One of my Firewise Leader colleagues spoke with her State Farm agent about non renewals. Here is what she learned:
- They looked at areas which are both high wildfire risk and have a large concentration of State Farm policies. 95033 and most of the Santa Cruz mountains fit this criteria.
- They are renewing policies in April, May and June for 1 year. Policies which renew in July or later won’t renewed.
- There is no appeal process, and no consideration of the charactistics of individual properties, such as proximity to a fire station or hydrant, home hardening or Firewise.
She encouraged calling Lara’s office – it’s important for the CA insurance commissioner to understand the impact this is having. Plus his office is supposed to help consumers navigate the available options.
So – my guess is that for many of our communities, the FAIR plan will be the only option going forward.
Please make the calls and make noise. Firewise communities like ours should be reviewed differently.
Thanks.
Susan