Sacramento, California - Governor Gavin Newsom today signed an executive order to further assist communities across the state recovering from devastating wildfires in 2017 and 2018. The order extends the state’s prohibition on price gouging for counties recovering from numerous fires, including the Mendocino Complex, Carr, Tubbs, Nuns, Atlas and Thomas fires.

EXECUTIVE ORDER N-12-19 

WHEREAS in 2017 and 2018, California faced unprecedented wildfires, causing widespread destruction; and

WHEREAS following these wildfires, impacted communities faced an extremely difficult and challenging recovery process; and

WHEREAS on November 28, 2018, Governor Brown issued Executive Order B-59-18, which extended price gouging protections for numerous counties impacted by wildfires in 2017 and 2018; and

WHEREAS recovery efforts are ongoing in these counties and it is imperative protections remain in place to ensure communities impacted by these wildfires are able to fully recover; and

WHEREAS under the provisions of Government Code section 8571, I find that strict compliance with the various statutes and regulations specified in this order would prevent, hinder, or delay the mitigation of the effects of the wildfires.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GAVIN NEWSOM, Governor of the State of California, in accordance with the authority vested in me by the Constitution and statutes of the State of California, and in particular, Government Code sections 8567 and 8571, do hereby issue the following order to become effective immediately:

IT IS HEREBY ORDERED THAT the prohibitions on price gouging in time of emergency set forth in Penal Code section 396, subdivisions (b), (c), (e), and (f), shall be in effect through December 31, 2019, in Mendocino, Napa, Santa Barbara, Shasta, and Sonoma counties.

This Order is not intended to, and does not, create any rights or benefits, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity, against the State of California, its agencies, departments, entities, officers, employees, or any other person.

I FURTHER DIRECT that as soon as hereafter possible, this Order be filed in the Office of the Secretary of State and that widespread publicity and notice be given of this Order.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Great Seal of the State of California to be affixed this 31st day of May 2019.

GAVIN NEWSOM

Governor of California

ATTEST:

ALEX PADILLA

Secretary of State