LOS ANGELES, May 4, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Consumer Watchdog Campaign today released California insurance commissioner candidates’ responses to a questionnaire gauging how they will act to improve insurance access and affordability, strengthen insurer oversight and accountability, and address growing climate-related financial risks. Notably, every candidate who answered agreed that insurers should be required to cover homes that meet state fire-safety standards — reflecting the strong public support for the concept.
The questions reveal how candidates will respond to priorities set out in the “Blueprint to A.C.T.” on Affordability, Climate Risk Reduction, and Transparency. The Blueprint is a roadmap for how to solve California’s insurance crisis endorsed by a collection of organizations and experts in insurance, consumer advocacy, climate, systemic financial risk, and community investment.
Seven of the candidates for insurance commissioner responded to the invitation, including: Ben Allen, Keith Davis, Merritt Farren, Robert Howell, Jane Kim, Sean Lee and Lalo Vargas.
“We intend to hold whoever is elected commissioner to these commitments,” said Carmen Balber for Consumer Watchdog Campaign. “For the first time public interest groups crafted a vision for the next commissioner to help Californians burdened by rising insurance instability and make the market work for people. The responses show that most candidates recognize we must do more to restore Californians’ access to insurance coverage and make sure insurance companies pay what they owe. But there’s still a big gap when it comes to solutions addressing rising insurance instability from the growing risk of climate-driven extreme weather events.”
Candidates Eric Aarnio, Steven Bradford, Stacy Korsgaden and Patrick Wolff failed to answer.
“The voters deserve to know where these candidates stand on critical issues including recognizing homeowners who make their homes fire-safe by assuring they have access to insurance, and guaranteeing voters of their independence from the insurance industry by promising not to go work for them after leaving office,” said Balber.
The Results:
All candidates agree that more must be done to hold insurance companies to their obligations to policyholders, including requiring insurers to cover homes that meet state fire-safety standards, fast-tracked review and enforcement of claims-handling violations after the Los Angeles fires, and greater transparency into insurer claim payment records and market conditions.
Candidates also all agree that the next commissioner should impose strict ethics and expectations on the office, including a ban on accepting campaign contributions from the insurance industry.
However a single candidate, insurance agent Keith Davis, stands alone in refusing to commit to not taking a job with the insurance industry for five years after leaving office.
Candidates unanimously support public participation and transparency in rate regulation, including preserving the public’s right challenge rate filings and be compensated for their work – a right under attack by the current insurance commissioner – and requiring increased transparency into wildfire models.
However, there is a clear split between candidates on whether they recognize that climate risk is insurance risk. A majority endorse solutions that include: Requiring insurance companies to disclose their investments in, and underwriting of, fossil fuels, requiring transition plans to address climate risk exposure, authorizing the Attorney General to sue fossil fuel companies for rising climate-driven insurance costs, and requiring insurers to report all greenhouse gas emissions.
Three candidates – Davis, Farren and Lee – would not commit to some or all of these actions addressing the increasing burden on consumers of climate-driven extreme weather.
View the candidate questionnaire.
View all candidate responses.
Candidates were also given the opportunity to share their priorities.
View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/consumer-watchdog-campaign-ca-insurance-commissioner-candidates-respond-to-questions-on-insurance-access-claims-and-climate-response-302761673.html
SOURCE Consumer Watchdog Campaign
