emphasized the urgency of the situation, stating, "If there were ever an extraordinary situation in which the legislature should be called back to Sacramento to solve a pressing issue this is it. We cannot go another week like this. It’s untenable, it’s inhumane, it’s cruel, and it is our duty to address these issues immediately. Waiting until January is not an option."

Dahle has also appealed to Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara to impose a moratorium on further cancellations of homeowner insurance policies during the current State of Emergency. He highlighted the distress faced by constituents who are dealing with power outages and smoke from wildfires while receiving notices of insurance cancellations. "Our constituents have no electricity, are choking on smoke, and then go to their mailbox and receive a notice that their homeowners insurance will be cancelled. This has to stop," Dahle stated.

Several legislators have proposed solutions over the past two weeks, and Senate Pro-Tem Toni Atkins has formed a working group of Democrat Senators. Dahle believes that if Governor Newsom convenes the legislature this week, this group could work concurrently with a Special Session to find immediate solutions.

Dahle criticized PG&E for failing to maintain its equipment and manage forest overgrowth, contributing to wildfires across California. He called for a discussion on restructuring PG&E into smaller entities that can better respond to crises and proposed creating a transition plan for PG&E employees affected by these changes.

"I’ve had enough of utility executives that care more about Wall Street and their profits than the health and safety of Californians," said Dahle. He advocated for a state-led plan to reorganize PG&E out of bankruptcy court in favor of serving customers first.

Dahle plans to introduce legislation aimed at making the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) accountable by transitioning it into an elected body with all commissioners up for election in 2020. "The Public Utilities Commission has failed to regulate the utilities of this state... They need to face the voters," he remarked.

Additionally, he suggested relocating PUC offices from San Francisco to Sacramento for better oversight by the Legislature and Governor.

The California Constitution allows the Governor by proclamation on extraordinary occasions to assemble the Legislature in special session specifically addressing subjects mentioned in such proclamations.

California's 1st Senate District includes parts or all of 15 counties: Alpine, El Dorado, Lassen, Modoc, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, Sierra, Siskiyou, Shasta as well as portions of Tehama, Butte, Colusa and Glenn counties.