Weather 
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — Amidst a roar of cheering support, Jane Kim declared victory Friday in California’s race for insurance commissioner, promising sweeping changes to a system she says has failed homeowners facing soaring premiums and shrinking coverage options.
“We are here to say no more. We are going to make insurance work for us again,” Kim told supporters.
The former San Francisco supervisor campaigned on creating a first-in-the-nation state-run disaster insurance program that would separate wildfire coverage from traditional homeowners insurance policies and place it into a nonprofit public fund.
“We are going to take on this three-trillion-dollar industry because they have been profiting for way too long by raising our premiums, canceling our coverage and fighting our claims,” Kim said.
Under her proposal, all California homeowners would have access to wildfire coverage through a publicly administered fund. Kim argues the model would prioritize policyholders over corporate profits.
“The idea is that every current homeowner would be covered, and it would be a nonprofit fund where premiums don’t have to go to CEO pay, shareholders and Super Bowl ads,” she said.
Kim’s victory comes after years of controversy surrounding outgoing Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara. 7 Eyewitness News has previously reported on scrutiny over Lara’s relationships with insurance industry executives and political donors as consumers across the state grappled with rising insurance costs and insurers retreating from high-risk wildfire areas.
Among those celebrating Kim’s apparent win were wildfire survivors such as Amy Robinson, whose family lost its home in Napa County’s Glass Fire in 2020.
“My community could only afford to rebuild three of the 10 homes that we lost,” Robinson said. “We have the double whammy now of extremely high building costs and insurance that gets devalued as you’re fighting the fight.”
While Kim’s proposals would likely require significant coordination with lawmakers and stakeholders, she expressed confidence that meaningful changes could happen quickly.
“This office is not a dictatorship,” Kim said. “We’re going to have to work with community leaders across the state to make our big ideas possible.”
Still, she predicted progress could come within her first year in office.
“I really believe we’re going to have some wins in our first year because there is a lot of work that can be done to make insurance more affordable, more available and more fair.”
Kim is expected to take office at a pivotal moment for California’s insurance market, as homeowners statewide continue to confront mounting wildfire risks and an industry in retreat.
© 2026 KGO-TV. All Rights Reserved.
