Gov. Gavin Newsom pressures PG&E to 'transform' utility

SACRAMENTO (KGO) -- Years of wildfires and then this year's blackouts led to a meeting at the capitol this morning. PG&E's top executives walked into the governor's office to sit down with attorneys representing both the utility and wildfire victims along with Gavin Newsom himself.

Forty-five minutes later a contingent of at least 30 people walked across the street to continue meeting in basement conference rooms at the State Department of Finance.

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According to the Governor's Office, Newsom reiterated his frustration with PG&E and pushed for a resolution that results in a "transformed utility."

PG&E CEO Bill Johnson defended last month's blackouts as preventing more catastrophic fires.

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"Ten years from now we will be done with PSPS and there will be fewer every year," Johsnon said. "We are going to do things to sectionalize the system, build microgrids and resilient zones. I'm hoping we get there quicker than that."

The governor's spokesperson Nathan Click said, "The governor spelled out in vivid detail what the blackouts and PG&E's long-term neglect of safety investments cost the people of the state. He employed stakeholders to work as swiftly as if they had lost a loved one in the Camp Fire."

If a swift resolution is not reached in advance of the next fire season, the governor threatened that the state will intervene.

Go here for the latest stories about the PG&E Public Safety Power Shutoffs.