PG&E Dixie Fire settlement | Wildfire prevention program scrutinized | Sierra snow optimism

The latest North State and California news on our airwaves for Tuesday, April 12.

PG&E has agreed to settlements over the 2019 Kincade Fire and last year’s Dixie Fire.

Under the Dixie Fire settlement, PG&E must create a streamlined system for paying survivors who lost their homes and other property. Claims could be paid in as little as 75 days.

By agreeing to the settlements, the company will not face criminal charges.

Plumas County District Attorney David Hollister said the agreement is a faster resolution.

“We needed some infusion of seed money to help our community rebuild,” Hollister said. “We could not afford to wait two, three, four years.”

PG&E must pay $55 million to support local groups that provided community response during the fires and help to cover investigation costs.

Hollister expects PG&E will pay over $1 billion as a result of the Dixie Fire, which destroyed entire communities and burned nearly 1 million acres.

The settlements also require the company to improve the safety of its equipment, including burying at least 400 miles of power lines.

— CapRadio Staff

In late 2019, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a new program to dramatically speed up the state’s wildfire prevention work. But an investigation from CapRadio and the California Newsroom found the program hasn’t resulted in a single completed project.

The program, called the California Vegetation Treatment Program (CalVTP), was designed to fast-track the environmental approval process for fire prevention projects without compromising environmental protections.

The state originally anticipated the program would result in 45,000 acres of completed forest management work in its first year. But more than two years in, CalVTP hasn’t led to a single completed project. Read the full story.

— CapRadio Staff

Some areas in the North State saw temperatures in the 90s last week, but colder weather is now returning to the region. This week started with near to freezing temperatures overnight; the region will continue to see cool temperatures and off and on chances for light precipitation, including possible snow flurries down to low elevations in the foothills.

Late week there will be another possibly more active weather system moving in with moderate snow impacts for the mountains.

— Dave Schlom, NSPR

More than seven inches fell Monday at the UC Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Lab, which sits near Donner Summit.

Andrew Schwartz, an atmospheric scientist who specializes in snow, said there's reason to be excited about this latest system.

“The longer we can keep snow on the ground the better it is for our fire danger, and of course, any drop of rain or snow means that ultimately that's more water that's going to be here for the landscape and potentially for our reservoirs,” he said. “So, these types of late-season storms, while it may not seem like they make as much of an impact, they certainly do.”

Schwartz said there's room to be optimistic that even more accumulation will come with another system this weekend, but it's hard to say for sure at this point.

— CapRadio Staff

More than a week after the worst mass shooting in Sacramento history, evidence is still being collected, and the effort to find all those involved continues. One of the guns recovered in the investigation was a pistol illegally converted into an automatic weapon.

California Sen. Alex Padilla said while the state has the strongest gun laws in the country, he’s focused on national gun safety legislation.

“Yes, California leads the way when it comes to background checks and restrictions on assault weapons,” Padilla said. “But when weapons — like those that seem to have been used — are easily brought into the state from neighboring states, that’s a huge loophole for the nation’s safety.”

Padilla said there’s been little progress on gun safety legislation at the federal level because of the filibuster — which can delay or prevent a vote on a bill — and because gun ownership has become such a hot political issue.

— CapRadio Staff

Stories from NPR partner stations are edited by NSPR Staff for digital presentation and credited as requested.

• Plumas entities to receive $17 million from PG&E in contributions; settlement info released today [Monday]: “Of the five, Plumas County bore the biggest brunt of the fire, but will also reap the largest settlement amount — thanks in large part to the efforts of District Attorney David Hollister, who advocated strongly for Plumas.” — Plumas News

• LaMalfa, Thompson introduce bipartisan resolution to recognize importance of California ricelands in wildlife conservation: “Last week, Congressmen Doug LaMalfa and Mike Thompson introduced a resolution in the House of Representatives to recognize the significant role that California ricelands play in wildlife conservation.” — Lassen County Times

• Chico Scrap Metal has closed East 20th Street location: “Former Chico Mayor Karl Ory, along with others such as Bob Mulholland, held a press conference in front of the closed business Monday morning to talk about the closure as well as some of the struggles between Chico Scrap Metal and the city. This included lawsuits from both sides.” — Chico Enterprise-Record

• Red Bluff Round-Up Chili Cook Off offers dozens of near perfect chilis for charity: “Dozens of booths lined Pine Street as the distinct smell of chili wafted through the windy air at the Red Bluff Round-Up Regional Chili Cook Off Saturday in downtown Red Bluff.” — Red Bluff Daily News

• Williams pleads not guilty in drowning: “Two individuals involved in separate alleged homicide incidents in Linda each appeared before a judge Monday at Yuba County Superior Court to enter their pleas.” — The Appeal-Democrat

• Duplex housing law met with fierce resistance by California cities: “Senate Bill 9, a state law that went into effect Jan. 1, allows property owners to build duplexes and in some cases, fourplexes, on most single-family parcels across the state.” — CalMatters

• April snow survey at Klamath National Forest shows snowpack is far lower than average — NSPR (Headlines, April 11)
• Greenville’s temporary pop-up library helps the community stay connected — NSPR (Headlines, April 11)
• Water, weed and racism: why Asians feel targeted in this rural California county — The Guardian
• Local tribe uses legal brief to argue for more just and equitable water stewardship — Shasta Scout
• Butte County Supervisors to talk water — Chico Enterprise-Record
• School choice funding program not on November ballot — Redding Record Searchlight
• Health officials hold virtual forum, answer questions — Plumas News
• What to do if you test positive for COVID at this point in the pandemic — NPR
• New Jellys Ferry Bridge opens up one lane to traffic — Red Bluff Daily News

Headlines is published every weekday morning at 8:30 a.m. Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and NPR One. Theme song Borough is courtesy of Blue Dot Sessions.