Californias insurance hell is destroying lives heres what the top commissioner candidates say theyll do
California’s insurance crisis has left homeowners scrambling for coverage, businesses paying soaring premiums and thousands of residents forced on to the state’s insurer of last resort after major companies pulled back from the market following years of devastating wildfires.Now, the race to replace termed-out Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara has become one of the state’s most consequential elections, with the three leading candidates offering starkly different visions for fixing what many Californians see as a broken system.Democratic state Sen.Ben Allen and former San Francisco Supervisor Jane Kim advanced to the November runoff after finishing first and second in June’s primary, while Republican Stacy Korsgaden failed to make the general election despite finishing as the top GOP candidate.The California Democratic Party added momentum to Allen’s campaign Saturday by endorsing him over Kim during its executive board meeting in San Diego.
Allen won 61% of the 295 votes cast, while Kim received 39%.Allen has argued his legislative record and work on wildfire resilience make him the best candidate to stabilize California’s insurance market.The Santa Monica Democrat has highlighted his role authoring Proposition 4, a $10 billion bond measure designed to help California prepare for wildfires, floods and other climate-related disasters.“I’ve worked with and fought the insurance industry, and I think both are really important in this job,” Allen told the Sacramento Bee.Allen has also pointed to his work following the devastating Palisades Fire, arguing that experience gave him firsthand insight into the challenges facing homeowners and insurers alike.He is backed by U.S.Sens.
Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla, the Consumer Federation of California, the Sierra Club and California Environmental Voters.Kim has centered her campaign on a sweeping proposal to overhaul California’s insurance system through what she calls an “insurance for all” model.He...