We uncover the underworld of fire insurance subcontracting, where companies positioned as experts in smoke testing and home remediation work for insurers seeking to cut costs. The post Smoke & Mirrors Podcast Exposes Troubling Tactics of Insurance Subcontractors in Wildfire Recovery appeared first on Consumer Watchdog.| Consumer Watchdog
Sacramento, CA – The state’s petroleum watchdog has issued its annual report validating claims that Californians have overpaid tens of billions of dollars at the pump over the last decade due to the consolidated gasoline refining industry, an estimated $59 billion in overcharges from 2015 thru 2024. The Division of Petroleum Market Oversight, created by the special session […] The post CA Oversight Report Shows Decade of Gasoline Price Gouging appeared first on Consumer Watchdog.| Consumer Watchdog
By Staff Reporters, KNX-AM – Los Angeles, CA: Click below to listen to the audio of this radio broadcast segment. The post KNX-AM (Radio): Some Insurers Have State Approval To Pass That Cost On To You appeared first on Consumer Watchdog.| Consumer Watchdog
During the signing of the reauthorization bill for cap-and-trade this year, AB 1207 (Irwin), Governor Newsom claimed the bill would result in $60 billion saved in rebates for consumers over 20 years. He has since repeated the claim to suggest his Administration was making energy more affordable. What Newsom didn’t say is that the program will […] The post Fact Check: Newsom’s $60 Billion Savings From Cap-and-Trade Is A Sham appeared first on Consumer Watchdog.| Consumer Watchdog
By Laurence Darmiento, LOS ANGELES TIMES https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2025-10-22/california-insurers-given-ok-to-charge-homeowners-statewide-for-l-a-county-fire-costs Residential policyholders across California could be paying several hundred million dollars to help cover the costs of claims arising out of the January firestorms in Los Angeles County. Multiple insurers, including State Farm General, the largest in California, have received approval from the Department of Insurance t...| Consumer Watchdog
The post KCAL Mornings: CA Homeowners Face Surcharges To Help Recoup Costs From January Wildfires appeared first on Consumer Watchdog.| Consumer Watchdog
Smoke & Mirrors uncovers a web of little-known subcontractors and unseen technology that facilitate claims delays, lowballed payouts and denials, and offers advice on what consumers can do about it. The post New Investigative Podcast Series Uncovers Wildfire Insurance Abuses appeared first on Consumer Watchdog.| Consumer Watchdog
By Ethan Varian, MERCURY NEWS As catastrophic wildfires spur insurance companies to raise homeowner premiums and drop thousands of policyholders across California, the industry has blamed climate change for fueling the blazes. Yet even as insurers sound the alarm about a warming planet, they continue to invest billions of dollars in the oil and gas […] The post The Mercury News – As wildfires scorch California, should insurers divest from fossil fuels? appeared first on Consumer Watchdog.| Consumer Watchdog
By Curt Barry, INSIDE EPA https://insideepa.com/daily-news/newsom-signs-ej-opposed-bill-develop-co2-pipeline-regulations#:~:text=Gavin%20Newsom%20(D)%20has%20signed,Materials%20Safety%20Administration%20(PHMSA). California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) has signed into law a bill requiring the State Fire Marshall (SFM) to adopt regulations for the transportation of carbon dioxide in pipelines, including safety standards that must be as protective as proposed requirements from the federal Pipeline and ...| Consumer Watchdog
Consumer Watchdog is a consumer protection organization in California, dedicated to safeguarding the rights and interests of consumers across the state.| Consumer Watchdog
By Doug Bailey, INSURANCE NEWS NET As wildfires continue to drive up homeowners’ insurance premiums and prompt policy cancellations in California, a new piece of legislation intended to help is awaiting Gov. Gavin Newsom’s signature. Senate Bill 429 aims to shift the state’s wildfire risk measurement from proprietary models to a transparent, public catastrophe model, providing […]| Consumer Watchdog
By Saqib Rahim, E&E NEWS https://www.eenews.net/articles/as-insurers-leave-california-one-vows-to-cover-additional-risky-homes Mercury Insurance is the state’s first to use a process that allows climate modeling to expand coverage in wildfire-prone areas. One of California’s largest property insurers pledged to sell additional policies in wildfire-threatened areas, becoming the first company to use a new state order aimed at resolving the state’s […]| Consumer Watchdog
Consumers should expect large rate hikes but not more insurance policies sold under new rules issued by Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara| Consumer Watchdog
By Stephanie Sierra, ABC7 https://abc7.com/post/100k-trip-er-left-antioch-california-family-burned-infant-tangled-billing-mess/17514842 ANTIOCH, Calif. — A newborn baby was rushed to the emergency room with severe burns, but there was no burn unit, nor any ambulances available. A California family tried to drive, but the doctor wouldn’t let them. Instead, they were forced to take a $90,000 air ambulance for a 15-minute ride […]| Consumer Watchdog
Los Angeles, CA — Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara is breaking his promise to Californians by guaranteeing rate hikes without guaranteeing more coverage, said Consumer Watchdog today, following his approval of another black-box wildfire model for use in pricing home insurance. The confidential closed-door review of a model owned by insurance ratings agency Moody’s, and two […]| Consumer Watchdog
By Pat Maio, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER Mercury Insurance is preparing to file updated home policy rates in California using a new catastrophic modeling system designed to give property owners a lifeline to more affordable coverage in wildfire-prone areas. The company said it is looking to offer homeowners an alternative to the California Fair Access to […]| Consumer Watchdog
By Laurence Darmiento, LOS ANGELES TIMES https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2025-07-18/jan-7-fires-claims-complaints-mediation After receiving more than 1,000 complaints from Jan. 7 fire victims about how insurers are handling their claims, state regulators are considering referring hundreds of the cases to mediation — a little used practice that some consumer advocates fear could hurt policyholders. The Department of Insurance has been bombarded […]| Consumer Watchdog
By THOMAS FRANK, E&E NEWS POLITICO https://www.eenews.net/articles/california-leapfrogs-florida-in-us-insurance-risk California appears to have supplanted Florida as the state with the weakest property insurance market, with newly released data showing unprecedented numbers of Californians cannot find coverage. California’s property insurance crisis has grown increasingly dire in recent months while Florida has staged a stunning turnaround. In Florida, the insurance […]| Consumer Watchdog
By Tom Vacar, KTVU https://www.ktvu.com/news/secret-insurance-rate-setting-documents-should-not-be-secret SAN RAFAEL, Calif. – The huge but conditional homeowner insurance rate increases granted to State Farm last month had its first of many days before the legal system, and KTVU forced its way in. On Wednesday, State Farm asked a judge for permission to keep secret from the public certain documents to be used to […]| Consumer Watchdog
