Commissioner Lara protects insurance coverage for additional homeowners as wildfire emergencies continue in California

News: 2022 Press Release

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — As California continues to battle wildfires throughout the state, Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara today ordered insurance companies to preserve residential coverage following Governor Gavin Newsom’s latest emergency declarations. The Commissioner’s Bulletin shields those policyholders within the wildfire perimeter or in adjacent ZIP codes of the Mountain, Barnes, and Fork fires in Siskiyou, Modoc, and Madera counties from insurance non-renewal or cancellation for one year from the date of the Governor’s September 19th declaration regardless of whether they suffered a loss.

“This law gives wildfire survivors much-needed breathing room from having to immediately shop for insurance as they recover, while stabilizing the insurance market as well,” said Commissioner Lara. “As wildfires continue to threaten our state, this one year of protection will give these hard-hit communities time and added incentive to protect their homes from future wildfire disasters. My Department and I will be there from day one of recovery until the job is done and communities are safer.”

Today’s moratorium order includes 30 ZIP codes in the Siskiyou, Modoc, and Madera counties, affecting approximately 31,000 wildfire survivors.

Consumers can go to the Department of Insurance website to see if their ZIP code is included in the moratorium. Consumers should contact the Department of Insurance at 800-927-4357 or via chat or email at insurance.ca.gov if they believe their insurance company is in violation of this law, or have additional claims-related questions.

Commissioner Lara’s ability to issue moratoriums is a result of a California law that he authored in 2018 while serving as state senator in order to provide temporary relief from insurance non-renewals and cancellations to residents living within or adjacent to a Governor-declared wildfire disaster. Since 2019, Commissioner Lara’s actions have protected nearly 4 million homeowners, including over 363,000 to date in 2022.

The Commissioner’s action is part of a larger solution he is pursuing for consumers and wildfire survivors that includes working to increase insurance protections and market competition to help protect consumers. Commissioner Lara’s actions since taking office in 2019 include:

• Announced “Safer from Wildfires,” a new insurance framework that incorporates wildfire safety measures to help save lives while making homes and businesses more resilient. Safer from Wildfires was created by a first-ever partnership between the Department of Insurance and the emergency and preparedness agencies in Governor Newsom’s Administration, including the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE), the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (CalOES), the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research, and the California Public Utilities Commission.
• Proposed a new regulation to incorporate Safer from Wildfires in insurance pricing, driving down costs for consumers who have taken actions to protect their communities while increasing transparency about their home’s or business’s “wildfire risk score.” This regulation is in its final step towards adoption.
• Sponsored new insurance protections signed into law by Governor Newsom — despite opposition from insurance companies — that will mean larger payouts for some consumer claims, less red tape from insurance companies, and more help for people under evacuation orders.
• Ordered the FAIR Plan, the state’s insurer of last resort, to offer a more comprehensive homeowners policy as an option, which a judge has upheld, as well as increasing residential and commercial coverage limits for the first time in 25 years to keep pace with inflation and rising costs.

Following Governor Newsom’s state of emergency declaration, the Department of Insurance partners with CAL FIRE and CalOES, pursuant to existing statute, to identify wildfire perimeters for mandatory moratorium areas. The Department of Insurance will continue to collaborate with CAL FIRE and CalOES to identify additional wildfire perimeters for any fires where there is a declaration of a state of emergency.

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Media notes:

• The mandatory one-year moratorium announced today covers approximately 31,000 residential policies in ZIP codes located within or adjacent to the Mountain, Barnes, and Fork fires under Senate Bill 824 (Lara, Chapter 616, Statutes of 2018), also known as the “Wildfire Safety and Recovery Act.”
• On September 19, 2022, Governor Newsom proclaimed a state of emergency in Siskiyou, Modoc, and Madera counties due to the Mountain, Barnes, and Fork fires.
• The 2018 law established protection for those living within or adjacent to a declared wildfire emergency whether they suffer a loss or not — recognizing for the first time in law the disruption that non-renewals cause in communities following wildfire disasters. Homeowners who suffered a total property loss have up to 24 months of protection from non-renewal or cancellation.
• Consumers can go to the Department of Insurance website to find the Commissioner’s Bulletin to see if their ZIP code is included in this moratorium.