Erin Brockovich urges California to stop PG&E bankruptcy

Consumer activist Erin Brockovich, who famously took on Pacific Gas & Electric Co. in the 1990s, urged California lawmakers not to let the utility go bankrupt because it could mean less money for wildfire victims.

Brockovich said as she stood outside the Capitol in Sacramento alongside people who lost their homes to destructive fires, "I'm mad, I think we should all be mad."

PG&E announced last week it plans to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy because it can't afford to pay at least $30 billion in expected damages due to deadly 2017 and 2018 Northern California wildfires.

California law makes utilities entirely liable for damage caused by wildfires sparked by their equipment, even if the utility isn't found to be negligent.

The cause of a 2017 fire that swept through Santa Rosa and the 2018 fire that destroyed Paradise are still under investigation. PG&E is under scrutiny in both cases, and lawsuits have been filed by people who lost their homes and are underinsured or lack insurance.

Brockovich is part of the legal team representing victims of the 2017 fires.

Experts have said under a PG&E bankruptcy, wildfire victims likely won't get all of the money they have sued for.