By admin 
Democrats Jane Kim and Ben Allen will compete in the general election for California insurance commissioner come November, according to the Associated Press, which called the race for the two candidates on Tuesday.
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By then, former San Francisco Board of Supervisors member Kim had received about 27% of the vote, with state Sen. Ben Allen trailing behind at about 20% of the vote, the AP reported. About 88% of ballots have been counted. The next closest candidate, Republican, Stacy Korsgaden, had about 16% of the vote.
It’s the first time that two Democrats will compete for the role, setting up a battle of competing visions in November for what has become one of the state’s most scrutinized jobs. The next commissioner will have to contend with rising rates and slashed policies, as well as the challenges created by widespread fires in the Los Angeles area last year.
Many people whose homes were damaged or destroyed fought their insurance companies over their claims, fueling frustration with carriers, as well as the current commissioner, Ricardo Lara, who was elected in 2018 and has now reached the position’s term limit.
The upcoming vacancy set off a competitive race between Kim and Allen, alongside a slew of other candidates.
Kim, who was endorsed by Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, has called for creating a public disaster insurance program and advocated for preventing companies from raising rates after someone files a home or auto insurance claim.
Both would be major changes for the state’s current insurance market.
“Voters are starving for a candidate that’s going to champion taking on the status quo and fighting for affordability across the state of California,” Kim told The Sacramento Bee on June 2, as early election results showed her pulling ahead.
Ben Allen, who represents Santa Monica, Malibu and other parts of western Los Angeles County, has called for less dramatic changes, including speeding up the time it takes to review requests by insurance companies to change their rates and expanding programs that help residents make their homes more fire-resistant.
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Allen said he welcomed a face-off with Kim.
“It will be good to have a robust policy discussion about how to improve the system for people,” he said, on June 2.
After the Democratic frontrunners came Korsgaden, a financial adviser. She was endorsed by the state Republican Party, and had called for rebuilding confidence in the state’s insurance market by encouraging innovation, capital investments and competition.
The victor in November will head up an agency that regulates the home, auto and healthcare policies offered to Californians. It’s responsible for licensing agents and brokers and investigating allegations of insurance fraud and company misconduct.
But dealing with the aftermath of fires in the state will likely remain a major part of the job.
In May, a Department of Insurance investigation accused State Farm of mishandling wildfire survivors’ claims, and sought penalties and corrective measures from the provider.
“Our investigation found that State Farm delayed, underpaid, and buried policyholders in red tape at the worst moment of their lives,” Lara wrote in a statement announcing the agency’s findings. “That is unacceptable, and we are taking decisive action to hold them accountable.”
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