Kim Leads Early As Insurance Commissioner Race Heads Toward General Election

“We’re feeling very optimistic,” Kim said late Tuesday. “Our message of taking on the insurance industry and the status quo is really resonating with voters across the state.”

Kim has the backing of notable progressive leaders, including Bernie Sanders, Dolores Huerta, SEIU California and the Working Families Party.

State Sen. Ben Allen represents areas affected by the Palisades Fire.

Allen has promised to work with local and state officials to make neighborhoods safer from fire, by designing programs that harden homes and reduce fire spread.

He also wants to expand financial help for homeowners preparing their properties for fire. He has said he would seek to modernize the Department of Insurance and make it work more efficiently.

He’s also said he wants fossil fuel companies to bear some costs for their role in driving up insurance prices due to human-caused climate change.

“We’re looking very strong to go into the second round,” Allen said. “We were able to tell a really good story statewide about my experience and record and my standing up for consumers. And I think it paid off. And ultimately, we’re going to head to a strong, robust runoff in the fall.”

Allen’s campaign was backed by U.S. Sens. Padilla and Schiff, California Environmental Voters, California Professional Firefighters and the Sierra Club.

The once sleepy race for insurance commissioner has earned significant attention this year. Wildfires and inflation have thrown California into an insurance crisis, with many residents finding insurance hard to obtain or afford.

The commissioner is the chief regulator of the state’s $3 trillion insurance industry and holds considerable power over how companies process claims and set prices for coverage for properties, cars, life insurance and workers compensation.

Two years ago, the Department of Insurance, under Ricardo Lara, rolled out the biggest regulatory reforms in a generation, known as the Sustainable Insurance Strategy.

Industry experts say the changes have led to some easing of the insurance market, but more needs to be done to drive down risk from disasters like fires, and increase coverage options while limiting rapidly rising prices.