FRESNO, Calif. (FOX26) — California Senator Ben Allen stopped in Fresno as part of his campaign to become the next state insurance commissioner.
Allen is pitching a platform he says is focused on stabilizing California’s insurance market and improving how insurers respond when disaster strikes.
Insurance is often overlooked until an emergency happens, but the state insurance commissioner oversees the insurance industry and its practices.
Allen, a Democrat, said his decision to run was shaped by what he saw during the Palisades fires in Los Angeles, when neighbors were forced to evacuate and then navigate insurance claims and recovery.
FILE – The Palisades Fire ravages a neighborhood amid high winds in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope, File)
“We could see the fires from my window, we had to evacuate my mom,” Allen said. “It was really scary.”
Allen said the aftermath required extensive help for people who were displaced and trying to rebuild their lives.
“We had to help really thousands of people that were suddenly displaced, find a new place, put their kids in a new school, where they’re going to set up their new business, and then go through the arduous process of getting payouts from the insurance industry,” Allen said.
Allen’s campaign priorities include bringing insurance companies back to the state, increasing investments aimed at reducing fire and flood risk, and holding insurers accountable to offer lower costs and faster responses.
He said insurers should meet neighbors halfway, particularly when property owners take steps to reduce risk.
“If they’re going to step up and do this work and invest in reducing their fire risk, you’ve got to step up and offer them affordable insurance,” Allen said.
Allen’s opponent on the November ballot is former San Francisco Democratic Supervisor Jane Kim, also a Democrat.
Allen’s opponent on the November ballot is former San Francisco Democratic Supervisor Jane Kim, also a Democrat (PHOTO COURTESY OF JANEKIM.ORG)
Kim’s main platform is “affordable, available insurance for all,” including a proposal for a statewide, single-payer disaster insurance policy for every Californian.
Allen believes that is wishful thinking.
“This job is about not behind the sky ideas that we have no ability to implement that would really put the state at massive risk. It’s about actually looking people in the eye, not making promises we can’t keep, and really working to make the system work better for working people right now,” he said.
Both Allen and Kim are advocating against the California FAIR Plan, a policy designed to provide basic fire coverage when it is not available from a traditional carrier. Both candidates say the plan does more to hurt Californians than to help them.