tonight , governor gavin newsom signed into law a wild fire insurance fund for the states largest utilities. also we will discuss the shifting pitical landscape in the 2020 presidential election and president trump's on-again off-again push to get citizenshipinformation as part of the 2020 census. plus california is a ep closer to allowing student t athletes topaid. the fair pay to play act. hello. welcome to the kqed news room. i am stt shafer. we begin with a wild fire update. governor gavin newsom signed a $21 billion wild fire insurance fd that would back th state's largest utilities. iesembly bill 1054 will allow

california utilto use the fund to cover the liability. if the california public utilities district determines the utility try to prevent wildfires. butthe utilities would first have to invest a combined $5 million. pg&e would have to meet additional requirements including current claims and exiting bankruptcythe end of next june. many of those who oppose the bill say it was rushed into law in that rateostoo much payers are bearing too much cost. joining me are kqed politics reporter katie. and loretta, a former president of the california public utilities commission. the state agency that regulate utilities katie, me begin with you. you were at the signing ceremony th morning. mind us what this legislation is intended to do.

>> it is really intended to give cutomers and financial mar some certainty. we've been having these massive wildfires in california that ofve been causing billion dollars worth of damage. companies like pg&e are --not sure about whether or not it would be made whosoe ething tragic happens to their house or car or their belongings. this gives some certainty that they will be paid back and made whole if they suffer one of these wildfires. >> so this $21 billion fund, how is it going to be funded? where is the money going to co from? >> haf of the ney will come from ratepayers. they won't see a direct increason their bill. it will be a small monthly fee. right now it is $abo50 that ratepayers are already paying. it is set to expire . they are going totretch it out for another 15 years. that will raise half of the 21 billion. the other half will come from utility companies,their

shareholders. that will be divided up based on percentages, based on how large the company is. >> loretta, this is being described by some as a balanc approach, balancing input from the utilities in terms of eir funding plus ratepayers. how do you see it? is it balanced? >> the future victims fund, which is what katie is describing, is somewhat balanced initially. the problem is, that fund is used to wag a very big dog of utility and wall street giveaways. tiwe can compensate the v and stabilize the markets just with the future victims fund. e don't need to repeal and rollback long-term regulatory issues. with the regulatory rollback, wecould have an almosteight increases in the future, but the legislature will have g already given the utilities to do that. >> this needed a two thirds

vote. is that part of the dealto get the additional votes that were needed? >> i don't know. this deal was negotiated in private in the back room. bill was just published for the very first time two weeks ago. and then major amendments that is the >> that's what the law requires. at least 72 hours. >> this monumental of the program that has to begin with $29 billion of cost and has all sorts of side costs inside deals that e start no the locations of, generally the legislature and the governor takes a lot more time and is a o lot public vetting. my concern is, what was in it that they really didn't want us to find? the governor t did say today at the signing ceremony? did he address this criticism that we just heard fm loretta , but others have been saying that this has >> yeah, i think it's something that the governor and other supporters are feeling a bit

defensive about as loretta said, the bill hasn't been out that long. the amended version of the cannot a week ago. whether or not lawmers had nough time to comprehend the amendment to go through them. he said hey, ud[ ile ]. this is your job. read the amendment. he has been working on this for years think some of it actually started coming together before he was in office and the former governor jerry brown's. you are always can have criticism. certainendeals don't have gh time in public. this one especially because of the amount y of moand the complexity of it people are really saying, whydid we need to do this so quickly have these committee hearings back to back to back. we really ould take more time. >> loretta, you were present in 2000 through 2002 at a time

where we had an energy crisis, came up out of nowhere seemingl do you feel like the lessons learned during that period of time have been learned and applied to this current crisis? >> sadly, no. the lesson that we learned back in the energy crisis wasto get it right, not get it fast. the times we move too fast, we got it wrong. what i do know is this. i doubt that most people who voted on this bill understood all the ins and outs and e l gulatory rollback they were part of it. but they trusted the governor and they took the plunge. the people who did understand evany single word and just how much they're going to profit from it are the utility lawyers anwall street financiers. >> toward the end, the advocates for ratepayers signed onto the package. was that just sort of accepting reality that this was going to t pass herre wasn't a better alternative that could make it l through thislature? >> you will have to ask them as a k. this is what i do know.

ng energy deregulation they stood silent. as the last pg&e bankruptcy ballot, they opposed it until po they sued it. sadly, i don't but they have a lot of credibility on predicting ratepayers on these big deals. >> ktie, what did governor say today, if anything, about keeping the ion atdeflation is gone now and how it may have to be amended in the future. >> the governor really try to get out ahead. he said i know you're going to be asking me about things we have to do in the future. is it started witin this area? he said yes, yes, yes. they plan to have bills coming up. he says it is e not the all and dull. it is a step toward ad essing testructive wildfires and how we deal with them. in the fall in[ dible ].

nobody thinks this bill is perfect. is what wehave right now. we have to do something. go loretta, the ernor today appointed a new head, rybelle bacher, which he named just a few months ago. ou what know about her and what kind of a learning curve is she going to be facing? m abelle is an experienced government executive. however, to my knowledge, she e doesn't haa utility regulatory or environmental background. neither did i when i was appointed by gray davis. not in a crisis situation. i was appointed before the energy crisis hits. my learning curve is like this. it is ve intense. even in a non-crisis situation, i was 24 thseven learnin job. i did have one qualification that came in ndreally during the energy crisis. i was a criminal defense

lawyer. i knew how the enron's of the world worked witthey were guilty. i want after the right away. the problem here is, the utilities have already been briefed on this bill. they participated in creating it. so did wall street. creditors and tank of the court are vying for control as pg&e. they know tjust how y are going to profit at just how they are going to slip through these rollbacks. so you need somebo going to catch them doing it and stop them. >> all right, lore i'm sure we will be keeping a close . ye on this expert coming in, and thanks for katie orr in sacramento. tom steyer announced he is joining an already crowd eld of democratic candidates for the 2020emocratic. that came after one already opped out. also friday morning, labor secretary alex acosta sabruptly

ned as democrats called for him to step down over his role in a cret settlement with billionaire child sex trafficker jeffrey epstein a decade ago. and president trump backs down p froting a citizenship question on the 2020 census, insisting he will get e information some other way. joining me now to discuss all of this and more, our live seor writer carl and senior writer for the san francisco chronicle, joe. welcome to yowaboth. ts to talk about. let's talk with thomas stier. what do you think he brings. >> he is a very big checkbook. he has a big mailing list. 1 million people have signed the need to impeach petition. he has a lot of experience. he is a rich white guy who has nevetobeen elected anything. but we have seen that playbook before. in donald trump.

he is looking at this and saying he is a tolitical der. he is not somebody who was inside the washington circles. whether that is going to fly or not is another thing. >> what did he tell you this week, he would be an outsider? we have been to all the democratic adventures. he'sgot the speaking slots. >> ihe a political outsider who have spent hundreds of billions of dollars on political camthaigns. worst thing he could have done wawhen he said i'm going to spend $100 million on the race. who is going to give moy to a billionaire who said i'm going to spend $100 million. >> is even going to try to raise ney? >> he has to. if he wants to be in the debates he has to raisewhat? >> he will at least have sh ing in the polls. >> for the ptember debates you have to have both. 130,000 dors and a super percent in the polls. >> what about getting corporate

liney out of ics. is that something that even resonates with voters? >> i think it does. he has done more than town halls around the country this year alone. i have seen him. he does connect. he does bring out baby boomers and millennials who like this message. like joe said, it is one thing to go from being a cause to beia candidate. whether he can actually connect and make voters feel like he understands their oblems at a granulvel. he is a very rich guy. >> we have seen how tough it is to break out in asa field big as this one. what you imagine it would take other than interrupting joe biden -- >> i don't know what his passport is because that. is also going o face a lot more scrutiny his finances. how did you get to become a billionaire? a lot of ose investments were in fossil fuels. even though he has become an environmental list and has

donated a lot of time and money to energy, those things will come up. that's not a good stance, so especially whemany democrats are talking about climate change. >> carla, as you pointed out, he has been pushing e need to impeach donald trump. that is not a message nancy pelosi is fond of. >> he told us that one of he reasons he is running. he is frustrated with where the whole drive is going. he feelsthsystem is broken. he is hearing from voters that the system is but broken. i think that is going to be his message. weather is going to hrsh gh on the debate stage, if he even gets there, is the question. he tells us that he is going to continue to funds democratic causes and the need to impeach issue and the climate changes to. that's a lot of money out there . tom steyer has the money. he can do it. >> is a t grssage, but is he the right messenger? that's the thing. al because othe reasons we are talking about. >> he doesn't really need the corporate money. he has his own money.

let's talk to a many about eric swallwell. he is cutting his losses. s there any damage done or any benefit for having run? >> he gets a little name recognition. what's interesting is the diagnosis since he ha left h he is playing nice. he is been a total good soldier. he says the democratic, the wa tebates are chosen is not rigged. it has been faiis thithe best way to do it. i just got a fundraising email today that says give money to at the demo party. i was like really? he is saying, they asked him at the farewell prescott, who are you going to endorse. he said i don't know yet a if sp person. one of the criteria isi want someone who is a next generation person. >> he is only 38. he has pushed that idea of the next generation leading.

has plenty of time. he has increased his name recognition. he is a cable news regular. the guy is going to continue. that can only help them in thtu . >> a? question about alex acosta labor secretary stepping down. what is the message about t demonstration? >> how long is the list now of jump officials that have been shown the door? ac sta, like so many of the others, insisted until the last minute that he was saand had the president's backing. ioat is going to create within the administr trump didn't want this distraction of the epstein taser any more questions about a. that was found tcontinue had acosta stage. >> when he departed they can't trump was right by his side. one of the onre acosta,

cuban-american from florida, florida is a major swing stt te t a big part of the republican vote. that is the key. he did not want to seem >> the president this week refusing to back off even though he sorta did back off on the census citizenship question. joe, what arthe politics of all this? >> wothe real ld applications are that the damage is already done. by talking about it so much, and i spent some time this week , are actually a couple ofe ago, with young american citizens and their paents are immigrants, some of hem legal, some of them not. there is a little fear. a lot of chaos. one young person told me it's chaos. we are afraid. i don't know if i'm going to be separated in this countryom appearance of the i.c.e. raids begin. he has freaked out a lot of people and has temps down the >>tino vote. he didn't get the census question he wanted. he tried to portray that as win anyway.

it was a win-win for him because he has created so much anxiety about this census and questions abou of the census the now the question is, will people, essentially immigrants, answer those questions? california is putting $187 million into the akfort to m sure that they do because they he more at stake than any other state when it comes to billions of dollars in federal aid and potential steaks. >> adding to the fear there are gointo be i.c.e. raids. apparently this weekend in san francisco and elsewhere across the country. what are the politics of immigration? here in the bay area, everyone sort of thinks more or less the saabout immigration to sanctuary cities. some controversy. but out there in the world, this is much more divisive, even among democrats, isn't ? >> yes. we saw some of the divisions about whether crossing she borderld be a criminal act or not. we saw insome division the first debate on that. the rest of the country the

republicans will win if trump can make this a bigger part e tional conversation. immigration is not the nu ber osue for a lot of people, a lot of americans. it is certainly one of the top issues for latinos. but even among the latinos the top issues are the economy and healthcare. because it's so divisive samong democr, that is a win for republicans. >> ydo think it will tempt down latino turnout in 2020? or will it motivate latinos to register and vote? >> this is the question. democrats have to worry little bit about some of these immigration issues and how they may play out especially with trump issue pushing issues like democrats want open borders, they are socialists, they want to pay for health care for undocumented immigrants. some of these issues do not play as well as centrist democrats. th k trump may have another win in this case. >> that is sort of where joe biden's support is coming from,

from some of those democrats who are maybe not so comfortable. >> even though biden put up his hand when heasked should have document to grants get healthcare, as in every other demg rat, that is go be a tough one for the democrats to either walk backo negotiate in the general election. >> as always, thanks so much for comg in. help when a studes athleare one step closer to being allowed to sarn compation and sponsorships while in college. the california asmbly higher education committee unanimously passed senate bill 206, the fair pay to play act. is made into law, it will allow student athletes and california universities to earn compeofation for the use their name, image, and likeness starting in january 2023, and was the ncaa moves to block it. recently, the ncaa has been criticized or exploiting udent athletes after reportedly making over $1 billion in revenue last year. here now to talk about this is

state senator nancy skinner who co-authored the bill and san francisco sports columnist. welcome. senator skinner, what wrong is g thislation expected to write? >> the issue of athletes being exploited has been around for decades. you rmember harry edwards book, the revolt of the black student hlete. ever interview of kareem abdul- jabbar. recently the hbo special produced by lebron james. all about the fact that student athletes are the only category of people for whom someone, entities, benefit from labor in huge monetary amount, and yet they are denied any access to any of that revenue or that benefit. >> many of the students, not all, but many come from low income families. many of them are students of does that play into the unfairness, the injustice? >> the civil rights issue oit

definitely plays into it. historically, it has been something that black athletes in the black community has really raised as a significant sue. but i think we need to just look at it as an issue for all athletes. you and i, everyone in california, has the right to their anme, image, likeness. and no one else can monetize you are mine image likeness without our permission without giving us a , chair of th except student athletes. every other student can. why should a student athlete have to right away that right to do something that they love? >> of course, the schools, the ncaa, they are pushing back very hard on this. was their argument? do they have a sleg to nd on? >> i think they think they havek a historic to stand on. they been the ones exploiting and manipulating throughout time. they don't want to change thinm. they areing a ton of money.

the ncaa has historically liked to strike fear into the hearts of student athleteser here. that is pretty much their game plan of how they operate. they have a lot of heavy hitters, a lot of presidents of universities that are beholden tohem. it is a very complicated issue. california, i love this bill because once again, california is on the cutting edge of n sometthat is in a conversation nationally, has been for a decade. and finally, this appeal in a couple of other states to push forward and try to rectify. it is a wrong. personally, i could little nervous. i was just talking to nancy about it. when i hear about people, athletes being paid, i always think about title ix and genr equity in the fact that people want to pay the quarterback. they don't think about the lacrosse a female lacrosse

player. >> or the lineman for that matter. act same doing the job and has her schedule interrupted as well. why they don't for the school, they do the same thing. this is about a person's ess or image. i think that's obvious. in such an oious thing. u should be able, if someone is using your image, you should be able to share in that revenue. >> who is going to decide? is it just the rketplace? love that annie brought up the issue urabout athletes and title ix. they've recently allowed for basket players have agents. but only mail basket ballplayers. we ave female basketball players. a female professional league. but they are not allowed agents. they've also allowed for tennis players, both men and women, to take home a $10,000 purse if they get such a winning. ot ner athlete.

why only tennis players? interestingly, when i intruced he bill, who reached out to me? i thought all kinds of student athletes would. only women athletes. erin, a rower for cal. she said nancy, i dn't get a scholarship for my i had to cover all the costs of all my training. yet, as ateolympic athi had the right to market, to take endorsements, to even silly t-shirt with my name on it, and yet, under the ncaa rules, i could not. >> in unterms of tended consequences, could this shorted discourage studentswh get benefits from being athletes from studying, from graduating? >> you can help athem ate. they don't have the same motivation to quit school. there's a young woman, i know her name right now, california, 14 years old. she is a soer phenom. she is now taking endorsements because her family have had to bear such cost

her family were interview. her parents said yeah, we are forfeiting college because f that. >> that horse has left the barn. if you can make money in whatever, programming, computer programming, youtube, anything, you might choose to do that instead of get your college education. that's that kind of protective argument that the ncaa will want to make. 18 ear-old to make their own choices. >> but the computer person can market an apple they are in school. the music student can sell their music. >> they could be in california schools particating in ncaa championships. >> that is there threat, but it is a olation of antitrust law. so far, the various court challenges, the times they've tried to do things that have been brought to court around the antitrust issue, they ha lost. >> to what extent has this

become a bipartisan issue? republicans are supporting this. >> huge. i have republian co-authors. the sport is completely bipartisal there's a in congress right now, it is a bipartisan bill introduced by a republican congressional member and a democrat. >> if this happens here, if the governor signs it, has he indicated he will sign it? governor newsom? >> we have not sat down and talked. >> this going to sort of be the dam opening up in other states if not the federal government doing something like this? >> i thk it could . we have the story in the clinical that was funny about athletes being recruited. ig you are berecruited by ucla and arkansas, if you thought yocan make money at ucla, why would you go there? i think from a competitive standpoint, yes, other states would. i also think that there would es be re from the student athletes themselves across the board that this is the way it

should be. >> really quickly, do you see this as fitting in with what we are seeing with the pay equity callr the national women's soccer team. >> absolutely. we concentrate a lot on lead athletes. ut every single athlete, no matter what their sport is. the women, they would be ablro to te themselves. demoting themselves promotes women's athletics which maybe brings an audience. >> we want ito leave there. we are out of time. thank you. that will do it for us. as always you can find more of our coverage online. thanks fojoining us.

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