Rage for Justice 40th Anniversary of Consumer Watchdog
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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...
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In The News

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...
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In The News

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...
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In The News

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...
Mary Kozanian -
In The News

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...
Mary Kozanian -
In The News

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....
Harvey Rosenfield -
In The News

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...
Jamie Court -
In The News

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...
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In The News

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...
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In The News

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...
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In The News

KCBS-LA (CBS) – Los Angeles, CA: Home Insurance Crisis

https://youtu.be/OmZPh1X22Ws
Jamie Court -
In The News

San Francisco Chronicle – ‘Buckle up, it’s coming’: California insurers are likely to join State Farm in raising rates

By Megan Fan Munce, SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE https://www.sfchronicle.com/california/article/home-insurance-rates-20335120.php# State Farm’s rates for homeowners are set to rise 17% starting next month, and potentially even more in 2026. Are other insurers going to raise...
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In The News

Los Angeles Daily News – State Farm seeks 30% overall hike for California home insurance policies

The company is asking for an additional 11% on top of a 17% rate increase after the Los Angeles fires By Ethan Varian, LOS ANGELES DAILY NEWS https://www.dailynews.com/2025/05/21/state-farm-insurance-california-rate-hike/ A week after winning...
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In The News

San Francisco Chronicle – State Farm eyes higher rate after emergency hike

By Megan Fan Munce, SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE https://www.sfchronicle.com/california/article/state-farm-insurance-rates-20335755.php A week after securing approval to raise home insurance rates by an average of 17%, State Farm General revealed plans to ask regulators...
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In The News

New York Times – The Home Insurance Crisis Is Getting Even More Expensive

By David Gelles, NEW YORK TIMES https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/15/climate/climate-change-home-insurance-costs.html#:~:text=Overall%2C%20American%20homeowners%20saw%20their,and%20write%20fewer%20insurance%20policies. In California, a home insurance rate increase by State Farm is yet another sign of growing crisis driven by climate change. Just months after fires...
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In The News

Los Angeles Times – Four months into insurance claim delays and disputes, a new blow to fire victims: A rate hike

By Steve Lopez, LOS ANGELES TIMES https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-05-13/lopez-column-fire-victim-complaints-state-farm For four months, the frustrations and indignities have continued for victims of the Palisades and Eaton fires, especially for those still battling their insurance...
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In The News

Cal Matters – State Farm wins first-ever emergency rate hike in California

By Levi Sumagaysay, CALMATTERS https://calmatters.org/economy/2025/05/state-farm-rate-hikes-decision/ State Farm can raise homeowner and other rates starting next month, becoming the first insurance company to win approval to do so on an emergency interim...
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In The News

Los Angeles Daily News – State Farm gets California nod to hike homeowner policies 17%

By Pat Maio, LOS ANGELES DAILY NEWS https://www.dailynews.com/2025/05/13/state-farm-gets-california-nod-to-hike-homeowner-policies-17/ California on Tuesday approved a 17% emergency rate hike for State Farm after the state's largest insurer made an emergency request following January...
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In The News

Los Angeles Times – Insurance commissioner grants State Farm 17% emergency rate hike after L.A. fires

By Laurence Darmiento, LOS ANGELES TIMES https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2025-05-13/administrative-law-judge-approves-denies-revises-state-farms-request-for-a-17-emergency-rate-hike-la-wildfires Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara adopted an administrative law judge's ruling Tuesday and granted State Farm General an emergency 17% hike in its homeowner rates. The...
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In The News

Los Angeles Times – Insurers seek to surcharge California homeowners for L.A. County fire costs

By Laurence Darmiento, LOS ANGELES TIMES https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2025-05-13/insurers-seeking-to-surcharge-california-homeowners-for-l-a-county-fire-costs Insurers are seeking to charge homeowners across California for some of the costs of the catastrophic Los Angeles County fires the companies were burdened...
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In The News

Associated Press – California approves State Farm’s request for 17% premium increase for homeowners

By Tran Nguyen, ASSOCIATED PRESS https://apnews.com/article/california-state-farm-rate-increase-home-0cf3c463ae54e0ed9466ca2924a9d590 SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California’s top insurance regulator said Tuesday that State Farm can soon start raising premiums by 17% for all of its home insurance customers...
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In The News

Cal Matters – L.A. fire survivors accuse State Farm of delaying claims. Should it get OK for a rate hike?

By Levi Sumagaysay, CALMATTERS https://calmatters.org/economy/2025/05/state-farm-fire-survivors-complaints/ Rossana Valverde's Pasadena home of 35 years is still standing after Los Angeles County's devastating January fires but more than 100 days later, she and her...
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Southern California Record – Insurance commissioner sued over policyholder surcharges resulting from January’s wildfire damage

By Michael Carroll, SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA RECORD https://socalrecord.com/stories/671084738-insurance-commissioner-sued-over-policyholder-surcharges-resulting-from-january-s-wildfire-damage A Los Angeles consumer group is suing Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara over his decision to allow California insurers to raise charges to policyholders to cover...
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In The News

San Francisco Chronicle – Lawsuit: California home insurers colluded to create an insurance crisis

By Megan Fan Munce, Susie Neilson, SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE https://www.sfchronicle.com/california-wildfires/article/home-insurance-lawsuit-20283488.php Two law firms are suing California’s largest insurers, arguing their pullback from the state’s home insurance market constituted an “illegal group boycott” that...
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In The News

Los Angeles Times – Property owners sue California insurance companies over alleged ‘collusion’ following wildfires

By Karla Marie Sanford, LOS ANGELES TIMES https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2025-04-19/property-owners-sue-state-farm-california-insurers-antitrust A group of property owners affected by the January wildfires is suing major California insurance carriers, including the state's largest, State Farm, accusing them...
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In The News

Los Angeles Times – Eaton fire victims call for investigation into State Farm for delays, violations

By Malia Mendez, LOS ANGELES TIMES https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2025-04-17/eaton-fire-victims-state-farm-protest-delayed-claims-rate-hikes Survivors of the Eaton fire gathered Thursday morning in Pasadena to condemn State Farm's alleged mishandling of a slew of claims by policyholders who...
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Newsweek – California Home Insurance Market ‘Collapse’ Warning Issued After Lawsuit

By Suzanne Blake, NEWSWEEK https://www.newsweek.com/california-home-insurance-market-collapse-warning-issued-after-lawsuit-filed-2061074 lawsuit filed by Consumer Watchdog against California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara has triggered new concerns over the stability of the state's homeowner insurance market, and critics warn the legal...
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ABC 7 – 100 days since LA wildfires: Victims vow to rebuild as more lawsuits are filed

https://abc7.com/post/100-days-la-wildfires-victims-vow-rebuild-more-lawsuits-are-filed/16191800 ALTADENA, Calif. (KABC) -- Thursday marked 100 days since the devastating Los Angeles wildfires, and people are still fighting to preserve their beloved communities. Dozens of people impacted by the Eaton...
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In The News

Spectrum 1 News – Eaton Fire survivors call for investigation into State Farm over claims

By City News Service, SPECTRUM 1 NEWS https://spectrumnews1.com/ca/southern-california/wildfires/2025/04/17/eaton-fire-investigation-state-farm-claims PASADENA, Calif. — As State Farm pursues a 17% rate increase for home insurance, survivors of the Eaton Fire Thursday urged state Insurance Commissioner...
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The Sacramento Bee – CA FAIR PLAN POLICY CHANGE SPURS LAWSUIT

By Stephen Hobbs, THE SACRAMENTO BEE https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article304362711.html Consumer Watchdog, the advocacy organization that has long gone toe-to-toe with the Department of Insurance, is again facing off with the state agency in a...
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The San Francisco Chronicle – Consumer group sues to stop California insurers from charging customers for FAIR Plan losses

By Megan Fan Munce, SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE https://www.sfchronicle.com/california-wildfires/article/home-insurance-fair-plan-20279165.php A consumer group sued California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara and his department this week in a bid to stop consumers from paying part...
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Los Angeles Daily News – Consumer group sues California insurance commission to stop $500M overcharge

By Pat Maio, Los Angeles DAILY NEWS https://www.dailynews.com/2025/04/15/consumer-group-sues-california-insurance-commission-to-stop-500m-overcharge-2/ The advocacy group Consumer Watchdog filed a lawsuit against the California Department of Insurance and its commissioner to stop potentially hundreds of millions of...
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Los Angeles Times – Consumer group sues insurance commissioner over Fair Plan assessments on state homeowners

By Laurence Darmiento, LOS ANGELES TIMES https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2025-04-15/consumer-group-sues-insurance-commissioner-over-fair-plan-assessments-on-state-homeowners A Los Angeles consumer group has sued Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara to block potential surcharges on home insurance policies statewide as a result of...
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Associated Press – California consumer group sues to block insurers from adding surcharge following LA fires

By Tran Nguyen, ASSOCIATED PRESS https://apnews.com/article/california-wildfires-insurance-fair-plan-8a70b82467f76c16b5c9496fa67ee96c SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A consumer advocacy group filed a lawsuit this week to block insurers from charging California customers for $500 million in costs...
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Mercury News – Lawsuit seeks to halt California’s homeowner-funded FAIR Plan insurance bailout

By Ethan Varian, MERCURY NEWS https://www.mercurynews.com/2025/04/15/fair-plan-california-insurance-bailout/ Consumer advocates are suing to halt a massive homeowner-funded bailout of California's last-resort insurance program after it reported it would run out of money to pay claims arising from the devastating Los Angeles wildfires. In...
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Politico – Consumer advocates challenge Lara’s decision letting insurers pass on costs of LA wildfires

By Blanca Begert, POLITICO A consumer advocacy group on Monday sued the California Department of Insurance over its decision to let insurance companies charge customers for catastrophic losses that overwhelm...
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In The News

ABC 7 – CA Insurance Commissioner Found To Have Spent $30K On Lavish Meals, Report Says

By Stephanie Sierra and Simone Chavoor, ABC 7 https://abc7news.com/amp/post/calif-insurance-commissioner-found-have-spent-30k-lavish-meals-according-sf-standard/16157716/ SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Just weeks after 7 On Your Side revealed California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara's extensive travel during his time in...
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Court News Service – California insurance regulator and State Farm squabble over proposed emergency rate hikes

By Alan Riquelmy, COURT NEWS SERVICE https://www.courthousenews.com/california-insurance-regulator-and-state-farm-squabble-over-proposed-emergency-rate-hikes/ OAKLAND, Calif. (CN) — Attorneys on Thursday made final arguments increase before a California administrative law judge over whether State Farm’s need for an...
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CNBC – State Farm pleads for emergency rate hikes on California homeowners

By Dawn Giel, CNBC https://www.cnbc.com/2025/04/10/state-farm-emergency-rate-hikes-california-homeowners.html State Farm is making its case this week for a major rate hike for California homeowners in a hearing that could prove crucial to the insurer’s...
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Cal Matters – State Farm moves one step closer to emergency California rate hike

By Levi Sumagaysay, CAL MATTERS https://calmatters.org/economy/2025/04/state-farm-rate-hearing/ State Farm could soon win final approval to raise premiums for California homeowners and others on an interim basis, a move meant to help prop...
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In The News

SF Standard – Insurance chief lives large on campaign cash as homes burn

By Josh Koehn, SF STANDARD https://sfstandard.com/2025/04/10/california-insurance-commissioner-ricardo-lara-wildfires-slush-fund The sun had already set over The Grand, Frank Gehry’s skyscraper complex in downtown Los Angeles, as Ricardo Lara sat down for dinner at San...
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Cal Matters – State Farm begins first-of-its-kind insurance rate hearing today

BY Levi Sumagaysay, CALMATTERS https://calmatters.org/newsletter/state-farm-insurance-hearing-newsletter/ State Farm will try to justify its need to raise property insurance rates — stat — at an unprecedented public rate hearing starting today. Rate hearings are...
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LA ist – State Farm rate hike

By Jacob Margolis, LA IST A hearing kicked off at the California Insurance Department’s office in Oakland Monday morning as part of the process to determine whether State Farm can institute...
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Politico – Insurers’ flight is over. Now for the fight.

By  CAMILLE VON KAENEL, POLITICO https://www.politico.com/newsletters/california-climate/2025/04/08/insurers-flight-is-over-now-for-the-fight-00280127 BILL COME DUE: Fire-shy insurers are cautiously returning to California — but it’ll cost you. Take State Farm, the state’s largest insurer. It says it’ll avoid further...
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San Francisco Chronicle – California insurance regulator likens State Farm financial situation to Titanic

By Megan Fan Munce, SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE https://www.sfchronicle.com/california/article/state-farm-insurance-hearing-20265652.php Should California’s largest insurance company be allowed to raise prices for consumers to preserve its financial viability?  That question is at the heart of...
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Sacramento Bee – Hearing begins on State Farm’s home insurance price hike. Here’s what’s been said

By Stephen Hobbs, SACRAMENTO BEE https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article303761776.html An attorney for the California Department of Insurance issued a stark warning Tuesday during a hearing about a decision that will affect the prices of...
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Insurance News Net – Everyone else about to start subsidizing mansion payouts

By Thomas Elias, INSURANCE NEWS NET https://insurancenewsnet.com/oarticle/everyone-else-about-to-start-subsidizing-mansion-payouts-thomas-elias Here’s the likely outcome of the April 8 hearing set to follow the California insurance commissioner’s tentative mid-March approval of a 22 percent average...
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In The News

San Francisco Chronicle – Car insurance premiums likely to rise due to tariffs, industry groups say

By Molly Burke, SAN FRANCISCO Americans could see another tariff-caused rise in costs -- to their auto insurance policies -- as the insurance industry braces for higher prices on car parts...
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Law 360 – State Farm’s Calif. Rate Request Exemplifies Long Negotiation

By Eli Fischer, LAW360 California regulators' provisional approval of State Farm's premium increase request following the Los Angeles fires is another step forward in an insurance reform process that insurance...
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Enterprise-Record – We’re all on the verge of subsidizing mansion payouts

By Thomas Elias, ENTERPRISE-RECORD https://www.chicoer.com/2025/03/25/were-all-on-the-verge-of-subsidizing-mansion-payouts-california-focus/ Here’s the likely outcome of the April 8 hearing set to follow the California insurance commissioner’s tentative mid-March approval of a 22 percent average rate increase...
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In The News

ABC 7 – Bogotá and Paris? CA insurance boss takes series of taxpayer-funded trips, raising concerns

By Stephanie Sierra, ABC 7 https://abc7news.com/post/ca-insurance-commissioners-attendance-record-in-question/16045912 SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- After missing the first key state insurance briefing of the year while traveling in Bermuda, questions have been raised about...
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The Center Square – Insurance commissioner criticized for trip to Bermuda

By Dave Mason, The Center Square https://www.thecentersquare.com/california/article_cc0af8fa-0426-11f0-b653-d31cb0344b54.html Lara's trip meant he wasn't available to testify March 12 in Sacramento at the first state Senate hearing on insurance after the wildfires. Two Department...
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In The News

Insurance Business – California approves State Farm’s 22% insurance rate hike with conditions

By Matthew Sellers, INSURANCE BUSINESS https://www.insurancebusinessmag.com/us/news/catastrophe/california-approves-state-farms-22-insurance-rate-hike-with-conditions-528660.aspx California regulators have given State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co. preliminary approval to raise home insurance premiums by an average of 22%, a decision that could affect nearly a million...
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Associated Press – California regulator mulls State Farm’s request for 22% premium hike for homeowners after LA fires

By Tran Nguyen, ASSOCIATED PRESS https://apnews.com/article/california-insurance-rate-increase-state-farm-wildfire-678085d49fff2edc1a53d61250cff7c6 SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California’s top insurance regulator on Friday said he would approve an emergency request by State Farm to raise premiums 22% on home...
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Sacramento Bee – California insurance commissioner to approve State Farm rate hike — if conditions are met

By Stephen Hobbs, SACRAMENTO BEE https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article301590469.html Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara said Friday he will approve State Farm’s request for an emergency rate increase, but only if the company’s California arm can...
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San Francisco Chronicle – State Farm gets OK to hike California home insurance rates $600 a year — with conditions

By Megan Fan Munce, SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE https://www.sfchronicle.com/california/article/home-insurance-state-farm-rate-20215509.php California regulators have given State Farm General initial approval for its largest home insurance rate hike in years — but first, they want the insurer to pledge not...
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Los Angeles Daily News – State Farm’s 22% rate increase gets tentative OK from California insurance chief

By Pat Maio, LOS ANGELES DAILY NEWS https://www.dailynews.com/2025/03/14/state-farms-22-rate-increase-gets-tentative-ok-from-california-insurance-chief/?preview_id=6317931 California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara said he would approve State Farm’s emergency 22% rate increase to offset claims from January’s firestorms in the Los Angeles area if...
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CalMatters – State Farm can hike rates on California homeowners — if it pauses cancellations and proves need

By Levi Sumagaysay, CALMATTERS https://calmatters.org/economy/2025/03/state-farm-can-hike-insurance-premiums-with-conditions/ California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara said today he will grant State Farm’s request to raise home insurance premiums by 22% on average if the company agrees...
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Insurance Journal – California Insurance Commissioner Provisionally OKs State Farm’s 22% Rate Request

By Don Jergler, INSURANCE JOURNAL  https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2025/03/14/815708.htm California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara provisionally approved State Farm’s request for a 22% interim homeowners insurance rate hike, the California Department of Insurance announced on Friday. The...
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Los Angeles Times – Insurance commissioner ‘provisionally’ grants State Farm’s 22% rate hike

by Laurence Darmiento, LOS ANGELES TIMES https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2025-03-14/insurance-commissioner-decides-to-provisionally-grant-state-farms-22-rate-hike California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara “provisionally” granted State Farm General’s request for an emergency 22% hike in its homeowners insurance rate Friday — but...
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Mercury News – Why were these Bay Area communities left off map of fire-risk areas where insurers must expand coverage?

By Ethan Varian, MERCURY NEWS https://www.mercurynews.com/2025/03/14/wildfire-insurance-homeowners-bay-area/# As part of a new plan to stabilize California’s home insurance crisis, state regulators have updated a map of fire-risk areas where insurers will soon...
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San Francisco Chronicle – State Farm fires executive who discussed prospect of more California non-renewals in undercover video

By Molly Burke, SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE https://www.sfchronicle.com/california/article/state-farm-insurance-video-20210883.php A State Farm executive has been fired after an undercover video of him discussing the company’s request for insurance rate hikes in California and appearing to...
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San Diego Union-Tribune – Amid statewide insurance crisis, top regulator sidelines judge who challenged its practices

By Jeff McDonald, THE SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2025/03/10/amid-statewide-insurance-crisis-top-regulator-sidelines-judge-who-challenged-its-practices/ The highest-ranking independent judge at the California Department of Insurance has been placed on leave after ruling that the agency wrongly avoided...
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Politico – Ricardo Lara’s no-win on State Farm

By Camille Von Kaenel, POLITICO https://www.politico.com/newsletters/california-climate/2025/03/04/ricardo-laras-no-win-on-state-farm-00212607?nname=california-climate&nid=00000189-315c-d8dd-a1ed-797dc9f10000&nrid=0000014f-890a-d780-a9ef-9d7a82c30000 WOULDN’T WANNA BE YA: Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara is about to have to bite the bullet. After first hitting pause on an emergency 22 percent rate hike request by State Farm,...
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Orange County Register – State Farm says L.A. wildfire losses total $7.6 billion

By Pat Maio, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER https://www.ocregister.com/2025/02/26/state-farm-says-la-wildfire-losses-total-7-6-billion/ State Farm General said it will pay $7.6 billion to settle claims from last month’s firestorms in the Los Angeles area. The insurance provider met...
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Mercury News – California insurance regulators urge State Farm to expand coverage in exchange for rate hikes

By Ethan Varian, MERCURY NEWS https://www.mercurynews.com/2025/02/26/california-insurance-state-farm-rate-hike After meeting with State Farm executives in Oakland on Wednesday, California's top insurance regulator said he expects to decide within two weeks whether to approve...
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Law 360 – Calif. State Farm Meeting Raises Solvency Concerns

By Eli Flesch, LAW360 https://www.law360.com/insurance-authority/articles/2303851 The concerns over State Farm General Insurance Co. — a subsidiary of State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co. that largely serves homeowners in California — have...
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CalMatters – California insurance commissioner meets privately with State Farm, hopes to make rate hike decision within two weeks

By Levi Sumagaysay, CALMATTERS https://calmatters.org/economy/2025/02/insurance-commissioner-hopes-to-make-state-farm-rate-hike-decision-within-two-weeks/ California’s largest insurer should know within a couple of weeks whether it can raise premiums on its nearly 3 million policies in the state after making...
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The Press Democrat – California to consider State Farm emergency rate increase request

By Susan Wood, THE PRESS DEMOCRAT https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/industrynews/state-farm-rates/?artslide=1 The state’s insurance commissioner and representatives of State Farm are scheduled to meet Wednesday in Oakland to discuss the insurance company’s request for a...
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The San Diego Union-Tribune – Nearly three years in, state closes probe of top insurance regulator due to insufficient evidence

By Jeff Mcdonald, SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2025/02/21/nearly-three-years-in-state-closes-probe-of-top-insurance-regulator-due-to-insufficient-evidence/ California election regulators have closed an investigation into Ricardo Lara, the elected state insurance commissioner who was the subject of a 2022 allegation that...
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Washington Post – These L.A. homeowners had coverage for fire. But not for the toxins left behind.

By Anna Phillips, WASHINGTON POST https://wapo.st/3DekGRo Armed with an industrial hygienist’s report showing that the fires that blazed through Los Angeles last month had filled his home with toxic ash and...
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Los Angeles Times – California’s insurance commissioner faces criticism over ties to industry

By Ryan Fonseca, LOS ANGELES TIMES https://www.latimes.com/california/newsletter/2025-02-19/californias-insurance-commissioner-faces-criticism-over-ties-to-industry-essential-california Good morning. Here’s what you need to know to start your day.  Ricardo Lara’s controversial plan to reform the insurance market will be put to...
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Sacramento Bee – State Farm must wait on emergency home insurance rate increase bid after California wildfires

By Stephen Hobbs, SACRAMENTO BEE https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article299975049.html Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara said State Farm must answer more questions about its finances before the company can be approved for an emergency rate increase...
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San Francisco Chronicle – California denies State Farm’s push for emergency rate hike

By Megan Fan Munce, SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE https://www.sfchronicle.com/california-wildfires/article/insurance-state-farm-lara-20168085.php# In a rebuke to the state's largest insurance company, California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara announced Friday he will not grant State Farm General's...
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CalMatters – Big homeowner rate hike from State Farm shot down by California regulator

By Levi Sumagaysay, CALMATTERS https://calmatters.org/economy/2025/02/regulator-stops-california-home-insurance-price-hike/ California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara today rejected State Farm's request for "emergency" rate increases, setting up what could be a highly consequential showdown with the state's...
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Mercury News – California Regulators Reject For Now State Farms Emergency Rate Hike Request

By Ethan Varian, MERCURY NEWS https://www.mercurynews.com/2025/02/14/california-regulators-reject-for-now-state-farms-emergency-rate-hike-request/ California insurance regulators are demanding that State Farm answer “critical questions about its financial condition” in response to the company’s request for emergency approval of...
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Los Angeles Times – L.A. wildfires up the pressure on California’s insurance commissioner over industry ties

By Laurence Darmiento, LOS ANGELES TIMES https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2025-02-18/californias-insurance-commissioner-ricardo-lara-on-the-hot-seat-after-l-a-fires Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara has been grappling with the troubled market for his six years in office, and now his controversial plan to reform...
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Los Angeles Times – Insurance commissioner rejects State Farm’s request for 22% emergency rate hike

By Lawrence Darmiento, LOS ANGELES TIMES https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2025-02-14/insurance-commissioner-rejects-state-farms-request-for-22-emergency-rate-hike? State Farm General’s request for an emergency 22% hike of its home insurance rates due to the L.A. fires was turned down Friday by...
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Los Angeles Daily News – California will pay part of FAIR plan’s $1 billion assessment

By Pat Maio, LOS ANGELES DAILY NEWS https://www.dailynews.com/2025/02/12/california-fair-plan-gets-1-billion-assessment-to-head-off-insolvency/ The state’s insurance of last resort is charging a $1 billion special assessment to private insurance providers, a move approved Tuesday by the...
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Associated Press – California’s insurer for people without private coverage needs $1 billion more for LA fires claims

By Tran Nguyen, ASSOCIATED PRESS https://apnews.com/article/california-wildfires-insurance-fair-plan-dfb7cda506560ec50edee8ad72cbcda8 California's plan that provides insurance to homeowners who can't get private coverage needs $1 billion more to pay out claims related to the Los Angeles...
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Cal Matters – California homeowners will have to fund half of high-risk insurer’s $1 billion ‘bailout’

By Levi Sumagaysay, CALMATTERS https://calmatters.org/economy/2025/02/homeowners-insurance-costs-rising-in-california-fair-plan/ After saying it would run out of funds by March, California’s last-resort fire insurance provider will impose a special charge of $1 billion on insurance companies...
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Los Angeles Times – FAIR Plan to assess insurers $1 billion for L.A. fires; consumers may be on the hook for nearly half

By Laurence Darmiento, LOS ANGELES TIMES https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2025-02-11/fair-plan-to-assess-insurers-1-billion-for-l-a-fires-with-consumers-on-hook-for-nearly-half The California FAIR Plan received approval Tuesday from the state's insurance commissioner to assess its member companies $1 billion to help pay its Los...
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New York Times – Power Lines Suspected In Eaton Fire

By Ivan Penn, THE NEW YORK TIMES https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/06/business/eaton-fire-power-lines-edison.html Southern California Edison said video evidence had led it to look more broadly at whether its equipment might have been the cause of...
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The Center Square – Newsom weakens financial disclosure requirements for LA officials as relief pours in

By Kenneth Schrupp, THE CENTER SQUARE https://www.thecentersquare.com/california/article_3d184398-e34a-11ef-8404-af4bae061b9b.html (The Center Square) - California Gov. Gavin Newsom's executive order for Los Angeles fire "relief" includes provisions creating a 60-day reporting extension for required...
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Cal Matters – State Farm asks for more insurance rate increases after LA fires

By Levi Sumagaysay, CALMATTERS https://calmatters.org/economy/2025/02/state-farm-insurance-rate-request-la-fires/ State Farm, the largest insurer for California homeowners, this week asked the state to approve “emergency” rate increases for insurance policy holders, saying the recent Los...
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Los Angeles Times – State Farm seeks emergency rate increase averaging 22% after L.A. fires

By Laurence Darmiento, LOS ANGELES TIMES https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2025-02-03/state-farm-californias-largest-homeowners-insurer-asked-monday-for-an-emergency-22-rate-increase State Farm General, California’s largest home insurer, asked state officials for an emergency rate hike averaging 22% on Monday, saying the Los Angeles County...
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Mercury News – State Farm seeks 22% rate hike for California homeowners to cover Los Angeles wildfire losses

By Ethan Varian, MERCURY NEWS https://www.mercurynews.com/2025/02/03/state-farm-seeks-22-rate-hike-for-california-homeowners-to-cover-los-angeles-wildfire-losses/ State Farm, the largest insurance company in California, has for its customers and the broader insurance market in the wake of the disastrous Los Angeles...
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The San Francisco Chronicle – State Farm warns of ‘dire’ financial situation in California, asks for ‘emergency’ rate hike

By Megan Fan Munce, SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE https://www.sfchronicle.com/california-wildfires/article/state-farm-insurance-financial-20137020.php State Farm General, already facing financial peril before the Los Angeles wildfires, has asked state insurance regulators to approve an immediate price hike...
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The Los Angeles Times – State senator retains key role over fire insurance laws despite cannabis corruption probe

By Anabel Sosa, THE LOS ANGELES TIMES https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-01-30/insurance-committee-chair-corruption-probe State Sen. Susan Rubio, a Democrat from Baldwin Park, was reappointed last week as chair of the committee that oversees insurance-related legislation, a powerful...
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San Francisco Business Times – Fire insurance is increasingly a problem for San Francisco homebuyers

By Ted Andersen, SAN FRANCISCO BUSINESS TIMES https://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/news/2025/01/23/real-estate-fire-insurance-los-angeles-wildfires.html The bulk of San Francisco homes may not be located in forested areas, but when it comes to fire insurance, that doesn't mean homebuyers...
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CNN – New insurance rules mean homeowners throughout California are likely to pay more after fires

By Chris Isidore, CNN https://edition.cnn.com/2025/01/17/business/california-fire-cost-insurance-premium-hike/index.html New York (CNN) - A recent rule change could cause insurance premiums to spike for homeowners across California, as the costs of the Los Angeles area...
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San Francisco Chronicle – State Farm’s finances were a worry even before L.A. fires. Here’s what we know about its ability to pay claims...

By Megan Fan Munce, SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE https://www.sfchronicle.com/california-wildfires/article/state-farm-insurance-fire-20034384.php Months before the Los Angeles wildfires sparked, State Farm’s California arm was already in trouble, it told state regulators. Its policyholder surplus — the cash it has on...
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San Diego Union Tribune – Home insurance was already hard to get. Then came L.A.’s fires. Here’s what San Diegans need to know.

By Lori Weisberg & Kristen Taketa, SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2025/01/19/home-insurance-already-was-already-hard-to-get-then-came-the-l-a-fires-heres-what-san-diegans-should-know/ David and Peggy Blue were dumbfounded when they were notified last month that their home insurance would not be renewed because of...
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Los Angeles Times – California’s FAIR Plan, the home insurer of last resort, may need a bailout after the L.A. fires

By Laurence Darmiento, LOS ANGELES TIMES https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2025-01-18/california-fair-plan-the-home-insurer-of-last-resort-may-need-bailout-after-fire-losses The California FAIR Plan Assn., the state’s property insurer of last resort, was born of smoldering ashes — not of a wildfire, but of one...
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Bloomberg – LA Fires Test Bond Market Used to Shaking Off Disasters

By Maxwell Adler, Mark Chediak, and Amanda Albright, BLOOMBERG https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/investing/2025/01/16/la-fires-test-bond-market-used-to-shaking-off-disasters (Bloomberg) -- There’s a truism in municipal debt: Bonds rarely move on natural disasters. That long-tested concept had held up until fires destroyed thousands of...
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Ohio Capital Journal – California fires show states’ ‘last resort’ insurance plans could be overwhelmed

Homeowners everywhere could get stuck with the bill when disaster strikes, experts fear. By Alex Brown, OHIO CAPITAL JOURNAL https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2025/01/17/california-fires-show-states-last-resort-insurance-plans-could-be-overwhelmed/ In the months before thousands of Los Angeles homes went up in...
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Rolling Stone: Opinion – Insurance Companies Will Try To Exploit The L.A. Fires. We Can’t Let Them

OpEd By Carmen Balber https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-commentary/la-fires-insurance-exploitation-1235239102 They say they need deregulation to help deal with disasters like the wildfires. It won’t help homeowners Mother Nature exploded in Los Angeles this month with the most damaging...
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Stateline – California fires show states’ ‘last resort’ insurance plans could be overwhelmed

By Alex Brown, STATELINE https://stateline.org/2025/01/16/california-fires-show-states-last-resort-insurance-plans-could-be-overwhelmed/ In the months before thousands of Los Angeles homes went up in flames, property insurance companies dropped coverage in many neighborhoods of the city, citing the...
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Sacramento Bee – Bill meant to help stabilize California insurance market has support. When could it pass?

By Stephen Hobbs, SACRAMENTO BEE https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article298552728.html A bill meant to help stabilize California's troubled insurance market has key early support as wildfires continue to cause devastation in and around Los Angeles.  The...
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Wall Street Journal – Insurers’ Rule Change Puts California Homeowners on the Hook for L.A. Fire

By Jean Eaglesham and Sara Randazzo, WALL STREET JOURNAL https://www.wsj.com/finance/insurers-rule-change-puts-california-homeowners-on-the-hook-for-l-a-fire-88336040?st=j48Sbs&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink ALTADENA, Calif.—A little-noticed rule change last year by California’s insurance regulator will likely shift a large chunk of the cost of the Los Angeles...
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