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California Department of Insurance briefs Lafayette council on wildfire‑driven insurance reforms and asks for local support
Summary
Sharon Smith of the California Department of Insurance told the Lafayette council the state faces an insurance ‘crisis’ driven by climate and reinsurance costs and outlined multiple bills aimed at FAIR plan reform, disaster recovery and smoke‑damage standards; staff requested draft letters of support the council may consider.
Sharon Smith, outreach analyst for the California Department of Insurance, told the Lafayette City Council that rising climate risk, inflation and higher reinsurance costs have sharply reduced private homeowner insurance options and driven growth in the FAIR plan. "About 1,773 policies in force" were reported for ZIP code 94549, and Smith said that market disruptions produced very large year‑over‑year increases in FAIR plan enrollments.
Smith outlined several bills the department is sponsoring or supporting to expand consumer protections and improve market stability. She described…
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