Business & Tech
California Utility Companies Criticized For Ad Campaign Aimed At Protecting Wildfire Victims
"It's a fake wildfire group, and it's actually funded by the companies that start wildfires," said Chen, who lives in Altadena.
July 23, 2026
A new ad campaign from an organization funded by California's largest private utility companies has drawn sharp criticism from wildfire survivors.
Find out what's happening in Sonoma Valleyfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
On its website, the group "Wildfire Victims First" urged homeowners to take action and enter personal information to fight against rising insurance costs.
Advocacy organizations such as Joy Chen's Every Fire Survivor's Network called Wildfire Victims First and the ad campaign a concerted effort by SoCal Edison, PG&E, and SDG&E to lobby lawmakers to shield power companies from large settlements.
Find out what's happening in Sonoma Valleyfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
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