The California governor's race is being litigated over who pays for wildfire damages, following the Los Angeles firestorm. California is currently the only state that holds utilities strictly liable for their equipment sparking a fire, a process that also affects ratepayers. This issue has been debated for years and could impact the state's grid. California's regulators and lawmakers are considering reconsidering parts of the legal doctrine to allow utilities to reduce their liability in exchange for lower electric prices. The billionaire businessman Tom Steyer, who believes utilities are being held responsible to a public cost, has backed down on this, arguing that climate polluters and shareholders should not be responsible for addressing climate pollution. Antonio Villaraigosa, who has pledged to freeze electric rate hikes in his first 100 days in office, also supports this change.