Insurance Bill AB 1795 Advances After Fire Survivors Force Concessions

In May, fire survivors and advocates rallied against AB 1795 because the bill limited testing access for insurance policyholders. On Monday, June 8, Assemblymember Gipson pledged to amend the bill to include the contaminants listed in AB 1642 as necessary for testing policyholders’ standing homes after a WUI, add a rebuttable presumption that contamination found with wildfire debris was caused by the fire unless insurers prove otherwise, and expand the zone of presumed impact.

Because of those pledged amendments, the Assembly passed AB 1795 so it could move to the State Senate. These changes reflect sustained pressure from fire survivors demanding that insurers recognize chemical contamination as part of fire damage claims. However, there is still no promise that Gipson will remove the trade and industry standards clause, which could allow insurers to rely on “sight and sniff” evaluations instead of comprehensive testing. EFRU will continue advocating for removal of that provision as AB 1795 moves to the Senate Insurance Committee next week. Read the recent Politico article on the two bills jockeying for position.
Action: Stay tuned for updates from EFRU on the status of this bill to participate in future calls to action. Add your name to the opposition letter.