California's home insurance market has been in turmoil after a decade of wildfires, and the state's insurance commissioner—an elected post that gets little attention—will be on the ballot in November. The incumbent is termed out, and two Democrats, Ben Allen and Jane Kim, are competing to take over a system that insurers have abandoned and that homeowners say is failing them.
The crisis has concrete consequences. Insurers like State Farm have stopped writing new policies, the state-backed FAIR Plan has run short of claims money, and homeowners like Lynn McIntyre in Pacific Palisades have spent months fighting for payouts after the Palisades Fire. McIntyre's home survived the fire but was filled with smoke and ash; the FAIR Plan initially refused to cover the damage, and she eventually took out a nearly $200,000 federal loan to begin repairs.
The two candidates represent different approaches. Allen, a state senator from Pacific Palisades, wants to rebuild the private market, while Kim, a San Francisco organizer, wants to move away from private insurance altogether. The outcome will affect insurance bills for millions of Californians and could set a precedent for how states adapt to climate-driven disasters.