Testing for toxins in smoke-damaged homes could be mandatory. What to know
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,…
Testing for toxins in smoke-damaged homes could be mandatory. What to know
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,…
California bill proposes statewide rules for wildfire smoke insurance claims
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…
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,…
Thirty-two Groups Urge Insurance Commissioner to Withdraw Proposed Intervenor Regulations; Rules Would Undermine $530 Million State Farm Settlement, Say Consumer Watchdog
Thirty-two Groups Urge Insurance Commissioner to Withdraw Proposed Intervenor Regulations; Rules Would Undermine $530 Million State Farm Settlement, Say Consumer Watchdog

LOS ANGELES, March 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — A broad statewide coalition of 32 consumer protection, labor, senior, immigrant, low-income, and public advocacy organizations urged Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara to withdraw proposed regulations that would significantly restrict independent public participation in insurance rate proceedings. The coalition…
Dropped via Drone: Why Your Insurer is Scanning Your Roof Without Notice
Dropped via Drone: Why Your Insurer is Scanning Your Roof Without Notice

Linda Bennett lived in her Santa Ana home for decades without a single insurance problem. No leaks. No water damage. No complaints. Then a letter arrived from State Farm telling her to replace her roof or lose her coverage. Nobody knocked on her door. Nobody…
California’s next insurance commissioner will have ‘brutal’ balancing act
California’s next insurance commissioner will have ‘brutal’ balancing act

In November, Californians will vote for “the second-hardest job in the state behind the governor.” That’s according to someone who has held the job twice: John Garamendi, who was the state’s first elected insurance commissioner in the 1990s and served again in the early 2000s.…
Homeowner hit with $1,200 tree repair charge after insurer’s ‘invasive’ drone flies over property
Homeowner hit with $1,200 tree repair charge after insurer’s ‘invasive’ drone flies over property

Lynne Schueler of Topsfield, Massachusetts, was shocked to receive the notice and terrified of the implications. She told CBS News: “It was very invasive, because they had taken a picture of my house without me knowing, which was really kind of crazy. “They were cancelling…
Amid climate crisis, insurers’ increased use of AI raises concern for policyholders
Amid climate crisis, insurers’ increased use of AI raises concern for policyholders

This article was produced by Capital & Main. It is published here with permission. William May’s home in Pacific Palisades was destroyed in the L.A. wildfires in January 2025. He’s still haunted by the memory of the “fireball burning everything in its path” on that…
Santa Ana homeowner says insurance company used drone to inspect her roof without telling her
Santa Ana homeowner says insurance company used drone to inspect her roof without telling her

SANTA ANA, Calif. (KABC) — More insurance companies are using drones to help decide whether to renew policies. One Orange County woman says she believes her home insurance company did this before telling her she needed to make some pricey repairs to her roof. Linda…
Homeowner blindsided with $20k bill after State Farm secretly inspected roof by drone
Homeowner blindsided with $20k bill after State Farm secretly inspected roof by drone

The shocking notice came after State Farm reportedly spotted the issue using an AI-powered drone without the homeowner’s knowledge. Now, experts are claiming that the company was incorrect in its updated satellite imaging. Linda Bennett, who has lived in Santa Ana, California, for decades, was…
California’s next insurance commissioner will have ‘brutal’ balancing act
California’s next insurance commissioner will have ‘brutal’ balancing act

In November, Californians will vote for “the second-hardest job in the state behind the governor.” That’s according to someone who has held the job twice: John Garamendi, who was the state’s first elected insurance commissioner in the 1990s and served again in the early 2000s.…
CA insurance commissioner Challenges facing next person to hold office
CA insurance commissioner Challenges facing next person to hold office

In November, Californians will vote for “the second-hardest job in the state behind the governor.” That’s according to someone who has held the job twice: John Garamendi, who was the state’s first elected insurance commissioner in the 1990s and served again in the early 2000s.…
Close to Home: Weighing a mandate to insure fire-safe homes – The Press Democrat
Close to Home: Weighing a mandate to insure fire-safe homes – The Press Democrat

As a region that’s been impacted by past wildfires, North Bay communities know firsthand that insurance matters — a lot. Today’s insurance marketplace is more complicated and challenging for property owners than ever before, and there’s a lot of work and thought going into solutions.…
AI and Insurance Policy Interpretation After Snell v. United Specialty: What Policyholders Need to Know
AI and Insurance Policy Interpretation After Snell v. United Specialty: What Policyholders Need to Know

The decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit in Snell v. United Specialty Insurance Co. will be cited often for its holdings on policy interpretation and insurance applications under Alabama law. Perhaps the most groundbreaking analysis, likely to have long-term ramifications…
Homeowners left in lurch as insurance companies make dramatic policy change: ‘It does expose it and amplify it’
Homeowners left in lurch as insurance companies make dramatic policy change: ‘It does expose it and amplify it’

A year after devastating wildfires tore through the Los Angeles, California, area, many survivors are still dealing with insurance policies that won’t cover the full cost of rebuilding their homes. It’s a problem that has been quietly growing since the 1990s. What’s happening? For decades,…
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…
Insurance rates could go up under new homeowners bill
Insurance rates could go up under new homeowners bill

Under Senate Bill 876, Californians who lose their homes to natural disasters like wildfires would get the full cash value of their lost house paid to them by insurance companies. The new bill aims to ensure full compensation for homeowners like the ones who lost…