May 31, 2026 Battle over smoke-damaged homes from LA County wildfires could reshape fire insurance The outcome could have ramifications nationwide and either open the door to billions in additional claims or slam the door shut for homeowners. Read more.
March 19, 2026 Testing for toxins in smoke-damaged homes could be mandatory. What to know When the January 2025 firestorms swept through Altadena and Pacific Palisades they not only burned down homes but left thousands still standing riddled with smoke damage. The disaster set the stage for lawsuits by fire victims who alleged their homes were filled with toxic contaminants,…
March 17, 2026 California bill proposes statewide rules for wildfire smoke insurance claims California lawmakers introduced legislation designed to standardize how insurers handle wildfire smoke damage claims. The proposal follows major fires that contaminated thousands of homes across the state. Officials describe the proposal as the first statewide framework in the United States addressing insurance claims related specifically…
January 10, 2026 How a Chronicle photographer documented the invisible aftermath of the Eaton Fire It’s an unsettling scene: A person in a bunny suit and respirator steps gingerly through the living room of a well-worn home, a Christmas tree strung with ornaments still standing in the corner. Like any good image, this photo prompts all sorts of questions for…
October 10, 2025 Wildfire safety leads Commissioner Lara’s agenda as Governor Newsom signs sponsored bills Putting money in people’s pockets, strengthening incentives, and introducing the nation’s first public wildfire model SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara announced new wildfire safety protections for California consumers as Governor Gavin Newsom signed three critical bills aimed at enhancing mitigation efforts, reducing risk,…
August 25, 2025 Flying Cameras Are Snapping Photos of Houses for Insurers. Will a California Bill Help Homeowners See Them? Airborne cameras are taking pictures of individual houses across the U.S. Insurance companies use the photos to inspect buildings after extreme weather, from hurricanes to hailstorms. But they also use them to determine which homes are too risky to insure. A bill in California—a state…
August 20, 2025 California moves to set nation’s first smoke damage insurance standard One of the most common insurance complaints after a fire comes from people whose homes are still standing but covered in potentially toxic soot. Because there is no state or federal standard for smoke damage, insurance companies often refuse to pay for cleanup, leaving victims…
July 1, 2025 California moves to set nation’s first smoke damage insurance standard One of the most common insurance complaints after a fire comes from people whose homes are still standing but covered in potentially toxic soot. Because there is no state or federal standard for smoke damage, insurance companies often refuse to pay for cleanup, leaving victims…
August 6, 2021 Wildfire Evacuation Tips If you are told to evacuate immediately, do so. If you think you may have to evacuate, we suggest the following ASAP: 1) Document your home and “stuff.” If you do not have a home inventory, create one before you evacuate. Take pictures or a video of each…
February 9, 2021 California seeks to establish new fire-safe standards for homes, insurers California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara on Monday announced an effort to establish home-hardening standards that could protect participating homeowners from canceled policies and soaring rates while providing a mechanism to encourage fire-safe retrofits that could save lives and property. The effort, which will begin this month with…
January 28, 2021 Few California court wins for pandemic business-interruption claims As North Coast businesses grapple with insurance claims from the 2020 wildfires on top of ongoing issues with coverage for the coronavirus lockdowns of a number of economic activities, a major advocate for policyholders said those types of losses differ but they’re connected by promises…
January 13, 2021 Insurance questions following Colorado’s devastating wildfires? There’s a nonprofit that can help The nonprofit group United Policyholders is helping fire-affected residents in Grand, Boulder and Larimer counties navigate insurance claims to ensure they get the most out of their policies. “We will walk them through their policy and teach them how to work with their insurance company…
October 1, 2018 Trick or treat…what’s in yours? Make sure your policy has more treats than tricks! The only thing scarier than how devastating the last year has been with wildfires, lava, flooding and hurricanes is language we’ve been finding buried in some of the insurance policies that impacted people have been showing…
December 18, 2017 Homeowners Fear Losing Insurance in Midst of California Fires California homeowners and regulators have a new fear about wildfires ravaging the state: that insurers will drop coverage. Massive, out-of-season fires in northern and southern California are causing billions of dollars in claims and challenging expectations of when and where to expect blazes. State law…
August 10, 2017 State Supreme Court affirms homeowner reimbursement protections supported by Commissioner Jones The State Supreme Court Wednesday ended a long legal battle between a Richmond homeowner and her homeowner insurance company when the court refused to consider the insurance industry’s petition to overturn a lower court’s precedent setting decision that insurers must pay to repair a home…
June 22, 2017 Guest Blog: United Policyholders Amicus Project Scores Victory For Texas Homeowners and Businesses The availability of insurance coverage for loss or damage can hinge on the smallest details. Did your insurer record that it received your notice letter? Did your insurer’s investigator take note of those small but critical facts you pointed out during the investigation? Did you…
June 22, 2017 Insurance companies dropping homeowners in Nevada County Ted Peach, a Nevada County resident who lives on Banner Mountain, said the rate for his home insurance policy recently went up from $1,200 to $3,800. “The house has cementboard siding, metal roof, ironwood deck and has very good vegetation clearance,” he said. “Our rates…
June 19, 2017 Your CLUE report could save you money on auto and home owners insurance If your car is in an accident, or your house is damaged in a storm, the insurance claims you file will wind up in your CLUE report. The trouble is most people have never heard of a CLUE report, even though the data in it…
