Edison and Fire

I can understand SoCalEdison’s strong need to protect itself from possibly ruinous fire-related lawsuits, but I do think that the public, via the California Public Utilities Commission, should have some say in the matter. There may likely be solutions in which SCE et al. could be protected from lawsuits, while the state provides reasonable compensation to those affected by fires. As we know, there are other causes of fires than electrical lines. Would arsonists be tempted to act by the confusion that electrical outages would cause? I feel that the public’s needs and desires should be factored into to any decision regarding this matter.