A ‘super’ El Nino is about to crash into California: 9 essentail ways to prepare
A ‘super’ El Nino is about to crash into California: 9 essentail ways to prepare

Amid warnings of a wet and potentially destructive winter, The Times asked experts for their best tips to be prepared. Read more.
California announces state of emergency: Record El Niño puts a fresh squeeze on a fragile home insurance market
California announces state of emergency: Record El Niño puts a fresh squeeze on a fragile home insurance market

Governor Gavin Newsom put the entire state under a formal state of emergency on Monday. Federal forecasters now think the El Niño building in the Pacific could be the strongest on record, and for a property insurance market that’s already stretched thin, that’s a bad…
Election 2026: California insurance commissioner’s race — Fix the private market or provide public coverage?
Election 2026: California insurance commissioner’s race — Fix the private market or provide public coverage?

The two Democrats running for California insurance commissioner offer voters a stark choice for tackling a wildfire-driven home insurance crisis as premiums surge and insurers drop thousands from their plans: Can the state fix the private market, or should it step in with its own…
Spokane Strong event provides many resources, including help with insurance
Spokane Strong event provides many resources, including help with insurance

As Spokane continues recovering from the Spokane Area Complex Fires, many people are facing questions about insurance and what help they can claim. At the Spokane Strong Wildfire Recovery Event, groups including United Policyholders helped people sort through their options and understand what their policies…
California home insurance is about to see a major overhaul
California home insurance is about to see a major overhaul

A defining question on home insurance emerged in the aftermath of the Los Angeles County wildfires — one California is now poised to answer. Read more.
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,…
Hurricane Marie Was a Wake-Up Call: Insurance Lessons Californians Can Learn From Floridians
Hurricane Marie Was a Wake-Up Call: Insurance Lessons Californians Can Learn From Floridians

Over Labor Day weekend 2026, Hurricane Marie, churning far out in the Pacific, generated massive swells that battered the Southern California coastline from Malibu to San Diego, destroying infrastructure, damaging homes, and forcing evacuations. And for many homeowners, the damage was just the beginning. Read…
Is Your Home Insurance Enough to Weather a Disaster? How to Check
Is Your Home Insurance Enough to Weather a Disaster? How to Check

You might assume you’re covered for repairs after a disaster because you have homeowners insurance. Unfortunately, you could be wrong. As extreme weather becomes more frequent and destructive, homeowners across the country are discovering gaps in their insurance policies — after the damage has already…
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.
What California’s insurance commissioner does — and how it affects your wallet
What California’s insurance commissioner does — and how it affects your wallet

In November, California voters will choose who oversees one of the biggest insurance markets in the world. Insurance commissioner may seem like an obscure regulatory position, but it’s a consequential one: It leads the Insurance Department, which regulates home, auto, life, health, workers’ comp and…