On December 12, RCRC, CSAC, and the League of Cities jointly responded to a solicitation from California Earthquake Authority seeking stakeholder input on a variety of topics related to the accessibility and affordability of property insurance; potential changes to the scope of wildfire liability; and strategies to reduce wildfire risk in California.
The joint local governments pushed back against suggested changes limiting liability for wildfire damages, including changes to inverse condemnation, limiting damages recoverable by local governments, limiting liability beyond the wildfire perimeter, and establishing an aggregate liability cap for each wildfire.
The submission also emphasized the need for greater transparency in insurer’s risk portfolios by having a public catastrophe model, rather than individual proprietary models, and stressed the need for a California community-wide wildfire risk reduction certification program. Additionally, the submission called for additional wildfire mitigation, fuel reduction, home hardening, and vegetation management to reduce liability.
The California Earthquake Authority will consider stakeholder comments as it prepares recommendations to the Legislature in the Spring of 2026. RCRC, CSAC, and Cal Cities will continue to engage with the Authority and the Legislature as they consider and implement the recommendations.
Read the full letter HERE.
For more information, contact RCRC Senior Policy Advocate, John Kennedy.