Consumer Watchdog Insurance In The News
The Mercury News – Elias: Bay Area’s Garamendi saying insurance czar ‘should go’ unheard of
In criticizing Lara, a Democratic party stalwart advising another to quit his job is unprecedented
By Thomas Elias, MERCURY NEWS
https://www.mercurynews.com/2025/07/11/elias-bay-areas-garamendi-saying-insurance-czar-should-go-unheard-of/
Think back: When was the last time you heard the former occupant of an important political office, state or national,...
CNN – This family lost their home in the Texas floods. Like most victims of storm, they didn’t have flood insurance
By Chris Isidore, CNN
https://www.cnn.com/2025/07/10/business/texas-flooding-victims-lack-flood-insurance
(CNN) - Crissy and Avi Eliashar bought their home in Jonestown, Texas, 13 years ago. They never had a problem with flooding until water washed away their home, car and all their possessions early Saturday...
Politico – Prop 103, Round Two?
By Will McCarthy and CAMILLE VON KAENEL, POLITICO
https://www.politico.com/newsletters/california-climate/2025/07/07/californias-great-climate-retreat-00441867
Wildfires are heating up the property insurance fight — and it’s boiling over on to the ballot measure campaign trail, our colleague Will McCarthy reports.
Since its narrow passage in 1988, Proposition 103...
Los Angeles Times – Angry homeowners and a state probe. What went wrong with State Farm’s L.A. fire response
By Laurence Darmiento, LOS ANGELES TIMES
https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2025-07-07/angry-homeowners-california-probe-state-farm-fire-response
Six months after the Jan. 7 firestorms that killed at least 30 people and destroyed more than 16,000 structures, frustrations are mounting among many homeowners over how the state’s largest insurer is handling their...
LA Downtown News – When Insurers Were The Good Guys: A long time ago in a prairie far, far away
By Ellen Snortland, LA DOWNTOWN NEWS
https://www.ladowntownnews.com/opinion/when-insurers-were-the-good-guys-a-long-time-ago-in-a-prairie-far-far/article_37db0b7b-7dd4-4929-9916-a9f6582a82a3.html
It’s hard for me to believe, but I’ve served on the board of the small yet mighty nonprofit Consumer Watchdog for 40 years. Before I get into my Consumer Watchdog (CW) journey, I...
ABC 10 – Insurance industry group floats idea of ballot initiative to change Prop 103
Passed by 51% of voters in 1988, Proposition 103 governs California's insurance regulations. Now, critics are floating an idea to make changes to the law.
https://youtu.be/A0jZoQ_QUAk?si=PwNQbh3BYH9xHbQH
By Becca Habegger, ABC10
https://www.abc10.com/article/entertainment/television/programs/to-the-point/insurance-industry-group-floats-idea-ballot-initiative-prop-103/103-ba95d519-d1b8-4a7a-a2e4-04134894da49
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — In the face of California’s home insurance crisis,...
Daily Journal – Brian Panish honored at Consumer Watchdog’s $2M Rage for Justice gala
By Ricardo Pineda, DAILY JOURNAL
https://www.dailyjournal.com/articles/386384-brian-panish-honored-at-consumer-watchdog-s-2m-rage-for-justice-gala
BEVERLY HILLS -- Consumer Watchdog's 40th annual Rage for Justice Awards brought together legal and civic leaders on Saturday night for a spirited evening of recognition, reflection and advocacy at the Beverly Hills Wilshire...
Politico – Insurance Insult
By Camille Von Kaenel, POLITICO
https://www.politico.com/newsletters/california-climate/2025/06/30/how-enviros-lost-ceqa-00434609
INSURANCE INSULT: Former Insurance Commissioner and current Rep. John Garamendi had some words for Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara’s handling of the Los Angeles wildfires at Consumer Watchdog’s 40th anniversary gala on Saturday in Beverly Hills.
“The current insurance commissioner...
New York Times – ‘Unsafe to Inhabit’: The Toxic Homes of L.A.
By Blacki Migliozzi, Rukmini Callimachi and K.K. Rebecca Lai, NEW YORK TIMES
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/06/24/realestate/los-angeles-fires-toxic-homes.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare
At first, the families whose homes were left standing thought they were the fortunate ones.
While their neighbors sifted through the ash and twisted debris left behind by devastating wildfires, they stepped...
Los Angeles Times – State regulators launch inquiry into State Farm’s handling of fire claims
By Laurence Darmiento, LOS ANGELES TIMES
https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2025-06-12/state-regulators-launch-inquiry-into-state-farms-handling-of-fire-claims-la-widlfires
State Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara announced Thursday that his department is launching a formal inquiry into how State Farm General, California’s largest home insurer, is handling thousands of claims filed by victims of the...
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