News Releases

Consumer and Environmental Groups Locked Out of Secret Wildfire Insurance Deal Oppose 11th Hour Insurance Industry Bailout

September 7, 2023  ·  Carmen Balber

Sacramento, CA —  Fourteen consumer, environmental, economic justice organizations and consumer advocate Ralph Nader said that public interest groups have been intentionally excluded from backroom negotiations...

Consumer Watchdog Urges Attorney General Bonta to Investigate Industry Collusion on Homeowner Insurance Shortages

September 5, 2023  ·  Harvey Rosenfield

Consumer Watchdog Urges Attorney General Bonta to Investigate Industry Collusion on Homeowner Insurance Shortages  “Insurers collected more than $150 billion in premiums from California homeowners...

Insurance Lobbyist Caught On Tape Bragging And Joking About End of Legislative Session “Surprise” To Jam Consumers For Bailout

August 31, 2023  ·  Jamie Court

Sacramento, CA — A 17 year veteran insurance industry lobbyist, Michael Gunning, now chief strategy officer for Lighthouse Public Affairs, was taped on a Southwest...

Insurance Companies Seek Massive Bailout & Deregulation Scheme In Sacramento

August 28, 2023  ·  Harvey Rosenfield

Sacramento, CA — Insurance companies are seeking a multi-billion dollar bailout of the insurance industry for its exposure to wildfire losses, pushing for a last-minute deal at the end...

California Should Build A Public Model to Predict Wildfire Risk, Protect Homeowners from Insurance Price-Gouging, Consumer Watchdog Tells Insurance Commissioner

July 13, 2023  ·  Carmen Balber

Secret Black Box Climate Models are Prohibited by Proposition 103 Los Angeles, CA – At a Department of Insurance hearing today, the non-profit organization Consumer Watchdog...

Allstate’s $16M Homeowners Rate Hike Approved Despite Company Secretly Ending Sales of New Home Insurance in California 

June 13, 2023  ·  Harvey Rosenfield

Los Angeles, CA — Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara yesterday approved a 4%, $16 million, rate hike on Allstate home insurance policyholders, despite the fact that...

Insurance Commissioner Lara Must Use Prop 103 Authority to Reverse State Farm’s Pullback 

May 30, 2023  ·  Harvey Rosenfield

Los Angeles, CA — State Farm’s announcement on Friday that it would immediately stop selling homeowners insurance to new customers in California is unlawful under...

Wildfire is Latest Battleground in 35 Year Fight over Prop 103

May 10, 2023  ·  Harvey Rosenfield

Consumer Watchdog Proposes Actions to Address Climate Change and Industry Abuses  Sacramento, CA – Thirty-five years after California voters passed Proposition 103 to protect themselves against...

Commissioner Lara Approves Over $1 Billion in Unjustified Auto Insurance Rate Hikes 

March 23, 2023  ·  Pam Pressley

Insurance Commissioner Lara’s approval last week of a $263.7 million rate hike by California’s largest insurer, State Farm, marks the latest in a flurry of approvals of unjustified 2023 auto insurance rate hikes by the top 6 auto insurers, collectively totaling over $1 billion.

CA Dept. of Insurance Failed to Search For Records Linked To Government Corruption Scandal

February 27, 2023  ·  Jerry Flanagan

The non-profit Consumer Watchdog has filed an appeal in its California Public Records Act (“PRA”) lawsuit against Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara and the California Department of Insurance.

Doctors Save $2.8 Million After Challenge to Malpractice Insurance Rate Hike

February 22, 2023  ·  Carmen Balber

Los Angeles, CA – In response to Consumer Watchdog’s challenge to Medical Insurance Exchange of California’s (“MIEC”) proposed rate increase on doctors’ and medical providers’...

Public Records Act Decision Could Mean More Government Secrecy, Undermine Transparency

January 11, 2023  ·  Jerry Flanagan

Los Angeles, CA — A recent decision in a public records case brought by Consumer Watchdog against the California Department of Insurance could encourage more...