Overview

• The Eaton Fire Survivors Network presented a community response seeking changes to Southern California Edison's voluntary payout program now in draft form.
• Critics say enrolling would require waiving the right to sue and could yield smaller recoveries than litigation outcomes.
• SCE’s draft sets formula-based property payments and lists $1.5 million per death plus $500,000 for each surviving spouse or eligible dependent.
• Residents object to eligibility tied to Cal Fire damage maps, deductions of full policy limits regardless of actual insurance payouts, and a temporary housing cap of 10% of pre-fire home value over 42 months.
• Edison says the program aims to provide streamlined, fair compensation and may be updated; funding would start with $1 billion in utility insurance before tapping the state wildfire fund, while state inquiries and a DOJ lawsuit over federal land costs continue.