Could Kamala Harris' Next Move Be A Run For CA Governor?

Here are the morning’s top stories on Thursday, February 20, 2025…

• Former Vice President Kamala Harris has returned home to Los Angeles after losing to Donald Trump in the November election. The question now is what will she do next? Many pundits are speculating about a possible run for California governor. 
• Insurers have already paid out around $7 billion in claims to people who lost homes or suffered property damage in the LA fires.
• Another fire flared up Tuesday night at a Monterey County battery storage facility, one month after a massive blaze damaged it and caused major health concerns in the region.

Could Kamala Harris Shake Up California’s Governor Race? Democrats Weigh In

It’s not surprising that just three weeks into President Donald Trump’s second term, California finds itself in the crosshairs over sanctuary laws, transgender athletes, climate change and water policies, to name just a few. It has forced Gov. Gavin Newsom, in light of the devastation from fires in Los Angeles, to exchange his years of anti-Trump rhetoric for something more akin to kissing the ring of a president who is acting like a king hellbent on settling scores and punishing political enemies.

California is fighting back in the courts. Attorney General Rob Bonta joined blue state attorneys general in seeking to stop Trump orders to freeze federal funding, including grants funding research at public and private universities in California.

All this comes as the announced candidates for the 2026 gubernatorial election await a decision from a possible contender: former Vice President Kamala Harris. A Berkeley IGS poll cosponsored by the Los Angeles Times that was published in November found Harris would have clear advantages over the likely field of candidates. In the survey, taken in October before the 2024 election, voters were asked whether they would consider supporting Harris for governor. Forty-six percent said they were either very or somewhat likely to consider voting for her. By comparison, even without Harris in the race, no candidate received more than the 13% when voters were asked to name their first or second choice for governor.

Economic Impact Of LA Fires Takes Shape

California’s Department of Insurance is maintaining an online tracker to tally claims related to the Los Angeles fires. So far, more than 33,000 claims have been filed and insurers have made partial payments on more than 19,000 of those claims. Those payments include more than $70 million alone in auto claims. 

The almost $7 billion that insurers have paid out for property loss and damage includes payments to people who are on the state’s insurance plan of last resort, also known as the FAIR Plan. The FAIR Plan, which is a fund that all insurers that offer policies in the state have to pay into, was already shaky before the fires hit. After the FAIR Plan requested more money, the insurance department signed off on a $1 billion infusion from its member insurance companies. These companies will now be allowed to charge their customers a fee to help offset this cost.

Monterey County Battery Fire Briefly Flares Up Weeks After Massive Blaze

A fire that flared up Tuesday night at the Monterey County energy storage facility that burned in January is under control, county officials said Wednesday afternoon. Still, the reignition renewed fears about the environmental and health effects of both blazes, and other flare-ups that could still be coming.

North County Fire Chief Joel Mendoza said that fire crews and the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office responded Tuesday evening to reports of light smoke coming from a building at the Vistra Energy Storage Facility that burned in last month’s massive fire in Moss Landing. By later that night, it had intensified and turned into flames.

The fire started under a pile of rubble in a section of the facility that had previously burned. There haven’t been any sustained periods of poor air quality or indications of danger to the public, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency coordinator Eric Sandusky said, but officials advised residents to close windows and doors Tuesday night.