Wildfire survivors who lost homes to PG&E-caused fires could get full compensation under a new California law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sept. 30.

Assembly Bill 2700, the Fire Victim and Restitution Recovery Act, requires the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to calculate what victims are still owed and recommend ways utilities can pay without raising customer rates. The law covers PG&E-sparked fires from 2015 through 2018, including the 2018 Camp Fire that killed 85 people and devastated the town of Paradise.

Two lawmakers with direct ties to the Folsom and El Dorado Hills area authored the bill. Assemblyman Joe Patterson, who represents the 5th Assembly District covering El Dorado Hills and Cameron Park, took over the legislation after its original author, then-Assemblyman James Gallagher, won a special election to Congress in June 2026. Gallagher now represents California's 1st Congressional District, which includes Folsom.

"Wildfire victims, who have waited years to be paid their fair share, have a pathway to be fully compensated," Patterson said in a statement from his office.

Every vote was unanimous. The bill cleared nine legislative votes, including a 78-0 Assembly concurrence vote and a 40-0 Senate floor vote, FOX40 reported.

The need for the bill traces to PG&E's 2020 bankruptcy settlement. The Fire Victim Trust created in that process approved roughly $19.57 billion in awards, but final payouts will reach only 71.25% of those amounts, according to ABC7. That leaves about 29% uncovered. After attorney fees, many Camp Fire survivors received only 40% to 50% of their court-determined losses, the Sacramento Bee reported.

The CPUC has until January 2028 to complete its report. The study carries an estimated one-time cost of $5 million. AB 2700 takes effect Jan. 1, 2027.

The law does not force an immediate PG&E payment. Any new compensation mechanism would require additional approval from state lawmakers.

PG&E and Southern California Edison opposed the measure. The utilities warned lawmakers they would likely sue, calling the bill something that "invites endless litigation" because it "attempts to rewrite the outcome of those long-settled federal proceedings," according to the Bee. San Diego Gas & Electric supported it.

Will Abrams, organizing advocate for the Utility Wildfire Survivor Coalition, who lost his home in the 2017 Tubbs Fire, said the coalition plans to participate in CPUC proceedings as the report is developed.

Gallagher called the bill "one of my last actions in the legislature" and said it provides "a pathway for accountability and real justice for fire survivors."