California's Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara ordered insurance companies to preserve residential insurance coverage for more than 325,000 policyholders affected by the wildfires across 22 counties.
The order protects residents living within the perimeter or adjoining ZIP code of a declared wildfire disaster, including the Dixie, Caldor, River, Tamarack, Antelope, McFarland, Monument, Fly and Cache fires. Lara’s ability to issue moratoriums is a result of a California law he authored in 2018 while serving as state senator in order to provide temporary relief from non-renewals to residents living within or adjacent to a declared wildfire disaster.
“Protecting consumers is Job One,” added Commissioner Lara, who traveled to 36 counties before the pandemic and held virtual meetings since then to listen to the challenges that consumers have with insurance. “I am using every tool possible to protect consumers in the wake of climate change-intensified natural disasters and to stop bigger losses.”