A Year After PG&E Left Bankruptcy, Spending by Fire Victim Trust Remains a Mystery
'Unacceptable, Egregious:' Lawmakers Seek Probe of PG&E Fire Victim Trust
Frustration and Tears as Camp Fire Survivors Protest PG&E Fire Trust
Under Fire, Overpaid
Cascade of Outrage Follows Investigation Into PG&E Fire Victim Trust Expenses
Burning Through the Bucks
Survivors Stuck in Limbo as PG&E Fire Victim Trust Pays Out $50 Million in Fees
Sponsored
Player sponsored by
window.__IS_SSR__=true
window.__INITIAL_STATE__={
"attachmentsReducer": {
"audio_0": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "audio_0",
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/themes/KQED-unified/img/audio_bgs/background0.jpg"
}
}
},
"audio_1": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "audio_1",
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/themes/KQED-unified/img/audio_bgs/background1.jpg"
}
}
},
"audio_2": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "audio_2",
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/themes/KQED-unified/img/audio_bgs/background2.jpg"
}
}
},
"audio_3": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "audio_3",
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/themes/KQED-unified/img/audio_bgs/background3.jpg"
}
}
},
"audio_4": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "audio_4",
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/themes/KQED-unified/img/audio_bgs/background4.jpg"
}
}
},
"placeholder": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "placeholder",
"imgSizes": {
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 107,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-800x533.jpg",
"width": 800,
"height": 533,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-768x512.jpg",
"width": 768,
"height": 512,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1020x680.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"height": 680,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1536x1024.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1024,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"fd-lrg": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1536x1024.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1024,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"fd-med": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1020x680.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"height": 680,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"fd-sm": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-800x533.jpg",
"width": 800,
"height": 533,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"xxsmall": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 107,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"xsmall": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"small": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"xlarge": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1020x680.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"height": 680,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1920x1280.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1280,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"guest-author-32": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 32,
"height": 32,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"guest-author-50": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 50,
"height": 50,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"guest-author-64": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 64,
"height": 64,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"guest-author-96": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 96,
"height": 96,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"guest-author-128": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 128,
"height": 128,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"detail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 160,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1333
}
}
},
"news_11803759": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "news_11803759",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "11803759",
"found": true
},
"parent": 11803684,
"imgSizes": {
"apple_news_ca_landscape_5_5": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/02/Powell-Camp-Fire-1044x783.jpg",
"width": 1044,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 783
},
"apple_news_ca_square_4_0": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/02/Powell-Camp-Fire-470x470.jpg",
"width": 470,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 470
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/02/Powell-Camp-Fire-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/02/Powell-Camp-Fire-160x110.jpg",
"width": 160,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 110
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/02/Powell-Camp-Fire-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/02/Powell-Camp-Fire.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1314
},
"apple_news_ca_landscape_4_7": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/02/Powell-Camp-Fire-632x474.jpg",
"width": 632,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 474
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/02/Powell-Camp-Fire-1020x698.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 698
},
"apple_news_ca_landscape_4_0": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/02/Powell-Camp-Fire-536x402.jpg",
"width": 536,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 402
},
"apple_news_ca_portrait_12_9": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/02/Powell-Camp-Fire-1122x1314.jpg",
"width": 1122,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1314
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/02/Powell-Camp-Fire-800x548.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 548
},
"apple_news_ca_portrait_4_0": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/02/Powell-Camp-Fire-354x472.jpg",
"width": 354,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 472
},
"apple_news_ca_portrait_9_7": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/02/Powell-Camp-Fire-840x1120.jpg",
"width": 840,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1120
},
"apple_news_ca_landscape_12_9": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/02/Powell-Camp-Fire-1832x1314.jpg",
"width": 1832,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1314
},
"apple_news_ca_square_9_7": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/02/Powell-Camp-Fire-1104x1104.jpg",
"width": 1104,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1104
},
"apple_news_ca_portrait_4_7": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/02/Powell-Camp-Fire-414x552.jpg",
"width": 414,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 552
},
"apple_news_ca_square_12_9": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/02/Powell-Camp-Fire-1472x1314.jpg",
"width": 1472,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1314
},
"apple_news_ca_portrait_5_5": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/02/Powell-Camp-Fire-687x916.jpg",
"width": 687,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 916
},
"full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/02/Powell-Camp-Fire-1920x1314.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1314
},
"apple_news_ca_square_4_7": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/02/Powell-Camp-Fire-550x550.jpg",
"width": 550,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 550
},
"apple_news_ca_landscape_9_7": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/02/Powell-Camp-Fire-1376x1032.jpg",
"width": 1376,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1032
},
"apple_news_ca_square_5_5": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/02/Powell-Camp-Fire-912x912.jpg",
"width": 912,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 912
}
},
"publishDate": 1582764977,
"modified": 1582765077,
"caption": "Fire survivor Brandy Powell looks through the remains of her home that was destroyed by the Camp Fire on Nov. 22, 2018 in Paradise. PG&E's equipment was responsible for the blaze, the deadliest and most destructive in modern California history.",
"description": "Fire survivor Brandy Powell looks through the remains of her home that was destroyed by the Camp Fire on Nov. 22, 2018 in Paradise. PG&E's equipment was responsible for the blaze, the deadliest and most destructive in modern California history.",
"title": "Powell-Camp-Fire",
"credit": "Justin Sullivan/Getty Images",
"status": "inherit",
"fetchFailed": false,
"isLoading": false
},
"news_11875085": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "news_11875085",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "11875085",
"found": true
},
"parent": 11875034,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/Paradise_Rally-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/Paradise_Rally-160x90.jpg",
"width": 160,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 90
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/Paradise_Rally-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/Paradise_Rally.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1080
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/Paradise_Rally-1020x574.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 574
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/Paradise_Rally-1536x864.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 864
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/Paradise_Rally-800x450.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 450
}
},
"publishDate": 1621888339,
"modified": 1629156954,
"caption": "Survivors of the 2018 Camp Fire gather in Paradise, California, on May 22, 2021, to protest runaway overhead expenses by the PG&E Fire Victim Trust.",
"description": null,
"title": "Paradise_Rally",
"credit": "Lily Jamali/KQED",
"status": "inherit",
"altTag": null,
"fetchFailed": false,
"isLoading": false
},
"news_11875094": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "news_11875094",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "11875094",
"found": true
},
"parent": 11875034,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/Paradise_Rally_2-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/Paradise_Rally_2-160x90.jpg",
"width": 160,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 90
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/Paradise_Rally_2-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/Paradise_Rally_2.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1080
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/Paradise_Rally_2-1020x574.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 574
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/Paradise_Rally_2-1536x864.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 864
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/Paradise_Rally_2-800x450.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 450
}
},
"publishDate": 1621888978,
"modified": 1631116709,
"caption": "Angela Casler attends a rally in Paradise on May 22, 2021 to protest runaway overhead expenses incurred by the PG&E Fire Victim Trust. Casler lost her father-in-law shortly after the Camp Fire. ",
"description": null,
"title": "Paradise_Rally_2",
"credit": "Lily Jamali/KQED",
"status": "inherit",
"altTag": null,
"fetchFailed": false,
"isLoading": false
},
"news_11873994": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "news_11873994",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "11873994",
"found": true
},
"parent": 11873985,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/victimtrust_051721_final-1038x576.png",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/png",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/victimtrust_051721_final-160x105.png",
"width": 160,
"mimeType": "image/png",
"height": 105
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/victimtrust_051721_final-672x372.png",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/png",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/victimtrust_051721_final.png",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1263
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/victimtrust_051721_final-1020x671.png",
"width": 1020,
"mimeType": "image/png",
"height": 671
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/victimtrust_051721_final-1536x1010.png",
"width": 1536,
"mimeType": "image/png",
"height": 1010
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/victimtrust_051721_final-800x526.png",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/png",
"height": 526
}
},
"publishDate": 1621284537,
"modified": 1621284603,
"caption": null,
"description": null,
"title": "victimtrust_051721_final",
"credit": null,
"status": "inherit",
"altTag": "A Mark Fiore cartoon highlighting the outrageous $1,500 hourly rate of John Trotter, trustee of the PG&E Fire Victim Trust. Titled \"Untrustworthy.\"",
"fetchFailed": false,
"isLoading": false
},
"news_11873756": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "news_11873756",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "11873756",
"found": true
},
"parent": 11873721,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/Paradise-camp-fire-survivor-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/Paradise-camp-fire-survivor-160x105.jpg",
"width": 160,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 105
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/Paradise-camp-fire-survivor-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/Paradise-camp-fire-survivor.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1261
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/Paradise-camp-fire-survivor-1020x670.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 670
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/Paradise-camp-fire-survivor-1536x1009.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1009
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/Paradise-camp-fire-survivor-800x525.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 525
}
},
"publishDate": 1621023490,
"modified": 1621026405,
"caption": "Noah Fisher, a survivor of the PG&E-caused Camp Fire, looks over his destroyed home in Paradise in November 2018. The vast majority of the 67,000 victims of PG&E-caused fires have yet to see any money from a Fire Victim Trust, which has so far spent $51 million on overhead expenses.",
"description": "Noah Fisher, a survivor of the PG&E-caused Camp Fire, looks over his destroyed home in Paradise in Nov. 2018. The vast majority of the 67,000 victims of PG&E-caused fires have yet to see any money from a Fire Victim Trust which has so far spent $51 million on overhead expenses.",
"title": "Paradise-camp-fire-survivor",
"credit": "Justin Sullivan/Getty Images",
"status": "inherit",
"altTag": null,
"fetchFailed": false,
"isLoading": false
},
"news_11872745": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "news_11872745",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "11872745",
"found": true
},
"parent": 11872741,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/overhead_050721_final-1038x576.png",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/png",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/overhead_050721_final-160x109.png",
"width": 160,
"mimeType": "image/png",
"height": 109
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/overhead_050721_final-672x372.png",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/png",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/overhead_050721_final.png",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1307
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/overhead_050721_final-1020x694.png",
"width": 1020,
"mimeType": "image/png",
"height": 694
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/overhead_050721_final-1536x1046.png",
"width": 1536,
"mimeType": "image/png",
"height": 1046
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/overhead_050721_final-800x545.png",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/png",
"height": 545
}
},
"publishDate": 1620413583,
"modified": 1620413683,
"caption": null,
"description": null,
"title": "overhead_050721_final",
"credit": null,
"status": "inherit",
"altTag": "A Mark Fiore cartoon about the PG&E Fire Victim Trust that is charged with distributing money to fire victims. The cartoon shows a huge pile of money and a trustee making $1500 an hour balancing over the heads of destroyed homes with people standing down below looking upwards. The caption says, \"overhead.\"",
"fetchFailed": false,
"isLoading": false
},
"news_11872332": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "news_11872332",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "11872332",
"found": true
},
"parent": 11872328,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/Bill-Cook-Home-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/Bill-Cook-Home-160x105.jpg",
"width": 160,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 105
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/Bill-Cook-Home-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/Bill-Cook-Home.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1262
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/Bill-Cook-Home-1020x670.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 670
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/Bill-Cook-Home-1536x1010.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1010
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/Bill-Cook-Home-800x526.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 526
}
},
"publishDate": 1620249583,
"modified": 1620256913,
"caption": "Bill Cook's family home in Paradise was destroyed by the Camp Fire, sparked by PG&E equipment in 2018. Like the vast majority of the 67,000 victims of multiple PG&E-related fires included in a December 2019 settlement with the company, Cook's family has yet to see a dime.",
"description": "Bill Cook's family home in Paradise was destroyed by the Camp Fire, sparked by PG&E equipment in 2018. Like the vast majority of the 67,000 victims of multiple PG&E-related fires included in a December 2019 settlement with the company, Cook's family has yet to see a dime.",
"title": "Bill-Cook-Home",
"credit": "Courtesy Bill Cook",
"status": "inherit",
"altTag": "burned remnants of Cook family home in Paradise",
"fetchFailed": false,
"isLoading": false
}
},
"audioPlayerReducer": {
"postId": "stream_live",
"isPaused": true,
"isPlaying": false,
"pfsActive": false,
"pledgeModalIsOpen": true,
"playerDrawerIsOpen": false
},
"authorsReducer": {
"markfiore": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "3236",
"meta": {
"index": "authors_1716337520",
"id": "3236",
"found": true
},
"name": "Mark Fiore",
"firstName": "Mark",
"lastName": "Fiore",
"slug": "markfiore",
"email": "mark@markfiore.com",
"display_author_email": false,
"staff_mastheads": [
"news"
],
"title": "KQED News Cartoonist",
"bio": "\u003ca href=\"http://www.MarkFiore.com\">MarkFiore.com\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/markfiore\">Follow on Twitter\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mark-Fiore-Animated-Political-Cartoons/94451707396?ref=bookmarks\">Facebook\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"mailto:mark@markfiore.com\">email\u003c/a>\r\n\r\nPulitzer Prize-winner, Mark Fiore, who the Wall Street Journal has called “the undisputed guru of the form,” creates animated political cartoons in San Francisco, where his work has been featured regularly on the San Francisco Chronicle’s web site, SFGate.com. His work has appeared on Newsweek.com, Slate.com, CBSNews.com, MotherJones.com, DailyKos.com and NPR’s web site. Fiore’s political animation has appeared on CNN, Frontline, Bill Moyers Journal, Salon.com and cable and broadcast outlets across the globe.\r\n\r\nBeginning his professional life by drawing traditional political cartoons for newspapers, Fiore’s work appeared in publications ranging from the Washington Post to the Los Angeles Times. In the late 1990s, he began to experiment with animating political cartoons and, after a short stint at the San Jose Mercury News as their staff cartoonist, Fiore devoted all his energies to animation.\r\nGrowing up in California, Fiore also spent a good portion of his life in the backwoods of Idaho. It was this combination that shaped him politically. Mark majored in political science at Colorado College, where, in a perfect send-off for a cartoonist, he received his diploma in 1991 as commencement speaker Dick Cheney smiled approvingly.\r\nMark Fiore was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for political cartooning in 2010, a Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award in 2004 and has twice received an Online Journalism Award for commentary from the Online News Association (2002, 2008). Fiore has received two awards for his work in new media from the National Cartoonists Society (2001, 2002), and in 2006 received The James Madison Freedom of Information Award from The Society of Professional Journalists.",
"avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/fc4e2a612b15b67bad0c6f0e1db4ca9b?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twitter": "MarkFiore",
"facebook": null,
"instagram": "https://www.instagram.com/markfiore/?hl=en",
"linkedin": null,
"sites": [
{
"site": "arts",
"roles": [
"contributor"
]
},
{
"site": "news",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "futureofyou",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "science",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
}
],
"headData": {
"title": "Mark Fiore | KQED",
"description": "KQED News Cartoonist",
"ogImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/fc4e2a612b15b67bad0c6f0e1db4ca9b?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/fc4e2a612b15b67bad0c6f0e1db4ca9b?s=600&d=blank&r=g"
},
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/author/markfiore"
},
"ljamali": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "11552",
"meta": {
"index": "authors_1716337520",
"id": "11552",
"found": true
},
"name": "Lily Jamali",
"firstName": "Lily",
"lastName": "Jamali",
"slug": "ljamali",
"email": "ljamali@kqed.org",
"display_author_email": false,
"staff_mastheads": [],
"title": "KQED Contributor",
"bio": "Lily was the former co-host of the daily morning show, The California Report.",
"avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/dbf7b30d159e697731046a10d25a9e29?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twitter": "lilyjamali",
"facebook": null,
"instagram": null,
"linkedin": null,
"sites": [
{
"site": "news",
"roles": [
"create_posts",
"subscriber"
]
},
{
"site": "forum",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
}
],
"headData": {
"title": "Lily Jamali | KQED",
"description": "KQED Contributor",
"ogImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/dbf7b30d159e697731046a10d25a9e29?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/dbf7b30d159e697731046a10d25a9e29?s=600&d=blank&r=g"
},
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/author/ljamali"
}
},
"breakingNewsReducer": {},
"pagesReducer": {},
"postsReducer": {
"stream_live": {
"type": "live",
"id": "stream_live",
"audioUrl": "https://streams.kqed.org/kqedradio",
"title": "Live Stream",
"excerpt": "Live Stream information currently unavailable.",
"link": "/radio",
"featImg": "",
"label": {
"name": "KQED Live",
"link": "/"
}
},
"stream_kqedNewscast": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "stream_kqedNewscast",
"audioUrl": "https://www.kqed.org/.stream/anon/radio/RDnews/newscast.mp3?_=1",
"title": "KQED Newscast",
"featImg": "",
"label": {
"name": "88.5 FM",
"link": "/"
}
},
"news_11879943": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "news_11879943",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "11879943",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1625140846000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "a-year-after-pge-left-bankruptcy-spending-by-fire-victim-trust-remains-a-mystery",
"title": "A Year After PG&E Left Bankruptcy, Spending by Fire Victim Trust Remains a Mystery",
"publishDate": 1625140846,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "A Year After PG&E Left Bankruptcy, Spending by Fire Victim Trust Remains a Mystery | KQED",
"labelTerm": {
"site": "news"
},
"content": "\u003cp>It’s been a year since Pacific Gas and Electric Company left Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. That exit deal included a promised $13.5 billion settlement to pay victims of wildfires that were caused by the company’s equipment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The deal represented the culmination of a promise to fire survivors, PG&E interim CEO Bill Smith \u003ca href=\"https://www.pge.com/en/about/newsroom/newsdetails/index.page?title=20200701_pge_emerges_from_chapter_11\">declared\u003c/a> on July 1, 2020. “Today’s announcement is significant for PG&E and for the many wildfire victims who are now one step closer to getting paid,” he said. “Compensating these victims fairly and quickly has been our primary goal throughout these proceedings, and I am glad to say that today we funded the Fire Victim Trust for their benefit.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But a year later, public records show that a special Fire Victim Trust created to distribute the settlement has been slow to pay out victims — and quick to wrack up big bills for lawyers and consultants. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In May, KQED and NPR’s California Newsroom \u003ca href=\"https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.kqed.org/news/11872328/survivors-stuck-in-limbo-as-pge-fire-victim-trust-pays-out-50-million-in-fees&sa=D&source=editors&ust=1625084036887000&usg=AOvVaw0hyR-8qqeBfPKqldP6UYeX\">published an investigation\u003c/a> into spending by the Fire Victim Trust charged with compensating survivors. We found that in its first year, the trust had racked up $51 million in overhead, and distributed only $7 million to fire victims. Ninety percent of outgoing funds paid lawyers and consultants in 2020 while the vast majority of fire victims waited for help. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The pace of payments has picked up this year, but as of \u003ca href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/20982273-fvt-claims-data-report-63021-1\">June 30\u003c/a>, fewer than 3% of fire victims — 1,867 out of approximately 70,000 total — have had their claims fully processed. For now, they are getting 30% of what they were due while the Fire Victim Trust collects its fees in full. Approximately $436 million in compensation has been delivered.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But there is still much we don’t know.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To date, the Trust has refused to share its budget, a quarterly breakdown of expenses or a detailed reporting of firms and individuals the Trust has paid.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Trust also refuses to make public other details we’ve requested, like the terms of its retention deal with attorneys \u003ca href=\"https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210224005907/en/PGE-Fire-Victim-Trust-Sues-PGE-Executives-and-Officers-for-Causing-Devastating-Northern-California-Wildfires\">suing former PG&E directors and officers\u003c/a> on the Trust’s behalf. The attorney leading that lawsuit, Frank Pitre, happens to sit on the Fire Victim Trust’s court-appointed Trust Oversight Committee, as do representatives from three other law firms involved. KQED has been asking to review the Trust’s retention agreement with these attorneys since February.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote size='medium' align='right' citation=\"Scott McNutt, former California State Bar Board of Governors member and veteran bankruptcy attorney\"]‘One of the hallmarks of trust administration is transparency. That’s why they’re called trusts.’[/pullquote]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Leading experts told us the amount of secrecy surrounding the Trust was unusual. “One of the hallmarks of the bankruptcy process is transparency,” Scott McNutt, a former California State Bar Board of Governors member and veteran bankruptcy attorney, told KQED in May. “One of the hallmarks of trust administration is transparency. That’s why they’re called trusts.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After we published our May investigation, a bipartisan group of state lawmakers asked California Attorney General Rob Bonta to probe the spending and administration of the PG&E Fire Victim Trust.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is outrageous,” the lawmakers wrote to Bonta, “especially in light of the fact that thousands of fire victims are struggling to rebuild their lives.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bonta’s office said it is unable to comment on, even to confirm or deny, a potential or ongoing investigation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>The Trust Says Our Reporting Is ‘Inaccurate and Uninformed.’ They Are Wrong.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After the lawmakers demanded an investigation, both the Fire Victim Trust and the Trust Oversight Committee, made up primarily of mass tort attorneys, wrote to the attorney general and disputed our reporting. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Fire Victim Trust is led by retired California Appeals Court Justice John Trotter, who KQED revealed billed $1,500 an hour. In a \u003ca href=\"https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210224005907/en/PGE-Fire-Victim-Trust-Sues-PGE-Executives-and-Officers-for-Causing-Devastating-Northern-California-Wildfires\">video\u003c/a> released in response to our story, he said he had reduced his compensation to a “very adequate” salary of $150,000 a month. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside label=\"More coveage\" tag=\"fire-victims-trust\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In his \u003ca href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/20974605-trustee-letter-to-ag-bonta-5-27-21-executed-4\">letter\u003c/a> to the attorney general, Trotter said he was “appalled by the carelessness with which it [the legislators’ letter] was written.” Without naming KQED or NPR’s California Newsroom, Trotter continued: “It appears to be influenced by a recent, inaccurate and uninformed news report with no attempt to understand the Trust’s operation or function.” \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In its \u003ca href=\"https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/20974607-trustoversightcommitteeletter&sa=D&source=editors&ust=1625084187566000&usg=AOvVaw0WGLrTJ-Rbvb9Ukj9L7Kpg\">letter\u003c/a>, the Trust Oversight Committee said the figures reported by KQED were “out-of-date or .. out of context.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both statements couldn’t be further from the truth, as the lengthy trail of emails between KQED and the Fire Victim Trust makes clear. We have made extensive efforts to understand the Trust’s operations and function, and have consistently brought our findings to them — through their spokespeople — so that they have the opportunity to comment and explain themselves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite their public attacks on our journalism, we have yet to see any legitimate examples of inaccuracies in our reporting on the Trust’s finances.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As spelled out below, we have done our best to provide this accounting with the limited information in the public record. We welcome any and all additional transparency by the Trust into its spending and administration. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Trustee’s Claim:\u003c/strong>\u003cbr>\nNo attempt was made to understand the Trust’s operation or function. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>KQED’S Response:\u003c/strong>\u003cbr>\nWe have gone to great lengths to familiarize ourselves with the Trust’s inner workings. We have combed through past bankruptcy court filings, hearing transcripts and correspondence from the Trust to fire victims. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We’ve had dozens of contacts via email and by phone with the Trust’s PR firm asking detailed questions about our findings. We’ve also asked to interview the trustee, John Trotter, and the Trust’s claims administrator numerous times since our last interview with both in November.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We also contacted all seven of the firms we identified as having been paid by the Trust. Just one responded to our inquiry. None answered questions about how much money they had received.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Again, we would welcome greater transparency into how the Trust does its work and spends its money. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Trust Oversight Committee’s Claim:\u003c/strong>\u003cbr>\nStating that the Trust spent almost 90% of the funds on overhead during the first year is “untrue and misleading as stated. Ninety percent of the funds in the Trust would be over $10 billion.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>KQED’s Response:\u003c/strong>\u003cbr>\nKQED has been clear from the first story published on the Trust’s finances that overhead comprised almost 90% of funds spent \u003cem>in its first year\u003c/em>. We have never suggested that the Trust has spent $10 billion — or anything near that amount — on overhead.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Trust Oversight Committee’s Claim:\u003c/strong>\u003cbr>\nThe statement that the Fire Victim Trust accumulated over $51 million in overhead costs but allocated just $7 million to fire survivors is “based on 2020 year end data, which is now five months old, even though the Trust has released more recent data regarding payments to survivors, which demonstrated a much different picture.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>KQED’s Response:\u003c/strong>\u003cbr>\nThat 2020 year-end data on overhead costs is the only information the Trust chose to share in its annual report, which was published four months after the end of the reporting period it chose. Since then, the Trust has continued to incur overhead expenses without reporting updated figures to the public. The Trust has regularly released updated information on payments to fire survivors, however, and KQED has used the most up-to-date figures in all of our reports. We see that the Fire Victim Trust has begun posting this information publicly to \u003ca href=\"https://www.firevictimtrust.com/Documents.aspx\">its website\u003c/a> since we published our investigation. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In its \u003ca href=\"https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/20792877/ltr-from-toc-to-legislature-re-fvt.pdf\">recent letter responding to state lawmakers\u003c/a>, the Trust Oversight Committee decided to come forward with the information we sought ahead of our story. Operating expenses through April of this year — pending an audit of April expenses — now top $84.5 million.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11875085\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/Paradise_Rally-800x450.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11875085\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/Paradise_Rally-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/Paradise_Rally-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/Paradise_Rally-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/Paradise_Rally-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/Paradise_Rally.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Survivors of the 2018 Camp Fire gather in Paradise, California, on May 22, 2021 to protest runaway overhead expenses by the PG&E Fire Victim Trust. \u003ccite>(Lily Jamali/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Trust Oversight Committee’s Claim:\u003c/strong>\u003cbr>\n“Many people worked between January 1, 2020, and July 1, 2020 to get the Trust off the ground but until July 1 it had no funds, save an advance of $15M made by PG&E in April 2020 to cover expenses incurred from January 1 forward.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>KQED’s Response:\u003c/strong>\u003cbr>\nWe are clear in our story — and in fact, were first to report — about this “advance,” which amounts to millions of dollars paid toward startup costs in the first half of last year, which the Trust left out of its \u003ca href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/20974645-fvt-2020-annual-report\">2020 Annual Report\u003c/a>. Most of PG&E’s advance was ultimately credited back to the company, with fire victims footing the rest of the bill. It remains unclear why these costs were not included in the Fire Victim Trust’s annual report, despite KQED’s efforts to get answers ahead of publication of our first story. By our calculation, the Trust spent at least $12.7 million during the first half of last year. The Trust refuses to engage with us to confirm this calculation. PG&E has confirmed it for us. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Trust Oversight Committee’s Claim:\u003c/strong>\u003cbr>\nThe Trust needed to build a robust staff to develop a claims resolution process and root out fraud.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>KQED’s Response:\u003c/strong>\u003cbr>\nThis and other explanations for the initially slow pace of payments have been clearly laid out in all of our stories. Despite the Fire Victim Trust’s decision to limit transparency, we have made every effort to be fair and include voices explaining why the process is taking time — even when the Trust would not provide this voice itself. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We note that an important reason for delay stems from the fact that a significant portion of compensation for fire victims came in the form of stock in PG&E itself. This rare outcome was actively supported by most members of the Trust Oversight Committee last year, as we \u003ca href=\"https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.kqed.org/news/11805766/pge-victims-weigh-rare-stock-funded-trust-amid-market-turmoil&sa=D&source=editors&ust=1625084358063000&usg=AOvVaw3wVoUySa0l_Tah06dyPGii\">reported then\u003c/a>. More importantly, fire victims themselves voiced these concerns as we reported \u003ca href=\"https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.kqed.org/news/11801571/fire-victims-ask-judge-to-reconsider-13-5-billion-pge-settlement&sa=D&source=editors&ust=1625084394101000&usg=AOvVaw0zrmC-iNt7w3FeZBIhOQEQ\">here\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.kqed.org/news/11808826/fire-survivor-resigns-in-protest-from-pge-bankruptcy-committee&sa=D&source=editors&ust=1625084415239000&usg=AOvVaw22qb8ieHkyWA6ze_uvRx0G\">here\u003c/a>. Today, the tiny fraction of fire victims who have had their claims processed and paid are getting just 30% of their claim for now. In the words of the trustee \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XDLml9GEyg\">himself\u003c/a>: “We don’t know how much money we have because a substantial portion of the assets that are going to be used to pay you are in the form of common stock of Pacific Gas and Electric.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Every dollar spent on overhead is a dollar not distributed to fire victims who need it. No one expects the Trust to execute the complicated task of fairly distributing billions of dollars without incurring costs. But the Fire Victim Trust has not been transparent about those costs. Fire survivors want and deserve timely, honest and clear explanations of where their settlement money is going, if not to them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
"blocks": [],
"excerpt": "One year after Pacific Gas and Electric Company emerged from bankruptcy, public records show that the special Fire Victim Trust created to distribute settlement money has been slow to pay out victims — and quick to wrack up big bills for lawyers and consultants. And there are still unknowns around the trust's spending.",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1721129958,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 40,
"wordCount": 1912
},
"headData": {
"title": "A Year After PG&E Left Bankruptcy, Spending by Fire Victim Trust Remains a Mystery | KQED",
"description": "One year after Pacific Gas and Electric Company emerged from bankruptcy, public records show that the special Fire Victim Trust created to distribute settlement money has been slow to pay out victims — and quick to wrack up big bills for lawyers and consultants. And there are still unknowns around the trust's spending.",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "NewsArticle",
"headline": "A Year After PG&E Left Bankruptcy, Spending by Fire Victim Trust Remains a Mystery",
"datePublished": "2021-07-01T05:00:46-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-07-16T04:39:18-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"isAccessibleForFree": "True",
"publisher": {
"@type": "NewsMediaOrganization",
"@id": "https://www.kqed.org/#organization",
"name": "KQED",
"logo": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"url": "https://www.kqed.org",
"sameAs": [
"https://www.facebook.com/KQED",
"https://twitter.com/KQED",
"https://www.instagram.com/kqed/",
"https://www.tiktok.com/@kqedofficial",
"https://www.linkedin.com/company/kqed",
"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeC0IOo7i1P_61zVUWbJ4nw"
]
}
}
},
"sticky": false,
"path": "/news/11879943/a-year-after-pge-left-bankruptcy-spending-by-fire-victim-trust-remains-a-mystery",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>It’s been a year since Pacific Gas and Electric Company left Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. That exit deal included a promised $13.5 billion settlement to pay victims of wildfires that were caused by the company’s equipment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The deal represented the culmination of a promise to fire survivors, PG&E interim CEO Bill Smith \u003ca href=\"https://www.pge.com/en/about/newsroom/newsdetails/index.page?title=20200701_pge_emerges_from_chapter_11\">declared\u003c/a> on July 1, 2020. “Today’s announcement is significant for PG&E and for the many wildfire victims who are now one step closer to getting paid,” he said. “Compensating these victims fairly and quickly has been our primary goal throughout these proceedings, and I am glad to say that today we funded the Fire Victim Trust for their benefit.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But a year later, public records show that a special Fire Victim Trust created to distribute the settlement has been slow to pay out victims — and quick to wrack up big bills for lawyers and consultants. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In May, KQED and NPR’s California Newsroom \u003ca href=\"https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.kqed.org/news/11872328/survivors-stuck-in-limbo-as-pge-fire-victim-trust-pays-out-50-million-in-fees&sa=D&source=editors&ust=1625084036887000&usg=AOvVaw0hyR-8qqeBfPKqldP6UYeX\">published an investigation\u003c/a> into spending by the Fire Victim Trust charged with compensating survivors. We found that in its first year, the trust had racked up $51 million in overhead, and distributed only $7 million to fire victims. Ninety percent of outgoing funds paid lawyers and consultants in 2020 while the vast majority of fire victims waited for help. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The pace of payments has picked up this year, but as of \u003ca href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/20982273-fvt-claims-data-report-63021-1\">June 30\u003c/a>, fewer than 3% of fire victims — 1,867 out of approximately 70,000 total — have had their claims fully processed. For now, they are getting 30% of what they were due while the Fire Victim Trust collects its fees in full. Approximately $436 million in compensation has been delivered.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But there is still much we don’t know.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To date, the Trust has refused to share its budget, a quarterly breakdown of expenses or a detailed reporting of firms and individuals the Trust has paid.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Trust also refuses to make public other details we’ve requested, like the terms of its retention deal with attorneys \u003ca href=\"https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210224005907/en/PGE-Fire-Victim-Trust-Sues-PGE-Executives-and-Officers-for-Causing-Devastating-Northern-California-Wildfires\">suing former PG&E directors and officers\u003c/a> on the Trust’s behalf. The attorney leading that lawsuit, Frank Pitre, happens to sit on the Fire Victim Trust’s court-appointed Trust Oversight Committee, as do representatives from three other law firms involved. KQED has been asking to review the Trust’s retention agreement with these attorneys since February.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "‘One of the hallmarks of trust administration is transparency. That’s why they’re called trusts.’",
"name": "pullquote",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"size": "medium",
"align": "right",
"citation": "Scott McNutt, former California State Bar Board of Governors member and veteran bankruptcy attorney",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Leading experts told us the amount of secrecy surrounding the Trust was unusual. “One of the hallmarks of the bankruptcy process is transparency,” Scott McNutt, a former California State Bar Board of Governors member and veteran bankruptcy attorney, told KQED in May. “One of the hallmarks of trust administration is transparency. That’s why they’re called trusts.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After we published our May investigation, a bipartisan group of state lawmakers asked California Attorney General Rob Bonta to probe the spending and administration of the PG&E Fire Victim Trust.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is outrageous,” the lawmakers wrote to Bonta, “especially in light of the fact that thousands of fire victims are struggling to rebuild their lives.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bonta’s office said it is unable to comment on, even to confirm or deny, a potential or ongoing investigation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>The Trust Says Our Reporting Is ‘Inaccurate and Uninformed.’ They Are Wrong.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After the lawmakers demanded an investigation, both the Fire Victim Trust and the Trust Oversight Committee, made up primarily of mass tort attorneys, wrote to the attorney general and disputed our reporting. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Fire Victim Trust is led by retired California Appeals Court Justice John Trotter, who KQED revealed billed $1,500 an hour. In a \u003ca href=\"https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210224005907/en/PGE-Fire-Victim-Trust-Sues-PGE-Executives-and-Officers-for-Causing-Devastating-Northern-California-Wildfires\">video\u003c/a> released in response to our story, he said he had reduced his compensation to a “very adequate” salary of $150,000 a month. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "More coveage ",
"tag": "fire-victims-trust"
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In his \u003ca href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/20974605-trustee-letter-to-ag-bonta-5-27-21-executed-4\">letter\u003c/a> to the attorney general, Trotter said he was “appalled by the carelessness with which it [the legislators’ letter] was written.” Without naming KQED or NPR’s California Newsroom, Trotter continued: “It appears to be influenced by a recent, inaccurate and uninformed news report with no attempt to understand the Trust’s operation or function.” \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In its \u003ca href=\"https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/20974607-trustoversightcommitteeletter&sa=D&source=editors&ust=1625084187566000&usg=AOvVaw0WGLrTJ-Rbvb9Ukj9L7Kpg\">letter\u003c/a>, the Trust Oversight Committee said the figures reported by KQED were “out-of-date or .. out of context.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both statements couldn’t be further from the truth, as the lengthy trail of emails between KQED and the Fire Victim Trust makes clear. We have made extensive efforts to understand the Trust’s operations and function, and have consistently brought our findings to them — through their spokespeople — so that they have the opportunity to comment and explain themselves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite their public attacks on our journalism, we have yet to see any legitimate examples of inaccuracies in our reporting on the Trust’s finances.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As spelled out below, we have done our best to provide this accounting with the limited information in the public record. We welcome any and all additional transparency by the Trust into its spending and administration. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Trustee’s Claim:\u003c/strong>\u003cbr>\nNo attempt was made to understand the Trust’s operation or function. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>KQED’S Response:\u003c/strong>\u003cbr>\nWe have gone to great lengths to familiarize ourselves with the Trust’s inner workings. We have combed through past bankruptcy court filings, hearing transcripts and correspondence from the Trust to fire victims. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We’ve had dozens of contacts via email and by phone with the Trust’s PR firm asking detailed questions about our findings. We’ve also asked to interview the trustee, John Trotter, and the Trust’s claims administrator numerous times since our last interview with both in November.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We also contacted all seven of the firms we identified as having been paid by the Trust. Just one responded to our inquiry. None answered questions about how much money they had received.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Again, we would welcome greater transparency into how the Trust does its work and spends its money. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Trust Oversight Committee’s Claim:\u003c/strong>\u003cbr>\nStating that the Trust spent almost 90% of the funds on overhead during the first year is “untrue and misleading as stated. Ninety percent of the funds in the Trust would be over $10 billion.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>KQED’s Response:\u003c/strong>\u003cbr>\nKQED has been clear from the first story published on the Trust’s finances that overhead comprised almost 90% of funds spent \u003cem>in its first year\u003c/em>. We have never suggested that the Trust has spent $10 billion — or anything near that amount — on overhead.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Trust Oversight Committee’s Claim:\u003c/strong>\u003cbr>\nThe statement that the Fire Victim Trust accumulated over $51 million in overhead costs but allocated just $7 million to fire survivors is “based on 2020 year end data, which is now five months old, even though the Trust has released more recent data regarding payments to survivors, which demonstrated a much different picture.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>KQED’s Response:\u003c/strong>\u003cbr>\nThat 2020 year-end data on overhead costs is the only information the Trust chose to share in its annual report, which was published four months after the end of the reporting period it chose. Since then, the Trust has continued to incur overhead expenses without reporting updated figures to the public. The Trust has regularly released updated information on payments to fire survivors, however, and KQED has used the most up-to-date figures in all of our reports. We see that the Fire Victim Trust has begun posting this information publicly to \u003ca href=\"https://www.firevictimtrust.com/Documents.aspx\">its website\u003c/a> since we published our investigation. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In its \u003ca href=\"https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/20792877/ltr-from-toc-to-legislature-re-fvt.pdf\">recent letter responding to state lawmakers\u003c/a>, the Trust Oversight Committee decided to come forward with the information we sought ahead of our story. Operating expenses through April of this year — pending an audit of April expenses — now top $84.5 million.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11875085\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/Paradise_Rally-800x450.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11875085\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/Paradise_Rally-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/Paradise_Rally-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/Paradise_Rally-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/Paradise_Rally-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/Paradise_Rally.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Survivors of the 2018 Camp Fire gather in Paradise, California, on May 22, 2021 to protest runaway overhead expenses by the PG&E Fire Victim Trust. \u003ccite>(Lily Jamali/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Trust Oversight Committee’s Claim:\u003c/strong>\u003cbr>\n“Many people worked between January 1, 2020, and July 1, 2020 to get the Trust off the ground but until July 1 it had no funds, save an advance of $15M made by PG&E in April 2020 to cover expenses incurred from January 1 forward.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>KQED’s Response:\u003c/strong>\u003cbr>\nWe are clear in our story — and in fact, were first to report — about this “advance,” which amounts to millions of dollars paid toward startup costs in the first half of last year, which the Trust left out of its \u003ca href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/20974645-fvt-2020-annual-report\">2020 Annual Report\u003c/a>. Most of PG&E’s advance was ultimately credited back to the company, with fire victims footing the rest of the bill. It remains unclear why these costs were not included in the Fire Victim Trust’s annual report, despite KQED’s efforts to get answers ahead of publication of our first story. By our calculation, the Trust spent at least $12.7 million during the first half of last year. The Trust refuses to engage with us to confirm this calculation. PG&E has confirmed it for us. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Trust Oversight Committee’s Claim:\u003c/strong>\u003cbr>\nThe Trust needed to build a robust staff to develop a claims resolution process and root out fraud.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>KQED’s Response:\u003c/strong>\u003cbr>\nThis and other explanations for the initially slow pace of payments have been clearly laid out in all of our stories. Despite the Fire Victim Trust’s decision to limit transparency, we have made every effort to be fair and include voices explaining why the process is taking time — even when the Trust would not provide this voice itself. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We note that an important reason for delay stems from the fact that a significant portion of compensation for fire victims came in the form of stock in PG&E itself. This rare outcome was actively supported by most members of the Trust Oversight Committee last year, as we \u003ca href=\"https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.kqed.org/news/11805766/pge-victims-weigh-rare-stock-funded-trust-amid-market-turmoil&sa=D&source=editors&ust=1625084358063000&usg=AOvVaw3wVoUySa0l_Tah06dyPGii\">reported then\u003c/a>. More importantly, fire victims themselves voiced these concerns as we reported \u003ca href=\"https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.kqed.org/news/11801571/fire-victims-ask-judge-to-reconsider-13-5-billion-pge-settlement&sa=D&source=editors&ust=1625084394101000&usg=AOvVaw0zrmC-iNt7w3FeZBIhOQEQ\">here\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.kqed.org/news/11808826/fire-survivor-resigns-in-protest-from-pge-bankruptcy-committee&sa=D&source=editors&ust=1625084415239000&usg=AOvVaw22qb8ieHkyWA6ze_uvRx0G\">here\u003c/a>. Today, the tiny fraction of fire victims who have had their claims processed and paid are getting just 30% of their claim for now. In the words of the trustee \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XDLml9GEyg\">himself\u003c/a>: “We don’t know how much money we have because a substantial portion of the assets that are going to be used to pay you are in the form of common stock of Pacific Gas and Electric.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Every dollar spent on overhead is a dollar not distributed to fire victims who need it. No one expects the Trust to execute the complicated task of fairly distributing billions of dollars without incurring costs. But the Fire Victim Trust has not been transparent about those costs. Fire survivors want and deserve timely, honest and clear explanations of where their settlement money is going, if not to them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/news/11879943/a-year-after-pge-left-bankruptcy-spending-by-fire-victim-trust-remains-a-mystery",
"authors": [
"11552"
],
"categories": [
"news_19906",
"news_8"
],
"tags": [
"news_24483",
"news_21878",
"news_29433",
"news_140",
"news_24802",
"news_4463"
],
"featImg": "news_11803759",
"label": "news"
},
"news_11875846": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "news_11875846",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "11875846",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1622232956000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {
"site": "news"
},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1622232956,
"format": "standard",
"disqusTitle": "'Unacceptable, Egregious:' Lawmakers Seek Probe of PG&E Fire Victim Trust",
"title": "'Unacceptable, Egregious:' Lawmakers Seek Probe of PG&E Fire Victim Trust",
"headTitle": "KQED News",
"content": "\u003cp>A bipartisan group of state lawmakers has asked for California Attorney General Rob Bonta to probe the spending and administration of the PG&E Fire Victim Trust.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The request comes after a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11872328/survivors-stuck-in-limbo-as-pge-fire-victim-trust-pays-out-50-million-in-fees\">KQED investigation\u003c/a> into overhead costs of the Trust, which was established as part of a December 2019 bankruptcy settlement between the utility and nearly 70,000 victims of fires caused by PG&E equipment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The investigation found the Trust spent nearly 90% of outgoing funds on overhead last year, while the vast majority of fire victims waited for help.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We urge you to use the full authority of your office to review the fund’s recent expenditures and the fund’s administrators,\" said the \u003ca href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/20791380-special-victims-trust-ag-letter-legislature-5212021\">letter\u003c/a>, which was signed by 11 state senators and assemblymembers who represent areas impacted by PG&E fires between 2015 and 2018.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/pge-trust.jpeg\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-11873739 aligncenter\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/pge-trust.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1149\" height=\"1460\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/pge-trust.jpeg 1149w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/pge-trust-800x1017.jpeg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/pge-trust-1020x1296.jpeg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/pge-trust-160x203.jpeg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1149px) 100vw, 1149px\">\u003c/a>\"We hear every week from residents who've been waiting two years for settlement payments that they are due. Their lives are on hold until they receive these dollars,\" said state Sen. Mike McGuire, D-Healdsburg, whose district includes parts of Sonoma County.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"It's unacceptable. It's egregious and it has to change, and it's why we're calling on the trustee to expedite payments to fire survivors in Northern California,\" he added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>State Assemblymember James Gallagher, a Republican who represents the fire-ravaged town of Paradise, first announced last week on \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101883492/as-wildfire-survivors-await-settlement-fire-victim-trust-spends-51-million\">KQED Forum\u003c/a> that he and colleagues were preparing a letter calling for more transparency. KQED's investigation \"raises a lot of questions and concerns that need answers,\" Gallagher said. Others who signed on include state Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, D-Winters, and state Sen. Jim Nielsen, R-Tehama, all of whom have constituents harmed by fires caused by PG&E’s equipment and are waiting for compensation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote size='medium' align='left' citation=\"State Sen. Mike McGuire\"]'It's unacceptable. It's egregious and it has to change, and it's why we're calling on the trustee to expedite payments to fire survivors in Northern California.'[/pullquote]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>KQED found the Fire Victim Trust racked up $51 million in overhead last year, while $7 million was distributed to fire victims during that period. The investigation was based on an analysis of federal bankruptcy court filings, court transcripts and correspondence between the Fire Victim Trust and fire victims. The largest share of overhead expenses, $16.3 million, went to claims processor fees and expenses, and $12.7 million went to start-up costs. Another $6.8 million went to a line item described as \"insurance, data, and other expenses\" — nearly as much as went to the fire victims themselves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"This is outrageous,\" the lawmakers wrote to Bonta, \"especially in light of the fact that thousands of fire victims are struggling to rebuild their lives.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In response to an inquiry from KQED, Bonta’s office said the attorney general would not comment — even to confirm or deny — a potential investigation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Members of Congress have also expressed outrage at the pace of payments to fire victims. In separate emails, Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, and Rep. Doug LaMalfa, R-Richvale, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11873721/cascade-of-outrage-follows-investigation-into-pge-fire-victim-trust-expenses\">both called\u003c/a> for faster payouts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside label=\"More Coverage:\" tag=\"fire-victims-trust\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The pace of payments has picked up in recent weeks. According to the most recent data available, the Trust had distributed $255.4 million as of May 19. Still, just 565 of nearly 70,000 people have had their claims processed and paid, the data shows. While the Trust collects its fees in full, those families are getting 30% of what they are owed. That’s partly a result of the terms of PG&E’s settlement agreement with fire victims. The company is funding the Trust half with cash and half with PG&E stock. Today, the Fire Victim Trust holds almost a quarter of PG&E shares.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One court filing showed the Fire Victim Trust’s trustee, retired California Appeals Court Justice John Trotter, charged the Fire Victim Trust $1,500 an hour. In a \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GX-ViYnWvfo\">video\u003c/a> released last week, he said he is now on a salary of $150,000 a month. All overhead costs come from funds set aside for fire victims.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Trust did not offer comment for this story, and has declined all of KQED’s interview requests over the last month.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In his video message, Trotter acknowledged the frustration of fire victims even as he predicted more delays.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We're still walking uphill on this,\" Trotter said. \"We're not near the top yet. We're making progress. We're getting there. When we get to the top and down the other side, it will go much more quickly.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fire victims say that’s not enough.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote size='medium' align='left' citation=\"John Trotter, Fire Victim Trust trustee\"]'We're making progress. We're getting there. When we get to the top and down the other side, it will go much more quickly.'[/pullquote]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Earlier this month, retired police chief Kirk Trostle wrote to U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Dennis Montali asking for more transparency from the Trust.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Families are still living in cars, travel trailers and FEMA trailers,\" wrote Trostle, who lost his home in Paradise in 2018, in a letter that cited KQED's reporting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last weekend, about 100 Camp Fire survivors staged a rally in Paradise to register their frustration, saying survivors have the right to know exactly where all of the Trust’s administrative dollars are going.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I thought that I was healing,\" said Teri Lindsay, whose daughter, Erika, wiped back tears as she watched. \"Until that report came out — it changed my life and took me back to the day. I did not realize how well they’re being paid and we’re living in squalor still.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe src=\"https://embed.documentcloud.org/documents/20792824-special-victims-trust-ag-letter-legislature-5212021/?embed=1&responsive=1&title=1\" width=\"800\" height=\"1000\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
"disqusIdentifier": "11875846 https://ww2.kqed.org/news/?p=11875846",
"disqusUrl": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/2021/05/28/unacceptable-egregious-lawmakers-seek-probe-of-pge-fire-victim-trust/",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": true,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 990,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [
"https://embed.documentcloud.org/documents/20792824-special-victims-trust-ag-letter-legislature-5212021/"
],
"paragraphCount": 27
},
"modified": 1622234571,
"excerpt": "State lawmakers are urging California Attorney General Rob Bonta to review the spending and administration of the PG&E Fire Victim Trust.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "State lawmakers are urging California Attorney General Rob Bonta to review the spending and administration of the PG&E Fire Victim Trust.",
"title": "'Unacceptable, Egregious:' Lawmakers Seek Probe of PG&E Fire Victim Trust | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "NewsArticle",
"headline": "'Unacceptable, Egregious:' Lawmakers Seek Probe of PG&E Fire Victim Trust",
"datePublished": "2021-05-28T13:15:56-07:00",
"dateModified": "2021-05-28T13:42:51-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"isAccessibleForFree": "True",
"publisher": {
"@type": "NewsMediaOrganization",
"@id": "https://www.kqed.org/#organization",
"name": "KQED",
"logo": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"url": "https://www.kqed.org",
"sameAs": [
"https://www.facebook.com/KQED",
"https://twitter.com/KQED",
"https://www.instagram.com/kqed/",
"https://www.tiktok.com/@kqedofficial",
"https://www.linkedin.com/company/kqed",
"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeC0IOo7i1P_61zVUWbJ4nw"
]
}
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "unacceptable-egregious-lawmakers-seek-probe-of-pge-fire-victim-trust",
"status": "publish",
"path": "/news/11875846/unacceptable-egregious-lawmakers-seek-probe-of-pge-fire-victim-trust",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>A bipartisan group of state lawmakers has asked for California Attorney General Rob Bonta to probe the spending and administration of the PG&E Fire Victim Trust.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The request comes after a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11872328/survivors-stuck-in-limbo-as-pge-fire-victim-trust-pays-out-50-million-in-fees\">KQED investigation\u003c/a> into overhead costs of the Trust, which was established as part of a December 2019 bankruptcy settlement between the utility and nearly 70,000 victims of fires caused by PG&E equipment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The investigation found the Trust spent nearly 90% of outgoing funds on overhead last year, while the vast majority of fire victims waited for help.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We urge you to use the full authority of your office to review the fund’s recent expenditures and the fund’s administrators,\" said the \u003ca href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/20791380-special-victims-trust-ag-letter-legislature-5212021\">letter\u003c/a>, which was signed by 11 state senators and assemblymembers who represent areas impacted by PG&E fires between 2015 and 2018.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/pge-trust.jpeg\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-11873739 aligncenter\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/pge-trust.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1149\" height=\"1460\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/pge-trust.jpeg 1149w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/pge-trust-800x1017.jpeg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/pge-trust-1020x1296.jpeg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/pge-trust-160x203.jpeg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1149px) 100vw, 1149px\">\u003c/a>\"We hear every week from residents who've been waiting two years for settlement payments that they are due. Their lives are on hold until they receive these dollars,\" said state Sen. Mike McGuire, D-Healdsburg, whose district includes parts of Sonoma County.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"It's unacceptable. It's egregious and it has to change, and it's why we're calling on the trustee to expedite payments to fire survivors in Northern California,\" he added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>State Assemblymember James Gallagher, a Republican who represents the fire-ravaged town of Paradise, first announced last week on \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101883492/as-wildfire-survivors-await-settlement-fire-victim-trust-spends-51-million\">KQED Forum\u003c/a> that he and colleagues were preparing a letter calling for more transparency. KQED's investigation \"raises a lot of questions and concerns that need answers,\" Gallagher said. Others who signed on include state Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, D-Winters, and state Sen. Jim Nielsen, R-Tehama, all of whom have constituents harmed by fires caused by PG&E’s equipment and are waiting for compensation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "'It's unacceptable. It's egregious and it has to change, and it's why we're calling on the trustee to expedite payments to fire survivors in Northern California.'",
"name": "pullquote",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"size": "medium",
"align": "left",
"citation": "State Sen. Mike McGuire",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>KQED found the Fire Victim Trust racked up $51 million in overhead last year, while $7 million was distributed to fire victims during that period. The investigation was based on an analysis of federal bankruptcy court filings, court transcripts and correspondence between the Fire Victim Trust and fire victims. The largest share of overhead expenses, $16.3 million, went to claims processor fees and expenses, and $12.7 million went to start-up costs. Another $6.8 million went to a line item described as \"insurance, data, and other expenses\" — nearly as much as went to the fire victims themselves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"This is outrageous,\" the lawmakers wrote to Bonta, \"especially in light of the fact that thousands of fire victims are struggling to rebuild their lives.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In response to an inquiry from KQED, Bonta’s office said the attorney general would not comment — even to confirm or deny — a potential investigation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Members of Congress have also expressed outrage at the pace of payments to fire victims. In separate emails, Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, and Rep. Doug LaMalfa, R-Richvale, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11873721/cascade-of-outrage-follows-investigation-into-pge-fire-victim-trust-expenses\">both called\u003c/a> for faster payouts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "More Coverage: ",
"tag": "fire-victims-trust"
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The pace of payments has picked up in recent weeks. According to the most recent data available, the Trust had distributed $255.4 million as of May 19. Still, just 565 of nearly 70,000 people have had their claims processed and paid, the data shows. While the Trust collects its fees in full, those families are getting 30% of what they are owed. That’s partly a result of the terms of PG&E’s settlement agreement with fire victims. The company is funding the Trust half with cash and half with PG&E stock. Today, the Fire Victim Trust holds almost a quarter of PG&E shares.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One court filing showed the Fire Victim Trust’s trustee, retired California Appeals Court Justice John Trotter, charged the Fire Victim Trust $1,500 an hour. In a \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GX-ViYnWvfo\">video\u003c/a> released last week, he said he is now on a salary of $150,000 a month. All overhead costs come from funds set aside for fire victims.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Trust did not offer comment for this story, and has declined all of KQED’s interview requests over the last month.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In his video message, Trotter acknowledged the frustration of fire victims even as he predicted more delays.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We're still walking uphill on this,\" Trotter said. \"We're not near the top yet. We're making progress. We're getting there. When we get to the top and down the other side, it will go much more quickly.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fire victims say that’s not enough.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "'We're making progress. We're getting there. When we get to the top and down the other side, it will go much more quickly.'",
"name": "pullquote",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"size": "medium",
"align": "left",
"citation": "John Trotter, Fire Victim Trust trustee",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Earlier this month, retired police chief Kirk Trostle wrote to U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Dennis Montali asking for more transparency from the Trust.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Families are still living in cars, travel trailers and FEMA trailers,\" wrote Trostle, who lost his home in Paradise in 2018, in a letter that cited KQED's reporting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last weekend, about 100 Camp Fire survivors staged a rally in Paradise to register their frustration, saying survivors have the right to know exactly where all of the Trust’s administrative dollars are going.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I thought that I was healing,\" said Teri Lindsay, whose daughter, Erika, wiped back tears as she watched. \"Until that report came out — it changed my life and took me back to the day. I did not realize how well they’re being paid and we’re living in squalor still.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe src=\"https://embed.documentcloud.org/documents/20792824-special-victims-trust-ag-letter-legislature-5212021/?embed=1&responsive=1&title=1\" width=\"800\" height=\"1000\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/news/11875846/unacceptable-egregious-lawmakers-seek-probe-of-pge-fire-victim-trust",
"authors": [
"11552"
],
"categories": [
"news_19906",
"news_8"
],
"tags": [
"news_29433",
"news_140",
"news_27132",
"news_26848"
],
"featImg": "news_11875085",
"label": "news"
},
"news_11875034": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "news_11875034",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "11875034",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1621899633000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {
"site": "news",
"term": 72
},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1621899633,
"format": "audio",
"disqusTitle": "Frustration and Tears as Camp Fire Survivors Protest PG&E Fire Trust",
"title": "Frustration and Tears as Camp Fire Survivors Protest PG&E Fire Trust",
"headTitle": "The California Report | KQED News",
"content": "\u003cp>Teri Lindsay said she had no intention of speaking at a fire survivors’ rally that drew about a hundred people to the Skyway in Paradise Saturday. But as her daughter, Erika, stood by her side — tears streaming down the young girl’s face — Lindsay voiced her frustration at her family’s living conditions 2.5 years after the 2018 Camp Fire.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Every time she sees smoke, she cries. She can’t heal until we can go home,\" Lindsay said of Erika, who was 7-years-old when the 2018 Camp Fire destroyed their house, and thousands of others in Paradise. The fire was caused by equipment belonging to PG&E. They’ve been living in a trailer overlooking a branch of Lake Oroville ever since.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Like the vast majority of the 70,000 fire victims of PG&E fires caused between 2015 and 2018, Lindsay has not yet received any money from the Fire Victim Trust. The Trust was set up last year to distribute billions of dollars as part of a settlement between fire survivors and PG&E.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11875095\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1904px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-11875095\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/TeriErika.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1904\" height=\"1004\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/TeriErika.jpg 1904w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/TeriErika-800x422.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/TeriErika-1020x538.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/TeriErika-160x84.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/TeriErika-1536x810.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1904px) 100vw, 1904px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Teri Lindsay with daughter Erika, speaks at a rally in Paradise, Calif. on May 22, 2021. They lost their home in the 2018 Camp Fire. \u003ccite>(Lily Jamali/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Lindsay said she was motivated to join this weekend’s rally after reading a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11872328/survivors-stuck-in-limbo-as-pge-fire-victim-trust-pays-out-50-million-in-fees\">KQED investigation\u003c/a>, published earlier this month, which showed that the Fire Victim Trust racked up $51 million in overhead costs last year while distributing $7 million to fire victims during that period. The investigation was based on KQED’s analysis of federal bankruptcy court filings, court transcripts and correspondence between the Fire Victim Trust and fire victims.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the end of last year, fire victims had received less than 0.1% of the approximately $13.5 billion they were promised.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I thought that I was healing. Until that report came out, it changed my life and took me back to the day. I did not realize how well they're being paid and we’re living in squalor still,” Lindsay said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote size='medium' align='right' citation=\"Teri Lindsay, Camp Fire Survivor\"]'I did not realize how well they're being paid and we’re living in squalor still.'[/pullquote]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>John Trotter, the retired California Appeals Court justice who runs the Fire Victim Trust, has declined KQED’s repeated interview requests. In a \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GX-ViYnWvfo\">YouTube video\u003c/a> released last week, he acknowledged the fire victims' frustration, but also predicted more delays.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"The trust didn't create the settlement,\" Trotter said. \"We're still walking uphill on this. We're not near the top yet. We're making progress. We're getting there. When we get to the top and down the other side, it will go much more quickly.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to the Trust, the pace of payments is picking up, with about $255.4 million distributed as of May 19. But, even then, only 565 of nearly 70,000 eligible families had their claims processed and paid, according to the data. In addition, those families are getting 30% of what they're owed while the Trust collects its own fees in full. Every dollar spent on overhead comes out of the fund for fire victims. One court filing, unearthed by KQED, showed Trotter charged the Fire Victim Trust $1,500 an hour. In the video, he said he had taken a pay cut — to a \"very adequate\" salary of $150,000 a month.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11875085\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-11875085\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/Paradise_Rally.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/Paradise_Rally.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/Paradise_Rally-800x450.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/Paradise_Rally-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/Paradise_Rally-160x90.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/Paradise_Rally-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Survivors of the 2018 Camp Fire gather in Paradise, Calif. on May 22, 2021 to protest runaway overhead expenses by the PG&E Fire Victim Trust. \u003ccite>( Lily Jamali/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The 30% payment structure is partly a result of the terms of PG&E’s settlement with fire victims. The company has funded the Trust half with cash and half with PG&E stock. The arrangement, which has few precedents, made the fire victims significant shareholders in the utility and has complicated the task of administering the Trust, experts say.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside label='Related Coverage' tag='fire-victims-trust']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since KQED’s investigation, members of Congress from both parties have demanded action. In separate emails, Rep. Mike Thompson, a Democrat, and Rep. Doug LaMalfa, a Republican, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11873721/cascade-of-outrage-follows-investigation-into-pge-fire-victim-trust-expenses\">both called\u003c/a> for faster payouts. James Gallagher, a state Assemblyman who represents Paradise, says KQED's investigation \"raises a lot of questions and concerns that need answers.\" In an interview on \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101883492/as-wildfire-survivors-await-settlement-fire-victim-trust-spends-51-million\">KQED Forum\u003c/a> this week, Gallagher said he and his colleagues were preparing a letter calling for more transparency.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fire victims are making similar requests. \"Families are still living in cars, travel trailers and FEMA trailers,\" Kirk Trostle, a retired police chief who lost his home in Paradise in 2018, wrote to \u003ca href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/20707787-kirk-trostle-letter-to-judge-montali-regarding-fvt-5-12-21-3\">Judge Dennis Montali\u003c/a> on May 12, citing KQED's reporting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Stating fire victims are languishing is an understatement,\" he added. \"I request you speed up the process to a sprint-like manner and direct the [Fire Victim Trust] to provide transparency and accountability.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At Saturday’s rally, Camp Fire victim Sasha Poe reiterated those calls, saying survivors have the right to know where all of those administrative dollars are going.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"The Trust is set up for fire victims,\" said Poe, who joined the rally along with her husband and children. \"Yet so many months and years down the line, fire victims haven't seen much.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
"disqusIdentifier": "11875034 https://ww2.kqed.org/news/?p=11875034",
"disqusUrl": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/2021/05/24/frustration-and-tears-as-camp-fire-survivors-protest-pge-fire-trust/",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 909,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 19
},
"modified": 1621973568,
"excerpt": "A fire survivors’ rally drew about a hundred people to the Skyway in Paradise Saturday. The vast majority of fire victims have not yet received any money from a trust that was set up last year to distribute billions of dollars as part of a settlement.\r\n",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "A fire survivors’ rally drew about a hundred people to the Skyway in Paradise Saturday. The vast majority of fire victims have not yet received any money from a trust that was set up last year to distribute billions of dollars as part of a settlement.\r\n",
"title": "Frustration and Tears as Camp Fire Survivors Protest PG&E Fire Trust | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "NewsArticle",
"headline": "Frustration and Tears as Camp Fire Survivors Protest PG&E Fire Trust",
"datePublished": "2021-05-24T16:40:33-07:00",
"dateModified": "2021-05-25T13:12:48-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"isAccessibleForFree": "True",
"publisher": {
"@type": "NewsMediaOrganization",
"@id": "https://www.kqed.org/#organization",
"name": "KQED",
"logo": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"url": "https://www.kqed.org",
"sameAs": [
"https://www.facebook.com/KQED",
"https://twitter.com/KQED",
"https://www.instagram.com/kqed/",
"https://www.tiktok.com/@kqedofficial",
"https://www.linkedin.com/company/kqed",
"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeC0IOo7i1P_61zVUWbJ4nw"
]
}
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "frustration-and-tears-as-camp-fire-survivors-protest-pge-fire-trust",
"status": "publish",
"audioUrl": "https://traffic.omny.fm/d/clips/0af137ef-751e-4b19-a055-aaef00d2d578/ffca7e9f-6831-41c5-bcaf-aaef00f5a073/d2fd0dac-31a4-4ef4-b502-ad32010a7c8b/audio.mp3",
"path": "/news/11875034/frustration-and-tears-as-camp-fire-survivors-protest-pge-fire-trust",
"audioDuration": 162000,
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Teri Lindsay said she had no intention of speaking at a fire survivors’ rally that drew about a hundred people to the Skyway in Paradise Saturday. But as her daughter, Erika, stood by her side — tears streaming down the young girl’s face — Lindsay voiced her frustration at her family’s living conditions 2.5 years after the 2018 Camp Fire.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Every time she sees smoke, she cries. She can’t heal until we can go home,\" Lindsay said of Erika, who was 7-years-old when the 2018 Camp Fire destroyed their house, and thousands of others in Paradise. The fire was caused by equipment belonging to PG&E. They’ve been living in a trailer overlooking a branch of Lake Oroville ever since.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Like the vast majority of the 70,000 fire victims of PG&E fires caused between 2015 and 2018, Lindsay has not yet received any money from the Fire Victim Trust. The Trust was set up last year to distribute billions of dollars as part of a settlement between fire survivors and PG&E.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11875095\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1904px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-11875095\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/TeriErika.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1904\" height=\"1004\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/TeriErika.jpg 1904w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/TeriErika-800x422.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/TeriErika-1020x538.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/TeriErika-160x84.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/TeriErika-1536x810.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1904px) 100vw, 1904px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Teri Lindsay with daughter Erika, speaks at a rally in Paradise, Calif. on May 22, 2021. They lost their home in the 2018 Camp Fire. \u003ccite>(Lily Jamali/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Lindsay said she was motivated to join this weekend’s rally after reading a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11872328/survivors-stuck-in-limbo-as-pge-fire-victim-trust-pays-out-50-million-in-fees\">KQED investigation\u003c/a>, published earlier this month, which showed that the Fire Victim Trust racked up $51 million in overhead costs last year while distributing $7 million to fire victims during that period. The investigation was based on KQED’s analysis of federal bankruptcy court filings, court transcripts and correspondence between the Fire Victim Trust and fire victims.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the end of last year, fire victims had received less than 0.1% of the approximately $13.5 billion they were promised.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I thought that I was healing. Until that report came out, it changed my life and took me back to the day. I did not realize how well they're being paid and we’re living in squalor still,” Lindsay said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "'I did not realize how well they're being paid and we’re living in squalor still.'",
"name": "pullquote",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"size": "medium",
"align": "right",
"citation": "Teri Lindsay, Camp Fire Survivor",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>John Trotter, the retired California Appeals Court justice who runs the Fire Victim Trust, has declined KQED’s repeated interview requests. In a \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GX-ViYnWvfo\">YouTube video\u003c/a> released last week, he acknowledged the fire victims' frustration, but also predicted more delays.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"The trust didn't create the settlement,\" Trotter said. \"We're still walking uphill on this. We're not near the top yet. We're making progress. We're getting there. When we get to the top and down the other side, it will go much more quickly.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to the Trust, the pace of payments is picking up, with about $255.4 million distributed as of May 19. But, even then, only 565 of nearly 70,000 eligible families had their claims processed and paid, according to the data. In addition, those families are getting 30% of what they're owed while the Trust collects its own fees in full. Every dollar spent on overhead comes out of the fund for fire victims. One court filing, unearthed by KQED, showed Trotter charged the Fire Victim Trust $1,500 an hour. In the video, he said he had taken a pay cut — to a \"very adequate\" salary of $150,000 a month.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11875085\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-11875085\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/Paradise_Rally.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/Paradise_Rally.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/Paradise_Rally-800x450.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/Paradise_Rally-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/Paradise_Rally-160x90.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/Paradise_Rally-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Survivors of the 2018 Camp Fire gather in Paradise, Calif. on May 22, 2021 to protest runaway overhead expenses by the PG&E Fire Victim Trust. \u003ccite>( Lily Jamali/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The 30% payment structure is partly a result of the terms of PG&E’s settlement with fire victims. The company has funded the Trust half with cash and half with PG&E stock. The arrangement, which has few precedents, made the fire victims significant shareholders in the utility and has complicated the task of administering the Trust, experts say.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "Related Coverage ",
"tag": "fire-victims-trust"
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since KQED’s investigation, members of Congress from both parties have demanded action. In separate emails, Rep. Mike Thompson, a Democrat, and Rep. Doug LaMalfa, a Republican, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11873721/cascade-of-outrage-follows-investigation-into-pge-fire-victim-trust-expenses\">both called\u003c/a> for faster payouts. James Gallagher, a state Assemblyman who represents Paradise, says KQED's investigation \"raises a lot of questions and concerns that need answers.\" In an interview on \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101883492/as-wildfire-survivors-await-settlement-fire-victim-trust-spends-51-million\">KQED Forum\u003c/a> this week, Gallagher said he and his colleagues were preparing a letter calling for more transparency.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fire victims are making similar requests. \"Families are still living in cars, travel trailers and FEMA trailers,\" Kirk Trostle, a retired police chief who lost his home in Paradise in 2018, wrote to \u003ca href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/20707787-kirk-trostle-letter-to-judge-montali-regarding-fvt-5-12-21-3\">Judge Dennis Montali\u003c/a> on May 12, citing KQED's reporting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Stating fire victims are languishing is an understatement,\" he added. \"I request you speed up the process to a sprint-like manner and direct the [Fire Victim Trust] to provide transparency and accountability.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At Saturday’s rally, Camp Fire victim Sasha Poe reiterated those calls, saying survivors have the right to know where all of those administrative dollars are going.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"The Trust is set up for fire victims,\" said Poe, who joined the rally along with her husband and children. \"Yet so many months and years down the line, fire victims haven't seen much.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/news/11875034/frustration-and-tears-as-camp-fire-survivors-protest-pge-fire-trust",
"authors": [
"11552"
],
"programs": [
"news_72"
],
"categories": [
"news_19906",
"news_8"
],
"tags": [
"news_24483",
"news_29433",
"news_22753",
"news_140",
"news_27132",
"news_26848"
],
"featImg": "news_11875094",
"label": "news_72"
},
"news_11873985": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "news_11873985",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "11873985",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1621286547000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "under-fire-overpaid",
"title": "Under Fire, Overpaid",
"publishDate": 1621286547,
"format": "aside",
"headTitle": "Under Fire, Overpaid | KQED",
"labelTerm": {
"term": 18515,
"site": "news"
},
"content": "\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/victimtrust_051721_final.png\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/victimtrust_051721_final.png\" alt='A Mark Fiore cartoon highlighting the outrageous $1,500 hourly rate of John Trotter, trustee of the PG&E Fire Victim Trust. Titled \"Untrustworthy.\"' width=\"1920\" height=\"1263\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-11873994\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/victimtrust_051721_final.png 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/victimtrust_051721_final-800x526.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/victimtrust_051721_final-1020x671.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/victimtrust_051721_final-160x105.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/victimtrust_051721_final-1536x1010.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Fire Victim Trust created to distribute billions of dollars to families displaced by wildfires sparked by PG&E equipment is facing \u003ca href=\"http://bit.ly/fiorefirevictimtrusttrotter\">growing criticism\u003c/a> after it spent $51 billion on overhead expenses last year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Thanks to a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11872328/survivors-stuck-in-limbo-as-pge-fire-victim-trust-pays-out-50-million-in-fees\">KQED investigation\u003c/a>, we know that the chief administrator of the trust, John Trotter, is billing $1,500 an hour.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Note to trustees and claims managers everywhere: don’t pay yourselves $1,500 and $1,250 an hour respectively from the victim fund while thousands are waiting for any payout at all, two years after getting burned out of their homes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, the winner of the Tone-Deafness-of-the-Year Award appears to be claims administrator Cathy Yanni, who \u003ca href=\"https://abc7news.com/california-wildfires-pge-fire-victim-trust-2017-north-bay-2018-camp/10617113/\">told ABC-7 News\u003c/a> that, “lawyers who are lawyers as long as I’ve been a lawyer with my background… those are the kind of rates that we charge.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
"blocks": [],
"excerpt": "The Fire Victim Trust created to distribute billions of dollars to families displaced by wildfires sparked by PG&E equipment is facing growing criticism after it spent $51 billion on overhead last year.",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1721157263,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 7,
"wordCount": 153
},
"headData": {
"title": "Under Fire, Overpaid | KQED",
"description": "The Fire Victim Trust created to distribute billions of dollars to families displaced by wildfires sparked by PG&E equipment is facing growing criticism after it spent $51 billion on overhead last year.",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "NewsArticle",
"headline": "Under Fire, Overpaid",
"datePublished": "2021-05-17T14:22:27-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-07-16T12:14:23-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"isAccessibleForFree": "True",
"publisher": {
"@type": "NewsMediaOrganization",
"@id": "https://www.kqed.org/#organization",
"name": "KQED",
"logo": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"url": "https://www.kqed.org",
"sameAs": [
"https://www.facebook.com/KQED",
"https://twitter.com/KQED",
"https://www.instagram.com/kqed/",
"https://www.tiktok.com/@kqedofficial",
"https://www.linkedin.com/company/kqed",
"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeC0IOo7i1P_61zVUWbJ4nw"
]
}
}
},
"sticky": false,
"path": "/news/11873985/under-fire-overpaid",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/victimtrust_051721_final.png\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/victimtrust_051721_final.png\" alt='A Mark Fiore cartoon highlighting the outrageous $1,500 hourly rate of John Trotter, trustee of the PG&E Fire Victim Trust. Titled \"Untrustworthy.\"' width=\"1920\" height=\"1263\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-11873994\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/victimtrust_051721_final.png 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/victimtrust_051721_final-800x526.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/victimtrust_051721_final-1020x671.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/victimtrust_051721_final-160x105.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/victimtrust_051721_final-1536x1010.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Fire Victim Trust created to distribute billions of dollars to families displaced by wildfires sparked by PG&E equipment is facing \u003ca href=\"http://bit.ly/fiorefirevictimtrusttrotter\">growing criticism\u003c/a> after it spent $51 billion on overhead expenses last year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Thanks to a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11872328/survivors-stuck-in-limbo-as-pge-fire-victim-trust-pays-out-50-million-in-fees\">KQED investigation\u003c/a>, we know that the chief administrator of the trust, John Trotter, is billing $1,500 an hour.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Note to trustees and claims managers everywhere: don’t pay yourselves $1,500 and $1,250 an hour respectively from the victim fund while thousands are waiting for any payout at all, two years after getting burned out of their homes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, the winner of the Tone-Deafness-of-the-Year Award appears to be claims administrator Cathy Yanni, who \u003ca href=\"https://abc7news.com/california-wildfires-pge-fire-victim-trust-2017-north-bay-2018-camp/10617113/\">told ABC-7 News\u003c/a> that, “lawyers who are lawyers as long as I’ve been a lawyer with my background… those are the kind of rates that we charge.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/news/11873985/under-fire-overpaid",
"authors": [
"3236"
],
"series": [
"news_18515"
],
"categories": [
"news_19906",
"news_6188"
],
"tags": [
"news_24483",
"news_29433",
"news_20949",
"news_140"
],
"featImg": "news_11873994",
"label": "news_18515"
},
"news_11873721": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "news_11873721",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "11873721",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1621025005000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "cascade-of-outrage-follows-investigation-into-pge-fire-victim-trust-expenses",
"title": "Cascade of Outrage Follows Investigation Into PG&E Fire Victim Trust Expenses",
"publishDate": 1621025005,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "Cascade of Outrage Follows Investigation Into PG&E Fire Victim Trust Expenses | KQED",
"labelTerm": {
"site": "news"
},
"content": "\u003cp>Fire victims and public officials are calling for increased oversight of the Fire Victim Trust set up to distribute billions of dollars in compensation to families displaced by fires sparked by Pacific Gas and Electric Co. equipment. That’s following a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11872328/survivors-stuck-in-limbo-as-pge-fire-victim-trust-pays-out-50-million-in-fees\">KQED investigation\u003c/a>, which found the Trust spent $51 million on overhead last year, while the vast majority of fire victims haven’t received a dime.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Wednesday, Kirk Trostle – a retired police chief who lost his home when the PG&E-sparked Camp Fire destroyed Paradise in 2018 – petitioned a federal judge to intervene.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The administrative expenses are out of control,” Trostle \u003ca href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/20707787-kirk-trostle-letter-to-judge-montali-regarding-fvt-5-12-21-3\">wrote\u003c/a> to Bankruptcy Judge Dennis Montali, who has been overseeing PG&E’s bankruptcy proceedings, which led to the promise of $13.5 billion to be paid to 67,000 fire victims.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Families are still living in cars, travel trailers, and FEMA trailers,” Trostle wrote Montali.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The multi-billion dollar settlement was announced in December 2019. At the end of the following year, KQED found, the Trust had paid out just $7 million.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=news_11872328 hero='https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/Bill-Cook-Home-1020x670.jpg']“Stating fire victims are languishing is an understatement,” Trostle added. “I request you speed up the process to a sprint-like manner and direct the [Fire Victim Trust] to provide transparency and accountability in the administration of the fire victims money.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Judge Montali did not respond to KQED’s request for an interview. His assistant said his consistent practice is to decline such requests in an active pending case. The administrator of the Trust, John Trotter, whom KQED found \u003ca href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/20698873-m034139804869-rep-1404090738?responsive=1&title=1\">billed $1,500 an hour\u003c/a> while victims waited, has declined repeated requests to comment. The top claims administrator, Cathy Yanni, makes $1,250 an hour, records show, and the Trust has spent millions more on a host of legal and financial advisers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Trostle’s petition comes amid a cascade of outrage following KQED’s investigation — from lawmakers, legal experts and fire survivors themselves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11873745\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11873745\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/Trostle.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1442\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/Trostle.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/Trostle-800x601.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/Trostle-1020x766.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/Trostle-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/Trostle-1536x1154.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kirk Trostle, a retired police chief who lost his home when the PG&E-sparked Camp Fire destroyed Paradise in 2018, with his wife, Patty. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Kirk Trostle)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson, a Democrat who represents Napa County and parts of Sonoma County, where thousands of fire survivors are also waiting for compensation, said the disparity uncovered by KQED “has a real and negative impact on people in our district who survived the fires and are still working to rebuild their lives.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Fire survivors have already been through so much and all parties involved must do everything they can to make survivors whole as fast as possible,” he said. A spokesperson for Sen. Dianne Feinstein said the senator is tracking the issue closely.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rep. Doug LaMalfa, a Republican who represents Paradise, also expressed outrage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“No victims’ compensation fund should see $1,500-an-hour lawyers, $1,250-an-hour administrators, and government taxes delaying disbursements or taking the lion’s share,” LaMalfa said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The victims of the fire are our priority. The settlement has been made and agreed to. Two years and $50 million is way too much time and overhead. This trustee-led process needs the trust put back in as it seems to have lost the focus on the victims who quickly need these funds.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/pge-trust.jpeg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11873739 aligncenter\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/pge-trust.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1149\" height=\"1460\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/pge-trust.jpeg 1149w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/pge-trust-800x1017.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/pge-trust-1020x1296.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/pge-trust-160x203.jpeg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1149px) 100vw, 1149px\">\u003c/a>Meantime, in the state Legislature, Assemblyman James Gallagher, a Republican who represents Paradise, went on Facebook, \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/AssemblymanJamesGallagher/posts/2549431628685045\">posting\u003c/a> that KQED’s story “raises a lot of questions and concerns that need answers, both from the trustee and the bankruptcy court.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think it’s really the bankruptcy court that needs to take action,” Gallagher told KQED. He also said it was time for Gov. Gavin Newsom to get involved.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Seeing victims are not getting compensated in a timely fashion — that should rise to the top level,” Gallagher said. “[Newsom] is certainly commenting about a lot of things here lately. I would hope that this would be a top priority as well.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Newsom’s office declined to comment. “We do not have any information to provide at this time,” said Amelia Matier, a spokesperson for Newsom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The structure of the Trust has been controversial from the outset.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Tell me why I shouldn’t think this is just a risk to have a very large amount of money be paid out without any kind of control over what happens,” Judge Montali said at a hearing last April.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But attorneys representing fire victims pleaded with Montali to approve Trotter’s appointment. Minutes later, Montali relented.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A major complicating factor in distributing claims is the fact that so much of the compensation to victims came in the form of PG&E stock, the value of which fluctuates daily. Once touted as worth $13.5 billion, today the amount available to pay victims is substantially less, thanks to the company’s flagging fortunes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside label='Related Coverage' tag='pge']The fund is currently worth around $11 billion, with a final infusion of $700 million in cash from PG&E expected after the current fire season — in January.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“No one is slacking,” said Amy Bach, a consumer advocate on the Trust Oversight Committee. Other than Bach, the committee is exclusively comprised of mass tort attorneys despite calls for fire survivors to have a seat as well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last week, a spokesperson for the Fire Victim Trust said the Trust has increased its payments, and has so far distributed a total of $195.2 million to people who lost loved ones, homes and businesses to fires caused by PG&E. The spokesperson also said the Trust had made preliminary payments averaging about $13,000 to 9,532 of the 67,170 eligible families.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, that comes to less than 2% of the $13.5 billion promised.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The problem is there are just a lot of claims and there’s a lot going down,” Bach said. “It’s hard for me to think there couldn’t have been some things to streamline, but with all the constraints that are on the team issuing payments and determinations, they seem to be extremely hamstrung by orders and legal agreements that were made a long time ago.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Trostle had a front-row seat to discussions that led to the controversial settlement deal struck between PG&E and lawyers for fire victims in December 2019. At the time, he served on an 11-person committee representing fire survivors in PG&E’s most recent bankruptcy. But as it came time for fire victims to vote on the settlement last year, Trostle took the extraordinary step of resigning from the committee.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“PG&E’s reorganization plan is deeply flawed and very risky for all fire victims,” he \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11808826/fire-survivor-resigns-in-protest-from-pge-bankruptcy-committee\">wrote in his resignation letter\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He explained he had been advised by lawyers for the committee that speaking out would conflict with his duty to his fellow fire survivors. So he quit. He has since relocated to Tennessee.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story is a collaborative project of NPR’s California Newsroom, including Northern California Public Media, CapRadio and KQED.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
"blocks": [],
"excerpt": "Fire victims and public officials want increased oversight of the Fire Victim Trust set up to distribute billions of dollars in compensation to families displaced by fires sparked by PG&E equipment.",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1721128313,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 32,
"wordCount": 1253
},
"headData": {
"title": "Cascade of Outrage Follows Investigation Into PG&E Fire Victim Trust Expenses | KQED",
"description": "Fire victims and public officials want increased oversight of the Fire Victim Trust set up to distribute billions of dollars in compensation to families displaced by fires sparked by PG&E equipment.",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "NewsArticle",
"headline": "Cascade of Outrage Follows Investigation Into PG&E Fire Victim Trust Expenses",
"datePublished": "2021-05-14T13:43:25-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-07-16T04:11:53-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"isAccessibleForFree": "True",
"publisher": {
"@type": "NewsMediaOrganization",
"@id": "https://www.kqed.org/#organization",
"name": "KQED",
"logo": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"url": "https://www.kqed.org",
"sameAs": [
"https://www.facebook.com/KQED",
"https://twitter.com/KQED",
"https://www.instagram.com/kqed/",
"https://www.tiktok.com/@kqedofficial",
"https://www.linkedin.com/company/kqed",
"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeC0IOo7i1P_61zVUWbJ4nw"
]
}
}
},
"sticky": false,
"path": "/news/11873721/cascade-of-outrage-follows-investigation-into-pge-fire-victim-trust-expenses",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Fire victims and public officials are calling for increased oversight of the Fire Victim Trust set up to distribute billions of dollars in compensation to families displaced by fires sparked by Pacific Gas and Electric Co. equipment. That’s following a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11872328/survivors-stuck-in-limbo-as-pge-fire-victim-trust-pays-out-50-million-in-fees\">KQED investigation\u003c/a>, which found the Trust spent $51 million on overhead last year, while the vast majority of fire victims haven’t received a dime.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Wednesday, Kirk Trostle – a retired police chief who lost his home when the PG&E-sparked Camp Fire destroyed Paradise in 2018 – petitioned a federal judge to intervene.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The administrative expenses are out of control,” Trostle \u003ca href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/20707787-kirk-trostle-letter-to-judge-montali-regarding-fvt-5-12-21-3\">wrote\u003c/a> to Bankruptcy Judge Dennis Montali, who has been overseeing PG&E’s bankruptcy proceedings, which led to the promise of $13.5 billion to be paid to 67,000 fire victims.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Families are still living in cars, travel trailers, and FEMA trailers,” Trostle wrote Montali.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The multi-billion dollar settlement was announced in December 2019. At the end of the following year, KQED found, the Trust had paid out just $7 million.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "news_11872328",
"hero": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/Bill-Cook-Home-1020x670.jpg",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“Stating fire victims are languishing is an understatement,” Trostle added. “I request you speed up the process to a sprint-like manner and direct the [Fire Victim Trust] to provide transparency and accountability in the administration of the fire victims money.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Judge Montali did not respond to KQED’s request for an interview. His assistant said his consistent practice is to decline such requests in an active pending case. The administrator of the Trust, John Trotter, whom KQED found \u003ca href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/20698873-m034139804869-rep-1404090738?responsive=1&title=1\">billed $1,500 an hour\u003c/a> while victims waited, has declined repeated requests to comment. The top claims administrator, Cathy Yanni, makes $1,250 an hour, records show, and the Trust has spent millions more on a host of legal and financial advisers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Trostle’s petition comes amid a cascade of outrage following KQED’s investigation — from lawmakers, legal experts and fire survivors themselves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11873745\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11873745\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/Trostle.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1442\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/Trostle.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/Trostle-800x601.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/Trostle-1020x766.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/Trostle-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/Trostle-1536x1154.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kirk Trostle, a retired police chief who lost his home when the PG&E-sparked Camp Fire destroyed Paradise in 2018, with his wife, Patty. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Kirk Trostle)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson, a Democrat who represents Napa County and parts of Sonoma County, where thousands of fire survivors are also waiting for compensation, said the disparity uncovered by KQED “has a real and negative impact on people in our district who survived the fires and are still working to rebuild their lives.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Fire survivors have already been through so much and all parties involved must do everything they can to make survivors whole as fast as possible,” he said. A spokesperson for Sen. Dianne Feinstein said the senator is tracking the issue closely.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rep. Doug LaMalfa, a Republican who represents Paradise, also expressed outrage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“No victims’ compensation fund should see $1,500-an-hour lawyers, $1,250-an-hour administrators, and government taxes delaying disbursements or taking the lion’s share,” LaMalfa said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The victims of the fire are our priority. The settlement has been made and agreed to. Two years and $50 million is way too much time and overhead. This trustee-led process needs the trust put back in as it seems to have lost the focus on the victims who quickly need these funds.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/pge-trust.jpeg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11873739 aligncenter\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/pge-trust.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1149\" height=\"1460\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/pge-trust.jpeg 1149w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/pge-trust-800x1017.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/pge-trust-1020x1296.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/pge-trust-160x203.jpeg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1149px) 100vw, 1149px\">\u003c/a>Meantime, in the state Legislature, Assemblyman James Gallagher, a Republican who represents Paradise, went on Facebook, \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/AssemblymanJamesGallagher/posts/2549431628685045\">posting\u003c/a> that KQED’s story “raises a lot of questions and concerns that need answers, both from the trustee and the bankruptcy court.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think it’s really the bankruptcy court that needs to take action,” Gallagher told KQED. He also said it was time for Gov. Gavin Newsom to get involved.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Seeing victims are not getting compensated in a timely fashion — that should rise to the top level,” Gallagher said. “[Newsom] is certainly commenting about a lot of things here lately. I would hope that this would be a top priority as well.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Newsom’s office declined to comment. “We do not have any information to provide at this time,” said Amelia Matier, a spokesperson for Newsom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The structure of the Trust has been controversial from the outset.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Tell me why I shouldn’t think this is just a risk to have a very large amount of money be paid out without any kind of control over what happens,” Judge Montali said at a hearing last April.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But attorneys representing fire victims pleaded with Montali to approve Trotter’s appointment. Minutes later, Montali relented.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A major complicating factor in distributing claims is the fact that so much of the compensation to victims came in the form of PG&E stock, the value of which fluctuates daily. Once touted as worth $13.5 billion, today the amount available to pay victims is substantially less, thanks to the company’s flagging fortunes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "Related Coverage ",
"tag": "pge"
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The fund is currently worth around $11 billion, with a final infusion of $700 million in cash from PG&E expected after the current fire season — in January.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“No one is slacking,” said Amy Bach, a consumer advocate on the Trust Oversight Committee. Other than Bach, the committee is exclusively comprised of mass tort attorneys despite calls for fire survivors to have a seat as well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last week, a spokesperson for the Fire Victim Trust said the Trust has increased its payments, and has so far distributed a total of $195.2 million to people who lost loved ones, homes and businesses to fires caused by PG&E. The spokesperson also said the Trust had made preliminary payments averaging about $13,000 to 9,532 of the 67,170 eligible families.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, that comes to less than 2% of the $13.5 billion promised.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The problem is there are just a lot of claims and there’s a lot going down,” Bach said. “It’s hard for me to think there couldn’t have been some things to streamline, but with all the constraints that are on the team issuing payments and determinations, they seem to be extremely hamstrung by orders and legal agreements that were made a long time ago.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Trostle had a front-row seat to discussions that led to the controversial settlement deal struck between PG&E and lawyers for fire victims in December 2019. At the time, he served on an 11-person committee representing fire survivors in PG&E’s most recent bankruptcy. But as it came time for fire victims to vote on the settlement last year, Trostle took the extraordinary step of resigning from the committee.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“PG&E’s reorganization plan is deeply flawed and very risky for all fire victims,” he \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11808826/fire-survivor-resigns-in-protest-from-pge-bankruptcy-committee\">wrote in his resignation letter\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He explained he had been advised by lawyers for the committee that speaking out would conflict with his duty to his fellow fire survivors. So he quit. He has since relocated to Tennessee.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story is a collaborative project of NPR’s California Newsroom, including Northern California Public Media, CapRadio and KQED.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/news/11873721/cascade-of-outrage-follows-investigation-into-pge-fire-victim-trust-expenses",
"authors": [
"11552"
],
"categories": [
"news_19906",
"news_8",
"news_13"
],
"tags": [
"news_24483",
"news_25772",
"news_21878",
"news_29433",
"news_24484",
"news_140",
"news_27132",
"news_26848",
"news_17968",
"news_4463"
],
"featImg": "news_11873756",
"label": "news"
},
"news_11872741": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "news_11872741",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "11872741",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1620415590000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {
"site": "news",
"term": 18515
},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1620415590,
"format": "standard",
"disqusTitle": "Burning Through the Bucks",
"title": "Burning Through the Bucks",
"headTitle": "Mark Fiore: Drawn to the Bay | KQED News",
"content": "\u003cp>A trustee who charges $1,500 an hour and a claims administrator who bills $1,250 hourly – during the first year of operation, the PG&E Fire Victim Trust \u003ca href=\"http://bit.ly/fiorepgefirevictimtrust\">spent nearly 90% of its funds on overhead\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If I were making $1,500 an hour, I would not be very incentivized to work myself out of a job by quickly distributing the money that is owed to the 67,000 people who are part of the December 2019 PG&E settlement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This . . . might . . . take . . . a . . . while.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the meantime, the vast majority of people who lost everything in wildfires sparked by PG&E equipment haven't received a dime.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
"disqusIdentifier": "11872741 https://ww2.kqed.org/news/?p=11872741",
"disqusUrl": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/2021/05/07/burning-through-the-bucks/",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 115,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 6
},
"modified": 1620415590,
"excerpt": "A trustee who charges $1,500 an hour, a claims administrator who bills $1,250 hourly – during the first year of operation, the PG&E Fire Victim Trust spent nearly 90% of its funds on overhead. ",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "A trustee who charges $1,500 an hour, a claims administrator who bills $1,250 hourly – during the first year of operation, the PG&E Fire Victim Trust spent nearly 90% of its funds on overhead. ",
"title": "Burning Through the Bucks | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "NewsArticle",
"headline": "Burning Through the Bucks",
"datePublished": "2021-05-07T12:26:30-07:00",
"dateModified": "2021-05-07T12:26:30-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"isAccessibleForFree": "True",
"publisher": {
"@type": "NewsMediaOrganization",
"@id": "https://www.kqed.org/#organization",
"name": "KQED",
"logo": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"url": "https://www.kqed.org",
"sameAs": [
"https://www.facebook.com/KQED",
"https://twitter.com/KQED",
"https://www.instagram.com/kqed/",
"https://www.tiktok.com/@kqedofficial",
"https://www.linkedin.com/company/kqed",
"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeC0IOo7i1P_61zVUWbJ4nw"
]
}
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "burning-through-the-bucks",
"status": "publish",
"path": "/news/11872741/burning-through-the-bucks",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>A trustee who charges $1,500 an hour and a claims administrator who bills $1,250 hourly – during the first year of operation, the PG&E Fire Victim Trust \u003ca href=\"http://bit.ly/fiorepgefirevictimtrust\">spent nearly 90% of its funds on overhead\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If I were making $1,500 an hour, I would not be very incentivized to work myself out of a job by quickly distributing the money that is owed to the 67,000 people who are part of the December 2019 PG&E settlement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This . . . might . . . take . . . a . . . while.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the meantime, the vast majority of people who lost everything in wildfires sparked by PG&E equipment haven't received a dime.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/news/11872741/burning-through-the-bucks",
"authors": [
"3236"
],
"series": [
"news_18515"
],
"categories": [
"news_19906",
"news_6188",
"news_13"
],
"tags": [
"news_21878",
"news_29433",
"news_20949",
"news_140",
"news_27132",
"news_4463"
],
"featImg": "news_11872745",
"label": "news_18515"
},
"news_11872328": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "news_11872328",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "11872328",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1620288138000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {
"site": "news",
"term": 72
},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1620288138,
"format": "audio",
"disqusTitle": "Survivors Stuck in Limbo as PG&E Fire Victim Trust Pays Out $50 Million in Fees",
"title": "Survivors Stuck in Limbo as PG&E Fire Victim Trust Pays Out $50 Million in Fees",
"headTitle": "The California Report | KQED News",
"content": "\u003cp>Retired U.S. Foreign Service Officer Bill Cook lost his home in Paradise during the Camp Fire, the 2018 blaze \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11824596/pge-pleads-guilty-to-84-deaths-in-wildfire-that-destroyed-paradise\">sparked by Pacific Gas & Electric Co. equipment\u003c/a> that ranks as the deadliest and most destructive fire in California history.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More than two years later, Cook, 70, and his family are barely scraping by. Like Cook, the vast majority of the 67,000 PG&E fire victims included in a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11791785/pge-axes-requirement-for-newsom-to-ok-13-5-billion-settlement-with-wildfire-victims\">December 2019 settlement\u003c/a> with the company have yet to see a dime. That's as lawyers and administrators have been paid millions, with the money coming directly from funds set aside to help survivors like Cook.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Bill Cook, Camp Fire survivor\"]'They're paying themselves very well... It’s like everything is a black hole and nothing moves, and there’s nothing you can do about it.'[/pullquote]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A KQED investigation found that while they waited, a special Fire Victim Trust in charge of compensating survivors racked up $51 million in overhead costs last year. During that same period, the Trust disbursed just $7 million to fire victims – less than 0.1% of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2019/12/07/785775074/pg-e-announces-13-5-billion-settlement-of-claims-linked-to-california-wildfires\">$13.5 billion promised\u003c/a> – according to an analysis of federal bankruptcy court filings, court transcripts and correspondence between staff of the Fire Victim Trust and the victims themselves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During its first year of operation, the Trust spent nearly 90% of its funds on overhead, while fire victims waited for help, KQED found.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Today, Cook lives 100 miles away from Paradise in Davis, where he shares a three-bedroom rental with his 68-year-old wife, Leslie, their four adult children and three grandchildren. He’s eaten into his savings to pay rent, which costs triple what he paid for his mortgage in Paradise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"You’re stuck,\" Cook said. \"You can’t go anywhere. You can’t get anything. You can’t move forward.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11872334\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-11872334\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/Cook-Living-Room-Davis.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1436\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/Cook-Living-Room-Davis.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/Cook-Living-Room-Davis-800x598.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/Cook-Living-Room-Davis-1020x763.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/Cook-Living-Room-Davis-160x120.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/Cook-Living-Room-Davis-1536x1149.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Bill Cook sits at a table in the three-bedroom rental home in Davis where he now lives with his wife, Leslie, their four adult children including Evan (left) and their three grandchildren. The family used paper dividers in the den to create another bedroom. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Bill Cook)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Representatives for the Fire Victim Trust declined to be interviewed. An \u003ca href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/20698865-m034140771109-rep-2904080931?responsive=1&title=1\">annual report\u003c/a> filed in federal bankruptcy court last week by its trustee, John Trotter, reported $38.7 million spent on financial professionals, claims administrators, consultants and other operating expenses between July 1 and the end of 2020. Documents reviewed by KQED show the Trust took in an additional $12.7 million in funding provided by PG&E \u003ca href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/20698873-m034139804869-rep-1404090738?responsive=1&title=1\">last Spring\u003c/a> – cash spent to set up the claims process.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Trotter, a retired California Appeals Court judge, charges $1,500 an hour, according to another court \u003ca href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/20698873-m034139804869-rep-1404090738?responsive=1&title=1\">filing\u003c/a>, while claims administrator Cathy Yanni bills $1,250 an hour. Both work at Irvine-based JAMS, previously known as Judicial Arbitration and Mediation Services, Inc, one of the nation's largest private dispute resolution provider firms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"They're paying themselves very well. They have these enormous legal costs and there's not much to show for it,\" Cook said. \"It’s like everything is a black hole and nothing moves, and there’s nothing you can do about it.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/pge-trust.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-11872556\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/pge-trust.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1149\" height=\"1460\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/pge-trust.jpg 1149w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/pge-trust-800x1017.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/pge-trust-1020x1296.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/pge-trust-160x203.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1149px) 100vw, 1149px\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In November, Yanni told KQED she expected it would take two years to pay all victims with claims. Some fire survivors fear it will take much longer. The longer it takes, the higher the cost of overhead will be. Trotter wrote in April, in a \u003ca href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/20699521-letter_from_the_trustee_4-12-21?responsive=1&title=1\">letter addressed to fire victims\u003c/a>, that past claims processes he’s overseen ended up costing between 2% and 4% of overall funds, on average.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"My goal is to keep the cost of administration below or as close to 1% as possible,\" Trotter wrote of the Fire Victim Trust.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>PG&E announced its plans to enter Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in January 2019, 10 weeks after its equipment sparked the Camp Fire, which \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11824596/pge-pleads-guilty-to-84-deaths-in-wildfire-that-destroyed-paradise\">killed at least 85 people\u003c/a> and destroyed almost 19,000 homes and businesses in and around Paradise. The settlement with tens of thousands of fire victims resulted from those proceedings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=news_11833283 hero='https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/08/PGE-Subcontractors-Inspect-1038x576.jpg']There were concerns about overhead expenses as early as last Spring, when U.S. bankruptcy judge Dennis Montali mulled whether to approve startup costs for the Fire Victim Trust.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Tell me why I shouldn't think this is just a risk to have a very large amount of money be paid out without any kind of control over what happens,\" Montali said at a hearing last April. Attorneys representing fire victims pleaded with Montali to approve Trotter’s appointment. Minutes later, Montali relented.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Montali was encouraged to greenlight the overhead by some of the fire victims’ own attorneys.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gerald Singleton, an attorney who represents 6,500 fire victims and sits on the Fire Victim Trust Oversight Committee’s budget subcommittee, said he’s not concerned about the Trust’s overhead. \"When you’re talking about what they have to do, I certainly think the money is reasonable,\" he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"The amounts they make are phenomenal. They're just incredible amounts,\" Singleton said. \"But that's what people at their level make.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Singleton agreed that the payments to victims have trickled out slowly, but he said the pace is picking up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Scott McNutt, a former California State Bar governor and veteran bankruptcy attorney told KQED the amounts are excessive for the meager results obtained so far and that the Trust \"has been completely non-transparent about what it’s doing for this money.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"One of the hallmarks of the bankruptcy process is transparency,\" he said. \"One of the hallmarks of trust administration is transparency. That’s why they’re called trusts.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The process has been complicated by the terms of PG&E’s settlement with fire victims, which was funded half with cash and half with PG&E stock. The complicated arrangement, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11805766/pge-victims-weigh-rare-stock-funded-trust-amid-market-turmoil\">which has few precedents\u003c/a>, made the fire victims major shareholders in the utility and made administering the Trust far more complicated.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Tuesday, a spokesperson for the Fire Victims Trust told KQED the Trust had increased its payments to families this year and had now put $195.2 million into the hands of those who lost loved ones, homes and businesses lost to fires caused by PG&E.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That figure still comes to less than 2% of the amount promised to families when they voted on the settlement last year. The spokesman also said the Trust had begun to make partial payments to a small percentage of families. Those partial payments, which average approximately $13,000, have gone to 9,532 of the 67,170 eligible families, a spokesperson for the Trust said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Only 334 families have had their claims fully processed. Those families are \u003ca href=\"https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210312005517/en/Fire-Victim-Trust-to-Begin-Making-First-Pro-Rata-Payments-to-Fire-Victims\">getting 30% of what they’re owed\u003c/a>, the Trust said, while the Trust collects its own fees in full.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11872435\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-11872435\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/Pre-fire-Exterior-cook.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"520\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/Pre-fire-Exterior-cook.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/Pre-fire-Exterior-cook-160x104.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The exterior of Bill Cook's family home in Paradise before it was destroyed by the Camp Fire in 2018. Two and a half years later, Cook and his family are barely scraping by, and haven't seen a dime from the Fire Victim Trust. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Bill Cook)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch3>Who's Getting Paid\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>The Trust’s annual report is short on details about who got paid, and how much. It reports operating expenses solely by category – $16.3 million “claims processor fees and expenses,” for example, and $6.8 million for “insurance, data and other expenses.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Trust declined to provide KQED with a list of companies it is working with and what it has paid them. But KQED’s review of documents identified more than half a dozen law firms and financial institutions that have profited off the Fire Victim Trust.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For example, the Trust told fire victims in an April letter that it had retained Richmond, Virginia-based BrownGreer for claims processing. John Trotter, the trustee, wrote that the firm, which specializes in resolving complex legal settlements, had 300 staff members \"committed to this project, including attorneys, project managers, analysts, claim reviewers, and software developers,\" and was adding staff.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Trust also tallied $6.2 million in legal fees during the period. Again, the Trust refused to provide an accounting of this work. Last year, Trotter retained the firm \u003ca href=\"https://restructuring.primeclerk.com/pge/Home-DownloadPDF?id1=NDAxNjA3&id2=0\">Brown Rudnick\u003c/a> to represent him in bankruptcy court, and \u003ca href=\"https://docs.cpuc.ca.gov/PublishedDocs/Efile/G000/M344/K182/344182620.PDF\">Morgan Lewis\u003c/a> to represent him at the CPUC.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside label='Related Coverage' tag='pge']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Financial advisers have been paid $3 million. The Trust has retained the services of \u003ca href=\"https://www.firevictimtrust.com/Docs/Letter_from_the_Trustee.pdf\">Morgan Stanley and Houlihan Lokey\u003c/a> to monetize its vast holdings of PG&E stock, according to a January letter Trotter wrote to fire victims.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Trust also listed $303,706 in unspecified consulting fees. The Trust’s public relations firm, Zumado, would not elaborate on what those fees entailed. Zumado also refused to comment on how much it has been paid by the Fire Victim Trust.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The accounting firm BDO \u003ca href=\"https://www.firevictimtrust.com/Docs/Fire_Victim_Trust_Annual_Report_2020.pdf\">prepared\u003c/a> the Trust’s annual report. Again, no one was willing to share any records about how much they were paid for that work.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>KQED contacted all the firms, seeking confirmation that they received money from the Trust, and asking how much. BDO was the only one to respond but declined to answer questions.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Falling Short by Design?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>As PG&E approached the end of its bankruptcy last year, Singleton and several other mass tort attorneys were busy persuading their fire victim clients to vote in favor of the complicated part-stock settlement. Some fire survivors \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11801571/fire-victims-ask-judge-to-reconsider-13-5-billion-pge-settlement\">wrote to Judge Montali\u003c/a> expressing outrage at the idea of accepting stock in the company that harmed them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Because of the stock component, the value of the Trust fluctuates every day. So far, the Fire Victim Trust’s financial advisers haven’t liquidated any shares as the stock price has languished. Today, the Trust holds almost a quarter of all PG&E shares.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Camp Fire survivor Mary Wallace was among a group of fire survivors who fought against the stock component last year. At the time, she argued in court it would slow down the process of compensating victims. To her, those concerns have come home to roost.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We’re still living in squalor,\" said Wallace, who lives in a shed with no insulation on her property in Paradise. \"We still don’t have anything. It’s beyond belief. I am thoroughly disappointed.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wallace said she grew so disillusioned with the process, she abandoned her claim altogether.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story is a collaborative project of NPR’s California Newsroom, including Northern California Public Media, CapRadio and KQED.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
"disqusIdentifier": "11872328 https://ww2.kqed.org/news/?p=11872328",
"disqusUrl": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/2021/05/06/survivors-stuck-in-limbo-as-pge-fire-victim-trust-pays-out-50-million-in-fees/",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 1817,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 43
},
"modified": 1621036408,
"excerpt": "In its first year of operation, the PG&E Fire Victim Trust spent nearly 90% of its funds on overhead expenses while families who lost their homes waited for help.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "In its first year of operation, the PG&E Fire Victim Trust spent nearly 90% of its funds on overhead expenses while families who lost their homes waited for help.",
"title": "Survivors Stuck in Limbo as PG&E Fire Victim Trust Pays Out $50 Million in Fees | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "NewsArticle",
"headline": "Survivors Stuck in Limbo as PG&E Fire Victim Trust Pays Out $50 Million in Fees",
"datePublished": "2021-05-06T01:02:18-07:00",
"dateModified": "2021-05-14T16:53:28-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"isAccessibleForFree": "True",
"publisher": {
"@type": "NewsMediaOrganization",
"@id": "https://www.kqed.org/#organization",
"name": "KQED",
"logo": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"url": "https://www.kqed.org",
"sameAs": [
"https://www.facebook.com/KQED",
"https://twitter.com/KQED",
"https://www.instagram.com/kqed/",
"https://www.tiktok.com/@kqedofficial",
"https://www.linkedin.com/company/kqed",
"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeC0IOo7i1P_61zVUWbJ4nw"
]
}
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "survivors-stuck-in-limbo-as-pge-fire-victim-trust-pays-out-50-million-in-fees",
"status": "publish",
"audioUrl": "https://traffic.omny.fm/d/clips/0af137ef-751e-4b19-a055-aaef00d2d578/ffca7e9f-6831-41c5-bcaf-aaef00f5a073/0f5a74eb-bcde-40aa-bd43-ad20011195d9/audio.mp3",
"path": "/news/11872328/survivors-stuck-in-limbo-as-pge-fire-victim-trust-pays-out-50-million-in-fees",
"audioDuration": 241000,
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Retired U.S. Foreign Service Officer Bill Cook lost his home in Paradise during the Camp Fire, the 2018 blaze \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11824596/pge-pleads-guilty-to-84-deaths-in-wildfire-that-destroyed-paradise\">sparked by Pacific Gas & Electric Co. equipment\u003c/a> that ranks as the deadliest and most destructive fire in California history.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More than two years later, Cook, 70, and his family are barely scraping by. Like Cook, the vast majority of the 67,000 PG&E fire victims included in a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11791785/pge-axes-requirement-for-newsom-to-ok-13-5-billion-settlement-with-wildfire-victims\">December 2019 settlement\u003c/a> with the company have yet to see a dime. That's as lawyers and administrators have been paid millions, with the money coming directly from funds set aside to help survivors like Cook.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "'They're paying themselves very well... It’s like everything is a black hole and nothing moves, and there’s nothing you can do about it.'",
"name": "pullquote",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"size": "medium",
"align": "right",
"citation": "Bill Cook, Camp Fire survivor",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A KQED investigation found that while they waited, a special Fire Victim Trust in charge of compensating survivors racked up $51 million in overhead costs last year. During that same period, the Trust disbursed just $7 million to fire victims – less than 0.1% of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2019/12/07/785775074/pg-e-announces-13-5-billion-settlement-of-claims-linked-to-california-wildfires\">$13.5 billion promised\u003c/a> – according to an analysis of federal bankruptcy court filings, court transcripts and correspondence between staff of the Fire Victim Trust and the victims themselves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During its first year of operation, the Trust spent nearly 90% of its funds on overhead, while fire victims waited for help, KQED found.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Today, Cook lives 100 miles away from Paradise in Davis, where he shares a three-bedroom rental with his 68-year-old wife, Leslie, their four adult children and three grandchildren. He’s eaten into his savings to pay rent, which costs triple what he paid for his mortgage in Paradise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"You’re stuck,\" Cook said. \"You can’t go anywhere. You can’t get anything. You can’t move forward.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11872334\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-11872334\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/Cook-Living-Room-Davis.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1436\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/Cook-Living-Room-Davis.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/Cook-Living-Room-Davis-800x598.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/Cook-Living-Room-Davis-1020x763.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/Cook-Living-Room-Davis-160x120.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/Cook-Living-Room-Davis-1536x1149.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Bill Cook sits at a table in the three-bedroom rental home in Davis where he now lives with his wife, Leslie, their four adult children including Evan (left) and their three grandchildren. The family used paper dividers in the den to create another bedroom. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Bill Cook)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Representatives for the Fire Victim Trust declined to be interviewed. An \u003ca href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/20698865-m034140771109-rep-2904080931?responsive=1&title=1\">annual report\u003c/a> filed in federal bankruptcy court last week by its trustee, John Trotter, reported $38.7 million spent on financial professionals, claims administrators, consultants and other operating expenses between July 1 and the end of 2020. Documents reviewed by KQED show the Trust took in an additional $12.7 million in funding provided by PG&E \u003ca href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/20698873-m034139804869-rep-1404090738?responsive=1&title=1\">last Spring\u003c/a> – cash spent to set up the claims process.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Trotter, a retired California Appeals Court judge, charges $1,500 an hour, according to another court \u003ca href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/20698873-m034139804869-rep-1404090738?responsive=1&title=1\">filing\u003c/a>, while claims administrator Cathy Yanni bills $1,250 an hour. Both work at Irvine-based JAMS, previously known as Judicial Arbitration and Mediation Services, Inc, one of the nation's largest private dispute resolution provider firms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"They're paying themselves very well. They have these enormous legal costs and there's not much to show for it,\" Cook said. \"It’s like everything is a black hole and nothing moves, and there’s nothing you can do about it.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/pge-trust.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-11872556\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/pge-trust.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1149\" height=\"1460\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/pge-trust.jpg 1149w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/pge-trust-800x1017.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/pge-trust-1020x1296.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/pge-trust-160x203.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1149px) 100vw, 1149px\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In November, Yanni told KQED she expected it would take two years to pay all victims with claims. Some fire survivors fear it will take much longer. The longer it takes, the higher the cost of overhead will be. Trotter wrote in April, in a \u003ca href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/20699521-letter_from_the_trustee_4-12-21?responsive=1&title=1\">letter addressed to fire victims\u003c/a>, that past claims processes he’s overseen ended up costing between 2% and 4% of overall funds, on average.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"My goal is to keep the cost of administration below or as close to 1% as possible,\" Trotter wrote of the Fire Victim Trust.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>PG&E announced its plans to enter Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in January 2019, 10 weeks after its equipment sparked the Camp Fire, which \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11824596/pge-pleads-guilty-to-84-deaths-in-wildfire-that-destroyed-paradise\">killed at least 85 people\u003c/a> and destroyed almost 19,000 homes and businesses in and around Paradise. The settlement with tens of thousands of fire victims resulted from those proceedings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "news_11833283",
"hero": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2020/08/PGE-Subcontractors-Inspect-1038x576.jpg",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>There were concerns about overhead expenses as early as last Spring, when U.S. bankruptcy judge Dennis Montali mulled whether to approve startup costs for the Fire Victim Trust.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Tell me why I shouldn't think this is just a risk to have a very large amount of money be paid out without any kind of control over what happens,\" Montali said at a hearing last April. Attorneys representing fire victims pleaded with Montali to approve Trotter’s appointment. Minutes later, Montali relented.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Montali was encouraged to greenlight the overhead by some of the fire victims’ own attorneys.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gerald Singleton, an attorney who represents 6,500 fire victims and sits on the Fire Victim Trust Oversight Committee’s budget subcommittee, said he’s not concerned about the Trust’s overhead. \"When you’re talking about what they have to do, I certainly think the money is reasonable,\" he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"The amounts they make are phenomenal. They're just incredible amounts,\" Singleton said. \"But that's what people at their level make.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Singleton agreed that the payments to victims have trickled out slowly, but he said the pace is picking up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Scott McNutt, a former California State Bar governor and veteran bankruptcy attorney told KQED the amounts are excessive for the meager results obtained so far and that the Trust \"has been completely non-transparent about what it’s doing for this money.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"One of the hallmarks of the bankruptcy process is transparency,\" he said. \"One of the hallmarks of trust administration is transparency. That’s why they’re called trusts.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The process has been complicated by the terms of PG&E’s settlement with fire victims, which was funded half with cash and half with PG&E stock. The complicated arrangement, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11805766/pge-victims-weigh-rare-stock-funded-trust-amid-market-turmoil\">which has few precedents\u003c/a>, made the fire victims major shareholders in the utility and made administering the Trust far more complicated.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Tuesday, a spokesperson for the Fire Victims Trust told KQED the Trust had increased its payments to families this year and had now put $195.2 million into the hands of those who lost loved ones, homes and businesses lost to fires caused by PG&E.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That figure still comes to less than 2% of the amount promised to families when they voted on the settlement last year. The spokesman also said the Trust had begun to make partial payments to a small percentage of families. Those partial payments, which average approximately $13,000, have gone to 9,532 of the 67,170 eligible families, a spokesperson for the Trust said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Only 334 families have had their claims fully processed. Those families are \u003ca href=\"https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210312005517/en/Fire-Victim-Trust-to-Begin-Making-First-Pro-Rata-Payments-to-Fire-Victims\">getting 30% of what they’re owed\u003c/a>, the Trust said, while the Trust collects its own fees in full.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11872435\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-11872435\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/Pre-fire-Exterior-cook.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"520\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/Pre-fire-Exterior-cook.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/05/Pre-fire-Exterior-cook-160x104.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The exterior of Bill Cook's family home in Paradise before it was destroyed by the Camp Fire in 2018. Two and a half years later, Cook and his family are barely scraping by, and haven't seen a dime from the Fire Victim Trust. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Bill Cook)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch3>Who's Getting Paid\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>The Trust’s annual report is short on details about who got paid, and how much. It reports operating expenses solely by category – $16.3 million “claims processor fees and expenses,” for example, and $6.8 million for “insurance, data and other expenses.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Trust declined to provide KQED with a list of companies it is working with and what it has paid them. But KQED’s review of documents identified more than half a dozen law firms and financial institutions that have profited off the Fire Victim Trust.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For example, the Trust told fire victims in an April letter that it had retained Richmond, Virginia-based BrownGreer for claims processing. John Trotter, the trustee, wrote that the firm, which specializes in resolving complex legal settlements, had 300 staff members \"committed to this project, including attorneys, project managers, analysts, claim reviewers, and software developers,\" and was adding staff.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Trust also tallied $6.2 million in legal fees during the period. Again, the Trust refused to provide an accounting of this work. Last year, Trotter retained the firm \u003ca href=\"https://restructuring.primeclerk.com/pge/Home-DownloadPDF?id1=NDAxNjA3&id2=0\">Brown Rudnick\u003c/a> to represent him in bankruptcy court, and \u003ca href=\"https://docs.cpuc.ca.gov/PublishedDocs/Efile/G000/M344/K182/344182620.PDF\">Morgan Lewis\u003c/a> to represent him at the CPUC.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "Related Coverage ",
"tag": "pge"
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Financial advisers have been paid $3 million. The Trust has retained the services of \u003ca href=\"https://www.firevictimtrust.com/Docs/Letter_from_the_Trustee.pdf\">Morgan Stanley and Houlihan Lokey\u003c/a> to monetize its vast holdings of PG&E stock, according to a January letter Trotter wrote to fire victims.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Trust also listed $303,706 in unspecified consulting fees. The Trust’s public relations firm, Zumado, would not elaborate on what those fees entailed. Zumado also refused to comment on how much it has been paid by the Fire Victim Trust.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The accounting firm BDO \u003ca href=\"https://www.firevictimtrust.com/Docs/Fire_Victim_Trust_Annual_Report_2020.pdf\">prepared\u003c/a> the Trust’s annual report. Again, no one was willing to share any records about how much they were paid for that work.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>KQED contacted all the firms, seeking confirmation that they received money from the Trust, and asking how much. BDO was the only one to respond but declined to answer questions.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Falling Short by Design?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>As PG&E approached the end of its bankruptcy last year, Singleton and several other mass tort attorneys were busy persuading their fire victim clients to vote in favor of the complicated part-stock settlement. Some fire survivors \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11801571/fire-victims-ask-judge-to-reconsider-13-5-billion-pge-settlement\">wrote to Judge Montali\u003c/a> expressing outrage at the idea of accepting stock in the company that harmed them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Because of the stock component, the value of the Trust fluctuates every day. So far, the Fire Victim Trust’s financial advisers haven’t liquidated any shares as the stock price has languished. Today, the Trust holds almost a quarter of all PG&E shares.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Camp Fire survivor Mary Wallace was among a group of fire survivors who fought against the stock component last year. At the time, she argued in court it would slow down the process of compensating victims. To her, those concerns have come home to roost.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We’re still living in squalor,\" said Wallace, who lives in a shed with no insulation on her property in Paradise. \"We still don’t have anything. It’s beyond belief. I am thoroughly disappointed.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wallace said she grew so disillusioned with the process, she abandoned her claim altogether.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story is a collaborative project of NPR’s California Newsroom, including Northern California Public Media, CapRadio and KQED.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/news/11872328/survivors-stuck-in-limbo-as-pge-fire-victim-trust-pays-out-50-million-in-fees",
"authors": [
"11552"
],
"programs": [
"news_72"
],
"categories": [
"news_19906",
"news_8"
],
"tags": [
"news_24483",
"news_27626",
"news_21878",
"news_29433",
"news_22753",
"news_140",
"news_24802",
"news_27132",
"news_4463"
],
"featImg": "news_11872332",
"label": "news_72"
}
},
"programsReducer": {
"all-things-considered": {
"id": "all-things-considered",
"title": "All Things Considered",
"info": "Every weekday, \u003cem>All Things Considered\u003c/em> hosts Robert Siegel, Audie Cornish, Ari Shapiro, and Kelly McEvers present the program's trademark mix of news, interviews, commentaries, reviews, and offbeat features. Michel Martin hosts on the weekends.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 1pm-2pm, 4:30pm-6:30pm\u003cbr />SAT-SUN 5pm-6pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/All-Things-Considered-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/all-things-considered/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/all-things-considered"
},
"american-suburb-podcast": {
"id": "american-suburb-podcast",
"title": "American Suburb: The Podcast",
"tagline": "The flip side of gentrification, told through one town",
"info": "Gentrification is changing cities across America, forcing people from neighborhoods they have long called home. Call them the displaced. Now those priced out of the Bay Area are looking for a better life in an unlikely place. American Suburb follows this migration to one California town along the Delta, 45 miles from San Francisco. But is this once sleepy suburb ready for them?",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/American-Suburb-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/news/series/american-suburb-podcast",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 19
},
"link": "/news/series/american-suburb-podcast/",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/RBrW",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?mt=2&id=1287748328",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/American-Suburb-p1086805/",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/series/american-suburb-podcast/feed/podcast",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkMzMDExODgxNjA5"
}
},
"baycurious": {
"id": "baycurious",
"title": "Bay Curious",
"tagline": "Exploring the Bay Area, one question at a time",
"info": "KQED’s new podcast, Bay Curious, gets to the bottom of the mysteries — both profound and peculiar — that give the Bay Area its unique identity. And we’ll do it with your help! You ask the questions. You decide what Bay Curious investigates. And you join us on the journey to find the answers.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Bay-Curious-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "\"KQED Bay Curious",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/news/series/baycurious",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 3
},
"link": "/podcasts/baycurious",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bay-curious/id1172473406",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/500557090/bay-curious",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/category/bay-curious-podcast/feed/podcast",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93dzIua3FlZC5vcmcvbmV3cy9jYXRlZ29yeS9iYXktY3VyaW91cy1wb2RjYXN0L2ZlZWQvcG9kY2FzdA",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/bay-curious",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/6O76IdmhixfijmhTZLIJ8k"
}
},
"bbc-world-service": {
"id": "bbc-world-service",
"title": "BBC World Service",
"info": "The day's top stories from BBC News compiled twice daily in the week, once at weekends.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 9pm-10pm, TUE-FRI 1am-2am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BBC-World-Service-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/live:bbc_world_service",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "BBC World Service"
},
"link": "/radio/program/bbc-world-service",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/global-news-podcast/id135067274?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/BBC-World-Service-p455581/",
"rss": "https://podcasts.files.bbci.co.uk/p02nq0gn.rss"
}
},
"californiareport": {
"id": "californiareport",
"title": "The California Report",
"tagline": "California, day by day",
"info": "KQED’s statewide radio news program providing daily coverage of issues, trends and public policy decisions.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-California-Report-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The California Report",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/californiareport",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 8
},
"link": "/californiareport",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/kqeds-the-california-report/id79681292",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM1MDAyODE4NTgz",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/432285393/the-california-report",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqedfm-kqeds-the-california-report-podcast-8838",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/tag/tcram/feed/podcast"
}
},
"californiareportmagazine": {
"id": "californiareportmagazine",
"title": "The California Report Magazine",
"tagline": "Your state, your stories",
"info": "Every week, The California Report Magazine takes you on a road trip for the ears: to visit the places and meet the people who make California unique. The in-depth storytelling podcast from the California Report.",
"airtime": "FRI 4:30pm-5pm, 6:30pm-7pm, 11pm-11:30pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-California-Report-Magazine-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The California Report Magazine",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/californiareportmagazine",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 10
},
"link": "/californiareportmagazine",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-california-report-magazine/id1314750545",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM3NjkwNjk1OTAz",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/564733126/the-california-report-magazine",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/the-california-report-magazine",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/tag/tcrmag/feed/podcast"
}
},
"city-arts": {
"id": "city-arts",
"title": "City Arts & Lectures",
"info": "A one-hour radio program to hear celebrated writers, artists and thinkers address contemporary ideas and values, often discussing the creative process. Please note: tapes or transcripts are not available",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/05/cityartsandlecture-300x300.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.cityarts.net/",
"airtime": "SUN 1pm-2pm, TUE 10pm, WED 1am",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "City Arts & Lectures"
},
"link": "https://www.cityarts.net",
"subscribe": {
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/City-Arts-and-Lectures-p692/",
"rss": "https://www.cityarts.net/feed/"
}
},
"closealltabs": {
"id": "closealltabs",
"title": "Close All Tabs",
"tagline": "Your irreverent guide to the trends redefining our world",
"info": "Close All Tabs breaks down how digital culture shapes our world through thoughtful insights and irreverent humor.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/CAT_2_Tile-scaled.jpg",
"imageAlt": "\"KQED Close All Tabs",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/closealltabs",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 1
},
"link": "/podcasts/closealltabs",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/close-all-tabs/id214663465",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC6993880386",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/92d9d4ac-67a3-4eed-b10a-fb45d45b1ef2/close-all-tabs",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/6LAJFHnGK1pYXYzv6SIol6?si=deb0cae19813417c"
}
},
"code-switch-life-kit": {
"id": "code-switch-life-kit",
"title": "Code Switch / Life Kit",
"info": "\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em>, which listeners will hear in the first part of the hour, has fearless and much-needed conversations about race. Hosted by journalists of color, the show tackles the subject of race head-on, exploring how it impacts every part of society — from politics and pop culture to history, sports and more.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em>, which will be in the second part of the hour, guides you through spaces and feelings no one prepares you for — from finances to mental health, from workplace microaggressions to imposter syndrome, from relationships to parenting. The show features experts with real world experience and shares their knowledge. Because everyone needs a little help being human.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510312/codeswitch\">\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/lifekit\">\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />",
"airtime": "SUN 9pm-10pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Code-Switch-Life-Kit-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/code-switch-life-kit",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/1112190608?mt=2&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnByLm9yZy9yc3MvcG9kY2FzdC5waHA_aWQ9NTEwMzEy",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/3bExJ9JQpkwNhoHvaIIuyV",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510312/podcast.xml"
}
},
"commonwealth-club": {
"id": "commonwealth-club",
"title": "Commonwealth Club of California Podcast",
"info": "The Commonwealth Club of California is the nation's oldest and largest public affairs forum. As a non-partisan forum, The Club brings to the public airwaves diverse viewpoints on important topics. The Club's weekly radio broadcast - the oldest in the U.S., dating back to 1924 - is carried across the nation on public radio stations and is now podcasting. Our website archive features audio of our recent programs, as well as selected speeches from our long and distinguished history. This podcast feed is usually updated twice a week and is always un-edited.",
"airtime": "THU 10pm, FRI 1am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Commonwealth-Club-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.commonwealthclub.org/podcasts",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "Commonwealth Club of California"
},
"link": "/radio/program/commonwealth-club",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/commonwealth-club-of-california-podcast/id976334034?mt=2",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5jb21tb253ZWFsdGhjbHViLm9yZy9hdWRpby9wb2RjYXN0L3dlZWtseS54bWw",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Commonwealth-Club-of-California-p1060/"
}
},
"forum": {
"id": "forum",
"title": "Forum",
"tagline": "The conversation starts here",
"info": "KQED’s live call-in program discussing local, state, national and international issues, as well as in-depth interviews.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 9am-11am, 10pm-11pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Forum-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Forum with Mina Kim and Alexis Madrigal",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/forum",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 9
},
"link": "/forum",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/kqeds-forum/id73329719",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM5NTU3MzgxNjMz",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/432307980/forum",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqedfm-kqeds-forum-podcast",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC9557381633"
}
},
"freakonomics-radio": {
"id": "freakonomics-radio",
"title": "Freakonomics Radio",
"info": "Freakonomics Radio is a one-hour award-winning podcast and public-radio project hosted by Stephen Dubner, with co-author Steve Levitt as a regular guest. It is produced in partnership with WNYC.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/05/freakonomicsRadio.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://freakonomics.com/",
"airtime": "SUN 1am-2am, SAT 3pm-4pm",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "WNYC"
},
"link": "/radio/program/freakonomics-radio",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/4s8b",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/freakonomics-radio/id354668519",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/WNYC-Podcasts/Freakonomics-Radio-p272293/",
"rss": "https://feeds.feedburner.com/freakonomicsradio"
}
},
"fresh-air": {
"id": "fresh-air",
"title": "Fresh Air",
"info": "Hosted by Terry Gross, \u003cem>Fresh Air from WHYY\u003c/em> is the Peabody Award-winning weekday magazine of contemporary arts and issues. One of public radio's most popular programs, Fresh Air features intimate conversations with today's biggest luminaries.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 7pm-8pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Fresh-Air-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/fresh-air/",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/fresh-air",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/4s8b",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=214089682&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Fresh-Air-p17/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/381444908/podcast.xml"
}
},
"here-and-now": {
"id": "here-and-now",
"title": "Here & Now",
"info": "A live production of NPR and WBUR Boston, in collaboration with stations across the country, Here & Now reflects the fluid world of news as it's happening in the middle of the day, with timely, in-depth news, interviews and conversation. Hosted by Robin Young, Jeremy Hobson and Tonya Mosley.",
"airtime": "MON-THU 11am-12pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Here-And-Now-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://www.wbur.org/hereandnow",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/here-and-now",
"subsdcribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?mt=2&id=426698661",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Here--Now-p211/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510051/podcast.xml"
}
},
"hidden-brain": {
"id": "hidden-brain",
"title": "Hidden Brain",
"info": "Shankar Vedantam uses science and storytelling to reveal the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior, shape our choices and direct our relationships.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/05/hiddenbrain.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/series/423302056/hidden-brain",
"airtime": "SUN 7pm-8pm",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "NPR"
},
"link": "/radio/program/hidden-brain",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/hidden-brain/id1028908750?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/Science-Podcasts/Hidden-Brain-p787503/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510308/podcast.xml"
}
},
"how-i-built-this": {
"id": "how-i-built-this",
"title": "How I Built This with Guy Raz",
"info": "Guy Raz dives into the stories behind some of the world's best known companies. How I Built This weaves a narrative journey about innovators, entrepreneurs and idealists—and the movements they built.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/05/howIBuiltThis.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510313/how-i-built-this",
"airtime": "SUN 7:30pm-8pm",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/how-i-built-this",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/3zxy",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-built-this-with-guy-raz/id1150510297?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/Arts--Culture-Podcasts/How-I-Built-This-p910896/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510313/podcast.xml"
}
},
"hyphenacion": {
"id": "hyphenacion",
"title": "Hyphenación",
"tagline": "Where conversation and cultura meet",
"info": "What kind of no sabo word is Hyphenación? For us, it’s about living within a hyphenation. Like being a third-gen Mexican-American from the Texas border now living that Bay Area Chicano life. Like Xorje! Each week we bring together a couple of hyphenated Latinos to talk all about personal life choices: family, careers, relationships, belonging … everything is on the table. ",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Hyphenacion_FinalAssets_PodcastTile.png",
"imageAlt": "KQED Hyphenación",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/hyphenacion",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 15
},
"link": "/podcasts/hyphenacion",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hyphenaci%C3%B3n/id1191591838",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/2p3Fifq96nw9BPcmFdIq0o?si=39209f7b25774f38",
"youtube": "https://www.youtube.com/c/kqedarts",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/6c3dd23c-93fb-4aab-97ba-1725fa6315f1/hyphenaci%C3%B3n",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC2275451163"
}
},
"jerrybrown": {
"id": "jerrybrown",
"title": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown",
"tagline": "Lessons from a lifetime in politics",
"info": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown brings listeners the wisdom of the former Governor, Mayor, and presidential candidate. Scott Shafer interviewed Brown for more than 40 hours, covering the former governor's life and half-century in the political game – and Brown has some lessons he'd like to share. ",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Political-Mind-of-Jerry-Brown-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The Political Mind of Jerry Brown",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 18
},
"link": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/790253322/the-political-mind-of-jerry-brown",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1492194549",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/series/jerrybrown/feed/podcast/",
"tuneIn": "http://tun.in/pjGcK",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/the-political-mind-of-jerry-brown",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/54C1dmuyFyKMFttY6X2j6r?si=K8SgRCoISNK6ZbjpXrX5-w",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93dzIua3FlZC5vcmcvbmV3cy9zZXJpZXMvamVycnlicm93bi9mZWVkL3BvZGNhc3Qv"
}
},
"latino-usa": {
"id": "latino-usa",
"title": "Latino USA",
"airtime": "MON 1am-2am, SUN 6pm-7pm",
"info": "Latino USA, the radio journal of news and culture, is the only national, English-language radio program produced from a Latino perspective.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/latinoUsa.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://latinousa.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/latino-usa",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/xtTd",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=79681317&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Latino-USA-p621/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510016/podcast.xml"
}
},
"marketplace": {
"id": "marketplace",
"title": "Marketplace",
"info": "Our flagship program, helmed by Kai Ryssdal, examines what the day in money delivered, through stories, conversations, newsworthy numbers and more. Updated Monday through Friday at about 3:30 p.m. PT.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 4pm-4:30pm, MON-WED 6:30pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Marketplace-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.marketplace.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "American Public Media"
},
"link": "/radio/program/marketplace",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=201853034&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/APM-Marketplace-p88/",
"rss": "https://feeds.publicradio.org/public_feeds/marketplace-pm/rss/rss"
}
},
"masters-of-scale": {
"id": "masters-of-scale",
"title": "Masters of Scale",
"info": "Masters of Scale is an original podcast in which LinkedIn co-founder and Greylock Partner Reid Hoffman sets out to describe and prove theories that explain how great entrepreneurs take their companies from zero to a gazillion in ingenious fashion.",
"airtime": "Every other Wednesday June 12 through October 16 at 8pm (repeats Thursdays at 2am)",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Masters-of-Scale-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://mastersofscale.com/",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "WaitWhat"
},
"link": "/radio/program/masters-of-scale",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "http://mastersofscale.app.link/",
"rss": "https://rss.art19.com/masters-of-scale"
}
},
"mindshift": {
"id": "mindshift",
"title": "MindShift",
"tagline": "A podcast about the future of learning and how we raise our kids",
"info": "The MindShift podcast explores the innovations in education that are shaping how kids learn. Hosts Ki Sung and Katrina Schwartz introduce listeners to educators, researchers, parents and students who are developing effective ways to improve how kids learn. We cover topics like how fed-up administrators are developing surprising tactics to deal with classroom disruptions; how listening to podcasts are helping kids develop reading skills; the consequences of overparenting; and why interdisciplinary learning can engage students on all ends of the traditional achievement spectrum. This podcast is part of the MindShift education site, a division of KQED News. KQED is an NPR/PBS member station based in San Francisco. You can also visit the MindShift website for episodes and supplemental blog posts or tweet us \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/MindShiftKQED\">@MindShiftKQED\u003c/a> or visit us at \u003ca href=\"/mindshift\">MindShift.KQED.org\u003c/a>",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Mindshift-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED MindShift: How We Will Learn",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/mindshift/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 12
},
"link": "/podcasts/mindshift",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mindshift-podcast/id1078765985",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM1NzY0NjAwNDI5",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/464615685/mind-shift-podcast",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/stories-teachers-share",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/0MxSpNYZKNprFLCl7eEtyx"
}
},
"morning-edition": {
"id": "morning-edition",
"title": "Morning Edition",
"info": "\u003cem>Morning Edition\u003c/em> takes listeners around the country and the world with multi-faceted stories and commentaries every weekday. Hosts Steve Inskeep, David Greene and Rachel Martin bring you the latest breaking news and features to prepare you for the day.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 3am-9am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Morning-Edition-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/morning-edition/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/morning-edition"
},
"onourwatch": {
"id": "onourwatch",
"title": "On Our Watch",
"tagline": "Deeply-reported investigative journalism",
"info": "For decades, the process for how police police themselves has been inconsistent – if not opaque. In some states, like California, these proceedings were completely hidden. After a new police transparency law unsealed scores of internal affairs files, our reporters set out to examine these cases and the shadow world of police discipline. On Our Watch brings listeners into the rooms where officers are questioned and witnesses are interrogated to find out who this system is really protecting. Is it the officers, or the public they've sworn to serve?",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/On-Our-Watch-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "On Our Watch from NPR and KQED",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/onourwatch",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 11
},
"link": "/podcasts/onourwatch",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1567098962",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5ucHIub3JnLzUxMDM2MC9wb2RjYXN0LnhtbD9zYz1nb29nbGVwb2RjYXN0cw",
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/onourwatch",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/0OLWoyizopu6tY1XiuX70x",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/On-Our-Watch-p1436229/",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/show/on-our-watch",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510360/podcast.xml"
}
},
"on-the-media": {
"id": "on-the-media",
"title": "On The Media",
"info": "Our weekly podcast explores how the media 'sausage' is made, casts an incisive eye on fluctuations in the marketplace of ideas, and examines threats to the freedom of information and expression in America and abroad. For one hour a week, the show tries to lift the veil from the process of \"making media,\" especially news media, because it's through that lens that we see the world and the world sees us",
"airtime": "SUN 2pm-3pm, MON 12am-1am",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/onTheMedia.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/otm",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "wnyc"
},
"link": "/radio/program/on-the-media",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/on-the-media/id73330715?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/On-the-Media-p69/",
"rss": "http://feeds.wnyc.org/onthemedia"
}
},
"pbs-newshour": {
"id": "pbs-newshour",
"title": "PBS NewsHour",
"info": "Analysis, background reports and updates from the PBS NewsHour putting today's news in context.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 3pm-4pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/PBS-News-Hour-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.pbs.org/newshour/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "pbs"
},
"link": "/radio/program/pbs-newshour",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/pbs-newshour-full-show/id394432287?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/PBS-NewsHour---Full-Show-p425698/",
"rss": "https://www.pbs.org/newshour/feeds/rss/podcasts/show"
}
},
"perspectives": {
"id": "perspectives",
"title": "Perspectives",
"tagline": "KQED's series of daily listener commentaries since 1991",
"info": "KQED's series of daily listener commentaries since 1991.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Perspectives_Tile_Final.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/perspectives/",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 14
},
"link": "/perspectives",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id73801135",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/432309616/perspectives",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/perspectives/category/perspectives/feed/",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93dzIua3FlZC5vcmcvcGVyc3BlY3RpdmVzL2NhdGVnb3J5L3BlcnNwZWN0aXZlcy9mZWVkLw"
}
},
"planet-money": {
"id": "planet-money",
"title": "Planet Money",
"info": "The economy explained. Imagine you could call up a friend and say, Meet me at the bar and tell me what's going on with the economy. Now imagine that's actually a fun evening.",
"airtime": "SUN 3pm-4pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/planetmoney.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/sections/money/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/planet-money",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/M4f5",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/planet-money/id290783428?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/Business--Economics-Podcasts/Planet-Money-p164680/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510289/podcast.xml"
}
},
"politicalbreakdown": {
"id": "politicalbreakdown",
"title": "Political Breakdown",
"tagline": "Politics from a personal perspective",
"info": "Political Breakdown is a new series that explores the political intersection of California and the nation. Each week hosts Scott Shafer and Marisa Lagos are joined with a new special guest to unpack politics -- with personality — and offer an insider’s glimpse at how politics happens.",
"airtime": "THU 6:30pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Political-Breakdown-2024-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Political Breakdown",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/politicalbreakdown",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 5
},
"link": "/podcasts/politicalbreakdown",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/political-breakdown/id1327641087",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM5Nzk2MzI2MTEx",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/572155894/political-breakdown",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/political-breakdown",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/07RVyIjIdk2WDuVehvBMoN",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/tag/political-breakdown/feed/podcast"
}
},
"possible": {
"id": "possible",
"title": "Possible",
"info": "Possible is hosted by entrepreneur Reid Hoffman and writer Aria Finger. Together in Possible, Hoffman and Finger lead enlightening discussions about building a brighter collective future. The show features interviews with visionary guests like Trevor Noah, Sam Altman and Janette Sadik-Khan. Possible paints an optimistic portrait of the world we can create through science, policy, business, art and our shared humanity. It asks: What if everything goes right for once? How can we get there? Each episode also includes a short fiction story generated by advanced AI GPT-4, serving as a thought-provoking springboard to speculate how humanity could leverage technology for good.",
"airtime": "SUN 2pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Possible-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.possible.fm/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "Possible"
},
"link": "/radio/program/possible",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/possible/id1677184070",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/730YpdUSNlMyPQwNnyjp4k"
}
},
"pri-the-world": {
"id": "pri-the-world",
"title": "PRI's The World: Latest Edition",
"info": "Each weekday, host Marco Werman and his team of producers bring you the world's most interesting stories in an hour of radio that reminds us just how small our planet really is.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 2pm-3pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-World-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.pri.org/programs/the-world",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "PRI"
},
"link": "/radio/program/pri-the-world",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/pris-the-world-latest-edition/id278196007?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/News--Politics-Podcasts/PRIs-The-World-p24/",
"rss": "http://feeds.feedburner.com/pri/theworld"
}
},
"radiolab": {
"id": "radiolab",
"title": "Radiolab",
"info": "A two-time Peabody Award-winner, Radiolab is an investigation told through sounds and stories, and centered around one big idea. In the Radiolab world, information sounds like music and science and culture collide. Hosted by Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich, the show is designed for listeners who demand skepticism, but appreciate wonder. WNYC Studios is the producer of other leading podcasts including Freakonomics Radio, Death, Sex & Money, On the Media and many more.",
"airtime": "SUN 12am-1am, SAT 2pm-3pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/radiolab1400.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/radiolab/",
"meta": {
"site": "science",
"source": "WNYC"
},
"link": "/radio/program/radiolab",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/radiolab/id152249110?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/RadioLab-p68032/",
"rss": "https://feeds.wnyc.org/radiolab"
}
},
"reveal": {
"id": "reveal",
"title": "Reveal",
"info": "Created by The Center for Investigative Reporting and PRX, Reveal is public radios first one-hour weekly radio show and podcast dedicated to investigative reporting. Credible, fact based and without a partisan agenda, Reveal combines the power and artistry of driveway moment storytelling with data-rich reporting on critically important issues. The result is stories that inform and inspire, arming our listeners with information to right injustices, hold the powerful accountable and improve lives.Reveal is hosted by Al Letson and showcases the award-winning work of CIR and newsrooms large and small across the nation. In a radio and podcast market crowded with choices, Reveal focuses on important and often surprising stories that illuminate the world for our listeners.",
"airtime": "SAT 4pm-5pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/reveal300px.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.revealnews.org/episodes/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/reveal",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/reveal/id886009669",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Reveal-p679597/",
"rss": "http://feeds.revealradio.org/revealpodcast"
}
},
"rightnowish": {
"id": "rightnowish",
"title": "Rightnowish",
"tagline": "Art is where you find it",
"info": "Rightnowish digs into life in the Bay Area right now… ish. Journalist Pendarvis Harshaw takes us to galleries painted on the sides of liquor stores in West Oakland. We'll dance in warehouses in the Bayview, make smoothies with kids in South Berkeley, and listen to classical music in a 1984 Cutlass Supreme in Richmond. Every week, Pen talks to movers and shakers about how the Bay Area shapes what they create, and how they shape the place we call home.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Rightnowish-Podcast-Tile-500x500-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Rightnowish with Pendarvis Harshaw",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/rightnowish",
"meta": {
"site": "arts",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 16
},
"link": "/podcasts/rightnowish",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/721590300/rightnowish",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/arts/programs/rightnowish/feed/podcast",
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rightnowish/id1482187648",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/rightnowish",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkMxMjU5MTY3NDc4",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/7kEJuafTzTVan7B78ttz1I"
}
},
"science-friday": {
"id": "science-friday",
"title": "Science Friday",
"info": "Science Friday is a weekly science talk show, broadcast live over public radio stations nationwide. Each week, the show focuses on science topics that are in the news and tries to bring an educated, balanced discussion to bear on the scientific issues at hand. Panels of expert guests join host Ira Flatow, a veteran science journalist, to discuss science and to take questions from listeners during the call-in portion of the program.",
"airtime": "FRI 11am-1pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Science-Friday-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/science-friday",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/science-friday",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=73329284&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Science-Friday-p394/",
"rss": "http://feeds.wnyc.org/science-friday"
}
},
"snap-judgment": {
"id": "snap-judgment",
"title": "Snap Judgment",
"tagline": "Real stories with killer beats",
"info": "The Snap Judgment radio show and podcast mixes real stories with killer beats to produce cinematic, dramatic radio. Snap's musical brand of storytelling dares listeners to see the world through the eyes of another. This is storytelling... with a BEAT!! Snap first aired on public radio stations nationwide in July 2010. Today, Snap Judgment airs on over 450 public radio stations and is brought to the airwaves by KQED & PRX.",
"airtime": "SAT 1pm-2pm, 9pm-10pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Snap-Judgment-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://snapjudgment.org",
"meta": {
"site": "arts",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 4
},
"link": "https://snapjudgment.org",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/snap-judgment/id283657561",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/449018144/snap-judgment",
"stitcher": "https://www.pandora.com/podcast/snap-judgment/PC:241?source=stitcher-sunset",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/3Cct7ZWmxHNAtLgBTqjC5v",
"rss": "https://snap.feed.snapjudgment.org/"
}
},
"soldout": {
"id": "soldout",
"title": "SOLD OUT: Rethinking Housing in America",
"tagline": "A new future for housing",
"info": "Sold Out: Rethinking Housing in America",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Sold-Out-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Sold Out: Rethinking Housing in America",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/soldout",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 13
},
"link": "/podcasts/soldout",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/911586047/s-o-l-d-o-u-t-a-new-future-for-housing",
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/introducing-sold-out-rethinking-housing-in-america/id1531354937",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/soldout",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/38dTBSk2ISFoPiyYNoKn1X",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/sold-out-rethinking-housing-in-america",
"tunein": "https://tunein.com/radio/SOLD-OUT-Rethinking-Housing-in-America-p1365871/",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vc29sZG91dA"
}
},
"spooked": {
"id": "spooked",
"title": "Spooked",
"tagline": "True-life supernatural stories",
"info": "",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Spooked-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://spookedpodcast.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 7
},
"link": "https://spookedpodcast.org/",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/spooked/id1279361017",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/549547848/snap-judgment-presents-spooked",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/76571Rfl3m7PLJQZKQIGCT",
"rss": "https://feeds.simplecast.com/TBotaapn"
}
},
"tech-nation": {
"id": "tech-nation",
"title": "Tech Nation Radio Podcast",
"info": "Tech Nation is a weekly public radio program, hosted by Dr. Moira Gunn. Founded in 1993, it has grown from a simple interview show to a multi-faceted production, featuring conversations with noted technology and science leaders, and a weekly science and technology-related commentary.",
"airtime": "FRI 10pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Tech-Nation-Radio-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://technation.podomatic.com/",
"meta": {
"site": "science",
"source": "Tech Nation Media"
},
"link": "/radio/program/tech-nation",
"subscribe": {
"rss": "https://technation.podomatic.com/rss2.xml"
}
},
"ted-radio-hour": {
"id": "ted-radio-hour",
"title": "TED Radio Hour",
"info": "The TED Radio Hour is a journey through fascinating ideas, astonishing inventions, fresh approaches to old problems, and new ways to think and create.",
"airtime": "SUN 3pm-4pm, SAT 10pm-11pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/tedRadioHour.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/ted-radio-hour/?showDate=2018-06-22",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/ted-radio-hour",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/8vsS",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=523121474&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/TED-Radio-Hour-p418021/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510298/podcast.xml"
}
},
"thebay": {
"id": "thebay",
"title": "The Bay",
"tagline": "Local news to keep you rooted",
"info": "Host Devin Katayama walks you through the biggest story of the day with reporters and newsmakers.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Bay-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The Bay",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/thebay",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 2
},
"link": "/podcasts/thebay",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-bay/id1350043452",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM4MjU5Nzg2MzI3",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/586725995/the-bay",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/the-bay",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/4BIKBKIujizLHlIlBNaAqQ",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC8259786327"
}
},
"thelatest": {
"id": "thelatest",
"title": "The Latest",
"tagline": "Trusted local news in real time",
"info": "",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/The-Latest-2025-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The Latest",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/thelatest",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 6
},
"link": "/thelatest",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-latest-from-kqed/id1197721799",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/1257949365/the-latest-from-k-q-e-d",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/5KIIXMgM9GTi5AepwOYvIZ?si=bd3053fec7244dba",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC9137121918"
}
},
"theleap": {
"id": "theleap",
"title": "The Leap",
"tagline": "What if you closed your eyes, and jumped?",
"info": "Stories about people making dramatic, risky changes, told by award-winning public radio reporter Judy Campbell.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Leap-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The Leap",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/theleap",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 17
},
"link": "/podcasts/theleap",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-leap/id1046668171",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM0NTcwODQ2MjY2",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/447248267/the-leap",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/the-leap",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/3sSlVHHzU0ytLwuGs1SD1U",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/programs/the-leap/feed/podcast"
}
},
"the-moth-radio-hour": {
"id": "the-moth-radio-hour",
"title": "The Moth Radio Hour",
"info": "Since its launch in 1997, The Moth has presented thousands of true stories, told live and without notes, to standing-room-only crowds worldwide. Moth storytellers stand alone, under a spotlight, with only a microphone and a roomful of strangers. The storyteller and the audience embark on a high-wire act of shared experience which is both terrifying and exhilarating. Since 2008, The Moth podcast has featured many of our favorite stories told live on Moth stages around the country. For information on all of our programs and live events, visit themoth.org.",
"airtime": "SAT 8pm-9pm and SUN 11am-12pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/theMoth.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://themoth.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "arts",
"source": "prx"
},
"link": "/radio/program/the-moth-radio-hour",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-moth-podcast/id275699983?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/The-Moth-p273888/",
"rss": "http://feeds.themoth.org/themothpodcast"
}
},
"the-new-yorker-radio-hour": {
"id": "the-new-yorker-radio-hour",
"title": "The New Yorker Radio Hour",
"info": "The New Yorker Radio Hour is a weekly program presented by the magazine's editor, David Remnick, and produced by WNYC Studios and The New Yorker. Each episode features a diverse mix of interviews, profiles, storytelling, and an occasional burst of humor inspired by the magazine, and shaped by its writers, artists, and editors. This isn't a radio version of a magazine, but something all its own, reflecting the rich possibilities of audio storytelling and conversation. Theme music for the show was composed and performed by Merrill Garbus of tUnE-YArDs.",
"airtime": "SAT 10am-11am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-New-Yorker-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/tnyradiohour",
"meta": {
"site": "arts",
"source": "WNYC"
},
"link": "/radio/program/the-new-yorker-radio-hour",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1050430296",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/WNYC-Podcasts/New-Yorker-Radio-Hour-p803804/",
"rss": "https://feeds.feedburner.com/newyorkerradiohour"
}
},
"the-sam-sanders-show": {
"id": "the-sam-sanders-show",
"title": "The Sam Sanders Show",
"info": "One of public radio's most dynamic voices, Sam Sanders helped launch The NPR Politics Podcast and hosted NPR's hit show It's Been A Minute. Now, the award-winning host returns with something brand new, The Sam Sanders Show. Every week, Sam Sanders and friends dig into the culture that shapes our lives: what's driving the biggest trends, how artists really think, and even the memes you can't stop scrolling past. Sam is beloved for his way of unpacking the world and bringing you up close to fresh currents and engaging conversations. The Sam Sanders Show is smart, funny and always a good time.",
"airtime": "FRI 12-1pm AND SAT 11am-12pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/The-Sam-Sanders-Show-Podcast-Tile-400x400-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.kcrw.com/shows/the-sam-sanders-show/latest",
"meta": {
"site": "arts",
"source": "KCRW"
},
"link": "https://www.kcrw.com/shows/the-sam-sanders-show/latest",
"subscribe": {
"rss": "https://feed.cdnstream1.com/zjb/feed/download/ac/28/59/ac28594c-e1d0-4231-8728-61865cdc80e8.xml"
}
},
"the-splendid-table": {
"id": "the-splendid-table",
"title": "The Splendid Table",
"info": "\u003cem>The Splendid Table\u003c/em> hosts our nation's conversations about cooking, sustainability and food culture.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Splendid-Table-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.splendidtable.org/",
"airtime": "SUN 10-11 pm",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/the-splendid-table"
},
"this-american-life": {
"id": "this-american-life",
"title": "This American Life",
"info": "This American Life is a weekly public radio show, heard by 2.2 million people on more than 500 stations. Another 2.5 million people download the weekly podcast. It is hosted by Ira Glass, produced in collaboration with Chicago Public Media, delivered to stations by PRX The Public Radio Exchange, and has won all of the major broadcasting awards.",
"airtime": "SAT 12pm-1pm, 7pm-8pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/thisAmericanLife.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.thisamericanlife.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "wbez"
},
"link": "/radio/program/this-american-life",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=201671138&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"rss": "https://www.thisamericanlife.org/podcast/rss.xml"
}
},
"tinydeskradio": {
"id": "tinydeskradio",
"title": "Tiny Desk Radio",
"info": "We're bringing the best of Tiny Desk to the airwaves, only on public radio.",
"airtime": "SUN 8pm and SAT 9pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/300x300-For-Member-Station-Logo-Tiny-Desk-Radio-@2x.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/series/g-s1-52030/tiny-desk-radio",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/tinydeskradio",
"subscribe": {
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/g-s1-52030/rss.xml"
}
},
"wait-wait-dont-tell-me": {
"id": "wait-wait-dont-tell-me",
"title": "Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!",
"info": "Peter Sagal and Bill Kurtis host the weekly NPR News quiz show alongside some of the best and brightest news and entertainment personalities.",
"airtime": "SUN 10am-11am, SAT 11am-12pm, SAT 6pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Wait-Wait-Podcast-Tile-300x300-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/wait-wait-dont-tell-me/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/wait-wait-dont-tell-me",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/Xogv",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=121493804&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Wait-Wait-Dont-Tell-Me-p46/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/344098539/podcast.xml"
}
},
"weekend-edition-saturday": {
"id": "weekend-edition-saturday",
"title": "Weekend Edition Saturday",
"info": "Weekend Edition Saturday wraps up the week's news and offers a mix of analysis and features on a wide range of topics, including arts, sports, entertainment, and human interest stories. The two-hour program is hosted by NPR's Peabody Award-winning Scott Simon.",
"airtime": "SAT 5am-10am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Weekend-Edition-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/weekend-edition-saturday/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/weekend-edition-saturday"
},
"weekend-edition-sunday": {
"id": "weekend-edition-sunday",
"title": "Weekend Edition Sunday",
"info": "Weekend Edition Sunday features interviews with newsmakers, artists, scientists, politicians, musicians, writers, theologians and historians. The program has covered news events from Nelson Mandela's 1990 release from a South African prison to the capture of Saddam Hussein.",
"airtime": "SUN 5am-10am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Weekend-Edition-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/weekend-edition-sunday/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/weekend-edition-sunday"
}
},
"racesReducer": {},
"racesGenElectionReducer": {},
"radioSchedulesReducer": {},
"listsReducer": {
"posts/news?tag=fire-victims-trust": {
"isFetching": false,
"latestQuery": {
"from": 0,
"postsToRender": 9
},
"tag": null,
"vitalsOnly": true,
"totalRequested": 7,
"isLoading": false,
"isLoadingMore": true,
"total": {
"value": 7,
"relation": "eq"
},
"items": [
"news_11879943",
"news_11875846",
"news_11875034",
"news_11873985",
"news_11873721",
"news_11872741",
"news_11872328"
]
}
},
"recallGuideReducer": {
"intros": {},
"policy": {},
"candidates": {}
},
"savedArticleReducer": {
"articles": [],
"status": {}
},
"pfsSessionReducer": {},
"subscriptionsReducer": {},
"termsReducer": {
"about": {
"name": "About",
"type": "terms",
"id": "about",
"slug": "about",
"link": "/about",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"arts": {
"name": "Arts & Culture",
"grouping": [
"arts",
"pop",
"trulyca"
],
"description": "KQED Arts provides daily in-depth coverage of the Bay Area's music, art, film, performing arts, literature and arts news, as well as cultural commentary and criticism.",
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts",
"slug": "arts",
"link": "/arts",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"artschool": {
"name": "Art School",
"parent": "arts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "artschool",
"slug": "artschool",
"link": "/artschool",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"bayareabites": {
"name": "KQED food",
"grouping": [
"food",
"bayareabites",
"checkplease"
],
"parent": "food",
"type": "terms",
"id": "bayareabites",
"slug": "bayareabites",
"link": "/food",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"bayareahiphop": {
"name": "Bay Area Hiphop",
"type": "terms",
"id": "bayareahiphop",
"slug": "bayareahiphop",
"link": "/bayareahiphop",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"campaign21": {
"name": "Campaign 21",
"type": "terms",
"id": "campaign21",
"slug": "campaign21",
"link": "/campaign21",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"checkplease": {
"name": "KQED food",
"grouping": [
"food",
"bayareabites",
"checkplease"
],
"parent": "food",
"type": "terms",
"id": "checkplease",
"slug": "checkplease",
"link": "/food",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"education": {
"name": "Education",
"grouping": [
"education"
],
"type": "terms",
"id": "education",
"slug": "education",
"link": "/education",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"elections": {
"name": "Elections",
"type": "terms",
"id": "elections",
"slug": "elections",
"link": "/elections",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"events": {
"name": "Events",
"type": "terms",
"id": "events",
"slug": "events",
"link": "/events",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"event": {
"name": "Event",
"alias": "events",
"type": "terms",
"id": "event",
"slug": "event",
"link": "/event",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"filmschoolshorts": {
"name": "Film School Shorts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "filmschoolshorts",
"slug": "filmschoolshorts",
"link": "/filmschoolshorts",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"food": {
"name": "KQED food",
"grouping": [
"food",
"bayareabites",
"checkplease"
],
"type": "terms",
"id": "food",
"slug": "food",
"link": "/food",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"forum": {
"name": "Forum",
"relatedContentQuery": "posts/forum?",
"parent": "news",
"type": "terms",
"id": "forum",
"slug": "forum",
"link": "/forum",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"futureofyou": {
"name": "Future of You",
"grouping": [
"science",
"futureofyou"
],
"parent": "science",
"type": "terms",
"id": "futureofyou",
"slug": "futureofyou",
"link": "/futureofyou",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"jpepinheart": {
"name": "KQED food",
"relatedContentQuery": "posts/food,bayareabites,checkplease",
"parent": "food",
"type": "terms",
"id": "jpepinheart",
"slug": "jpepinheart",
"link": "/food",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"liveblog": {
"name": "Live Blog",
"type": "terms",
"id": "liveblog",
"slug": "liveblog",
"link": "/liveblog",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"livetv": {
"name": "Live TV",
"parent": "tv",
"type": "terms",
"id": "livetv",
"slug": "livetv",
"link": "/livetv",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"lowdown": {
"name": "The Lowdown",
"relatedContentQuery": "posts/lowdown?",
"parent": "news",
"type": "terms",
"id": "lowdown",
"slug": "lowdown",
"link": "/lowdown",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"mindshift": {
"name": "Mindshift",
"parent": "news",
"description": "MindShift explores the future of education by highlighting the innovative – and sometimes counterintuitive – ways educators and parents are helping all children succeed.",
"type": "terms",
"id": "mindshift",
"slug": "mindshift",
"link": "/mindshift",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"news": {
"name": "News",
"grouping": [
"news",
"forum"
],
"type": "terms",
"id": "news",
"slug": "news",
"link": "/news",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"perspectives": {
"name": "Perspectives",
"parent": "radio",
"type": "terms",
"id": "perspectives",
"slug": "perspectives",
"link": "/perspectives",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"podcasts": {
"name": "Podcasts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "podcasts",
"slug": "podcasts",
"link": "/podcasts",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"pop": {
"name": "Pop",
"parent": "arts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "pop",
"slug": "pop",
"link": "/pop",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"pressroom": {
"name": "Pressroom",
"type": "terms",
"id": "pressroom",
"slug": "pressroom",
"link": "/pressroom",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"quest": {
"name": "Quest",
"parent": "science",
"type": "terms",
"id": "quest",
"slug": "quest",
"link": "/quest",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"radio": {
"name": "Radio",
"grouping": [
"forum",
"perspectives"
],
"description": "Listen to KQED Public Radio – home of Forum and The California Report – on 88.5 FM in San Francisco, 89.3 FM in Sacramento, 88.3 FM in Santa Rosa and 88.1 FM in Martinez.",
"type": "terms",
"id": "radio",
"slug": "radio",
"link": "/radio",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"root": {
"name": "KQED",
"image": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"imageWidth": 1200,
"imageHeight": 630,
"headData": {
"title": "KQED | News, Radio, Podcasts, TV | Public Media for Northern California",
"description": "KQED provides public radio, television, and independent reporting on issues that matter to the Bay Area. We’re the NPR and PBS member station for Northern California."
},
"type": "terms",
"id": "root",
"slug": "root",
"link": "/root",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"science": {
"name": "Science",
"grouping": [
"science",
"futureofyou"
],
"description": "KQED Science brings you award-winning science and environment coverage from the Bay Area and beyond.",
"type": "terms",
"id": "science",
"slug": "science",
"link": "/science",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"stateofhealth": {
"name": "State of Health",
"parent": "science",
"type": "terms",
"id": "stateofhealth",
"slug": "stateofhealth",
"link": "/stateofhealth",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"support": {
"name": "Support",
"type": "terms",
"id": "support",
"slug": "support",
"link": "/support",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"thedolist": {
"name": "The Do List",
"parent": "arts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "thedolist",
"slug": "thedolist",
"link": "/thedolist",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"trulyca": {
"name": "Truly CA",
"grouping": [
"arts",
"pop",
"trulyca"
],
"parent": "arts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "trulyca",
"slug": "trulyca",
"link": "/trulyca",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"tv": {
"name": "TV",
"type": "terms",
"id": "tv",
"slug": "tv",
"link": "/tv",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"voterguide": {
"name": "Voter Guide",
"parent": "elections",
"alias": "elections",
"type": "terms",
"id": "voterguide",
"slug": "voterguide",
"link": "/voterguide",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"guiaelectoral": {
"name": "Guia Electoral",
"parent": "elections",
"alias": "elections",
"type": "terms",
"id": "guiaelectoral",
"slug": "guiaelectoral",
"link": "/guiaelectoral",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"news_29433": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_29433",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "29433",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "fire victims trust",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "fire victims trust Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null,
"imageData": {
"ogImageSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"width": 1200,
"height": 630
},
"twImageSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
},
"twitterCard": "summary_large_image"
}
},
"ttid": 29450,
"slug": "fire-victims-trust",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/fire-victims-trust"
},
"news_19906": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_19906",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "19906",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Environment",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Environment Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 19923,
"slug": "environment",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/category/environment"
},
"news_8": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_8",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "8",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "News",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "News Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 8,
"slug": "news",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/category/news"
},
"news_24483": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_24483",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "24483",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Camp Fire",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Camp Fire Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 24500,
"slug": "camp-fire",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/camp-fire"
},
"news_21878": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_21878",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "21878",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "fire victims",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "fire victims Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 21895,
"slug": "fire-victims",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/fire-victims"
},
"news_140": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_140",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "140",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "PG&E",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "PG&E Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 144,
"slug": "pge",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/pge"
},
"news_24802": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_24802",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "24802",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "PG&E bankruptcy",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "PG&E bankruptcy Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 24819,
"slug": "pge-bankruptcy",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/pge-bankruptcy"
},
"news_4463": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_4463",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "4463",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "wildfires",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "wildfires Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 4482,
"slug": "wildfires",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/wildfires"
},
"news_27132": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_27132",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "27132",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "PG&E settlement",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "PG&E settlement Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 27149,
"slug": "pge-settlement",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/pge-settlement"
},
"news_26848": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_26848",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "26848",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "pg&e wildfire claims",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "pg&e wildfire claims Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 26865,
"slug": "pge-wildfire-claims",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/pge-wildfire-claims"
},
"news_72": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_72",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "72",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2014/10/TCR-2-Logo-Web-Banners-03.png",
"name": "The California Report",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "program",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "The California Report Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 6969,
"slug": "the-california-report",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/program/the-california-report"
},
"news_22753": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_22753",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "22753",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Paradise",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Paradise Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 22770,
"slug": "paradise",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/paradise"
},
"news_18515": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_18515",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "18515",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2015/09/DrawnBayHeader.jpg",
"name": "Mark Fiore: Drawn to the Bay",
"description": "\"Mark Fiore: Drawn to the Bay\" is a look at the Bay Area through the eyes of a longtime local cartoonist. Sometimes current, sometimes quirky, always interesting and engaging, you can find Drawn to the Bay here and on KQED’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram feeds Monday through Friday. Mark Fiore is a Pulitzer Prize-winning political animator and cartoonist who hatched in California before the Intertubes were even invented.\r\n",
"taxonomy": "series",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": "\"Mark Fiore: Drawn to the Bay\" is a look at the Bay Area through the eyes of a longtime local cartoonist. Sometimes current, sometimes quirky, always interesting and engaging, you can find Drawn to the Bay here and on KQED’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram feeds Monday through Friday. Mark Fiore is a Pulitzer Prize-winning political animator and cartoonist who hatched in California before the Intertubes were even invented.",
"title": "Mark Fiore: Drawn to the Bay Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 18549,
"slug": "mark-fiore-drawn-to-the-bay",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/series/mark-fiore-drawn-to-the-bay"
},
"news_6188": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_6188",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "6188",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Law and Justice",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Law and Justice Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 6212,
"slug": "law-and-justice",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/category/law-and-justice"
},
"news_20949": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_20949",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "20949",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "mark-fiore-drawn-to-the-bay-featured",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "mark-fiore-drawn-to-the-bay-featured Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 20966,
"slug": "mark-fiore-drawn-to-the-bay-featured",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/mark-fiore-drawn-to-the-bay-featured"
},
"news_13": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_13",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "13",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "Politics",
"slug": "politics",
"taxonomy": "category",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "Politics | KQED News",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null
},
"ttid": 13,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/category/politics"
},
"news_25772": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_25772",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "25772",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Dennis Montali",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Dennis Montali Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 25789,
"slug": "dennis-montali",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/dennis-montali"
},
"news_24484": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_24484",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "24484",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "mike thompson",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "mike thompson Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 24501,
"slug": "mike-thompson",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/mike-thompson"
},
"news_17968": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_17968",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "17968",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "Politics",
"slug": "politics",
"taxonomy": "tag",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "Politics | KQED News",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null
},
"ttid": 18002,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/politics"
},
"news_27626": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_27626",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "27626",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "featured-news",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "featured-news Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 27643,
"slug": "featured-news",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/featured-news"
}
},
"userAgentReducer": {
"userAgent": "Mozilla/5.0 AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko; compatible; ClaudeBot/1.0; +claudebot@anthropic.com)",
"isBot": true
},
"userPermissionsReducer": {
"wpLoggedIn": false
},
"localStorageReducer": {},
"browserHistoryReducer": [],
"eventsReducer": {},
"fssReducer": {},
"tvDailyScheduleReducer": {},
"tvWeeklyScheduleReducer": {},
"tvPrimetimeScheduleReducer": {},
"tvMonthlyScheduleReducer": {},
"userAccountReducer": {
"user": {
"email": null,
"emailStatus": "EMAIL_UNVALIDATED",
"loggedStatus": "LOGGED_OUT",
"loggingChecked": false,
"articles": [],
"firstName": null,
"lastName": null,
"phoneNumber": null,
"fetchingMembership": false,
"membershipError": false,
"memberships": [
{
"id": null,
"startDate": null,
"firstName": null,
"lastName": null,
"familyNumber": null,
"memberNumber": null,
"memberSince": null,
"expirationDate": null,
"pfsEligible": false,
"isSustaining": false,
"membershipLevel": "Prospect",
"membershipStatus": "Non Member",
"lastGiftDate": null,
"renewalDate": null,
"lastDonationAmount": null
}
]
},
"authModal": {
"isOpen": false,
"view": "LANDING_VIEW"
},
"error": null
},
"youthMediaReducer": {},
"checkPleaseReducer": {
"filterData": {},
"restaurantData": []
},
"location": {
"pathname": "/news/tag/fire-victims-trust",
"previousPathname": "/"
}
}
