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Senate hearing urges targeted home‑hardening, data systems and durable mitigation funding to stabilize California’s wildfire insurance market
Summary
Senators heard experts, insurers and builders urge a coordinated, targeted state mitigation framework, improved data and funding to reduce wildfire losses and restore insurance availability; regulators said early market signals show progress under the Sustainable Insurance Strategy (SIS).
The California State Senate Committee on Insurance convened an informational hearing to examine the SB 254 natural catastrophe resilience study and the many ways climate‑driven wildfires are reshaping the state’s homeowners insurance market.
Experts and state officials told senators that the path to improving availability and affordability depends on reducing structure losses through targeted home hardening and community mitigation, modernizing data and modeling, and creating stable funding for mitigation grants and verification.
The committee heard from consumer advocates, actuaries, fire scientists, builders and the state insurance regulator. Amy Bach of United Policyholders warned that “reduced availability, reduced affordability, reduced competition” are the present realities and highlighted growing use of surplus (non‑admitted) carriers that are not subject to the same rate and solvency oversight. Milliman actuary Nancy Watkins said insurers have been cutting the riskiest policies to balance their finances and recommended a two‑part solution: cut expenses by reducing community risk, and raise income with a sustainable insurance…
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