Homeowners pack Orinda town hall amid insurance crisis

ORINDA, Calif. (KRON) — The homeowners’ insurance crisis is hitting the community of Orinda hard. Major insurance providers like State Farm have already started canceling policies — citing wildfire danger.

The city hosted a town hall for community members to ask questions about their insurance policies. KRON4 spoke with residents afterward to see if it was helpful.

Many homeowners in Orinda say they have either been dropped from their homeowners insurance or are on the brink of that. They tell me they are desperate for answers and solutions.

“That’s basically why I came,” Orinda homeowner Herb Brown said. “To see if my worst fears were realized and they are.”

Brown is one of thousands of Bay Area homeowners experiencing the statewide homeowners insurance crisis firsthand. He’s lived in Orinda for 30 years and recently got told by his home insurance provider that he is being dropped this fall.

“I don’t have a plan right now,” he said.

Brown and more than a hundred others packed into the library auditorium Wednesday night for a town hall with the State Department of Insurance and Orinda Mayor Darlene Gee.

“We have been very hard hit, we were one of the hardest hit communities, but it’s very emotional,” Gee said.

Insurance providers say they are not renewing thousands of policies due to wildfire risk. State Farm alone is set to cancel 30,000 policies statewide — nearly 2,000 of them in Orinda.

“Since I’m not going to be renewed come August 1st,” said Maria Waterman. “Maybe my home will burn down before August at least then I’ll still be insured. So that’s how desperate we all are.”

The state does offer a policy for homeowners who are unable to get insured in the marketplace. It’s supposed to be a temporary safety net, but the commissioners’ office says 1,000 people are applying for it every day.

The deputy commissioner explained the state’s ongoing plan to stabilize the insurance market. The California Sustainable Insurance Strategy includes requiring insurance companies to write no less than 85 percent of homes and businesses in distressed areas identified by the insurance commissioner.

The state hopes to complete several reforms by December of this year. Some say that’s too late.

Another reason people say they are frustrated in Orinda is because this community spends a lot of time and money to mitigate fire risk yet people are being dropped from their insurance companies.

The city is holding the second annual wildfire prevention safety fair this Saturday at the community park. The full insurance town hall meeting in Orinda can be viewed HERE.