California Enacts Standards for Wildfire Smoke Damage Insurance Claims
California Enacts Standards for Wildfire Smoke Damage Insurance Claims

California has enacted new requirements for investigating, testing, and restoring homes affected by wildfire smoke. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed AB 1795, the Smoke Damage Recovery Act, authored by Assemblymember Mike Gipson and sponsored by Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara. According to the California Department of Insurance,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Setting the Record Straight: Common Insurance Myths California Homeowners Should Know
Setting the Record Straight: Common Insurance Myths California Homeowners Should Know

Southern Californians have watched insurance costs climb, coverage options shrink, and claim disputes multiply in recent years, and much of what people believe about why is simply wrong. As wildfire risk grows alongside a warming climate, understanding how the insurance market actually works matters more…
Four myths about insurance in California
Four myths about insurance in California

Many Californians have seen rising costs, less availability and are running into other issues with insurance — including delays and denials of their claims — in the past several years. As climate change increases the risk of wildfires and other disasters, it’s important to know…
Can a Bernie-Backed Populist Fix California’s Home Insurance Crisis?
Can a Bernie-Backed Populist Fix California’s Home Insurance Crisis?

In the spring of 2023, insurance giants State Farm and Allstate announced they would no longer write new home insurance policies in California, citing intolerable exposure to the devastating wildfires that have become routine in the state. Farmers, USAA, and several smaller insurers quickly followed…
Inside California’s Home Insurance Squeeze: Higher Bills, Fewer Choices
Inside California’s Home Insurance Squeeze: Higher Bills, Fewer Choices

After the LA fires, a $1 billion bill landed on providers and their customers; costs jumped 84% over 6 years, Stanford data shows. In A Nutshell Average monthly home insurance premiums for California single-family homes rose 84% between 2020 and 2026 (45% after inflation), about…
California’s FAIR Plan carries growing load as insurers retreat beyond wildfire zones
California’s FAIR Plan carries growing load as insurers retreat beyond wildfire zones

As another wildfire season approaches, California’s insurer of last resort is shouldering a rapidly expanding share of the state’s property risk, including in areas with relatively low wildfire exposure, as private carriers tighten underwriting and push more homeowners off standard policies. The California FAIR Plan,…
Sonoma County homeowners who have dealt with damage after a storm on what to expect
Sonoma County homeowners who have dealt with damage after a storm on what to expect

Several weeks passed before Connie Cloak and her husband settled a home insurance claim they filed in August 2024 when a large tree branch fell and damaged their Santa Rosa home. The wait was frustrating. But, according to Cloak, hardly a reflection of an otherwise…
Their homes survived the historic LA area wildfires, but a year later they fear living in them
Their homes survived the historic LA area wildfires, but a year later they fear living in them

A year after devastating Los Angeles wildfires, homeowners in Altadena and Pacific Palisades face dangerous levels of lead, asbestos and other toxins in their surviving homes. Many are forced to live in contaminated environments as insurance companies resist covering proper remediation. “DANGER: Lead Work Area”…
Homes that survived historic LA wildfires now face dangerous levels of toxic compounds
Homes that survived historic LA wildfires now face dangerous levels of toxic compounds

“DANGER: Lead Work Area” reads a sign on a front door of an Altadena home. “May damage fertility or the unborn child. Causes damage to the central nervous system.” Block after block there are reminders that contaminants still linger. House cleaners, hazardous waste workers and…
Legislation introduced to extend national flood insurance program
Legislation introduced to extend national flood insurance program

Bipartisan legislation introduced this week in the House would automatically extend the National Flood Insurance Program. Sponsored by U.S. Reps. Troy Carter (D-LA), Julia Letlow (R-LA), Cleo Fields (D-LA), Clay Higgins (R-LA), Mike Ezell (R-MS) and Lizzie Fletcher (D-TX), the legislation would ensure the National…