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ByJanieHar The Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO Dam- age from two destructive Northern California wild- fires that killed six and sent thousands fleeing their homes topped $1 billion in insured losses, according to a preliminary estimate by the state's insurance de- partment. The two fires started days apart in September, burning more than 200 square miles of remote, mountainous territory north and northeast of San Francisco. The preliminary figure announced Monday in- cludes $700 million from a fire centered largely in Lake County that killed four and destroyed nearly 2,000 structures, including some 1,300 homes. The so-called Valley Fire is the third most destructive wildfire in state history, based on the num- ber of structures lost, and the fifth-costliest based on insured losses. Another fire in Ama- dor and Calaveras counties caused an estimated $300 million in insured losses. That fire killed two people and destroyed more than 800 buildings, making it the seventh-most destruc- tive wildfire to hit the state. "A year-round fire sea- son is California's new re- ality," said Insurance Com- missioner Dave Jones in a statement. "Residents and communities, especially those in high-risk fire ar- eas, must take precautions now before the next devas- tating wildfire strikes." This is the first damage estimate from the Califor- nia Department of Insur- ance for the fires, compiled from insurance claims filed through December. A final figure is months away. Insurers report they have received 5,600 claims for commercial and res- idential properties, vehi- cles and other items. Lake County residents have filed the bulk of claims. Lake County Supervisor Jim Comstock said $1 bil- lion sounds right. "I'm not at all surprised because this Valley Fire sought out property with structures on it to burn, it seemed like," he said. As for Lake County's place in wild- fire history, he said, "It's an infamy, unfortunately." The $1 billion does not include uninsured losses nor does it include damage to public roads and utilities. For that, global insur- ance company Aon Benfield estimated last year that the two fires did nearly $2 bil- lion in economic damage, including business inter- ruption. About $1.5 billion of that was in Lake County alone. Aon reported insured losses for the two fires topped $1.2 billion, includ- ing $975 million in Lake County. That's within ball- park range of the state's fig- ures, said Aon associate di- rector Steve Bowen. "These two fires by them- selves were two of the cost- liest in the state of Califor- nia since 2007," he said. "We're talking about a once- in-a-decade type of event in the losses alone." Bowen said the fire in Lake County is the fifth costliest wildfire in state and U.S. history in terms of insured losses. The cause of both North- ern California fires remains under investigation. NORTHERN CALIFORNIA Re po rt : $1 b il li on i ns ur ed l os se s in w il dfi re s ELAINETHOMPSON—THEASSOCIATEDPRESSFILE Richard and Kathie Reeves embrace as they stand in the remains of the home of close friends that was destroyed in a wildfire several days earlier in Middletown. By Jonathan J. Cooper The Associated Press SACRAMENTO The Cali- fornia Senate on Monday approved a bill aimed at slowing a rush of cities and counties racing to ban marijuana cultivation. The measure corrects what lawmakers say was a mistake in California's first comprehensive med- ical marijuana regula- tions, which were adopted in the closing hours of last year's legislative ses- sion. A paragraph in that 70- page bill gave the state au- thority to license growers in jurisdictions that do not have their own laws on the books by March 1. As a result, dozens of cities and counties seek- ing to preserve local con- trol over pot have rushed to enact bans on mari- juana growing before the deadline. Some apply only to commercial cultivation, but many would also pro- hibit personal pot gardens that have been legal — or at least overlooked — for 19 years. "It is crucially important the deadline is repealed as soon as possible," said As- semblyman Jim Wood, D- Healdsburg, who was in- strumental in writing last year's regulations and in- troduced the fix. "I am con- fident we will get this done soon." The Senate backed AB21 in a 35-3 vote, sending it to the Assembly. SACRAMENTO Senate backs bill to slow medical marijuana bans By Tami Abdollah and Amanda Lee Myers The Associated Press WASHINGTON A home- made bomb left behind by the husband and wife who perpetrated a mass shoot- ing at a California social services center failed to detonate because it was poorly constructed, two law enforcement officials told The Associated Press. The failure compelled Syed Rizwan Farook, 28, and Tashfeen Malik, 29, to drive around the area of San Bernardino, Cali- fornia, after the shootings that killed 14 people. They were apparently trying to set off the remote-con- trolled bomb, one of the of- ficials said. The officials were briefed on the investiga- tion and spoke on condi- tion of anonymity because they weren't authorized to discuss the case publicly. Investigators believe the couple intended to deto- nate the improvised ex- plosive device — placed in a bag left at the center that morning by Farook before the shooting — to kill emergency responders or possibly before their at- tack. The plan to set off an ex- plosive device as part of a wave of attacks is similar to an aborted 2012 plan by Farook and his longtime friend Enrique Marquez, who has been charged for his role in aiding the vio- lence. The pair planned to explode pipe bombs on a freeway and then shoot emergency responders. The device found at the scene in San Bernardino consisted of three pipe bombs, constructed with Christmas tree lights and attached to a remote-con- trol toy car switched to "on." The couple had the remote with them in their rented SUV. It was found after the shootout. The FBI is still trying to determine where the couple was or what they did during 18 minutes be- tween the Dec. 2 attack and a shootout with authorities that left them dead. Investigators have no de- tails on the couple's where- abouts between 12:59 p.m. and 1:17 p.m. that day and worry that they may have met with someone, dropped by a storage unit or visited a residence. Au- thorities accounted for the couple's movements using traffic and surveillance cameras, witness accounts and other techniques. While driving around San Bernardino and Red- lands afterward, the cou- ple appeared to drive aim- lessly and stopped multiple times over a roughly 20- mile area, according to the FBI. They never strayed far from the location of their initial attack, and at one point appeared to be try- ing to drive closer. Farook and Malik also stopped by a nearby lake, which a dive team searched unsuccess- fully for days, trying to find any abandoned electronic devices. Detectives watching the area saw the couple driving toward their home in the SUV, and Farook and Ma- lik died in a shootout with authorities. SAN BERNARDINO Sources: Bomb in deadly attack was poorly built By Julie Pace and Catherine Lucey The Associated Press DES MOINES, IOWA Bernie Sanders defended his call for raising Americans' taxes in exchange for lower heath care costs, as he opened a candidate forum Monday night that served as a plat- form for Democratic presi- dential hopefuls to make a closing argument to voters one week before the Iowa caucuses. "Yes, we will raise taxes," said Sanders, an admis- sion rarely heard in pres- idential campaigns. "We may raise taxes, but we are going to eliminate pri- vate health insurance pre- miums for individuals and businesses." Sanders would replace the nation's existing em- ployer-based system of in- surance with one in which the government becomes a "single payer," providing coverage to all. It would eliminate co-pays and de- ductibles, and Sanders' ar- gues, bring health care spending under control. A self-described dem- ocratic socialist, Sanders cast his governing philoso- phy Monday as one reflect- ing that "the right for eco- nomic security should ex- ist." But he sidestepped a question about whether his policies would mean an era of big government. Sanders' was the first of three candidates to address voters at the CNN town hall at Iowa's Drake University. Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton and for- mer Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, who has strug- gled to gain traction in the race, were to appear later in the event. All three have been zig- zagging the state in recent days, trying to shore up support before the Feb. 1 caucus. While Clinton has let the field for months, she's being challenged anew in Iowa, as well as in New Hampshire, which votes second in the pri- mary contest. The latest Des Moines Register/Bloomberg Poli- tics poll found Clinton with 42 percent, Sanders with 40 percent and O'Malley with just 4 percent of likely Dem- ocratic caucus-goers. The poll, conducted between Jan. 7 and 10, had a mar- gin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points, sug- gesting it could be a toss- up between the former sec- retary of state and the Ver- mont senator. Sanders, an independent from Vermont, who cau- cuses with Democrats on Capitol Hill, has energized young voters in particular with his call for a "political revolution." "We are touching a nerve with the American people who understand that estab- lishment politics just aren't bold enough," Sanders said Monday. The 74-year-old Sand- ers pledged to release his medical records before Iowa votes, saying there's nothing in the papers that will surprise anybody. And while Sanders typically avoids veering into personal topics, preferring to focus squarely on policy, he spoke emotionally about what his late parents would think to see their son running for president. "This would be so un- imaginable," Sanders said. Former Secretary of State Clinton is offering her- self as a pragmatic option, who can build on President Barack Obama's legacy and manage Washington grid- lock. "I believe I have the ex- perience, the judgment and the vision to get us back moving, further than we got with President Obama," Clinton said Sunday during an event in Marion. O'Malley, the former governor of Maryland, has struggled to win support in the race, despite aggres- sive campaigning in Iowa. He was cheered enthusiasti- cally when he cited climate change as the top issue young people in America should be concerned about. O'Malley was pushed on what his supporters should do on caucus night if — un- der the quirks of the Iowa process — they don't reach a minimum level of sup- port in their local precinct. Should that happen, the O'Malley backers would have to pick another can- didate. But O'Malley said his message was simply: "Hold strong at your caucus." Monday's event comes after Obama weighed in on the race interview with Po- litico's "Off Message" pod- cast, though he stopped short of endorsing. Obama praised Sanders for ener- gizing liberals while say- ing that Clinton's perceived dominance had been both an advantage and a burden. IOWA FORUM In h ea te d de ba te , Sa nd er s de fe nd s call to raise taxes to fund health care PATRICK SEMANSKY — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., speaks during a CNN town hall at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, on Monday. | NEWS | REDBLUFFDAILYNEWS.COM TUESDAY, JANUARY 26, 2016 8 A