joining us now is california's insurance commissioner, ricardo lara.missioner, thanks for being with us. do you have an estimate on how many of these homes may have been uninsured for fire? because the san francisco chronicle found that state farm, the largest insurer in your state, dropped coverage for approximately 30,000 californians last year. and that included about 70% of their policies in the pacific palisades. and i'm not sure about altadena, but i'm sure they were affected as well. >> yeah, it's still uncertain to say we are doing the research. >> as you know, the fires still are not contained, and so we're working to get this data. what we can say, though, is that we feel confident that we will have the services ready and available to make sure that we answer those questions for consumers that are rightfully scared and very and, you know, concerned about this issue. we are we're doing the needed investigation to make sure we have those answers for them. as soon as we get the perimeter of the final fire. um, but you're absolutely right. this a

. >> california insurance commissioner ricardo lara spoke on friday about fair plan, highlighting the sweeping reforms enacted towards the end of 2024 to encourage competition in california's insurance market. consumer advocate amy bock says there's also a number of backstops to keep fair plan afloat. >> let's take the fair plan. president. at her word. she has said that the fair plan can handle their exposure. >> we've talked mostly about financial engineering, you know, insurance, reinsurance, stuff like that. there is no way that the state can insure their way out of this problem. >> still, stanford professor michael guerra says much of the optimism of the reforms were wiped away by the l.a. fires and that it's too soon to know how the insurance market will emerge in the east bay. anser hassan abc seven news. >> as more images from the fires come in from southern california, we're getting a look at the scope of the devastation. and one of the main challenges some survivors will face is their insurance policies and how to navigate those. abc seven news reporter luz pena spoke to a t

ricardo lara will be there. they will be walking people directly over to the insurance providers to get checks. that is regardless of race or creed. that is just whoever needs those things. we are actually very close to palisades. altadena is much farther. however, santa monica remains a compassionate community to help facilitate anybody who needs help or assistance. but right now, we have not heard those concerns from our constituents. and in fact, we are also working to stage another spot for state farm. i'm working feverishly right now to have a space large enough that will be up to 30 days, so that people again can come and get the resources that they need immediately. and i know there's a lot of concern around that with everything that happened in terms of policy cancellations. >> mayor, mayor, you mentioned a little bit ago that you're not dealing with or seeing any active fires in santa monica, given the, the, the reports and the monitoring of santa ana, santa ana winds that are picking up this weekend an

chris: we've asked insurance commissioner, ricardo lara, what it will take to end this home insurance crisis. his office cut a deal, it says it's letting home insurance companies use future-looking computer catastrophe models to seour rates for the very first tthe very first time, to sellncr more insurance in california, especially, ideally, in wildfire-distressed areas. well, even before those reforms really start kicking in, a san francisco-based startup just recently began selling new policies. the founders believe they have an advantage: using data and science. female: we insure for direct physical loss to property. chris: insurance is complicated, long, lawyerly contracts. male: ordinance or law, which means any ordinance or law. chris: and jargon by the ream. male: subrogation shall not impair the right of the mortgagee. chris: to the average policyholder, it's as complex as-- male: ignition. chris: --rocket science. male: and the lift off of falcon 9. chris: well, that's exactly what a new insurance company is bringing to california's insurance market-- some rocket science. dan

ricardo lara announced today a moratorium preventing insurance companies from canceling or not renewing policies in wildfire impacted areas for the next year. this comes as insurers have dropped hundreds of thousands of policyholders across california in recent years, many of them here in the bay area. citing an increased wildfire risk. that means residents living in fire zones can be subject to sudden non-renewals, leaving them without insurance. if a wildfire hits. we shared our next fire story with our sister station in los angeles, because we wanted the families there to hear firsthand from a fire survivor. here, she spoke with our consumer investigator, chris kamara, and offered her best advice for the long road ahead. you're in shock. holly webb lost her home in the 2017 wine country fires in northern california. so she's watching the l.l.a. firesrm with particular sympathy. oh, i feel so bad for all those people. i know what they're headed for. we asked holly what she recommends for people whose homes just burned down. the hardest part is trying to find a place to live. she says.

in a recent interview with us, insurance commissioner ricardo lara conceded that the new catastropheodels and will aid insurance availability, not necessarily the affordability. carriers might aim to push prices higher, but lara says the state will review those private models and is even creating a public model for comparison. verisk, for its part, expects the whole process to take about four months. we will keep an eye on it. we are committed to letting you know what we find on this long road. you can let us know what you're seeing in this insurance crisis too. lots of you have and we appreciate it. you are our eyes and ears on what's going on, what's happening with your policies? snap the qr code on screen. right now. we are happy to take a look at the insurance policy that you have probably never read, but we'll do that for you. we are on it. speaking of which, being our eyes and ears, often when it gets down to algorithms, it can g get reall opaque as to what goes into it. are consumers going to be able to see the algorithm that's being used to determine their home insurance rate

new at 11 california insurance commissioner ricardo, lara, has just issued a mandatory moratorium prohibiting insurance companies. >> from canceling policies and renewals for one year. the moratorium applies to homes within the palisades and eaton fire burn areas as well as adjourning zip codes near the fire zones. the rule will expire on january 7th of next year. >> warriors head coach steve kerr is among those who have lost memories. his childhood home burned down in the palisades fire this week. he spoke today saying despite the devastating loss, his 90 year-old mother is safe. >> spending been tough made families find my mom is in good hands and about better house is gone. and you know, so i've been on the phone with my siblings quite a you family calls just with my mom and she's but she's got time. lot of support and friends. so she's safe and sound. but yeah, that's my hometown. all my friends who are from there pretty much they've all lost, lost their homes or their family homes. child homes are all high schools gone. town looks like it. just been completely wiped out surreal and devas

ricardo lara is california's insurance commissioner. >> once people submit their claims when should theymoney? >> so it all depends. i know it's difficult and a difficult answer. i want to make sure that we get it as quickly as possible. weeks if not a month. >> reporter: experts say those who have suffered a loss from the wildfires should keep track of all expenditures, start going through photos and videos that can be used as evidence to show what was in the home, and documentnt everything. something many here are doing right now. and the governor here in california telling me he expects these fires to be among the most costly disasters of our lifetime. so many losing everything. and the process of being made whole just getting started. lester? >> liz, thank you for that. >>> up next, signs of hope amid the ruins. what our jacob soboroff found still standing in his old neighborhood. stay with us. standing in his old neighborhood. stay with us. i'm not waiting. if it's covid, paxlovid. paxlovid is an oral treatment for adults... with mild-to- moderate covid-19 and a high-risk factor for

ricardo lara, comisionado de seguros de california se lo explicÓ a univisiÓn investiga. >> lo que estÁpÓlizas de estos consumidores, ya que esto es algo sin precedente. gerardo: horas despuÉs de esta entrevista la comisiÓn de seguros ordenÓ una moratoria de un aÑo para prevenir la cancelaciÓn del seguro en las Áreas afectadas. >> ahorita lo que estamos viendo con nuestros abogados es, si una persona recibiÓ una carta diciÉndole que se les va a eliminar la cobertura, pero aÚn todavÍa no se le ha eliminado, nomÁs recibieron la carta, si todavÍa pueden obtener su beneficio porque francamente no ha pasado la fecha lÍmite. >> cuando pasa un desastre natural la gente mÁs afectadas son la gente que no tiene tanto dinero, que no son los millonarios y los actores, pero ahora que hay mucha gente con mÁs poder que estÁn afectados, bueno, ellos van a hacer mÁs ruido y tiene mÁs influencia. gerardo: el burÓ indica que el ingreso promedio es de mÁs de $ 200.000 al aÑo, el promedio del valor de las 10.000 residencias del Área es de $ 1 millÓn, el 90% de sus mÁs de 22.000 residentes son blancos, 1400

ricardo lara has declared a moratorium on all cancellations of home insurance policies for properties in the fire zone for the next year. >> our actions are focused on ensuring that the insurance companies meet their commitments to the consumers, that californians and the californians are protected not just in this crisis, but beyond. >> bay area congressman john garamendi once served as california's insurance commissioner. he says even those homeowners who do have coverage are facing a difficult fight with insurance companies. >> there's going to be an extraordinary number of claims being filed, and probably from my experience as eight years of insurance commissioner, the insurance companies are going to do everything they can to lowball and deny claims. >> many experts say the disaster in los angeles is certain to put another major strain on california's already troubled insurance market. many insurance companies have been canceling policies or refusing to write new ones in california, citing the risk of wildfires. >> time now. 756. we're getting more details about governor newsom's

now, the state's insurance commissioner, ricardo lara, told our sister station kabc today that he's working on protecting homeowners in the affected areas from being dropped by their insurer for one year. as for the rest of us, there's some significant questions as insurers continue dropping out of the market. >> the governor has declared a state of emergency as we watch the devastating wildfires move through los angeles county. >> it's raising new threats to the state's growing insurance crisis. with more than 13,000 homes at risk, losses could approach at least $10 billion. that's according to preliminary estimates from jp morgan chase. this, paired with concerns as the state is implementing a new reform plan that analysts say could raise insurance premiums by 40% on average in fire prone areas. that could be up to 100% or more. >> we have been operating under 20th century regulations for a 21st century problem, and we're starting to see already insurance companies come in. we need to make sure we allow them to use technology so that we can better track and understand how these fires are

state insurance commissioner ricardo lara made that announcement today as part of a package of home insuranceorms. ktvu tom vacar has more on how this is designed to bring home insurers back to california. >> this is what the deputy insurance commissioner told ktvu on december 12th about the new emergency insurance regulations, essentially effective immediately. >> under the reforms, we're putting in place, insurance companies, in order to utilize these risk tools like like modeling, they have to write more policies. that's the change, and we will enforce that through our rate authority. >> the promise was that the regulations would force insurers to sell policies equivalent to 85% of their statewide market share, including in wildfire areas. >> we think that long term, this is going to help stabilize rates, because right now people are experiencing balloon premiums and rate spikes, but they're not getting the benefit of increased competition. >> consumer watchdog, the major consumer advocacy group overseeing the department of insurance, counters with this. >> if we look at what happened in o

. >> california insurance commissioner ricardo lara spoke on friday about fair plan, highlighting thesweeping reforms enacted towards the end of 2024 to encourage competition in california's insurance market. consumer advocate amy bock says there's also a number of backstops to keep fair plan afloat. >> let's take the fair plan. president. at her word, she has said that the fair plan can handle their exposure. >> we've talked mostly about financial engineering. you know, insurance, reinsurance, stuff like that. there is no way that the state can insure their way out of this problem. >> still, stanford professor michael warren says much of the optimism of the reforms were wiped away by the l.a. fires and that it's too soon to know how the insurance market will emerge in the east bay. anser hassan abc seven news. >> gusty weather will return to the bay area this weeken. sandhya is tracking potential fire danger. you'll get her forecast next. >> and tonight, the easy way to visualize an acre to help put these (box thuds) (water boils) (packet tears) (tea bag clanks) (water pours) - liste

california's insurance commissioner, ricardo lara, has issued a moratorium preventing insurance companies from canceling homeowner's insurance in areas affected by the palisades and eaton fires. >> this covers you even if your home wasn't destroyed or damaged in the wildfire. i'm also calling on insurance companies to suspend any pending non-renewals and cancellations that homeowners received before these fires started. >> and lara went on to say losing insurance should be the last thing on a person's mind after surviving a devastating fire. experts say californians have been losing coverage as the industry tries to adjust to year after year of catastrophic wildfires and devastating loss. >> this afternoon, we are seeing some new video that appears to be showing the beginning of the palisades fire. >> not something we want to see here in southern california. a fire has now broke out that is looking like encino. >> oh, that's a youtube channel that's called airline videos live. it was broadcasting live from the airport on tuesday when the channel's host noticed smoke in the distance. lax,

. >> california's insurance commissioner, ricardo lara, maintains the state is focused on maintaining the fiscal health of the fair plan. however, it's unclear how the insurance market will pan out after the l.a. county fires. but there's real concern, of course, because experts are expecting premiums to spike by an average of at least 40%. now, that's based on data from other states like florida, that have implemented similar policies. so if you're in a fire prone area, they say that could be up to 100% it's time to say “not so fast, chronic kidney disease.” because with a progressive disease like ckd, slow is good. and believe me, i know all about slow. that's why i'm here to tell you about jardiance — it's a little pill... ...proven to slow the progression of ckd... ...and reduce the risk of kidney failure, which can lead to dialysis. serious side effects include increased ketones in blood or urine, which can be fatal. stop jardiance and call your doctor right away... ...if you have nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, tiredness, trouble breathing, or increased ketones. jardiance may ca

the insurance commissioner, ricardo, lara, has issued a mandatory one-year moratorium that would stop insurance companies from not renewing are canceling coverage for homeowners with in the palisades and the eaton fire burn areas. in a statement, the commissioner made it clear that this rule applies to all homeowners in those areas, regardless of whether or not they suffered a loss. it also applies to homeowners in joining zip codes near the fire zones. and so this rule is going to stay in effect until next january. year from now, january 7th. and today the newsom administration unveiled the governor's proposed budget for the next fiscal year, but not there was the governor himself. he remains in southern california due to the destructive wildfires. our capitol correspondent eytan wallace, though, has a look at newsom's spending proposals and what it means for fire victims. >> well, here it is. all 140 pages of the governor's preliminary budget for the next fiscal year. it's a proposed budget allocating billions of dollars to address key issues facing the state, including homelessness

. >> california insurance commissioner ricardo lara, has issued a mandatory one-year moratorium prohibiting insurance companies from not renewing or canceling coverage for homeowners within the palace aides and eaten fire burn areas. eaton is the altadena pasadena area. in a statement. lara made clear this rule applies to all homeowners in those areas. regardless of whether they suffered a loss. it also applies to homeowners in adjoining zip codes near the fire zones. the rule will expire january 7th of next year. well, insurers were bailing on california homeowners before the giant la fires. it was a system. >> that was stressed to the max or so says a climate and energy expert. >> you cannot ensure your way out of this state cannot ensure its way out of crisis. we're also going to have to do things to try to reduce the likelihood that anything like pacific palisades ever happens again. and we should want to do that anyway. >> stanford professor michael wara telling me that city and county and state infrastructure has to be updated to take into account things like climate change. also, he

state insurance commissioner ricardo lara made that announcement as part of a package of home insuranceas ktvu tom vacar tells us, the big question is whether rates will go up as a result. >> this is what the deputy insurance commissioner told ktvu on december 12th about the new emergency insurance regulations. essentially effective immediately. >> under the reforms, we're putting in place, insurance companies, in order to utilize these risk tools like like modeling, they have to write more policies. that's the change, and we'll enforce that through our rate authority. >> the promise was that the regulations would force insurers to sell policies equivalent to 85% of their statewide market share, including in wildfire areas. >> we think that long term, this is going to help stabilize rates, because right now people are experiencing balloon premiums and rate spikes, but they're not getting the benefit of increased competition. >> consumer watchdog, the major consumer advocacy group overseeing the department of insurance, counters with this. >> if we look at what happened in other states i

. >> california's insurance commissioner, ricardo lara, maintains the state is still focused on maintaininglth of the fair plan. however, it's unclear how the insurance market will pan out after these l.a. county fires. in fact, experts expect premiums to spike by an average of 40%. that's based on data from other states like florida, that have implemented similar policies that the commissioner is implementing. currently, if you're in a fire prone area, that could be up to 100% or more. now, despite the tragedies impacted, families and communities are still rallying together to help provide comfort to families who have lost everything. reporter kevin osbeck, from our abc sister station in houston, is on the ground in la. he and his photographer came across a donation pop up. >> this is all happening in the parking lot parking lot. i outside the rose bowl. the people organizing this say if you have warm coats, warm sweaters, they could especially use those donations because they know some fire victims really need those. and here's the back story here. yesterday, two guys who have a hot dog c

commissioner ricardo lara is in southern california now, and lara says that he'll issue a moratorium to prevent homeowners there from having their insurance canceled due to the wildfires for one year. that's similar to what happened here in northern california with our fires in the past. the l.a. fires come just as some insurance companies, such as mercury, announced this week that they plan to return to issuing policies in areas of northern california, such as paradise, that had been devastated by fires and abandoned by many insurers. the state had negotiated new rules with insurance companies. the department of insurance says the la fires will not impact those new rules, allowing insurance companies to use new tools to better assess fire risk as they set their premium prices and coverage. >> california has been the only state requiring insurance companies to use backward looking historical data when they look at their future rates. and so that's the change. insurance companies are going to be able to use forward looking, what we call catastrophe models. and those models have to use

. >> california's insurance commissioner, ricardo lara, declared a moratorium on all cancellations ofe insurance policies for properties near the fire zone for the next year, but for now, emergency responders are bracing for the immediate future. >> our priority is also going to be to prepare for the next red flag event that is predicted to begin on monday. >> the firefight far from over, with another round of strong santa ana winds expected next week. ali rasmus ktvu, fox two news. >> let's stay on the firefighting. really focus here on the weather. we see a helicopter up above. a lot of thick smoke rising throughout los angeles county. rosemary. interesting. a minute ago, we saw one of those big tankers drop fire retardant as firefighters try to sort of create a line between what's burning and where they'd like to see it. stop. >> yes, garcia, as you know, they are fighting against time, right? because it's just a matter of time before the winds are coming back. the winds have let up considerably. there is still a red flag warning. and of course, the winds will continue until about

state insurance commissioner ricardo lara made that announcement today as part of a package of home insurance reforms. ktvu tom vacar joining us live now with more on how this is all designed to bring home insurers back to california. tom. >> well, it's a design and we'll see if it actually works. a move to resolve the home insurance crisis in california, much of it done in secret, may actually cause more delay. this is what the deputy insurance commissioner told ktvu on december 12th about the new emergency insurance regulations, essentially effective immediately. >> under the reforms, we're putting in place, insurance companies in order to utilize these risk tools like like modeling, they have to write more policies. that's the change, and we'll enforce that through our rate authority. >> the promise was that the regulations would force insurers to sell policies equivalent to 85% of their statewide market share, including in wildfire areas. >> we think that long term, this is going to help stabilize rates, because right now people are experiencing balloon premiums and rate spikes, but they'

. >> commissioner ricardo lara says they are rules designed to bring home insurers back into the state and end that drought of insurance available. ktvu tom vacar joins us live from the newsroom with what's ahead. >> tom, what could go wrong? well, plenty. a move to resolve the home insurance crisis in california, much of it done in secret, may actually cause more delay. this is what the deputy insurance commissioner told ktvu on december 12th about the new emergency insurance regulations. essentially effective immediately. >> under the reforms, we're putting in place, insurance companies, in order to utilize these risk tools like like modeling, they have to write more policies. that's the change and will enforce that through our rate authority. >> the promise was that the regulations would force insurers to sell policies equivalent to 85% of their statewide market share, including in wildfire areas. >> we think that long term, this is going to help stabilize rates, because right now people are experiencing balloon premiums and rate spikes, but they're not getting the benefit of increa

. >> yet, as seven on your side spent months reporting on the fine print of ricardo lara's regulation allows insurers to only increase policies in high risk areas by 5% if they choose to at all. >> so if you start at 0% coverage after two years, you get to 5% coverage. it would take 34 years to get to 85% coverage, which isn't going to work for people. >> insurers have known about the changes for two years, which has raised concern. the commissioner's own regulation may have incentivized insurers to drop policies ahead of its implementation. do you think that's true? >> absolutely. not only his regulations, but his unwillingness to use the power that he has to hold the insurance companies accountable, not just on claims payment, but on writing policies in all parts of the state of california? >> so what will commissioner lara be doing about it in november? i asked him this again. you have that legal authority to file suit against some of these insurers. >> of course, this is a crisis. >> we're all aware, commissioner. will you do it? >> of course. we're always in litigation with insur

and the insurance commissioner, ricardo lara, was stepping up and doing the same thing.emember is that these natural disasters do happen at a moment's notice. and we have to be prepared. yes, but it's people before politics. and i think this is a reminder of what we should expect more of when it comes to the trump administration. and hopefully the people this week are going to be there. they're going to be they're going to go through different, you know, vetting processes to make sure that they could actually get vetted and put in positions. but hopefully the folks that he's electing to head up some of these different departments actually have cooler heads than him, that they actually understand that foremost, more than anything, that they are there to serve the american people. >> oh, well, this is a great setup. to a nice segue to talk about confirmation hearings next week, because that's what you're alluding to. people that he has chosen, they are not officially nominated until he's been inaugurated president. and so starting what is today. today is the 12th. that's r