A state official confirmed Tuesday the California Department of Insurance is adding a handful of Santa Clarita Valley ZIP codes to the recently announced moratorium from California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara.
Lara announced a fire-insurance moratorium Jan. 10 in response to concerns about fires that surrounded the SCV, while L.A. County 5th District Supervisor Kathryn Barger said at the time that questions about fire insurance were the No. 1 concern from her constituents.
As of Tuesday, the moratorium now includes residents impacted by the Hughes Fire, specifically those in ZIP codes 91354, 91355, 91381, 91383, 91384, 91390, 93040, 93222, 93225, 93243 and 93532, according to a text message Tuesday from Assemblywoman Pilar Schiavo, D-Chatsworth.
Schiavo mentioned Thursday ahead of Friday’s deadline for introducing new bills that the focus of her legislative effort was on fire recovery, but also that Lara’s office had indicated the SCV would be added.
Kris Hough, a field representative for Sen. Suzette Martinez Valladares, R-Acton, also mentioned the ongoing conversations with the insurance commissioner in a recent virtual meeting with Castaic residents.
Valladares issued a statement Tuesday afternoon via email from Ashley Giovannettone, her communications director:
“The fires throughout Los Angeles County were devastating and the Hughes Fire was an immediate threat to our community,” Valladares said in the release. “My constituents are already grappling with unaffordable insurance premiums, and the uncertainty of having coverage is unsettling for our families when faced with the instability the fires have caused.”
Lara’s moratorium was announced before the Eaton and Palisades fires broke out, which burned more than 37,000 acres and killed 27, as well as the Hughes and Lidia fires, which more directly impacted the SCV but caused less-significant damage.
However, SCV residents brought up the issue as to whether they could be included in the moratorium at a recent Castaic Area Town Council meeting, after many began to receive notices about their policies being canceled.
Lara said in January his top priority is making sure Californians receive the insurance benefits they’re entitled to as soon as possible.
It’s not the first time he’s issued such a moratorium, which also happened during the Route Fire in 2022. The bulletin also stated if additional ZIP codes are determined to be within or adjacent to a fire perimeter subject to this declared state of emergency, the department may issue a supplemental bulletin adding such additional ZIP codes to the moratorium against cancellations and non-renewals.
On Jan. 10, he ordered a retroactive withdrawal of any policy-cancellation notices that might have been sent out between Oct. 9 and Jan. 7, a roughly 90-day period before the fires.
“Your insurance company should do the right thing and retain you as a valued policyholder,” he said at the time.
Lara also said he ordered a moratorium on policy cancellations and non-renewals for up to one year as a way to help affected homeowners in the areas impacted by fires.
New fire maps
The Office of the Fire Marshal is expected to release its new fire maps next month for the Local Responsibility Area, which depict where the state considers wildfire control the responsibility of local agencies, such as the L.A. County Fire Department.
Maria Grycan, community liaison for the L.A. County Fire Department, mentioned the pending maps and updates about what’s expected for the area, during a Castaic Area Town Council meeting in January. But she also said county fire officials haven’t seen the maps yet, as a formal “protest period” starts once the maps are released to the public, which is expected March 24 for L.A. County.
The maps have important implications for property owners, particularly those wrestling with insurance-policy cancellations.
“Ultimately what I think is going to happen with these LRA maps is … there were … just little pockets within Castaic that had no designation as to a fire zone,” Grycan told the council at its Jan. 15 meeting, adding it was a small portion of the community.
She said Chief Pat Sprengel is anticipating that part to be added to fire zones, which are given four ratings: very high, high, moderate and low.
Residents can go to the Department of Insurance website to see if their ZIP code is included in the mandatory moratorium: bit.ly/41wTUNK. Homeowners can also call the Department of Insurance at 800-927-4357 if they believe their insurance company is in violation of this law or have additional claims-related questions.
