Families face rising costs, dropped coverage, illegal delays and denials and uncertain recovery while living through a steep rise in extreme weather disasters.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA — The first-of-its-kind event, the California Insurance Commissioner Candidate Forum: Climate Risk and the Future of Insurance, was hosted in partnership with Extreme Weather Survivors, Ceres, United Policyholders, California Forward, and The Greenlining Institute during San Francisco Climate Week and featured seven candidates discussing how they plan to respond to a growing insurance crisis that is already reshaping what recovery looks like for families across the state.
Extreme Weather Survivors asked their survivor community to submit questions for the Insurance Commissioner candidates to make sure survivor concerns are centered in this race. Two questions from EWS survivors were featured during the forum.
View photo and video of the EWS survivor questions: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1WFhx8IJVd-Vu2grY-IoN2mXlHlwA58PM
View full event details: https://events.ceres.org/ceres-sf-california-insurance-forum
View meeting agenda: https://events.ceres.org/ceres-sf-california-insurance-forum/agenda
“It is absolutely critical that survivor perspectives are front and center in this important race,” said Sierra Kos, co-founder of Extreme Weather Survivors. “Survivors of California’s increasing extreme weather disasters want to know how the Insurance Commissioner can hold insurers accountable, address claim delays and denials, improve transparency, and strengthen protections for small businesses and families like theirs. Survivors are looking to candidates for clear commitments to protect consumers and ensure that recovery does not come down to luck or wealth.”
Across California, survivors are navigating an insurance system that often falls short when they need it most. Many have seen their premiums spike, their policies dropped, or their claims delayed or denied, leaving them to carry the burden of recovery on their own.
This forum put key issues directly impacting survivors at the center of the 2026 Insurance Commissioner race, including:
The rising cost of coverage and affordability for working families
The growing number of homeowners losing access to traditional insurance
The long-term stability of the insurance market as climate risks increase
What real support for recovery should look like after a disaster strikes
The steep rise of California’s on the FAIR plan
