California Farm Bureau President Jamie Johansson praised the California State Assembly for the recent passage of S. 505 to expand the California FAIR Plan’s insurance “clearinghouse” program, the state’s insurer of last resort, according to a news release.
The state Senate previously passed S. 505, which now heads to Gov. Gavin Newsom for signature. California Farm Bureau and the California Department of Insurance co-sponsored the bill, which will allow commercial policies under the FAIR plan to move back to the competitive market with coverage protecting farming and ranching operations. The bill was brought forward by state Sen. Susan Rubio, D-Baldwin Park, the release said.
“Farmers and ranchers have truly felt the pain of California’s insurance crisis,” Johansson said in the release. “Many lost their insurance after devastating California wildfires. We earlier worked with Sen. Rubio to help them gain access to coverage under the FAIR plan. Now we thank her for her leadership on SB 505, which will help those farmers and ranchers — and all Californians — gain access to affordable residential and commercial property insurance.
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“Our farmers and ranchers want to focus on producing America’s food supply, not on trying to become experts in procuring what was once routine insurance coverage,” Johansson continued. “We urge Gov. Newsom to support them by signing this important legislation.”
Rubio carried S. 11 — signed into law in 2021 — on behalf of California Farm Bureau, which represents nearly 29,000 farms and ranches in The Golden State. The legislation allowed agricultural properties to get fire insurance coverage under the FAIR Plan.
More on these topics: California | Governmental Regulations | Wildfires
