To the editor: Except for one brief two-year span, our family has been insured by the FAIR Plan for all of the 30 years we have owned our home in Altadena (“Even low-risk homes are caught up in California’s climate-driven insurance crisis,” March 18). In addition to the fire insurance provided by the FAIR Plan, we also had to buy a “wrap policy” to cover damages from wind and water, plus theft and liability.
The statement by the American Property Casualty Insurance Assn.’s Mark Sektnan that “you can’t depopulate the FAIR Plan if it’s competitively priced or if it’s priced lower than what’s in the market” represents a fundamental misunderstanding of this reality. We are in both the public market for our fire insurance and in the private market for the rest of our coverage. Over those almost 30 years, our combined insurance premiums went from about $1,000 to almost $6,000 annually.
Our home burned in the Eaton fire and we are rebuilding, but I shudder to imagine what our insurance premiums will be in a couple of years. If we fire-harden our new home, we should be guaranteed insurance at a reasonable cost. Even better if the state could provide a comprehensive policy that covers all risks. And by the way, our private insurer for the “wrap policy” paid us nothing from our fire loss.
Nancy Steele, Altadena