Editorial: Even as California gets hotter and drier, lawmakers continue to punt on wildfire liability

The most intense debate in the California Legislature this summer was also the wonkiest: Whether to lift the requirement that investor-owned electric utilities such as Southern California Edison reimburse property owners for losses caused when their electrical equipment sparks a fire, even if the utility did nothing wrong and could not have reasonably prevented the blaze.

But alas, the topic became too politically hot as the Aug. 31 legislative deadline got