High-Country Health Food and Cafe in Mariposa California

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'Click' for More Info: 'Chocolate Soup', Fine Home Accessories and Gifts, Located in Mariposa, California
'Click' for More Info: 'Chocolate Soup', Fine Home Accessories and Gifts, Located in Mariposa, California
'Click' Here to Visit Happy Burger Diner in Mariposa... "We have FREE Wi-Fi, we're Eco-Friendly & have the Largest Menu in the Sierra"
'Click' Here to Visit Happy Burger Diner in Mariposa... "We have FREE Wi-Fi, we're Eco-Friendly & have the Largest Menu in the Sierra"
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'Click' for More Info: Inter-County Title Company Located in Mariposa, California

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2014 Junction Fire in Oakhurst, Madera County, CA.
Credit: David & Stacie Hiebert

August 30, 2018 - SACRAMENTO, Calif. – On Wednesday the California Legislature passed SB 824, the Wildlife Safety and Recovery Act, authored by Senator Ricardo Lara (D-Bell Gardens), to protect homeowners from the growing risk of losing their insurance due to increased wildfire risk.

Governor Brown has until September 30 to sign, veto, or allow SB 824 to become law.

SB 824 prohibits insurance companies from cancelling or not renewing any homeowner policies for one year within and immediately surrounding a declared emergency area – extending protections that currently exist for those who experience total loss to those whose homes survive the blaze.

SB 824 also orders insurance companies to report detailed wildfire risk data to the Department of Insurance, in order to give a full picture of the insurance market in an era of increasing wildfires.

“‘Will I still have insurance?’ is not a question homeowners should have to face immediately after a wildfire disaster,” said Senator Ricardo Lara (D-Bell Gardens). “If this bill becomes law, millions of Californians living in the wildland urban interface will have greater security. Insurers will not be able to hide behind increased fire risk when they cancel or non-renew insurance within a year of a catastrophic fire, and SB 824 will help us protect communities.”

Governor Brown has declared 22 states of emergency for wildfires in the past 18 months. An emergency declaration would trigger the protections in SB 824 for those living within the fire perimeter or adjacent zip codes.

California’s Fourth Climate Change Assessment predicts that the area burned by wildfires could grow by 77% and lead to higher insurance costs.

“As extreme wildfire risk grows, data from insurers detailing and documenting this risk has not kept pace,” said Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones. “Requiring insurers to provide wildfire risk data will give the Department of Insurance an important additional tool to help protect the 3.6 million Californians living in the Wildland Urban Interface. This data should help Californians living in high-risk areas access insurance products protecting their homes and communities.”

Improved data about how insurance companies establish risk and the potential cost of natural disaster is especially critical as experts predict rising global temperatures will lead to a “new normal” of extreme weather events.

SB 824 is supported by the California Department of Insurance, the Napa and Placer County Boards of Supervisors, and the California League of Cities.

Senator Lara is a member of the Senate Insurance Committee and the author of a landmark law to reduce the effects of climate change by reducing superpollutants like methane, black carbon and HFCs. He was recognized along with Governor Brown last year by the United Nations Climate and Clean Air Coalition for the passage of the Super Pollutant Reduction Act (SB 1383) at the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Bonn, Germany.

California would join states including Arkansas, South Carolina, Texas, New York and Florida that prohibit or limit insurance companies from cancelling or non-renewing policies following a natural disaster.
Source: Senator Ricardo Lara