On September 24, 2026, Attorneys William A. Kershaw, Stuart C. Talley, and Ian J. Barlow of Kershaw Talley Barlow wrote directly to Governor Gavin Newsom, urging him to sign Assembly Bill 2700. The bill is intended to address survivors who were left uncompensated for large portions of their losses from wildfires, including the 2017 North Bay Fire and 2018 Camp Fire. We’re pleased to say that, on September 30, 2026, Governor Newsom signed the bill.
A Long and Difficult Road for Wildfire Survivors
For survivors of the 2017 North Bay wildfires and the 2018 Camp Fire, the last several years have asked more of them than anyone should have to endure. Many lost their loved ones, homes, businesses, and communities. After the fires, many of these survivors spent years navigating PG&E's bankruptcy and the Fire Victim Trust claims process that followed, a process that formally evaluated and verified the full extent of each survivor’s claimed damages.
That process is about to conclude, but the payments have fallen short of survivors’ determined damage amounts. The Fire Victim Trust's final distribution brought total payments to only 71.25% of each survivor's Determination Award, with no further distributions on the horizon. In practical terms, this means survivors are being left uncompensated for nearly 29% of the losses that the Trust determined they have suffered.
What AB 2700 Does
AB 2700 establishes that victims of utility-caused wildfires should be fully, fairly, and promptly compensated. The law directs the California Public Utilities Commission (“CPUC”) to assess these verified restitution shortfalls and recommend mechanisms for addressing them, while also protecting ratepayers and maintaining long-term rate stability. Importantly, the law places responsibility for fully compensating wildfire victims on the utility companies that caused the fires, not on victims or everyday ratepayers, and it prohibits using increased rates to fund restitution payments.
AB 2700 does not guarantee survivors an immediate payment, and it does not resolve this issue on its own. What it does is establish a necessary process for identifying what survivors are still owed and developing a fair, workable path toward compensation for their remaining losses.
With the unmistakable importance of AB 2700, we want to thank Governor Newsom for signing AB 2700 into law.
Why We Felt Compelled to Speak Up
Kershaw Talley Barlow has spent years representing wildfire survivors across California, including those affected by the Camp Fire, the Dixie Fire, and the North Bay Fires. We have sat with clients as they rebuild their lives after losing nearly everything, witnessing firsthand how the legal system holds out the promise of fair and immediate relief, only to take years or fail to deliver an adequate result.
That experience is why we felt it was necessary to voice our strong support for AB 2700 and speak up for North Bay and Camp Fire survivors who face the prospect of being permanently undercompensated. In our letter, we told Governor Newsom plainly that these survivors have waited long enough, and that they should not bear the financial consequences of a process that analyzed and confirmed the value of their losses but ultimately lacked the funding to compensate them.
Any future restitution should be paid directly and entirely to wildfire survivors. AB 2700 establishes a pathway to accomplish this, and we fully support it.
The Road Ahead for Wildfire Survivors
AB 2700 is not the end of this story, but it is a meaningful and important next step. Survivors of the North Bay wildfires and the Camp Fire now have a clearer path toward the full compensation they need and deserve, and our firm will continue to support them.
If you are a wildfire survivor with questions about your compensation or your rights under California law, we encourage you to reach out. Call Kershaw Talley Barlow at (916) 520-6639 for a free consultation.
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