July 2025
NEWS
Vol 9 No 6
Desmond hosts fire insurance ‘town hall’
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By DAVID ROSS “Fire insurance has become one of the most urgent issues facing homeowners in Southern California—it’s probably the number one topic my office hears about every single week,” declared 5th District Supervisor Jim Desmond at his recent insurance “town hall.” “Unfortunately, we can’t fix this at the County level.” He continued, “The authority rests with the State on this issue. But that doesn’t mean we’re just going to stand by. Over the past year we’ve heard from residents who have been seeing their premiums skyrocket. I’ve seen my own people dropped from coverage or forced into the FAIR plan. For some insurance is no longer affordable or even available. Clearly the current system isn’t working but it’s time for real solutions.” Desmond hosted a “virtual” informative session with Sharon Smith, outreach analyst with the California Dept. of Insurance. She discussed what the State is doing to address the crisis and provide relief. Several factors have contributed to the crisis: • Growing climate change threats • Historic inflation • Several insurers stopped writing and non-renewed policy holders despite the approval of multiple rate increases • Accelerated Fair Plan growth • Fewer options and higher costs • Outdated decades old regulations Smith has worked on this issue for two years. “I’m sure we’re all experiencing to some degree the effect of insurers leaving the state or increased premiums,” she said. Although the crisis seemingly happened “overnight,” several key factors drove the change. One is the “severity and frequency of natural disasters” and rising inflation—”which has really put stress on the insurance industry nationwide. Not just in California, but elsewhere. Also, the cost of rebuilding homes and business destroyed have surged. “We have rising prices for materials, labor shortages and supply chain disruptions,” she said. Insurance companies also buy insurance to mitigate their risk of operating in high risk areas and THAT has become more expensive. In addition, the insurance market is contracting to protect financial stability. “We’re starting see these ripple effects,” she said. She emphasized that insurance companies are not public utilities or nonprofits. “They’re looking to make a profit and they’re not legally required to offer coverage.” The insurance regulatory framework passed by California voters in 1988 hasn’t kept pace with the changing insurance market, she said. The Insurance Commissioner is working to modern-
Royce Williams next to one of the types of plane he flew during his encounter with seven Russian MiGs in 1952. The four planes he shot down are noted on the side of the plane. Photo courtesy of South Dakota Public Broadcasting
Local pilot could get Medal of Honor under new bill
Captain Royce Williams, 100, a Hidden Meadows resident who singlehandedly downed several Russian MiG fighters in a secret, untold battle of the Korean War, could finally be given recognition for his heroic feat through a bill being proposed by 48th District Congressman Darrell Issa. The Congressional Medal of Honor may be awarded for acts of valor above and beyond the call of duty that occurred decades ago because of Issa’s proposed legislation. The Valor Has No Expiration Act extends and expands a key provision from the 1996 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that waived the five-year limitation for Medal of Honor consideration—but only for actions occurring between 1940 and 1990, and only for classified “intelligence activities.” Rep. Issa’s bill specifically removes this arbitrary end date and expands the criteria to include acts ize these outdated regulations. With assistance from the governor through an executive order to create a “sustainable insurance strategy.” This introduced regulatory reforms aimed at increasing availability for all Californians by creating a more resilient insurance market and protecting communities from the growing risk of climate change. The key initiatives, said Smith, “include streamlining and improving the department’s rate application approval process to reduce the delays we experience and ensure that insurers are able to adjust to changing market conditions more efficiently.” The second thing they did was to introduce catastrophe modeling to enable insurers to assess risk more accurately and account for wildfire mitigation ef-
that were classified or withheld from public record. Current law states that servicemembers must be recommended and awarded within five years. “Valor never expires – and neither should the opportunity for our bravest heroes to be recognized with our highest honor,” said Rep. Issa. “There is no reason why those who went above and beyond are ineligible for the Medal of Honor due to an arbitrary time standard, when their true account may not be known or was kept classified for decades.” Rep. Issa specifically cited his friend and constituent Royce Williams as both the inspiration and example of why the Act is necessary. In 1952 during the Korean Conflict, then-Lieutenant Williams engaged in one of the most dramatic and heroic dogfights in U.S. history, single-handedly taking on and downing multiple Soviet MiG-15 fighters. His action,
however, was kept classified for more than 50 years before becoming public, which made Williams ineligible for the Medal of Honor. “Captain Royce Williams – now 100 years young —is an American hero of the highest order. Every American should know his story and what he did on that day nearly 73years ago should go unrecognized no longer,” said Rep. Issa. “With this reform legislation, America’s heroes – whether undiscovered, unknown, or unrevealed – can be honored as they should. Acts of valor have no expiration date.” Issa’s 48th Congressional District encompasses the central and eastern parts of San Diego County and a portion of Riverside County, including the communities of Fallbrook, Valley Center, Ramona, Escondido, Santee, Lakeside, Poway, Temecula, Murrieta, and the mountain and desert areas of the San Diego-Imperial County line.
forts—all aimed to increase insurance proval process. By statute this must availability in wildfire distressed areas. happen within 180 days of receipt, “but “We’ve required insurance compathis almost never happens.” Typically nies to write more policies in high risk reviews take over a year to approve, zones if they want to use these new due to multiple factors. “Sometimes insurers submit incomplete applications tools and ensure that Californians have needing back and forth exchanges that access to more traditional insurance options,” she said. INSURANCE See Page 9 The inefficient insurance regulations came about through the adoption of Prop. 103 in 1988. Which created a review proFourth of July Celebration cess. Anytime an Parade & Events insurance company Friday, July 4th,, 10am – Noon wants to raise rates Parade Starts at 11am they go through Lower Lot - Boulder Oaks Golf Course an application ap-
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