Guest Commentary

The Inglewood that raised Mike and Joshua has been gentrified. But a cemetery preserves Mike's grave and the memories of their childhood together.

Regulators will hold a hearing Jan. 15 at the OSHA Standards Board in Sacramento on changes that will weaken safety standards for refineries.

To avoid repeating last year’s urban blaze, we should fund fire-safe homes and neighborhoods, but politicians often are paying to thin out forests far from urban settings.

Insurers sell auto insurance and other profitable products in California but choose to walk away from homeowners insurance when risk rises.

The state’s law requiring fair treatment by insurers has largely been unenforced. Fire victims are left with delays, gaslighting and denials.

Insurance rates will reflect climate change and consumers’ interests. Insurers will see faster, more efficient reviews and scrutiny of excessive rates.

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.