Ben Allen pitches insurance reforms as California homeowners struggle with coverage
For millions of California homeowners, finding affordable insurance has become increasingly difficult, especially in communities facing a high risk of wildfires.
The crisis is a central issue in the race for California insurance commissioner, with candidates offering different approaches to stabilizing the market and protecting homeowners.
State Sen. Ben Allen, a Santa Monica Democrat running for insurance commissioner, says his priority is making insurance more accessible and affordable while strengthening oversight of the industry.
"It's ultimately all about making it so that people are able to actually access affordable, available insurance," Allen said.
Allen said the devastating Eaton and Palisades fires in Los Angeles County in 2025 made the insurance crisis personal for him. The Palisades Fire burned through communities in his Senate district.
"I got a chance to see all the dysfunction of the insurance system, as people were getting nickel and dimed and mistreated by the insurance industry," Allen said.
Allen argues California can improve the existing insurance system rather than fundamentally replacing it. He criticized his opponent's proposal to overhaul the state's disaster insurance system as a "pie in the sky" approach that he says could cost hundreds of billions of dollars and take 10 to 15 years to produce results.
"The system is straining right now, and there are tangible steps that we can take to improve the condition of the system to make life better for people," Allen said.
Allen says he wants to speed up the state's insurance rate review process while strengthening enforcement when insurers violate state rules or mishandle claims. He is also calling for greater emphasis on reducing wildfire risk. Allen says homeowners who spend money hardening their properties, including making homes more resistant to wildfires, should receive meaningful benefits from insurers for lowering their risk.
Allen said the state should be "forcing the insurers to the table in a way that will help to incentivize and reward really systematic reduction of risk all over the state."
Allen has authored two insurance reform bills aimed at strengthening enforcement against insurers and providing additional protections for homeowners before their policies are not renewed.
Allen also says the California Department of Insurance needs more employees available to help residents with insurance questions and problems.
He says the department currently has 34 customer service representatives handling calls and questions from consumers. That's fewer than one for every 1 million California residents. He argues that the number needs to increase substantially.
"It's not just a question of healing the insurance market and getting insurance back," Allen said. "This is a question of how do we utilize this crisis to push for a shift in culture and practice around our state that's going to make this kind of human tragedy, this calamity, less likely to happen again."
