Board of Supervisors Chair Heidi Hall went to Sacramento this month to show support for a state senate bill aimed at ensuring homeowners and businesses have access to fair and affordable insurance.
On April 9, she testified for Senate Bill 616, which would create a commission to develop unified fire mitigation standards for all levels of government across the state. She urged the commission to include a rural county representative, and said she hopes the commission’s work will result in insurance savings to homeowners and businesses.
“The crisis of insurance for homeowners and businesses has never been more acute than it is today,” Hall said at the hearing on state Senate Bill 616. “Locally, we are hearing from aging seniors facing the impossible decision to give up their homes after being dropped by their longtime insurance carriers despite not having filed a claim in decades. We see businesses shuttering their doors with fire hydrants on adjacent sidewalks. Our housing projects are losing their insurance or receiving premiums so high they are at risk for insolvency. The circumstances are simply unsustainable and getting more desperate every day.”
Her appearance was part of a broader ongoing effort in partnership with representatives from about 10 other counties to address the wildfire insurance crisis. The group is also advocating for other bills, including Assembly Bill 1, which would provide benefits and incentives for those working to mitigate wildfire and Senate Bill 547, which would prohibit insurance companies from canceling fire insurance for homeowners associations, small businesses and nonprofits for one year after a fire. In addition, Hall was recently appointed to represent the National Association of Counties (NACo) Intergovernmental Disaster Reform Task Force, and currently serves on the Justice and Public Safety Policy Steering Committee as well as the Chair of the Homeland Security Subcommittee where she is focused on advocating for insurance solutions.
At every occasion, Hall calls for rural voices to be included in the discussions. She hopes these advocacy efforts will ultimately lead to more affordable and sustainable wildfire insurance options.
“The lowering of risk must be passed on to the consumers,” Hall said.