Landmark legislation addresses smoke damage
Landmark legislation addresses smoke damage

For years, California families have returned home after a wildfire only to discover that the danger did not end when the flames were extinguished. Smoke contamination can linger long after a fire is out, leaving homeowners fighting to prove their homes are unsafe and that…
What Better Wildfire Risk Information Can Unlock for Californians
What Better Wildfire Risk Information Can Unlock for Californians

The Community Wildfire Resilience Workgroup, convened in partnership with Resources Legacy Fund, brings together leaders across wildfire science, land use, insurance, finance, and community implementation to advance a coordinated, long-term approach to reducing California’s growing wildfire risk to homes, infrastructure, and other parts of the…
California protects families from hidden smoke damage after wildfires
California protects families from hidden smoke damage after wildfires

Governor signs landmark legislation establishing enforceable standards for investigating, testing, and restoring smoke-damaged homes SACRAMENTO, Calif. — For years, California families have returned home after a wildfire only to discover that the danger did not end when the flames were extinguished. Smoke contamination can linger long…
Newsom Signs New Law to Clear Confusion Around Smoke Damage
Newsom Signs New Law to Clear Confusion Around Smoke Damage

One of the paradoxes facing people whose homes survive a wildfire is that they are often still victims of it. Sometimes, they have the least help for restoring their home to how it was. How insurance ought to address the damage caused by heat and…
California enacts new laws to aid wildfire victims with smoke damage and mortgage relief
California enacts new laws to aid wildfire victims with smoke damage and mortgage relief

California is enacting new rules to help wildfire victims recover from the devastating effects. A new package of legislation, signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in Altadena alongside wildfire survivors, directly responds to the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles in early 2025. One of the new…
Where it can rain, it can flood
Where it can rain, it can flood

Cloudy With a Chance of Super El Niño The only thing scarier than seeing halloween decorations up in stores this early is the report that all 50 states can expect a 90% chance of being impacted by a SUPER El Niño. So when the New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, ABC7 and LAist ask…
Property insurance faces a new test as disaster losses accelerate
Property insurance faces a new test as disaster losses accelerate

Extreme weather is creating a more demanding environment for property owners, insurers, and communities. According to the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), the United States recorded 27 confirmed billion-dollar weather and climate disasters in 2024, resulting in a total cost of $182.7 billion. These…
Coastal damage and a looming El Niño prompt warnings for homeowners to review insurance coverage
Coastal damage and a looming El Niño prompt warnings for homeowners to review insurance coverage

A series of recent coastal hazards, from sinkholes to beach erosion to waves pushing water onto properties, is raising concerns for Southern California homeowners who may not be covered for the damage they’re seeing. Images of a collapsing driveway and eroding shorelines have unsettled many…
Major changes to California home insurance could be coming under bills headed to Newsom’s desk
Major changes to California home insurance could be coming under bills headed to Newsom’s desk

California lawmakers have sent several home-insurance bills to Gov. Gavin Newsom that would strengthen protections for policyholders by addressing underinsurance, increasing penalties for insurer violations and delayed claims, improving claims transparency, and giving homeowners more notice before coverage is dropped. Read more.
Get this key protection for your home before El Niño hits California
Get this key protection for your home before El Niño hits California

With El Niño expected to bring heavier and more frequent storms to California this winter, homeowners are being urged to consider flood insurance now, since standard home policies generally don’t cover flooding and some flood policies have waiting periods of up to 30 days before…
Smoke dam­age bills to go to gov­ernor
Smoke dam­age bills to go to gov­ernor

Cali­for­nia is poised to become the first state in the nation to estab­lish stand­ards for how to make homes and schools safe to inhabit after they’re tain­ted by wild­fire smoke, debris and ash. On Monday night, the Cali­for­nia Legis­lature passed two bills that ask state…
California Is About to Change the Rules for Wildfire Smoke Claims
California Is About to Change the Rules for Wildfire Smoke Claims

California is on the verge of doing something no state has done before: establishing a comprehensive legal framework to determine whether a wildfire smoke-damaged home is actually safe and requiring insurance companies to adjust covered claims consistent with those standards. Assembly Bill 1795, the Smoke…
First Steps After a Fire – Insurance Claim Help for Sea Spray Fire Impacted Residents
First Steps After a Fire – Insurance Claim Help for Sea Spray Fire Impacted Residents

United Policyholders is a nonprofit organization that is a voice and an information resource for insurance consumers in all 50 states. UP has helped guide disaster survivors on the road to recovery since 1991. This information is for residents and condo owners affected by the…
California Wildfire Survivors One Step Closer To Landmark Smoke Damage Protections Bill Sponsored By Insurance Commissioner Lara
California Wildfire Survivors One Step Closer To Landmark Smoke Damage Protections Bill Sponsored By Insurance Commissioner Lara

California wildfire survivors with smoke-damaged homes are one step closer to gaining new protections after the California State Legislature passed Assembly Bill 1795, the Smoke Damage Recovery Act, authored by Assemblymember Mike Gipson and sponsored by Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara. AB 1795 responds to the…
Legislature approves landmark smoke damage protections bill
Legislature approves landmark smoke damage protections bill

California wildfire survivors with smoke-damaged homes are one step closer to gaining landmark new protections after the California State Legislature passed Assembly Bill 1795, the Smoke Damage Recovery Act. AB 1795, authored by Assemblymember Mike Gipson and sponsored by Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara, responds to…
California one step closer to first-in-the-nation smoke damage protections for wildfire survivors
California one step closer to first-in-the-nation smoke damage protections for wildfire survivors

Commissioner Lara-sponsored legislation establishes landmark protections for smoke-damaged homes and addresses insurance gaps exposed by both wildfires and the Lineage Logistics fire SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California wildfire survivors are one step closer to receiving landmark new protections after the Legislature approved AB 1795, the Smoke…
Last-resort home insurance surges as climate risks grow – Finance & Commerce
Last-resort home insurance surges as climate risks grow – Finance & Commerce

Surplus home insurance is rapidly expanding as traditional insurers retreat from high-risk areas, leaving homeowners with fewer protections. Read more.
The slow climb toward stability in California’s insurance market.
The slow climb toward stability in California’s insurance market.

As wildfires blaze across Big Sur and much of the West, it might be surprising to hear news that the insurance market in California is showing early signs of stabilization. Katie Rodriguez here, sharing with you all a list of takeaways from a statewide insurance…