Kaibigan ng Lahaina and United Policyholders to host insurance policy review workshop
Kaibigan ng Lahaina and United Policyholders to host insurance policy review workshop

Kaibigan ng Lahaina, in partnership with United Policyholders, will host an insurance policy review workshop at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Office of Recovery within the Lahaina Gateway Center. The session will focus on navigating personal property claims and inventory. The workshop is free and…
Wildfire victims in limbo as fight with insurers hits another snag
Wildfire victims in limbo as fight with insurers hits another snag

After receiving more than 1,000 complaints from Jan. 7 fire victims about how insurers are handling their claims, state regulators are considering referring hundreds of the cases to mediation — a little used practice that some consumer advocates fear could hurt policyholders. The Department of…
Sen. Schiff Introduces Bill to Stabilize Insurance Market, Protect Homeowners from Increased Costs of Natural Disasters
Sen. Schiff Introduces Bill to Stabilize Insurance Market, Protect Homeowners from Increased Costs of Natural Disasters

Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) introduced the Incorporating National Support for Unprecedented Risks and Emergencies (INSURE) Act, legislation to stabilize the home insurance market by creating a federal catastrophic reinsurance program. This bill will help keep insurance premiums affordable and provide…
How to prepare for a wildfire evacuation
How to prepare for a wildfire evacuation

A wildfire can start at any moment, and they can move fast and unpredictably. Preparing for an evacuation should begin before there is any danger. If your household is under voluntary or potential evacuations, begin to prepare your home and get ready to leave. If…
Embers of Change: Building a fire-resilient California
Embers of Change: Building a fire-resilient California

The recent wildfires that have ravaged Southern California have left an unprecedented trail of destruction. The Eaton fire in Altadena burned more than 14,000 acres, while the Palisades fire in Pacific Palisades consumed 23,448 acres. In total, over 16,000 structures were destroyed, including thousands of…
As Texas floods capture attention, experts urge Californians to reconsider flood insurance
As Texas floods capture attention, experts urge Californians to reconsider flood insurance

While Californians are typically more concerned about wildfires than flooding, many are watching the devastation in Texas unfold. It’s estimated that just 2% of households statewide carry a flood insurance policy. Amy Bach, the executive director of United Policyholders, joined us on ‘The Nine,’ who…
The next big insurance fight headed to California’s ballot
The next big insurance fight headed to California’s ballot

POLITICS OVER POLICIES — Nearly 40 years ago, insurance companies and consumer advocates waged an epic David vs. Goliath battle at the ballot. Now both sides are wondering whether it’s time for a rematch. Since its narrow passage in 1988, Proposition 103 has set the…
Altadena fire survivor is told State Farm’s $900K check on hold due to insufficient funds
Altadena fire survivor is told State Farm’s $900K check on hold due to insufficient funds

Amelia McDonald couldn’t believe her ears. She had been navigating what she calls “a horrible experience” trying to get her claims paid by State Farm after the Eaton Fire burned down her Altadena home and ranch in January. She, along with her father, daughter and…
Advice on rebuilding after fires — from people who’ve lived it
Advice on rebuilding after fires — from people who’ve lived it

Full panel discussion from LAist article by Aiko Offner. Be realistic about timing and costs, join forces with your community and allow yourself some guilty pleasures. That’s the advice of fire survivors and rebuilding experts who participated in LAist’s discussion about the six-month anniversary of…
California Positioned to Lead National Property Insurance Reform
California Positioned to Lead National Property Insurance Reform

Insurance attorney Daniel Veroff says the devastating Los Angeles County wildfires have created an opportunity for California to address systematic underinsurance of homeowners. The devastating Los Angeles County wildfires in January exposed a crisis that has been decades in the making: the systematic underinsurance of…
Los Angeles fire survivor is told State Farm’s $900K check on hold due to insufficient funds
Los Angeles fire survivor is told State Farm’s $900K check on hold due to insufficient funds

Amelia McDonald couldn’t believe her ears. She had been navigating what she calls “a horrible experience” trying to get her claims paid by State Farm after the Eaton Fire burned down her Altadena home and ranch in January. She, along with her father, daughter and…
Rebuilding Altadena bogs down in red tape and frustration
Rebuilding Altadena bogs down in red tape and frustration

About six months after the Eaton Fire, a majority of lots with destroyed homes in Altadena have been cleared. But for homeowners hoping to rebuild, the hard work remains: slogging through insurance paperwork and government permits. On Len Silvernail and Diane Toomey’s cul-de-sac near Rubio…
Tuolumne Resident On New CA Insurance Commission Task Force
Tuolumne Resident On New CA Insurance Commission Task Force

California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara has created a new Smoke Claims and Remediation Task Force. It was developed following the recent wildfires in Los Angeles, and the group will recommend science-based insurance standards and best practices for safely returning to and restoring homes. Lara says,…
Regulator starts task force to address denials of LA fire smoke claims
Regulator starts task force to address denials of LA fire smoke claims

Following a June 24 LA Superior Court ruling against the California FAIR Plan for illegally denying wildfire smoke damage claims, the state’s insurance commissioner has created a Smoke Claims and Remediation Task Force. Read more.
Summer is Here ~ Less is More
Summer is Here ~ Less is More

If you live in a suburb or rural area, as you refuel the BBQ and dust off outdoor furniture, take a moment to look around your home and yard. What is in that first five feet around and right up against your home? What if…
Commissioner Lara appoints members to new Smoke Claims and Remediation Task Force
Commissioner Lara appoints members to new Smoke Claims and Remediation Task Force

In response to the smoke damage caused by wildfires across California, including the recent Palisades and Eaton fires, Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara has appointed members to his new Smoke Claims and Remediation Task Force. Led by the California Department of Insurance, the Task Force includes…
California moves to set nation’s first smoke damage insurance standard
California moves to set nation’s first smoke damage insurance standard

One of the most common insurance complaints after a fire comes from people whose homes are still standing but covered in potentially toxic soot. Because there is no state or federal standard for smoke damage, insurance companies often refuse to pay for cleanup, leaving victims…
‘Unsafe to Inhabit’: The Toxic Homes of L.A.
‘Unsafe to Inhabit’: The Toxic Homes of L.A.

After the fires clouded neighborhoods in smoke, residents whose homes were spared learned that danger was still lurking in the walls, the furniture and the air. But their insurers have doubts. Read more