PRESS RELEASE: United Policyholders receives grant from the American Red Cross to Expand Roadmap to Recovery® and Preparedness Services to Los Angeles Wildfire-Impacted Communities
PRESS RELEASE: United Policyholders receives grant from the American Red Cross to Expand Roadmap to Recovery® and Preparedness Services to Los Angeles Wildfire-Impacted Communities

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE United Policyholders receives grant from the American Red Cross to Expand Roadmap to Recovery® and Preparedness Services to Los Angeles Wildfire-Impacted Communities [SAN FRANCISCO, CA, August 13, 2026] United Policyholders (UP), a national 501(c)(3) non-profit consumer advocacy organization with a 35-year track…
Why insurance matters to renters, landlords and California
Why insurance matters to renters, landlords and California

Welcome to CalMatters, the only nonprofit newsroom devoted solely to covering issues that affect all Californians. Sign up for WhatMatters to receive the latest news and commentary on the most important issues in the Golden State. A year and a half after the Eaton Fire, Gil Barel…
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…
Landmark California Supreme Court Decision Finds For Policyholder In Insurer Exhaustion Dispute
Landmark California Supreme Court Decision Finds For Policyholder In Insurer Exhaustion Dispute

California Supreme Court Restores Policyholders’ Ability to Pursue Declaratory Relief and Bad Faith Claims in Fox Paine & Co., LLC v. Liberty Mutual Ins. Co. In a huge victory for policyholders in the Golden State, the California Supreme Court has confirmed that policyholders may proceed with…
11 Organizations Call on CDI to Strengthen Long-Term Solvency Planning Proposal
11 Organizations Call on CDI to Strengthen Long-Term Solvency Planning Proposal

Commissioner Ricardo Lara California Department of Insurance 300 Capitol Mall, 17th Floor Sacramento, CA 98514 Re: Response to REG-2025-00025 Documenting Long-term Solvency Planning and Capital Needs Analyses. Dear Commissioner Lara, The undersigned organizations support the California Department of Insurance (CDI) requiring insurers to engage in…
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…
More California Communities Adopting Zone 0 Policy for Fire Safety
More California Communities Adopting Zone 0 Policy for Fire Safety

Insurance companies pushing homeowners to adopt Zone 0 policy for wildfire safety Catastrophic wildfires have devastated California in recent years. In the aftermath, we often ask ourselves – how do we make sure this doesn’t happen again? State officials are slowly phasing in one of…
SBA extends Los Angeles wildfire loan deadlines a third time
SBA extends Los Angeles wildfire loan deadlines a third time

The Small Business Administration (SBA) has issued a final extension of loan disbursement deadlines for Los Angeles wildfire survivors. The agency cited ongoing insurance claim disputes and permitting delays as reasons borrowers have been unable to access approved funds. The extension gives approved borrowers 24…
Garden Grove Evacuation Highlights Insurance Claim Challenges Following Chemical Tank Emergency
Garden Grove Evacuation Highlights Insurance Claim Challenges Following Chemical Tank Emergency

Residents evacuated during last month’s chemical tank crisis in Garden Grove, California, are reporting difficulties recovering evacuation-related expenses, with some insurance claims denied despite mandatory evacuation orders. On May 22, authorities ordered evacuations in parts of Orange County after firefighters warned that a tank containing…
Evacuees face hurdles with insurance claims following Garden Grove chemical tank crisis
Evacuees face hurdles with insurance claims following Garden Grove chemical tank crisis

Residents forced to evacuate parts of Orange County last month after a chemical tank crisis in Garden Grove say they are struggling to recover out-of-pocket costs, with some insurance claims quickly denied. A fund created to support about 50,000 affected residents has stopped accepting applications…
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 Homeowners Face New Wildfire Deductibles
California Homeowners Face New Wildfire Deductibles

Some California homeowners are now facing new wildfire deductibles in their insurance policies, causing concern among residents and officials. Attorney Shant Karnikian, who represents Los Angeles residents affected by last year’s fires, discovered a $621,000 wildfire deductible in a client’s AIG insurance policy. This is…
Some California homeowners now face ‘wildfire deductibles.’ Why that’s a problem.
Some California homeowners now face ‘wildfire deductibles.’ Why that’s a problem.

After a Washington Post inquiry, Michael Soller, deputy commissioner of communications for the California Department of Insurance, indicated Commissioner Ricardo Lara will launch a review of these insurance policies. Read more.
Homeowners face crushing insurance cost increases
Homeowners face crushing insurance cost increases

Homeowners insurance premiums climbed 24% nationwide between 2021 and 2024, with the steepest increases hitting inland states like Utah and Illinois rather than the hurricane-prone coasts. Communities that were once considered low risk for insurance pricing are now facing double-digit rate increases. Higher construction costs…
Battle over smoke-damaged homes from LA County wildfires could reshape fire insurance
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.
Insurance Commissioner candidates stump for votes at the beach
Insurance Commissioner candidates stump for votes at the beach

As wildfire recovery continues across communities including Pacific Palisades, Malibu and Altadena, the race for California Insurance Commissioner has evolved beyond discussions of premiums and policies into something much larger; a debate over who gets rebuilt, how quickly communities recover and whether California’s insurance system…