Guest Commentary

Insurers in California pulled back coverage or left the state after years of over-regulation, price controls and poor wildfire prevention.

Property loss in Black and Brown communities hasn't been accidental. It comes from redlining, racial covenants, gentrification, discriminatory lending, insurance practices and now disaster recovery practices.

Legislators passed a law making insurers pay more upfront for the loss of personal property, rather than force disaster victims to itemize possessions. But more can be done.

Most people who lost homes to the LA-area wildfires haven’t broken ground or found new homes. State and local officials are part of the delay.

Strong regulation can hold insurance companies accountable and empower customers, while ample choice and competition prevent price gouging.

During the LA-area fires, Jose Angel Amezcua, an inmate firefighter, was where he was supposed to be — helping save the communities he had harmed.

Federal plans for oil drilling along a million acres in California would change healthful, wild spaces into sources of pollution and illness.

CARE Court can produce some positive results, but many people may not succeed for reasons unrelated to their ability to survive safely.

First-generation students lack the extra help with exams and college applications that rich kids' families can buy. A new program and tax could change that.

Ending BioMAT in 2025 would undermine investments in bioenergy and leave communities without safe biomass disposal options.