Insurance Industry Gives CA Senators $2.35 Million To Win Right To Raise Homeowners’ Rates

Published on

Sacramento, CA – Members of the California State Senate have taken $2,353,000 in campaign contributions from insurance companies and insurance industry trade associations in the last two election cycles, according to data reported to the California Secretary of State. Of that total, $1.1 million was given to the thirteen Senators who sit on the Insurance Committee that will soon vote on the insurance industry’s top priority in Sacramento this year. In the last decade, property-casualty insurers have given $32.5 million to candidates for the Legislature and statewide office and spent an additional $34 million on ballot measures.

The insurance industry bill, AB 2167 is an attack on California’s effective rate regulation that could cost homeowners billions more for their home insurance. It passed out of the Assembly in June and will be voted on in the Senate Insurance Committee as early as next week.

“California homeowners have been ravaged by wildfires, insurance claims abuses and outright refusals to sell them insurance. Now the insurance industry is throwing its weight around to win the right to raise rates at will,” said Carmen Balber, executive director of Consumer Watchdog. “Will the Senate reject the insurance industry’s influence peddling to stop this power grab that will gut consumer protections and cost homeowners billions?”

AB 2167 would allow homeowners insurance companies to hike rates as high as they desire by exempting them from the protections of California’s rate regulation law, voter-approved Proposition 103. Nothing in the bill requires insurance companies to sell or renew insurance in communities the insurance companies claim are “wildfire risks” at a price that anyone will be able to afford.

Download a Q&A explaining AB 2167’s provisions.

CA SENATE INSURANCE INDUSTRY CONTRIBUTIONS

2017-2020

SENATOR  
Ben Allen (D) 26  $               14,300.00
Bob Archuleta (D) 32*  $               52,900.00
Toni Atkins (D) 39  $             211,900.00
Patricia Bates (R) 36*  $             110,100.00
Jim Beall (D) 15  $                 1,300.00
Andreas Borgeas (R) 8*  $               58,019.75
Steven Bradford (D) 35  $               46,500.00
Anna Caballero (D) 12  $               96,230.30
Ling Ling Chang (R) 29  $               31,900.00
Brian Dahle (R) 1  $             130,300.00
Bill Dodd (D) 3*  $               80,450.63
Maria Elena Durazo (D) 24  $               18,800.00
Cathleen Galgiani (D) 5*  $               11,500.00
Steven Glazer (D) 7*  $             161,686.77
Lena Gonzalez (D) 33  $               21,000.00
Shannon Grove (R) 16  $               25,100.00
Robert Hertzberg (D) 18  $               79,730.00
Jerry Hill (D) 13  $               19,500.00
Ben Hueso (D) 40*  $               41,799.99
Melissa Hurtado (D) 14  $               24,200.00
Hannah-Beth Jackson (D) 19  $                           –   
Brian Jones (R) 38*  $               42,150.00
Connie Leyva (D) 20  $               39,300.00
Mike McGuire (D) 2  $               13,365.00
Melissa Melendez (R) 28  $               48,605.24
Holly Mitchell (D) 30*  $               73,250.00
Bill Monning (D) 17  $               27,100.00
John Moorlach (R) 37*  $               81,372.08
Mike Morrell (R) 23  $               43,100.00
Jim Nielsen (R) 4  $               40,250.00
Richard Pan (D) 6  $               90,107.06
Anthony Portantino (D) 25*  $             171,300.00
Richard Roth (D) 31*  $               82,699.63
Susan Rubio (D) 22*  $             158,346.31
Nancy Skinner (D) 9  $               22,325.00
Henry Stern (D) 27  $               52,100.00
Thomas Umberg (D) 34  $                 9,000.00
Bob Wieckowski (D) 10  $                 6,250.00
Scott Wiener (D) 11  $               37,800.00
Scott Wilk (R ) 21  $               77,642.50
TOTALS:  $          2,353,280.26

* Senator is a member of Senate Insurance Committee

AB 2167 is authored by Anaheim Assemblyman Tom Daly, who received $206,323 in insurance industry campaign contributions between 2017 and 2020. The bill would override Proposition 103’s protections against unnecessary and unjustified rate increases.  Its Senate companion bill is SB 292, by Senate Insurance Committee Chair Susan Rubio (D-Baldwin), who has taken $158,346 in contributions from insurers and their trade associations since 2017.

Secretary of State data also reveals that insurance companies and their trade associations have given the California Democratic Party $1.9 million since 2017.

-30-

Carmen Balber
Carmen Balber
Consumer Watchdog executive director Carmen Balber has been with the organization for nearly two decades. She spent four years directing the group’s Washington, D.C. office where she advocated for key health insurance market reforms that were ultimately enacted into law as part of the Affordable Care Act.
Latest Insurance Videos
Video thumbnail
KTVU-SF (FOX) - San Francisco, CA: Insurance Department Investigation
02:37
Video thumbnail
KCBS-LA (CBS) - Los Angeles, CA: Home Insurance Crisis
05:32
Video thumbnail
KCAL-LA - Los Angeles, CA: KCAL News Special: Home insurance Crisis
07:04
Video thumbnail
KCAL-LA - Los Angeles, CA: KCAL News Special: Home insurance Crisis
09:59
Video thumbnail
KGTV-SD (ABC) - San Diego, CA: Homeowners To Get Surcharge For LA Wildfires
02:48
Video thumbnail
My 58 - Sacramento, CA: State Farm Looking To Raise Rates
01:05
Video thumbnail
KGO-SF (ABC) - San Francisco, CA: State Farm Proposes More Insurance Rate Hikes
02:53
Video thumbnail
KOLO (ABC) - Reno, NV: Home Insurance Rate Hikes From State Farm
02:32
Video thumbnail
KMPH-FRES (FOX) - Fresno, CA: Looking At Process For Rate Approvals
07:48
Video thumbnail
KGTV-SD (ABC) - San Diego, CA: State Farm Approves For Insurance Rate Hike
02:06
Video thumbnail
KCBA (FOX) - Monterey, CA: Insurance Rate Hikes
02:17
Video thumbnail
KTVU-SF (FOX) - San Francisco, CA: State Farm Gets Okay To Raise Rates
05:17
Video thumbnail
KXTV-SAC (ABC) - Sacramento, CA: State Farm Rate hike Approved
04:05
Video thumbnail
KNTV-SF (NBC) - San Francisco, CA: Judge Backs State Farms 17% Rate Hike
00:57
Video thumbnail
KRON-SF (MyTV) - San Francisco, CA: State Farm Approved For Emergency Policy Rate Increase
02:19
Video thumbnail
KPIX-SF (CBS) - San Francisco, CA:State Farm Emergency Rate Hike Approved
00:49
Video thumbnail
Spectrum News 1-Los Angeles, CA: Insurance Agencies Want To Impose Surcharges on Homeowners
04:18
Video thumbnail
KGO-SF (ABC) - San Francisco, CA: Insurance Hotline Part 2
03:01
Video thumbnail
KGO-SF (ABC) - San Francisco, CA: Insurance Hotline Part 1
03:02
Video thumbnail
KTLA-LA (CW) - Los Angeles, CA: Eaton Fire Victims Call Out State Farm Insurance
03:35
Video thumbnail
KXTV-SAC (ABC) - Sacramento, CA: Insurance Surcharge Lawsuit
00:43
Video thumbnail
KCBA (FOX) - Monterey, CA: Group Sues To Block Insurance Surcharge For LA Wildfires
00:41
Video thumbnail
KABC-LA (ABC) - Los Angeles, CA: Consumer Group Sues To Block Insurance Surcharge
00:34
Video thumbnail
KGO-SF (ABC) - San Francisco, CA: Lawsuit Over Fair Plan Bailout
00:31
Video thumbnail
KOVR-SAC (CBS) - Sacramento, CA: Fiery Insurance Fight
02:05
Video thumbnail
KTVU-SF (FOX) - San Francisco, CA: State Farm Hike Decision Expected In Weeks
00:38
Video thumbnail
Spectrum News 1, CA: Consumer Watchdog Sues To Block Insurers From Adding Surcharge After Wildfires
00:23
Video thumbnail
CW Litigation Director, Will Pletcher's Closing Argument At CDI State Farm Hearing
17:28
Video thumbnail
WDAM (NBC) - Hattiesburg, MS: State Farm Questioned Over Rate Hike Proposal
02:37
Video thumbnail
KBVU (FOX) - Eureka, CA: State Farm Rate Hike Hearing Day 2
03:00
Video thumbnail
KNTV-SF (NBC) - San Francisco, CA: State Farm Proposed Interim Rate Hike
02:49
Video thumbnail
KCAL-LA - Los Angeles, CA: State Farm Rate Hike Hearing
00:54
Video thumbnail
KTTV-LA (FOX) - Los Angeles, CA: State Farm Requests Emergency Rate Increases
02:14
Video thumbnail
KXTV-SAC (ABC) - Sacramento, CA: State Farm Rate Hike Hearing
03:29
Video thumbnail
KCRA-SAC (NBC) - Sacramento, CA: State Farm Rate Hike Request
01:09
Video thumbnail
KPIX-SF (CBS) - San Francisco, CA: State Farm Argues For Rate Increase
05:02
Video thumbnail
KFMB-SD (CBS) - San Diego, CA: State Farm Promises Refund If Rate Too High
02:45
Video thumbnail
KRCR-CR (ABC) - Chico/Redding, CA: State Farm Rate Hike Hearing
03:02
Video thumbnail
KNSD-SD (NBC) - San Diego, CA: Hearing Over State Farm Request For 22% Rate Hike
01:10
Video thumbnail
KTTV-LA (FOX) - Los Angeles, CA: State Farm Requests Emergency Rate Increases
02:26
Latest Privacy Report

Support Consumer Watchdog

Subscribe to our newsletter

To be updated with all the latest news, press releases and special reports.