SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A former California Insurance Commissioner lobbed strong criticism Wednesday against current Commissioner Ricardo Lara.

“The current commissioner has failed his obligations to the consumers,” said Congressman John Garamendi (D-Fairfield), who served as California’s first elected Insurance Commissioner, from 1991-1995.

He spoke Wednesday on a virtual call with Dr. Martin Weiss, who is the founder of an independent rating agency; an Eaton Fire survivor; and the meeting’s host: an advocacy group called Unlocking America’s Future, which “is committed to exposing and combating the property insurance industry’s exploitation of policyholders,” according to its website.

 “The first commandment of the insurance industry is to pay as little, as late as possible,” Garamendi said.

The call comes as many homeowners continue to struggle to find available and affordable fire insurance for their house. ABC10 has been covering this growing crisis for more than six years now.

Commissioner Lara has put reforms into place, called the Sustainable Insurance Strategy. He and the California Department of Insurance argue—his reforms are working, slowly but surely, and the public will see their fruits more fully in 2026.

Garamendi criticized California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara for, what he calls failing to hold insurance companies accountable. He cited a new report out from Unlocking America’s Future.

“We’re releasing a new report that shows how insurance companies are pulling out of the state while simultaneously raising premiums to record levels and denying claims at rates we’ve never seen before,” said Kyle Herrig, with Unlocking America’s Future.

California’s state-mandated, insurance company-funded insurer of last resort, the FAIR Plan, has ballooned in the last several years, as many homeowners were left with no other choice. In the past year, on average, the FAIR Plan saw more than 20,000 people per month newly come onto the FAIR Plan.

ABC10 reached out to the California Department of Insurance for a response to all this.

They didn’t make anyone available for an interview but emailed ABC10 the following quote from Commissioner Lara, in part:

“Despite the misleading political attacks, major insurance companies are committing to stay and grow in California. This marks a major turning point. We will be getting people off the FAIR Plan. Consumers, homeowners, nonprofits, and small business are going to be able to get coverage on their own terms,” Lara said. “Our priority is to safeguard wildfire survivors from unfair and illegal insurer practices by ensuring a thorough review of complaints and facts related to potential violations, while facilitating the prompt payment of claims.”

Currently, six insurance companies, “including four of the state’s top homeowners carriers – Farmers, Mercury, CSAA, USAA, Pacific Specialty, and California Casualty,” the Department said, “have publicly committed to stay and grow in California.”

Lara encourages anyone who believes they’re experiencing unfair or illegal treatment from their insurer—to file a complaint with the Department. California’s Fair Claims Practices Act lays out strict rules for insurers, requiring prompt investigation and fair settlement of claims.

“Unfortunately,” Garamendi said, “it is of no use whatsoever unless there are some policemen out there and some judges that are willing to hold– to make that law a reality.”

The California FAIR Plan submitted a request to the Department of Insurance back in late September to raise its rates, on average, by 35.8%. The Department of Insurance says that application is still under review.

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