Nevada County is partnering with the California Department of Insurance to host an Insurance Town Hall on homeowners insurance with California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara, District III Supervisor Dan Miller and District II Supervisor Ed Scofield on Thursday, August 22nd at 6:00 p.m. at the Foothills Events Center in Grass Valley.
"This Town Hall will be a great opportunity for Nevada County residents to share their experiences, get answers to their questions, and learn about available resources," added District III Supervisor Dan Miller. "We hope people take advantage of the opportunity to speak to our State Insurance Commissioner."
In addition to learning about available resources and actions taken both locally and at the state level, there will be a moderated discussion for attendees get answers to their questions. Residents are asked to submit their questions in advance online at www.MyNevadaCounty.com/InsuranceQuestions. At the event, attendees will also be able to submit questions to the California Department of Insurance for further follow up from department staff.
"The Board has received numerous calls and emails due to the homeowner insurance crisis in Nevada County," said District II Supervisor Ed Scofield. "This issue is having a big impact on our residents. I support the commissioner bringing all the players together. He will need the cooperation of the insurance industry, legislators, and first responders to achieve the goal of bringing a reasonable, competitive insurance industry back to Nevada County."
In May, the Board of Supervisors unanimously approved and sent a Letter of Concern to Insurance Commissioner Lara. The letter outlined the potential severity of the issue with approximately 76% of homeowner's properties being located in elevated and extreme wildfire danger areas. Supervisor Scofield and Senior Administrative Analyst Jeffrey Thorsby were recently members of the California State Association of Counties (CSAC) Resiliency Advisory Board workgroup to advocate and advance resiliency policies that address prevention, response and recovery for crisis and catastrophic events, including wildfire.
Commissioner Lara said during a recent meeting with County officials that complaints to the California Department of Insurance related to non-renewals are up nearly 600% since 2010 in areas with increased wildfire risk.
"With increasing concern over non-renewals, it is vital that we work together to protect residents and find solutions to keep insurance available and as affordable as possible," said Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara. "We are excited to join Nevada County for this Town Hall meeting and the first deployment of the Department's Insurance Strike Team. My department will continue to visit counties throughout the state to help all California residents with their insurance issues."
Starting this month, CDI is dispatching a Strike Team to areas affected by non-renewals and insurance availability. CDI staff will work with residents to connect them with resources and assist local governments in responding to insurance issues. In addition to providing tips for finding residential insurance online, residents can speak to a CDI representative directly by calling 1-800-927-4357 or can contact the department online.
