The City of Santa Rosa – as a claimant in PG&E’s bankruptcy proceedings – will soon submit our ballot to the Bankruptcy Court in support of those elements of PG&E’s Plan of Reorganization that address the City’s 2017 wildfire losses.  The Plan of Reorganization includes settlements of all 2017 and 2018 wildfire claims and it is subject to the approval of the Bankruptcy Court.  A hearing on the proposed Plan is scheduled for May 27, 2020.  We want to keep our Santa Rosa community apprised of the City’s critical steps in this long process, including this latest action to cast our ballot of support for PG&E’s Plan.

With respect to the City’s losses, the current plan includes a previously negotiated $415 million tentative settlement for the nine cities and counties in Northern California affected by the devastating 2017 wildfires. That settlement was reached last June and approved by all of the nine participating public entities at that time.  Santa Rosa’s share of this payment is $117,765,826, which is inclusive of all legal damages, costs and attorneys’ fees. This allocation was made in careful and collaborative negotiation with the nine other entities and is based on calculation of our City’s actual loss of public resources that were not otherwise recovered by insurance or state or federal funding programs.

The settlement and our City’s allocation, if approved by the bankruptcy judge, will allow the City Council to allocate funds to aid in recovery projects and programs that help to better protect and support our community when disaster strikes. Should PG&E’s plan be approved, the City Council is committed to a robust public input process to help determine the best way to distribute funds to invest in our community’s recovery and resiliency.

For more information, please refer to our Frequently Asked Questions.