Capitol Briefs: Budget deadline is upon us!
Capitol Briefs: Budget deadline is upon us!

Budget trailers bills now in the wild: As reported by McGeorge law professor and registered lobbyist – and Capitol Weekly columnist – Chris Micheli, lawmakers over the weekend released the main budget bill (AB 107, in print) and two trailers bills not in print at…
Insurance woes | Changes underway for earthquake policies
Insurance woes | Changes underway for earthquake policies

“These are not changes that we’re excited about,” said Amy Bach, Executive Director of United Policyholders. More insurance changes are underway. This time, they’re impacting earthquake policies. California is no stranger to earthquakes. Yet despite their likelihood here, earthquake insurance isn’t required, and only about…
Insurance companies using new tools to evaluate property
Insurance companies using new tools to evaluate property

Imagine paying for homeowner’s insurance for decades, only to get a letter that your insurer isn’t renewing your policy. Insurers are using new tools, including drones and satellite cameras, to evaluate property. “I felt like I was blindsided,” John D’entremont told us. “If you look…
State Farm zigzags on California home policy non-renewals
State Farm zigzags on California home policy non-renewals

State Farm has changed its policy on non-renewals, taking a page out of other carriers’ playbooks. The largest carrier in California announced in March it would not renew more than 70,000 policies in the state — 30,000 of them home insurance policies. Much of the…
Home insurers are canceling policies based on aerial images, advocacy group says — how to protect yourself
Home insurers are canceling policies based on aerial images, advocacy group says — how to protect yourself

John D’Entremont has owned his home in Malden, Massachusetts, for more than 40 years, but last year, his insurer unexpectedly asked him to make some major repairs. “I felt like I was blindsided,” he told Boston 25 News. “If you look at the things they…
Insurance companies use drones and satellite images to spot roof damage
Insurance companies use drones and satellite images to spot roof damage

Some insurance companies use images to demand customers repair or replace roofs or lose coverage Using satellite or drone images to spot potential roof damage is a growing trend. Some companies use the images to demand customers either make repairs, replace their roof, or risk…
Will the new State Farm plan benefit California homeowners?
Will the new State Farm plan benefit California homeowners?

State Farm customers, who initially believed they would be dropped by the insurance company, now have a new option for insurance in California. However, Megan Goldsby reported it still doesn’t help with fire insurance. Amy Bach, executive director of United Policyholders, said the new State…
States beg insurers not to drop climate-threatened homes
States beg insurers not to drop climate-threatened homes

Property insurance companies say they’re taking losses amid escalating disasters. In the coming years, climate change could force Americans from their homes, not just by raising sea levels, worsening wildfires and causing floods — but also by putting insurance coverage out of reach. In places…
EYE IN THE SKY ‘I was blindsided’ says man who had insurance yanked on his home of 40 years – a drone caught issue on his roof
EYE IN THE SKY ‘I was blindsided’ says man who had insurance yanked on his home of 40 years – a drone caught issue on his roof

Insurers in Massachusetts have the right to not renew policies for properties A HOMEOWNER has told how he was “blindsided” by insurers when they said he needed to fork out for a number of repairs on his home – despite having no issues for 40…
The Gee Code: How Gen Z Homeowners Can Stay Ahead of High Tech Insurance Practices
The Gee Code: How Gen Z Homeowners Can Stay Ahead of High Tech Insurance Practices

While you may have seen photography drones used to shoot aerial shots for your favorite content online, did you know that same technology is being used against homeowners? In today’s digital era, home insurance companies are increasingly leveraging technology to assess properties during policy renewals.…
Searching for solution to California’s insurance crisis before property values plunge | Call Kurtis Investigates
Searching for solution to California’s insurance crisis before property values plunge | Call Kurtis Investigates

As insurance companies drop more California homeowners over the state’s fire risk, some are predicting the next crisis is a drop in home values. Bill Kinyon said his insurance company decided not to renew his policy over the fire risk to his family’s modest 700-square-foot…
How to stay in the know?
How to stay in the know?

Ask any person who’s survived a disaster and they’ll give you solid preparedness advice. UP’s consumer guidance draws heavily on those insights.  And while survivors won’t all agree on what to have in your “go bag,” everyone agrees on the value of timely emergency alerts.…
Can You Lower Your Home Insurance Premium?
Can You Lower Your Home Insurance Premium?

I attended the May 15 workshop in Scotts Valley on home insurance, hoping I could find a way to lower my State Farm premium, which has jumped from $1,000 a year before the CZU wildfire in Boulder Creek to $3,290 a year. The panel of…
Iowa insurers cut roof coverage, leaving customers with big bills and jeopardizing mortgages
Iowa insurers cut roof coverage, leaving customers with big bills and jeopardizing mortgages

After years of waiting, Vadim Shapiro finally got his new roof. He got a large bill, too. Shapiro, 57, said he asked his insurer for a replacement three years ago, after a hailstorm swept through his Clive neighborhood. He said a contractor believed the storm…
California property owners paying more as state works to keep insurers from leaving
California property owners paying more as state works to keep insurers from leaving

California plans to close the door on insurance carriers leaving the state by granting many of their rate hike requests, some into the double digits. That’s the plan state officials are banking on to stabilize the California insurance market in an environment where surveys indicate…
California property owners paying more as state works to keep insurers from leaving
California property owners paying more as state works to keep insurers from leaving

Property owners in the Golden State face more insurance rate hikes, some into the double digits, amid ongoing concerns over carriers leaving the state. Despite requests for increases, state officials aim to stabilize the market and prioritize insurance access. California plans to close the door…
Berkeley homeowner’s insurance Zoom webinar video is now available online
Berkeley homeowner’s insurance Zoom webinar video is now available online

Homeowners around the city, as with much of the state, have been getting non-renewal notices from their insurers, leaving them with few options and rising costs. Original story, May 23: Councilmember Susan Wengraf, who represents the northeastern corner of Berkeley, has organized a Zoom seminar…
More insurance companies using drones to inspect homes, evaluate storm damage
More insurance companies using drones to inspect homes, evaluate storm damage

More insurance companies are using drones to survey storm damage and whether to write or renew homeowner’s insurance policies. But some consumer advocates say it can unfairly put a homeowner’s coverage at risk. More insurance companies are using drones to survey storm damage and whether…