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HomeMy WebLinkAbout100422-04 Bykowsky public commentDanville City Council — Public Comments October 4, 2022 My name is Mary Beth Bykowsky, I am an Outreach Analyst in the Department of Insurance, also known as CDI. I want to share with you what we have been doing on behalf of your constituents. Since 2019 we've met with more than 25,000 people in 40 counties, and held 60 events to specifically hear concerns around both availability and affordability of homeowners' insurance. In January of 2022, Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara, and the state's emergency response and readiness agencies created the Safer From Wildfires framework, a consistent approach to reducing risk with a list of achievable, certifiable and effective actions to help make existing homes and businesses safer from wildfires. The ultimate goal is protecting consumers by reducing risk in their communities. This "ground up" approach for wildfire resilience has three layers of protection —we call it the 1-2-3 Plan. #1 - protect the structure, #2 - protect the immediate surroundings, #3 - involve your entire community to prevent wildfires from catching and spreading to other homes and businesses in the neighborhood. This includes things like enhanced infrastructure and programs like Firewise. You can see the entire list of specific actions you can take on our website, Insurance.ca.gov, but I am confident your local fire agencies have apprised you of the actions you can take to harden your homes and community. By making homes and businesses safer, we can bring risk down and bring costs down as well. The Commissioner's actions are focused on safety and transparency. His new regulations do this in three ways: • He is requiring insurance companies to incorporate the framework into their pricing. Insurance companies will have to submit new rate filings that recognize safety. • Consumers will receive their property's wildfire risk score, and the reasons for it. In the past this information was considered proprietary, and CDI will have oversight. 1 • Consumers will be able to appeal their risk determination when they have done the work. Public input was critical — to ensure we were on the right track, we held a hearing on April 13th that accepted public comments. We have evaluated all the input from the public and submitted the new regulations to the Office of Adminstrative Law and we expect to have new rate filings by early 2023. We are California's largest consumer protection agency, everything we do at CDI is to protect consumers from fraud and abuse. We also provide a number of free informative presentations and informational guides for homeowners, drivers, and our senior community. I have included flyers and social media content for some of these programs for you to post in your newsletter or website. That concludes my presentation and I want to remind you that we are here to help your constituents with any of your insurance questions. Please call our hotline 800-927-4357, or go to our website at insurance.ca.gov. Thank you for your time, Mary Beth Bykowsky Outreach Analyst Community Relations and Outreach Branch California Department of Insurance (916) 492-3536 1 MaryBeth.Bykowsky@insurance.ca.gov 2 Safer from Wildfires in 1 9 (3 Safer from Wildfires is an interagency partnership between Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara and the emergency response and readiness agencies in Governor Gavin Newsom's administration to protect lives, homes, and businesses by reducing wildfire risk. With California experiencing devastating, climate change -intensified wildfires, homes and businesses need insurance they can rely on. Commissioner Lara is using every tool available to improve insurance for our communities. Drawing on the direct experience of first responders and the latest research on wildfires, the partnership created a consistent approach to reducing risk with a list of achievable and effective actions to help make existing homes and businesses safer from wildfires.The ultimate goal is protecting consumers by reducing wildfire risk in their communities, making insurance available and affordable for all Californians. This "ground up"approach for wildfire resilience has three layers of protection — for the structure, the immediate surroundings, and the community — to prevent wildfires from catching and spreading to other homes and businesses in the neighborhood. • Class -A Fire rated roof • Maintain a 5 foot ember -resistant zone around a home (including fencing within 5 feet) • Noncombustible 6 inches at the bottom of exterior walls • Ember and fire-resistant vents (See Low -Cost Retrofit List, and Chapter 7A) • Upgraded windows (Double paned or added shutters) • Enclosed eaves 2 Protecting the immediatee \ surroundings • Cleared vegetation and debris from under decks • Removal of combustible sheds and other outbuildings from the immediate surroundings of the home, to at least a distance of 30 feet • Defensible space compliance (including trimming trees, removal of brush and debris from yard, and compliance with state law and local ordinances) Governar'sOffice of Planning and Research CALIFORNIA Cal OES 99VERNQR'S9r riGE OF EMERGENCY SERVICES Public Utilities Commission Commissioner Lara is working to increase available incentives for wildfire safety.To view the list of insurance companies currently offering discounts visit insurance.ca.gov. 3 Working together as a a"\ community • A community should have clearly defined boundary and a local risk assessment in consultation with the local fire district or state fire agency; an identified evacuation route, cleared of vegetative overgrowth, and evacuation plan contingencies; clear funding sources to implement community mitigation activities and meet clear risk reduction goals; and integrated and up-to-date local planning documents pertinent to community wildfire risk. • Current examples include the Fire Risk Reduction Community designation under development by the Board of Forestry, Firewise USA communities in good standing, and Shelter -in -Place designations. California Department of Insurance Insurance Protection for All Californians Conducting market conduct reviews One -on -One insurance assistance Assisting with catastrophes Providing insurance informational guides N/aking in person presentations on potential scams, understanding insurance For more information visit us at www.insurance.ca.gov or call us at 1-800-927-4357 RICARDO LARA INSURANCE COMMISSIONER California Department of Insurance Contact the California Department of Insurance Consumer Hotline 1-800-927-HELP(4357) Community Relations & Outreach Branch CROB@insurance.ca.gov 213-346-6870 Ombudsman Office 916-492-3457 Leg-ombudsman@insurance.ca.gov California Low Cost Auto Insurance 1-866-602-8861 mylowcostauto.com Senior Gateway senior.insurance.ca.gov insurance.ca.gov1800-927-4357