California
California spent $3.7 billion reducing wildfire fuel. Bill would make insurers factor that into coverage
Insurers in California have sounded the alarm: A warming climate has dramatically raised the risk of devastating wildfires, and with it the cost of providing coverage. But now a Peninsula lawmaker says those insurance companies should credit the state and homeowners for the work done to reduce our vulnerability to wildfires.
State Sen. Josh Becker, a Menlo Park Democrat, has introduced a bill that would require insurers to consider the state’s efforts to thin flammable brush and trees as well as property owners’ steps to make their homes more fire resistant, such as covering vents and clearing vegetation. Those efforts would need to be incorporated into their risk modeling to determine coverage decisions and costs.
“What we’re seeing is that in addition to the impact of home hardening, that forest treatment is going to have a big impact on wildfire risk, and that’s not being taken into account,” Becker said. “You have to take these into consideration.”
Becker’s bill, SB 1060, comes as state officials scramble to prop up a home insurance market on the brink of collapse, with major insurers restricting coverage and refusing to renew policies in many parts of the state. The bill is scheduled for its first hearing before the Insurance Committee on April 24.
The American Property Casualty Insurance Association, which represents insurers, said that while it supports wildfire mitigation efforts such as home and community hardening, the bill “has several complicating factors to consider.”
“The California Department of Insurance already requires insurers that use risk models to take into consideration specific mitigations and provide consumers discounts,” the industry association said. “The department is also in the process of developing regulations to authorize new types of catastrophe models that factor in the risk of wildfires and mitigation efforts taken by individuals and communities. We believe the department should be allowed time to adopt these regulations.”
Becker said the proposed law wouldn’t mandate any particular discount or result, only for insurers to account for wildfire risk reduction efforts.
“The bill just requires them to do the work to collect the data,” Becker said. “If the models show these activities aren’t helpful, then we shouldn’t be spending billions of dollars on this, we should be spending it on other things.”
California suffered 14 of its 20 most destructive wildfires on record in the last 10 years, a period that included a record drought. Insured losses from those blazes totaled more than $45 billion, according to the Insurance Information Institute.
Insurers say that as wildfire risks have risen with global temperatures, California’s regulations on what they can charge consumers haven’t allowed policy premiums to keep up, forcing them to reduce their exposure by discontinuing coverage in riskier areas.
The state’s elected insurance commissioner, Ricardo Lara, has promised to overhaul regulations by the end of the year to address the industry’s top complaints. That would speed approval of rate increases, let insurers base them on catastrophe models, and pass on their costs for reinsurance, which helps them absorb catastrophic losses. Lara in exchange wants insurers to commit to covering more homes in areas at greater risk of wildfire.
Consumer advocates have argued the changes would just end up costing homeowners more without guaranteeing more coverage, pointing to other disaster stricken states like Florida.
Some California homeowners have been stung with massive increases in premiums — if not stripped of coverage altogether and forced onto the state’s last-resort FAIR Plan. That plan is a private high-risk pool that provides minimal coverage at multiple times the cost of regular policies. Many homeowners in the Santa Cruz Mountains, the North Bay and East Bay foothills have had to switch to that plan after their traditional coverage was dropped.
“This is top of mind for so many of my constituents,” Becker said. “This is affecting thousands and thousands of households.”
Becker said that it’s gotten so bad that the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection can’t even get insurance for at least two and as many as 11 of its fire stations.
Becker said higher temperatures weren’t the only factor that fueled the state’s destructive wildfires. Vegetation management policies over the years allowed fuels to pile up in and around forests that before modern fire suppression would have burned more regularly. Those accumulated fuels, left bone-dry by the drought, drove explosive wildfires.
But California since 2017 has spent $3.7 billion on wildland fuel reduction, thinning and vegetation management, Becker said.
He points to a 2021 analysis by the Nature Conservancy and Willis Towers Watson, the world’s third-largest insurance broker, which found that applying ecological forestry practices — prescribed burns and thinning to remove smaller trees and other vegetation in overgrown forests — could lower insurance premiums 41% on average for homes. That research was based on an ecological forest restoration project in the watershed of the Placer County Water Agency in the Tahoe National Forest.
State officials in recent years also have been promoting techniques in which homeowners can reduce their property’s wildfire vulnerability by removing vegetation, wood and other combustibles near the home and cover vents with screens to keep hot embers out. Lara has told insurers they must credit homeowners on their policies for those measures, though many say they have yet to receive such benefits.
But Becker said that as these home-hardening measures get adopted across communities, it reduces overall fire risk, and that also should be reflected in the modeling insurers use in their underwriting decisions.
“We need to see a number of homes in a community (do the work) to have an impact on that model,” Becker acknowledged. “But it helps. Whether it’s cities or individuals, the people doing the work should get the reward.”
A 13-year-old boy riding an electric motorcycle in Garden Grove died after veering into the center median, flying into the air and then slamming onto the roadway, authorities said.
The crash took place shortly before 10 p.m. Thursday in the area of Magnolia Street and Larson Avenue, according to the Garden Grove Police Department. The Police Department received word of the incident via a call from Life360, a family safety and location-sharing app with emergency assistance features.
The Santa Ana teen was critically wounded in the crash, police said. He was loaded into an ambulance and taken to a hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
The boy was traveling at around 35 mph on a black E Ride Pro electric motorcycle when he struck the median and lost control of the vehicle, according to authorities. Electric motorcycles are primarily designed for off-road riding and are not legal to use on California roadways.
The teen’s death is the latest in a spate of serious collisions involving electric motorcycles and dirt bikes — some of which have led to serious injuries, death or charges for parents who allegedly allowed their minors to illegally ride the speedy devices.
An Orange County mother was charged with involuntary manslaughter last week after authorities said an 81-year-old Vietnam veteran died from injuries he suffered when her 14-year-old son slammed into him while riding an e-motorcycle, then fled the scene.
In April, a Yorba Linda father was charged with felony child endangerment after authorities alleged his son ran a red light and was hit by a car while riding a modified e-motorcycle capable of reaching up to 60 mph.
Last week, a 19-year-old riding an e-motorcycle was arrested on suspicion of felony evading police and felony reckless driving. He was accused of leading sheriff’s deputies on a speedy chase through a residential area of Oceanside, blowing past multiple red lights and knocking a deputy off a motorcycle.
Electric bikes, motorcycles and dirt bikes have surged in popularity in recent years and are especially popular among teens. However, while e-bikes generally top out at 28 mph and are legal to ride on the street, many e-motorcycles can go twice as fast and are generally not street legal.
Anyone who witnessed Thursday’s crash in Garden Grove or has a video of the incident is asked to contact Investigator Lang via phone at (714) 741-5823 or email at mlang@ggcity.org.
Top moments from CNN California governor debate recap
Breaking down key takeaways, highlights, and analysis from the CNN California governor debate, including standout moments and candidate contrasts.
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that newborn babies in California will start receiving free diapers as part of a new “first-in-the-nation” initiative to support families across the state with the rising cost of living.
Newsom, along with state leaders, met in San Francisco on Friday, May 8 to unveil California’s new partnership with Baby2Baby, a national nonprofit that provides diapers to children in need, and to explain how this new program will provide families with 400 “high-quality” diapers before they leave the hospital.
Over the last six years, families have seen the average cost of diapers increase by 45% or “thousands plus dollars a year,” which has made raising a family unattainable for some, Newsom said during the press conference.
“Every baby born in California deserves a healthy start in life — and that means making sure parents have the basics they need from day one,” Newsom said. “One out of four families skip meals in order to pay for diapers.”
“The biggest problem defined universally, in our cities, our state and our nation, is the issue of affordability. This is what affordability looks like; it’s not a slogan, it’s a box. A box of diapers,” Newsom added.
This new effort will be known as Golden State Start, as California uses its bulk purchasing power to obtain 40 million high-quality diapers in hopes of easing financial strain for families and supporting infant health by helping parents maintain an adequate supply of clean diapers.
“The first days at home with a newborn should be focused on the love, connection, and joy of an expanded family, not stress about affording diapers,” said Kim Johnson, secretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency. “This program helps ensure families can begin that journey with greater stability and peace of mind.”
The program is expected to start at the beginning of this summer in participating California hospitals. The list of participating hospitals was not released at the time of publication, but Newsom noted that the state was in talks with at least 60 hospitals across California.
During the first year of the program, CalRx and Baby2Baby noted that they would prioritize hospitals that serve large numbers of Medi-Cal patients to ensure low-income families benefit early from the program. The state plans to scale the program to additional hospitals and birthing centers over time.
Newsom noted that this program is expected to grow: In 2027, the state is set to purchase 80 million diapers from manufacturers, with the goal of eventually purchasing up to 160 million.
“California families deserve to feel supported during one of life’s more exciting, yet vulnerable transitions,” Jennifer Siebel Newsom, the first partner, said in a press release. “Golden State Start will deliver immediate relief, allowing parents to focus on what matters most — caring for their newborn. Together with Baby2Baby, we can ease the financial burden on California parents while supporting healthier outcomes for babies and their mothers.”
Noe Padilla is a Northern California Reporter for USA Today. Contact him at npadilla@usatodayco.com, follow him on X @1NoePadilla or on Bluesky @noepadilla.bsky.social. Sign up for the TODAY Californian newsletter or follow us on Facebook at TODAY Californian.
Nordstrom Rack will open two new Southern California stores next year.
The discount outlet said on Wednesday that it will open new stores in Marina del Rey in the spring of next year and in Torrance later that summer. The locations join 69 Nordstrom Rack locations already operating in the state.
“We’re excited to grow our footprint in the Los Angeles market and introduce new customers to the Nordstrom experience,” Gemma Lionello, president of Nordstrom Rack, said in a news release.
Nordstrom Rack is an outlet version of the upscale retailer Nordstrom, offering merchandise from top brands at a discount.
Bargain retailers have expanded in California recently, benefiting from increasingly cost-conscious customers, who are motivated to spend less by economic anxiety and inflation.
Discount outlets such as Ross, T.J. Maxx and Dollar General have capitalized on the tough economic times and experienced accelerated growth. Ross reported record sales in 2025, up 8% from the year prior.
Bargain retail stores have acquired a larger supply of discounted products by buying unsold merchandise from struggling high-end stores. Customers who feel destabilized financially by tariffs and global conflict have used the stores to try to find lower prices.
The new Nordstrom Rack storefronts will be in Marina Marketplace in Marina del Rey and Rolling Hills Plaza in Torrance.
“The Los Angeles retail market continues to see growth from retailers like Nordstrom looking for anchor space in vibrant areas,” Scott Burns, senior managing director for the company that manages Marina Marketplace, said in a news release.
The bargain outlet boom comes as department stores and malls struggle. Nordstrom, the upscale retailer, closed a Santa Monica location in July. Macy’s shuttered two California locations this year and will reduce its footprint by 30% in 2027.
Shopping malls across Southern California have also struggled to bring sales back as immigration raids continue to scare customers away.
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