How we reported on the troubled Fire Victim Trust for 2017 and 2018 California wildfires

Over the past two months, reporter Andrew Graham and columnist Marisa Endicott sifted through thousands of court filings and conducted dozens of hours of interviews with wildfire victims, lawyers, experts and officials for this report on the shortcomings of the Fire Victim Trust, set up to compensate survivors of the 2017 and 2018 California wildfires caused by Pacific Gas & Electric Co.

Endicott writes the “In Your Corner” column for The Press Democrat. Her column topics are driven by reader queries, which have led her to dig further into PG&E’s bankruptcy and the Fire Victim Trust. In previous reporting positions, she has covered PG&E’s power shutoffs, California wildfires and electric utilities.

Andrew Graham is an investigative reporter for The Press Democrat. He formerly covered Santa Rosa City Hall. Graham wrote about Sonoma County prosecutors’ criminal trial against PG&E over the Kincade Fire in early 2022. He has previously written stories about fire victims’ fight in bankruptcy court for further transparency into the Fire Victim Trust’s spending.

You can reach Staff Writer Andrew Graham at 707-526-8667 or andrew.graham@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @AndrewGraham88.

You can reach “In Your Corner” Columnist Marisa Endicott at 707-521-5470 or marisa.endicott@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @InYourCornerTPD and Facebook @InYourCornerTPD.