Come November, California voters will elect the state’s next insurance commissioner. The race comes at a time when California is grappling with an ongoing insurance market crisis, increasing fire hazards intensified by climate change and the aftermath of 2025’s Los Angeles-area wildfires.
CalMatters’ Levi Sumagaysay spoke with the five candidates who raised the most money to learn what they would do if chosen to lead the California Insurance Department.
Ben Allen, Democrat: The El Segundo state senator, who represents a district that was hit by the Southern California wildfires, wants to set up a consumer advocate position within the insurance department. He also wants to create funding sources, such as state-backed loans, to make homes more fire resistant.
Steven Bradford, Democrat: To keep private insurers in the state, the former legislator and Southern California Edison executive would establish a partnership between the state and private companies to share risk. Bradford would also seek input from insurance companies when discussing land use and planning.
Merritt Farren, Republican: After his home was destroyed in last year’s wildfire, the former Amazon and Disney executive became an intervenor — a member of the public who can challenge insurers’ rate reviews. Farren wants to create CAL Reinsure so the state could provide a backstop for insurers, and rework regulations that he views as discouraging new insurance products in the market.
Jane Kim, Democrat: The head of the California Working Families Party wants to create “natural disaster insurance for all,” and establish a public option for auto insurance. Kim also believes the state should centralize all insurance authority within the Insurance Department, including managed health care.
Patrick Wolff, Democrat: A financial analyst who resides in San Francisco, Wolff wants to hold insurers accountable by creating a report card that would grade how insurers handle claims. He also wants to establish a dashboard that would disclose complaints about life insurance providers.
Be part of the conversations driving California forward at the CalMatters Ideas Festival on May 21 in Sacramento. Get your tickets now.
Other Stories You Should Know
CA elections: Voter ID; counting votes
Let’s dive into some other election news:
- Voter ID: A Republican-backed ballot initiative that would require voters to show proof of citizenship in order to vote qualified for the November ballot on Friday. If passed, voters at the polls would be mandated to show a government-issued ID, and mail-in voters would need to detail the last-four digits of an ID, such as a driver’s license. Though voter fraud is rare in California and the U.S., proponents of the initiative have raised concerns about election integrity and tighter voting restrictions. But opponents argue that voter ID policies disproportionately suppress the eligible votes of people of color and those who are low-income. Read more from CalMatters’ Nadia Lathan.
- Counting ballots: Experts in election administration and public policy are bracing for intense scrutiny over California’s voting system. At a panel hosted by CalMatters and the UC Student and Policy Center last week, panelists discussed the state’s notoriously long ballot-counting process, and its role in stirring up doubt in election results. But despite long waits, Democratic Assemblymember Gail Pellerin of Santa Cruz argued that county officials need time to verify each vote. Said the former Santa Cruz County registrar of voters: “There’s nothing in law that says, I need to meet your (news) deadline. What the law says is that I need to count the votes accurately, securely.” Read more from CalMatters’ Maya C. Miller.
Two bills aim to fix CARE Court
Following CalMatters’ reporting, a state Senate committee passed two bills that would address some shortcomings of CARE Court, a statewide program that aims to help move people with severe mental illness off the streets, reports CalMatters’ Marisa Kendall.
One proposal would allow anyone filing a CARE Court petition on behalf of someone who can’t comply with voluntary treatment, to request that a judge order a mental health assessment. The assessment would determine if the subject of the petition is “gravely disabled” or a danger to themselves or others.
The other bill would make it easier for first responders, such as EMTs, to refer people directly to their county behavioral health department, which could then file a CARE Court petition on their behalf.
A CalMatters investigation found that CARE Court has helped far fewer than the 12,000 Californians Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration initially estimated it would qualify. Though the new bills are intended to make the program more effective, disability rights advocates argue that they would force more people into unwanted treatment.
And lastly: Deep pockets in CA governor’s race
One candidate vying to be California’s next leader is on track to run the most expensive gubernatorial campaign in state history. Tom Steyer has spent more than $132 million on his campaign, according to the latest campaign finance disclosures, outspending his opponents twenty- to thirty-fold. But others are ramping up fundraising efforts too. Read more from CalMatters’ Jeanne Kuang.
California Voices
Without critical information about why evictions happen across California, policymarkers cannot fix the state’s homelessness crisis and risk misdirecting funds, writes Kyle Nelson, director of policy and advocacy at Strategic Actions for a Just Economy.
A community-centered model of mental health care helps close system gaps that make clinical services inaccessible for unhoused individuals with mental illness, but such programs are threatened by a lack of federal and state funds, writes Amaya Noguera and Pedro Noguera, program officer at Sierra Health Foundation and dean of the University of Southern California’s Rossier School of Education, respectively.
Other things worth your time:
CA AG Bonta urges schools to strengthen protections against sexual misconduct // ABC 7
Election official Clint Curtis faces ‘substantiated findings of managerial misconduct’ // Shasta Scout
Newsom celebrates Delta tunnel advancement while his bond plan is shot down // The Sacramento Bee
Apple promised Cupertino growth. It got that, and a pricier, more pressured city // The Mercury News
CA’s wildlife bridge became a target for the right. Now it’s eyeing the finish line // The Guardian
Their homes burned in the Eaton Fire. Why Edison has kept information about the fire under wraps // Los Angeles Times
