Republish
State-mandated insurance in fire-hazard areas is a bad idea
We love that you want to share our stories with your readers. Hundreds of publications republish our work on a regular basis.
All of the articles at CalMatters are available to republish for free, under the following conditions:
-
- Give prominent credit to our journalists: Credit our authors at the top of the article and any other byline areas of your publication. In the byline, we prefer “By Author Name, CalMatters.” If you’re republishing guest commentary (example) from CalMatters, in the byline, use “By Author Name, Special for CalMatters.”
-
- Credit CalMatters at the top of the story: At the top of the story’s text, include this copy: “This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters.” If you are republishing commentary, include this copy instead: “This commentary was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters.” If you’re republishing in print, omit the second sentence on newsletter signups.
-
- Do not edit the article, including the headline, except to reflect relative changes in time, location and editorial style. For example, “yesterday” can be changed to “last week,” and “Alameda County” to “Alameda County, California” or “here.”
-
- If you add reporting that would help localize the article, include this copy in your story: “Additional reporting by [Your Publication]” and let us know at republish@calmatters.org.
-
- If you wish to translate the article, please contact us for approval at republish@calmatters.org.
-
- Photos and illustrations by CalMatters staff or shown as “for CalMatters” may only be republished alongside the stories in which they originally appeared. For any other uses, please contact us for approval at visuals@calmatters.org.
-
- Photos and illustrations from wire services like the Associated Press, Reuters, iStock are not free to republish.
-
- Do not sell our stories, and do not sell ads specifically against our stories. Feel free, however, to publish it on a page surrounded by ads you’ve already sold.
-
- Sharing a CalMatters story on social media? Please mention @CalMatters. We’re on X, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and BlueSky.
If you’d like to regularly republish our stories, we have some other options available. Contact us at republish@calmatters.org if you’re interested.
Have other questions or special requests? Or do you have a great story to share about the impact of one of our stories on your audience? We’d love to hear from you. Contact us at republish@calmatters.org.
State-mandated insurance in fire-hazard areas is a bad idea
Share this:
By Elizabeth Reid-Wainscoat, Los Angeles
Elizabeth Reid-Wainscoat is a campaigner for the Center for Biological Diversity.
Re “California wildfire insurance: Charging for climate change?”; June 30, 2021
Private insurers understand the risk of building new homes in fire-hazard areas and have reacted accordingly. They simply don’t insure those homes. But California currently supports these development proposals through the state-mandated FAIR Plan, which guarantees fire insurance to those denied by the private market. Such protection is a bad investment in more risky sprawl development.
Sprawl increases the chance of ignition, which in turn wrecks communities and threatens the wildlife that depend on these natural areas for survival. Sprawl developments also pull public resources away from city centers. That’s why it’s important for government officials to weigh in. The state should invest in affordable housing near existing communities, not back unsustainable new development that has already been denied by the private insurance market. Refusing to prop-up these risky developments is a good place to start.