Updated 6/5/18. These bills are dead or mostly or almost dead. However, you may still want to let Sacramento know how they should be protecting all insureds moving forward.
All Californians, not just disaster survivors, should contact their State legislators to support legislation that further protects disaster victims from insurers. This is important for all Californians because fires and other catastrophic events (in addition to earthquakes and floods) are our “new normal.”
Legislators will take phone calls and mailed paper letters from citizens outside their district, but generally not emails from citizens who are not their constituents. Find your State Legislator: http://findyourrep.legislature.ca.gov/
TAKE ACTION:
Write and Call Legislators
The Honorable Senator Mike McGuire
1303 10th Street, Room 5061, Sacramento CA 95814
Phone 916-651-4002 ~ Fax 916-651-4902 ~ http://sd02.senate.ca.gov/
Pat Sabo, (Sonoma County) District Rep for Sen McGuire
Pat.Sabo@Sen.Ca.Gov ~ 707-576-2771
The Honorable Senator Bill Dodd
State Capitol, Room 5064, Sacramento CA 95814
Phone 916-651-4003 ~ Fax 916-651-4903 ~ http://sd03.senate.ca.gov/
Santa Rosa Office Phone 707-576-2093 ~ Fax 707-576-2095
Chair of the Senate Insurance Committee
Honorable Steven M. Glazer
(His District covers much of the East Bay, which has a strong memory of the 1991 Oakland Hills Fire)
State Capitol, Room 4072, Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: (916) 651-4007 ~ Fax: (916) 651-4907 ~ http://sd07.senate.ca.gov/
Orinda District Office
51 Moraga Way, Orinda, CA 95814
Phone: (925) 258-1176 ~ Fax: (925) 258-9982
Chair of the Assembly Insurance Committee
Honorable Tom Daly
Capitol Office, Room 3120, P.O. Box 942849, Sacramento, CA 94249-0069
Phone: (916) 319-2069
California Assembly Bills (AB___) and Senate Bills (SB___) have a complicated life cycle (see also this) as they are written and sponsored, and if they stay alive, through Committee, the Assembly and Senate, and if still alive, signed into law or vetoed by the Governor. To determine whom your calls/letters of support need to go to for any proposed legislation, go to https://legiscan.com/ca. To follow the current insurance Bills and determine to whom your opinions should be directed, go to the relevant legiscan link on the Bills page.
Find your State Legislator: http://findyourrep.legislature.ca.gov/
Assembly Insurance Committee: http://ains.assembly.ca.gov/membersstaff
Senate Insurance Committee |
Party |
Major City |
Phone Number: |
Steve Glazer (Chair) |
D |
Antioch |
916-651-4007 |
Ted Gaines (Vice Chair) |
R |
Redding |
916-651-4001 |
Cathleen Galgiani |
D |
Stockton |
916-651-4005 |
Ed Hernandez |
R |
West Covina |
916-651-4022 |
Ricardo Lara |
D |
Long Beach |
916-651-4033 |
Mike Morrell |
R |
Rancho Cucamonga |
916-651-4023 |
Anthony Portantino |
D |
Glendale |
916-651-4025 |
Tom Berryhill |
R |
Fresno |
916-651-4008 |
Ben Hueso |
D |
El Centro |
916-651-4040 |
Holly Mitchell |
D |
Los Angeles |
916-651-4030 |
Josh Newman |
D |
Brea |
916-651-4029 |
Richard Roth |
D |
Riverside |
916-651-4031 |
* * * * *
[SAMPLE LETTER – Edit and Customize as Needed]
The Honorable Senator Mike McGuire
California State Capitol
1303 10th Street, Room 5061
Sacramento, CA 95814
Re: Senate Bill 897 (McGuire, Dodd) – SUPPORT
Dear Senator McGuire,
I am writing in support of SB 897. California is facing a new reality when it comes to wildland fire disasters. An expedited road to recovery is essential to the well-being of our state, residents and local economies. This bill creates fair and reasonable compromise for homeowners and renters.
The North Bay Firestorm was the most destructive and deadly in modern American history. The level of destruction was unprecedented with over 6,000 homes completely destroyed and 44 neighbors tragically lost their lives. California residents have never witnessed a fire season like the one that hit our state in 2017. A total of 30,000 structures were destroyed or damaged totaling $12 billion.
Losing a home is one of the worst life experiences a person can live through. The loss takes a significant emotional toll on a family. The massive amount of paperwork and unrelenting details that insurance companies require residents to go through for recouping their losses puts an unreasonable burden and hardship on disaster-stricken victims.
While it can take years for someone to rebuild their home, the pressure of dealing with life’s demands is an immediate concern for disaster victims. They must deal with everything from finding a new place to live, to purchasing food, and keep up with their jobs, bills and other living expenses within hours of losing their home.
[Insert a description of SB 897’s personal importance to you; include pictures if you want]
SB 897 would create standards to expedite residential insurance claims after a Governor-declared disaster and allows survivors to start rebuilding their lives and homes. In order to provide fairness and peace of mind to disaster survivors, I am in strong support of SB 897.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
[SIGNATURE]
[Full Name]
Mailing Address:
Address of Lost Property, if applicable:
* * * * *
The above is informational only, has not been endorsed by any elected official, and is subject to change or errors. Neighbors Together SR does not provide any advice or endorse any service provider or agency.
October 2017 Northern California Firestorm: Tubbs Fire in Santa Rosa: Coffey Park; Fountaingrove (Hidden Valley Estates (HVE) is lumped with FG); Larkfield-Wikiup-Mark West-Riebli; Rincon Valley-Deer Trail-Calistoga Rd; Bennett Ridge (Nuns/Annadel Fire) . . . See more . . . »