State Sen. Ben Allen of Santa Monica is a thoughtful legislator who takes the time to understand all sides of an issue. 

For the first time in history, California voters will choose between two Democrats in the November race for state insurance commissioner: Jane Kim, a former San Francisco supervisor and California director of the Working Families Party, and state Sen. Ben Allen of Santa Monica.

In the current populist climate, voters in deep-blue California may view the race’s lack of a Republican as an opportunity to throw caution to the wind and select a more radical candidate. 

In this case, that would be a terrible mistake. Here’s why:

Article continues below this ad

Ever since the wildfires of 2017 and 2018, California’s insurance market has been in a state of emergency, imperiling everything from affordable housing development to your ability to secure and maintain a mortgage. 

One key reason is Proposition 103, a 1988 ballot measure that established an onerous process for raising insurance rates in the name of protecting consumers. Everyone wants a cheaper bill, but Prop 103 prevented insurers from charging premiums that accounted for the mounting risks of climate change and soaring development in fire-prone areas. 

Unable to adequately price risk after the megafires, insurers stopped renewing policies, restricted new business or left California entirely. Desperate homeowners were forced onto the state’s Fair Access to Insurance Requirements Plan, which offers pricey, bare-bones coverage to people who can’t find it anywhere else. But private insurers are responsible for claims the FAIR Plan can’t afford — prompting them to restrict coverage even further.

The market has began to show signs of recovery as a series of emergency measures implemented by outgoing commissioner Ricardo Lara in 2023 have........

© San Francisco Chronicle