Insurance

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...

California Governor Gavin Newsom Signs Good Government Bill To Close State Agency Lobbying Loophole

September 23, 2022  ·  Jerry Flanagan

Los Angeles, CA — Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 1783 to close a loophole in state law that allowed former Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez to...

Consumer Watchdog Calls on Insurance Commissioner Lara to Reject Allstate’s Job-Based Insurance Rate Discrimination, Adopt Regulations to Stop the Practice Industrywide

September 22, 2022  ·  Pam Pressley

Los Angeles, CA – Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara should reject Allstate’s proposed $165 million auto insurance rate hike and its two-tiered job- and education-based discriminatory...

Californians Need Protection Against Insurance Industry’s Use of Artificial Intelligence, Algorithms, Consumer Watchdog Will Tell Insurance Commissioner

September 21, 2022  ·  Harvey Rosenfield

Los Angeles, CA — The insurance industry’s use of algorithms and Artificial Intelligence to set premiums and determine who can get insurance coverage is a...

Insurance Commissioner Lara’s Regulation Preserves Loophole Letting Insurers Ignore Wildfire Mitigation for Denial or Non-Renewal of Homeowners Policies

September 7, 2022  ·  Carmen Balber

Los Angeles, CA – California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara today submitted a long-awaited regulation for final approval that will require insurance companies to provide premium discounts to homeowners who...