Jane Kim pitches single‑payer disaster plan

Jane Kim is running for California insurance commissioner with a proposal to move disaster coverage toward a state-run model rather than leave wildfire risk primarily to private carriers. Kim, a former San Francisco supervisor, has described the idea as “Natural Disaster Insurance for All” and said it would guarantee affordable coverage for climate-related disasters, according to her campaign and voter-guide statements. California’s insurance market has become a central issue in the 2026 race as homeowners have faced nonrenewals, higher premiums and growing reliance on the FAIR Plan, the state’s insurer of last resort. ### What exactly is Kim proposing? Jane Kim’s campaign says her plan would guarantee universal, affordable coverage for climate-related disasters through a public program. CalMatters described the proposal as “natural disaster insurance for all,” while KQED’s voter guide said Kim wants a statewide affordable disaster insurance program modeled on systems in France and New Zealand. Ballotpedia’s March 12 race overview said Kim supports a state-run plan called Disaster Insurance for All, and quoted her website saying a public insurer would invest in prevention and resiliency while the public would benefit from fewer claims. (janekim.org) CapRadio reported on April 10 that Kim proposed a single-payer public disaster insurance program run by the state that would guarantee coverage. ### Why is this idea surfacing now? California’s FAIR Plan said its total policies in force reached 684,388 as of March 2026, up 152% from September 2022. The plan also said its total exposure reached $750 billion, up 242% from September 2022. KQED’s voter guide said years of fires and inflation led insurers to pull back from California or seek large rate increases. The same guide said the swelling number of homeowners on the FAIR Plan has become a central issue in the race to replace Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara, who is term-limited. (news.ballotpedia.org) ### How does Kim frame the problem? Jane Kim said in her January 21 campaign launch that Californians were being hit by rising costs while insurers raised premiums, canceled coverage and denied claims. (cfpnet.com) Her campaign said the current market “does not work for all Californians” and argued that climate-related disaster coverage should be broadly guaranteed rather than left to a private market built around avoiding losses. (kqed.org) The American Prospect reported on May 14 that Kim wants to borrow from other countries to address California’s homeowners’ insurance crisis. That article described her approach as a more structural redesign of disaster coverage than the incremental changes proposed elsewhere in the race. ### What are the other candidates offering instead? (janekim.org) Ben Allen, a Democratic state senator, told KQED he wants to reduce rates by reducing risk, expand grants and financing for home hardening, and modernize rate-setting and reviews. Steven Bradford, a former state senator, said artificially suppressing rates would drive insurers away and called for faster review of rate changes and more investment in wildfire mitigation and resilience. (prospect.org) Merritt Farren, a Republican candidate, told KQED he wants a state-backed reinsurance program to replace the FAIR Plan and ensure full payouts within 30 days after total losses. CapRadio reported that candidate proposals in the race range from a public disaster insurance program to more money for neighborhood fire-hardening efforts. ### Can the insurance commissioner do this alone? (kqed.org) California’s insurance commissioner regulates insurers and sets rules for the market, but a full state-run disaster insurance system would almost certainly require action beyond the commissioner’s office. KQED said voters are choosing the state’s chief insurance regulator, while Kim’s own framing presents the proposal as a broader redesign of how disaster risk is financed. That suggests any fully realized version would depend on cooperation from the Legislature and governor, in addition to the commissioner’s office. (kqed.org) The California Secretary of State’s voter guide lists the June 2, 2026 primary, and Ballotpedia said the top two finishers will advance to the November 3 general election. The insurance commissioner race is open because Ricardo Lara is term-limited and leaving office. (voterguide.sos.ca.gov) (kqed.org)