© 2025 KALW 91.7 FM Bay Area
KALW Public Media / 91.7 FM Bay Area
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

How the LA Fires will deepen California's home insurance crisis

photo by philohme on flickr

On this edition Your Call, we're discussing the devastating effects of the ongoing Los Angeles fires and their impacts on California’s home insurance market.

Year after year, wildfires have driven insurance companies to drop coverage. Just weeks ago, new rules were put in place to try and lure providers back into the market. As climate change fuels larger and more destructive fires, how can people be made whole and live with financial security?

Guests:

Dave Jones, director of the Climate Risk Initiative at UC Berkeley’s Center for Law, Energy and the Environment, and former California Insurance Commissioner

Jake Bittle, staff writer at Grist covering disasters and climate adaptation, and author of the 2023 book, "The Great Displacement Climate Change and the Next American Migration"

Resources:

The Guardian: After the fire, the insurance battles: LA victims’ ordeal may just be beginning

Grist: California overhauled its insurance system. Then Los Angeles caught fire.

UC Berkeley Law: Federal Reinsurance for State FAIR Plans: A Policy Proposal to Assist State-Created Insurers of Last Resort

A Bay Area native, Ethan is Director of the Climate Program at the UC Berkeley School of Law, with a joint appointment at the UCLA School of Law, where he researches and writes on policies to combat climate change. His book "Railtown" on the history of the modern Los Angeles Metro Rail system was published by University of California Press in January 2014. Ethan received his B.A. with honors from Brown University and graduated Order of the Coif from the UCLA School of Law. You can read his blog on ethanelkind.com.
Andrew Stelzer