Fire insurance town hall in Auburn Aug 28

Hosted at Gold Country Fairgrounds Placer Hall

AUBURN, Calif. – Placer County will host California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara for a community town hall Aug. 28 in Auburn on the fire insurance challenges facing many Placer residents.

The event will start at 6 p.m. at Gold Country Fairgrounds’ Placer Hall.

A presentation on available resources for affected homeowners and actions taken both locally and at the state level will be followed by a moderated question-and-answer session with the commissioner.

“Our foothills and mountain communities are being hit especially hard by the increasing unaffordability of insurance, so we’re grateful to Commissioner Lara that he’s putting his focus where it’s most needed,” said District 5 Supervisor Cindy Gustafson.

“This is a unique and important opportunity for us to have a conversation about the challenges so many of us are facing,” said District 3 Supervisor Jim Holmes. “This is the time for our residents to get their questions answered and make their voices heard.”

After years of drought and extreme wildfires, many Placer County residents are reporting steep increases in their homeowner insurance premiums or even nonrenewals.

While local governments don’t have any jurisdiction or control over insurance rates, Placer County continues to work with our residents facing these issues to better advocate for solutions at the state and federal levels.

The Placer County Board of Supervisors sent a letter to the commissioner on July 9 seeking assistance with the lack of available and affordable fire insurance for residents living in fire-prone areas. Placer also sought better information on the scale of the problem to inform further advocacy efforts through a fire insurance survey, set to close Aug. 18.

In a meeting with county leaders Aug. 7, Lara announced that the Department of Insurance intends to send strike teams to areas across California, including Placer County, that are being impacted by insurance nonrenewals. These strike teams will help affected homeowners by connecting them to available resources and assist local government with assessing and responding to insurance issues.

“I am excited to return to Placer County and bring the Department’s Insurance Strike Team to assist residents with the insurance issues they are facing in the wake of the recent wildfires,” said Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara. “We are committed to working throughout the state to assist residents with insurance issues like non-renewals and lack of affordability, which have become an escalating concern.”

Event Details

What: Fire insurance town hall with California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara
When: Aug. 28, 6 p.m.
Where: Placer Hall, Gold County Fairgrounds; 1273 High Street,Auburn, CA 95603
Parking: Available only in the fairgrounds parking lot at 209 Fairgate Road, Auburn, CA 95603