LOS ANGELES — Fire survivors may have a harder time suing water agencies whose systems fail during wildfires under a new state bill.
The bill, now awaiting Newsom’s signature, could give companies like the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) new protection from wildfire lawsuits just as the main reservoir in the Pacific Palisades sits dry for the third fire season in a row — and fire victims continue to battle the local water agency in court over the 2025 firestorm.
Senate Bill 1153 comes directly into a fight that exploded after the Palisades Fire, when parts of the neighborhood’s water system buckled under enormous demand, and some hydrants lost pressure or ran dry. Residents were further outraged when they learned the nearby Santa Ynez Reservoir, which can hold about 117 million gallons of water, was empty for repairs when the fire erupted.
By the end of the nearly monthlong fire, thousands of homes and structures were destroyed, and 12 people were killed.
Now, just as hundreds of residents are suing the city and LADWP, arguing problems with the water system contributed to their losses, SB 1153 could give public water agencies a new tool to fight claims stemming fr...