Cal State Fullerton’s 24-hour day of giving supports student success

• March 12, 2025

On Wednesday, Cal State Fullerton will host the sixth annual Titans Give event, a 24-hour-long day of giving that supports student success, campus programs and other transformative opportunities.

Over the past five years, Titans Give has raised nearly $2.5 million in donations that fund a wide range of scholarships, student clubs and other areas of need on campus. In 2024, more than 2,700 donors gave over $700,000, and based on the overwhelming response from the community, the goals for this year’s event are even higher.

“Our aim this year is to raise $720,000 from 2,900 donors,” said CSUF Director of Annual Giving Grace Johnson. “Our Titan community showed up in a really big way (last year). … It’s growing, and people feel like they know what this is. It feels really established, and we feel we can do something really big this year.”

To help bring awareness of the event to the campus community, Titan Walk will be lined with posters sharing the some of the tangible ways Titans Give has already made an impact. Some of the recipients of gifted funds include students from the College of Communications who traveled to Paris last summer to cover the Olympics. Money raised from the annual event also supports a variety of annual scholarships that provide life-changing financial assistance to students.

“We’re seeing donors that have either been recipients of scholarships or people that know exactly how much a scholarship can mean in the life of a student,” Johnson said. “Our goal at Cal State Fullerton is always to provide the highest quality accessible education possible, so scholarships help on that front.”

Titans Give donations also help support a number of basic needs resources on campus, including CSUF Basic Needs Services and the ASI Food Pantry, both of which provide support for students facing unforeseen hardships.

“Those are really critical services in helping a student stay on track toward graduation,” Johnson said. “Basic needs funding is something that no matter what happens to a student, we have things in place to support them.”

Throughout the 24-hour event, donors will have the opportunity to have their gift matched thanks to the support of a number of corporations and organizations, including the 7 Leaves Café Midnight Match that will provide up to $5,000 in matching funds beginning at midnight and the Anaheim Ducks $10,000 matching gift beginning at 6 p.m.

Additionally, PepsiCo is providing several matching opportunities up to $50,000 that can be unlocked throughout the day, including the 50 States Challenge, the Alumni Donor Challenge and the Champion Challenge.

“It’s 24 hours to launch opportunities and make the students and our Titan community be able to achieve things they have wanted to do but just needed our support to make happen,” Johnson said.

On campus near Titan Shops from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., students can engage in the Lunch Hour Lift Off event where they can grab a bite to eat and participate in helping to select a cause to receive a $1,000 donation.

And from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., the community is encouraged to gather at Bigs Fullerton Bar & Grill for a happy hour event with a special menu and prizes for attendees.

“During such a significant moment, it’s great that we can celebrate, toast the day and honor what is happening,” Johnson said. “Having fun with alumni, friends and the community and just being part of the moment is significant.”

Titans Give kicks off at midnight on Wednesday and until 11:59 p.m., donors can visit titansgive.fullerton.edu to make a contribution toward their area of choice. With nearly 150 programs, centers, scholarships and clubs participating in the fundraising event, donors can support the causes that matter to them the most.

Those who wish to support multiple areas can split their gift across different programs within one donation. If a specific cause is not listed, donors are encouraged to write in their area of support. And for donors without a specific cause in mind, their gift can be designated to the Titan Fund, which directs donations to the areas of greatest need across campus.

“We’re launching opportunities … and when we back them on this day with our donations and our support, we make it possible,” Johnson said.

The minimum gift amount is $5, and all donations are tax-deductible through the Cal State Fullerton Philanthropic Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. No matter the cause or the amount, every Titans Give gift makes an immeasurable impact on the lives of the students it supports.

“We all recognize we have a journey that got us here, and people were supporting us along the way,” Johnson said. “We are a community that works together, and we achieve things together, so a day of giving is another opportunity to do that, to uplift Titan students in our community and help their journey be successful.”

​ Orange County Register 

Clippers’ win streak stopped by Zion Williamson, Pelicans

• March 12, 2025

NEW ORLEANS — In their quest to try to avoid the Play-In Tournament, the Clippers can’t afford to squander games against draft lottery-bound teams.

They did just that to begin their three-game Eastern trip, erasing all of a 21-point first-half deficit before falling to the New Orleans Pelicans, 127-120, on Tuesday night. Zion Williamson had his second career triple-double (22 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds) just 11 days after recording his first one as the Pelicans snapped a four-game slide.

Kawhi Leonard scored a game-high 29 points and James Harden added 25 points and 17 assist for the Clippers (35-30), who had won three straight but didn’t take their first lead until Ivica Zubac dunked off a Harden lob with 5:08 left in third quarter. Zubac had 19 points and 11 rebounds, while Kris Dunn and Derrick Jones Jr. each scored 11 points.

Clippers coach Tyronn Lue missed his second straight game because of back pain, with assistant coach Brian Shaw again assuming his duties for the night.

The Pelicans (18-48) built their big first-half cushion when the Clippers missed 13 of their first 14 3-point attempts, then rallied back in front late in the third quarter and held off the Clippers thanks in large part to Williamson. The athletic, 6-foot-6, 280-pound forward had 10 points, five rebounds and five assists in the fourth quarter, invigorating the crowd with one clutch play after another.

CJ McCollum had 23 points and seven assists and Trey Muphy III added 21 points for New Orleans, highlighted by his reverse alley-oop dunk off of a McCollum lob. Rookie center Karlo Matkovic chipped in 15 points, Jose Alvarado scored 14 and Bruce Brown scored 12.

The Clippers cut the Pelicans’ lead to 10 points by halftime. A Nicolas Batum 3-pointer capped a 7-0 run that got them within 65-62 early in the third quarter, but New Orleans built its lead back to seven points before Leonard made two 3-pointers and Harden sank one during an 11-2 run that gave the visitors their first lead of the game, 77-75.

New Orleans scored the next five points and the lead changed hands two more times before Murphy made two 3-pointers and McCollum hit one. Then Williamson converted on a coast-to-coast drive and dunk for a 98-90 lead in the final seconds of the third – and threw a couple triumphant punches at the padding under the basket, setting the tone for his dominant finish.

Alvarado made 3-pointers to start and finish a 12-3 run as New Orleans expanded its lead to 17. The Clippers chipped away and got back within four with 2:33 left, but Williamson responded by scoring on a drive.

The Clippers got within three before Williamson made two free throws and fed Alvarado for a layup with 24 seconds left that made it 123-116.

The Pelicans built an 11-point lead before the Clippers trimmed the margin to 28-21 at the end of the first quarter.

New Orleans used a 15-2 run that featured seven straight points from Matkovic to produce a 20-point lead. The Clippers crept within 13 points before Alvarado made two 3-pointers and the Pelicans seized their biggest lead at 55-34.

The Pelicans shot 55% from the field, including a 17-for-31 showing from 3-point range, to go with a 46-34 rebounding advantage.

The Clippers shot 49.5% overall and 14 for 42 from behind the arc but probably didn’t do enough with 19 Pelicans turnovers.

UP NEXT

The Clippers visit Miami on Wednesday at 5 p.m. PT.

​ Orange County Register 

Tiger Woods has surgery on ruptured Achilles, will likely miss Masters

• March 11, 2025

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Tiger Woods announced he had a less invasive surgery for a ruptured Achilles tendon on Tuesday, yet another injury that would seem likely to keep him out of the Masters and perhaps other major championships this year.

Woods posted the development on his social media accounts without detailing how long he expected to be out.

“As I began to ramp up my own training and practice at home, I felt a sharp pain in my left Achilles, which was deemed to be ruptured,” Woods said.

He said he had minimally invasive Achilles tendon repair for a ruptured tendon that the doctor said went smoothly. Such surgeries involve smaller incisions, and the recovery time is quicker. But most recoveries take a month before someone can even put weight on their foot.

Woods said he would focus on rehab and recovery.

The Masters is April 10-13. Woods set the Masters record last year by making the cut for the 24th time in a row. But he has not competed outside of his indoor league — except for 18 holes of the Seminole Pro-Member last week — since missing the cut in the British Open last summer.

​ Orange County Register 

Olympian Caroline Marks, surf champion Tomson and Surfrider to receive SIMA honors

• March 11, 2025

Caroline Marks has earned a world title and an Olympic gold medal — and now she will be honored as “Waterperson of the Year.”

The Surf Industry Members Association recently announced the honor for the San Clemente-based surfer, as well as a Lifetime Achievement award for ’70s surf champion Shaun Tomson and Environmentalist of the Year honors for nonprofit Surfrider Foundation.

The industry association will hand out the awards at this year’s Waterman’s Ball, which will return to The Ranch in Laguna Beach in June after being held the last few years in Huntington Beach. The change in dates and location aligns for when the world’s best surfers are in town for a World Surf League event, the Lexus Trestles Pro, to be held just south of San Clemente at Lower Trestles. 

The Waterman’s Ball is not just a celebration of surfing, but a powerful reminder of the “responsibility we all share in protecting the oceans and the sport we love,” said SIMA Executive Director Vipe Desai.  

“This year’s event is a testament to the surf industry’s dedication to preserving our environment for future generations,” he said. “We’re excited to honor those who have made a lasting impact on both surfing and ocean conservation, and we look forward to another unforgettable evening of unity, inspiration, and action.”

The Waterman’s Ball started in the late ’90s, a way for the surf industry to gather to raise funds for organizations benefiting ocean health and the environment. Through the years, more than $10 million in grant funds have been given to groups such as the Ocean Institute, Surfrider Foundation, Heal the Bay, WildCoast and Save The Waves Coalition, said Desai.

Marks’ honor comes following several stand-out years, with a world championship in 2023 and Olympic gold last year. It was her second Olympic appearance, the Florida-born surfer also competed at the first-ever event for Team USA in Japan in 2021.

“Talk about an incredible story,” Desai said. “She is surfing’s Wonder Woman. We are just incredibly proud of her as an industry, but also what she’s doing for women’s surfing. She’s continuing to elevate the sport on a global scale. What an incredible couple of years for her.”

Tomson’s award isn’t just for his competitive legacy from the ’70s era, but also for his work that continues to this day as an entrepreneur, environmentalist and motivational speaker. The renowned author not only works with large corporations, but also travels to schools across the country to share messages of positivity.

Tomson in 2002 earned the SIMA Environmentalist of the Year. He was Surfrider’s first pro surfer spokesperson when the organization formed near Malibu, helping the nonprofit grow in the early years.

“It says a lot about what he’s accomplished, but also more importantly what’s given back and what he continues to do,” Desai said. “He’s such a good voice and ambassador and a spokesperson and advocate.”

Desai said Tomson embodies the “aloha spirit” of Duke Kahanamoku, considered the grandfather of modern-day surfing.

“He is such an advocate for our sport,” Desai said.

Tomson wrote the book “Surfer’s Code,” which compares life to surfing and the lessons learned along the way, and for years has done motivational speaking tours at businesses and schools centered around the book and others he has written, all aimed at inspiring others.

Surfrider Foundation is often on the list of recipients that benefit from the Waterman’s Ball, but this year the nonprofit will take center stage as an honoree “for its four-decade-long commitment to protecting coastlines and surf breaks.”

Last year, the foundation marked its 40th anniversary, a major milestone that made the timing just right to officially recognize its work, Desai said.

“You look at their victories around the world, their advocacy, the grassroots movement — they’ve literally been on the front line to protect our industry,” he said. “Without a healthy ocean, the surf industry can not exist. Surfrider has been doing this important work on the front lines.”

The Waterman’s Ball happens June 13 at The Ranch in Laguna Beach. For more information, visit watermansweekend.org.

​ Orange County Register 

Appeals court won’t lift block on Trump’s executive order attempting to end birthright citizenship

• March 11, 2025

By REBECCA BOONE

A third appellate court has upheld a block on President Donald Trump’s executive order limiting birthright citizenship.

The 1st Circuit Court of Appeals made the ruling Tuesday, denying a motion from Trump’s legal team to immediately overturn a block issued by a federal judge in Massachusetts.

Trump’s executive order would block automatic citizenship for any child born in the U.S. to someone who is in the country illegally, as well as children born to someone with temporary legal status if the child’s father is not a citizen or legal permanent resident.

Roughly two dozen states have sued over the executive order, which they say violates the Constitution’s 14th Amendment promise of citizenship to anyone born inside U.S. borders.

But Trump’s legal team argues the Amendment, ratified 157 years ago after the end of the Civil War, only confers citizenship to people born under the jurisdiction of the United States — and they say jurisdiction isn’t always the same thing as being born on American soil.

At least half a dozen lawsuits over the order have been filed across the U.S. so far, though some of them have been consolidated. So far, judges have blocked Trump’s order in six of them while those cases move forward. Two cases are still awaiting rulings on requests to block the order, and one case has been placed on hold.

In Tuesday’s ruling, the appellate panel did not weigh in on the overall legality of the lower court’s block, but said that Trump’s attorneys didn’t prove that the block should be lifted right now.

The decision came in a pair of consolidated cases brought by New Jersey and 19 other states as well as organizations representing immigrants and a pregnant woman who is in the country legally with temporary protected status.

Attorneys representing the Trump administration had asked the circuit court to overturn the block placed by U.S. District Judge Leo Sorokin in Massachusetts, arguing that New Jersey and the other states and organizations that sued didn’t have the legal right, or standing, to bring the lawsuit in the first place.

But 1st U.S. Circuit Chief Judge David Barron, writing for the unanimous panel, said the government didn’t make any “developed argument” about why Trump’s executive order should be found legal.

The administration’s attorneys also failed to convince the court that the states and other plaintiffs lacked standing, Barron wrote. He cited the lower court’s finding that the states would suffer irreparable harm if the order went into effect, while blocking the order simply maintains the status quo.

​ Orange County Register 

The US agency that monitors weather will cut another 1,000 jobs, AP sources say

• March 11, 2025

By SETH BORENSTEIN

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is starting another round of job cuts — this one more than 1,000 — at the nation’s weather, ocean and fisheries agency, four people familiar with the matter tell The Associated Press.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Tuesday began plans to lay off 10% of its current workforce, people inside and outside the agency said, with some of them requesting anonymity due to fear of retribution. The numbers were presented to NOAA employees and managers were asked to submit names of positions for layoffs to agency headquarters, which will then go to NOAA’s parent agency, the Department of Commerce, on Wednesday, the people said.

Three former senior NOAA officials — two former political appointees from the Biden administration — who speak regularly with managers at their old agency used the same number for upcoming job cuts: 1,029, 10% of the current 10,290. They talked to multiple people still in NOAA and a current agency worker detailed the cuts that a manager explained to employees.

While most people know about NOAA and its daily weather forecasts, the agency also monitors and warns about hurricanes, tornadoes, floods and tsunamis, manages the country’s fisheries, runs marine sanctuaries, provides navigation information to ships and observes changes in the climate and oceans. The agency also plays a role in warning about avalanches and space weather that could damage the electrical grid. It helps respond to disasters, including oil spills.

The new cuts come after earlier rounds of Trump administration firings and encouraged retirements at NOAA, plus the elimination of nearly all new employees last month. After this upcoming round of cuts, NOAA will have eliminated about one out of four jobs since President Donald Trump took office in January.

“This is not government efficiency,” said former NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad. “It is the first steps toward eradication. There is no way to make these kinds of cuts without removing or strongly compromising mission capabilities.”

The cuts are being ordered without specific guidance from the Trump administration on how or where, which makes it even worse, Spinrad said.

NOAA spokeswoman Monica Allen said the agency’s policy is not to discuss internal personnel matters, but said NOAA will “continue to provide weather information, forecasts and warnings pursuant to our public safety mission.”

NOAA has already stopped releasing some weather balloons that gather crucial observations for forecasts in two locations — Albany, New York, and Gray, Maine — because of lack of staffing, the agency said last week.

This is all happening as severe storm system is forecast to move through the central and southern parts of the nation late this week in a multi-day outburst with strong tornadoes, hail and damaging winds expected.

Weather forecasts will worsen and “people are going to start seeing this very quickly,” warned former NOAA chief scientist Craig McLean. It will also limit how much commercial fishermen will be able to catch, he said.

On top of all the job losses, cuts in research grants to universities will also make it harder for the U.S. to keep improving its weather forecasts and better monitor what’s happening to the planet, McLean said.

“People are silently watching the United States decline as a technological leader,” McLean said. “America got to the moon, but our weather forecasts won’t be the greatest.”

The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

​ Orange County Register 

Cypress baseball handling the pressure of close games, extra innings

• March 11, 2025

Cypress has played seven baseball games. Four of them have been one-run games, including the last two that were extra-inning games.

“I think I need a raise,” said Cypress coach John Weber.

Cypress got a 6-5 win over Foothill on Monday in a 10-inning game. Greg Prophett led off the bottom of the 10th with a double. He went to third base on Gary Hennessy’s single and scored on Landon Anderson’s bunt.

In their prior game, the Centurions defeated El Modena 1-0 in nine innings. The game before that was a 1-0 win over Villa Park.

Cypress, which battled Pacifica and others in the Empire League for many years, is in the Crestview League this season with El Dorado, El Modena, Foothill and Villa Park. Of the latter four, El Dorado, Foothill and Villa Park have been Crestview Leaguers for several years, with El Modena sometimes with them and sometimes in the North Hills League.

This week’s Orange County Top 25 has Cypress (4-3 overall, 2-0 in league) at No. 6, Foothill (6-2, 2-1) at No. 7, Villa Park (5-2, 0-2) at No. 8 and El Dorado (6-2, 1-1) at No. 11. El Modena (1-6, 0-2) has struggled, but four of those losses are by one run and another by two runs.

Every player who threw a varsity inning for Cypress last year is back this season, led by seniors Aiden Franco and Wyatt Rosales. Juniors Nick Nelson and Drew Slevcove and sophomores Tate Belfanti and Tyler Kaufman have contributed.

Weber raves about junior catcher Noah Johnson.

“He’s been a soldier back there,” Weber said. “He’s been beat up. He gets  a ball off of his mask or off his shoulder, off his arm, off his hand and he keeps grinding every inning.”

NOTES

Cypress and JSerra play each other in two nonleague games next week, March 19 at Cypress and March 21 at JSerra. In the past, that would have been a doubleheader because a doubleheader used to count as one game date toward the maximum of 28 games for a CIF Southern Section baseball team. Now, a doubleheader counts as two games so something like Cypress-JSerra now is spread over two days. …

Mater Dei might have its best baseball team in a few years. The Monarchs are 6-0. In their most recent win, 13-5 over Bishop Gorman of Las Vegas, senior pitcher/infielder Brandon Thomas struck out eight over five innings and had two hits, and Dylan Wetzel hit a grand slam and finished with six RBIs. …

Los Alamitos went into this week 5-0-2 and one of only five undefeated Orange County baseball teams through last week’s games. The Griffins have seven players tied for the team lead in hits with five each. Among them are senior right fielder Kaden Carrion, who has a team-high seven RBIs, and senior utility player Sutton Deninno, who has six RBIs. …

Godinez senior pitcher Mark Aguilar has 32 strikeouts in 18 2/3 innings. Saddleback’s Diego Enriquez has 31 strikeouts in 23 innings. Newport Harbor’s Gavin Guy has struck out 30 batters over 18 innings. …

Guy held Aliso Niguel to one run in six innings Monday in Newport Harbor’s 2-1 win. Aliso Niguel is No. 12 in this week’s Orange County Top 25 that has Newport Harbor at No. 23. …

Laguna Beach junior infielder Lincoln Adams is 11 for 17 for a .647 batting average. Senior outfielder/pitcher Lucien Reed has eight RBIs. The Breakers are 6-0 going into Wednesday’s scheduled Pacific Coast League opener against Irvine at Laguna Beach High. …

Upcoming high school baseball games at Angel Stadium — weather permitting — include: Mission Viejo vs. Newport Harbor, Thursday, 3:30 p.m.; Whittier Christian vs. Garfield, Friday, 6:30 p.m.; Fullerton vs. Villa Park, Monday, 3:30 p.m.; Segerstrom vs. California, March 28, 6:30 p.m. …

The Orange County All-Star Baseball Game is June 4 at Great Park in Irvine.

​ Orange County Register 

California lawmakers propose fixes for ‘insurance industry in shambles’

• March 11, 2025

By Levi Sumagaysay | CalMatters

The fires that reduced Altadena, Pacific Palisades and other Los Angeles-area neighborhoods to rubble have also shined a harsh light on California’s raging insurance crisis.

Lawmakers have proposed a variety of bills to address the issues illuminated by the disaster, plus others that predate it. Some of the legislation would be the first of its kind in the nation.

Also see: California reconsiders State Farm rate hike as insurer’s losses rise

The fire-insurance provider of last resort

One measure would put the state’s top two lawmakers on the governing committee of the FAIR Plan, the association of insurance companies that’s required by law to provide fire insurance to property owners who can’t find it anywhere else.

The FAIR Plan said last month that it was at risk of running out of money due to claims from the LA fires and asked for a $1 billion lifeline. Its member insurance companies were on the hook for that amount, and could try to pass along up to half of the cost to their customers.

The plan has become more important over the past several years as insurance companies have stopped renewing or writing new policies in California, so state officials have a keen interest in its solvency and ability to serve a growing number of customers. But the plan is not run by the state, it is run by a management team that’s accountable to the pool of insurers.

Lawmakers hope that adding state officials to the group of people overseeing the FAIR Plan will help it run better and improve the lives of its customers.

“The association has grown to such an extent that its financial capacity to pay claims after a catastrophic fire is unlikely,” says Assembly Bill 234, a bill by Assemblymember Lisa Calderon, a Democrat from the Los Angeles area. “Increased transparency is imperative.”

Calderon’s bill calls for the speaker of the Assembly and the chairperson of the Senate Committee on Rules to immediately become non-voting members of the FAIR Plan’s governing committee. Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara, who has limited authority over the plan, backs the bill. The FAIR Plan has not taken a position on the legislation, according to plan spokesperson Hilary McLean.

If the bill passes, California could be the first state to put lawmakers on a FAIR Plan board, although several states have insurance department representatives on boards for their own FAIR Plan equivalents, said Stephen Jablonski, president of Property Insurance Plans Service Office, a nonprofit that tracks state residual property insurance plans.

California’s FAIR Plan would not disclose the members of its governing board.

Concerns about the FAIR Plan go beyond its financial stability. As the fire insurance provider of last resort, issues surrounding the way it serves its customers have come up again and again. Placing state officials on the plan’s board could help address some of those issues.

In early February, Betty Ryder and her husband received a renewal notice for one policy on their Los Angeles-area home but not for their FAIR Plan policy, which is when they discovered that they did not have fire insurance on the property all of last year despite paying for it.

That meant the couple was uninsured at a time when their home was particularly vulnerable: Ryder and her husband live in Tujunga, a neighborhood that Ryder said was “right between the three fires” that burned in Los Angeles County earlier this year.

Ryder got on the phone with her broker, her mortgage company and a representative from the FAIR Plan to figure out what happened. The agent for the FAIR Plan told her the plan had incorrectly applied someone else’s payment to her account and that it canceled her policy after that realization.

So she started writing letters: to the president of the FAIR Plan, to Lara, to her mortgage company, to her broker.

“I was in tears,” she said. “We’re old, we’re in our 70s,” she added, referring to herself and her husband, William.

A week later, a representative from the FAIR Plan told her they found the correct check issued by her mortgage company last year, and that the amount has been applied to her reinstated policy. A relief, but there’s a remaining problem: The Ryders have already paid into their mortgage company’s escrow account for this year’s policy. They have not received a refund for the $5,300 check her mortgage company issued to the FAIR Plan last year, so as of now they have paid double for this year’s policy.

Ryder has not heard back from the FAIR Plan about a possible refund, nor has she received a response from Lara’s insurance department. The department said it has assigned someone to her case.

McLean said she would not discuss individual cases with CalMatters. “In the limited instances where the California FAIR Plan is regretfully in error, it works to correct the mistake in its customer’s favor,” McLean wrote in an email. “If the FAIR Plan receives a duplicate payment, the FAIR Plan will refund the duplicate payment with interest.”

But Lili Thompson, an account manager for an insurance agency in Chico, told CalMatters that the FAIR Plan often makes errors, and that she has customers who have had experiences similar to Ryder’s. When they do, it’s hard to get those issues resolved because it’s tough to get the plan to address problems in a timely manner, Thompson said.

“We don’t have access to billing information, which is constantly incorrect,” Thompson said. “Payments aren’t applied. Or there’s a balance of 3 cents, or $4 or $10, and they cancel (policies).”

In fact, Thompson submitted a complaint about the FAIR Plan to the Insurance Department in January. It read in part: “Our agency is having significant problems with the FAIR Plan as a whole. Issues with billing, renewals, cancellations have been reoccurring at an alarming rate.”

In an emailed response seen by CalMatters, an insurance department compliance officer urged Thompson to tell her clients to file complaints with the department “so we can address their specific situation.”

CalMatters wrote about similar complaints against the FAIR Plan — delays in payments, slow response times, poor customer service — about a year ago. At the time, McLean said the plan was dealing with increased volume and had hired more staff to deal with it all. She also mentioned that the FAIR Plan had transitioned to a new software system and insurance agents and brokers were still learning it.

Asked what the FAIR Plan has changed in the past year, and why the same types of complaints persist, McLean again pointed to the plan’s “historic growth over the past several years,” and mentioned that it has hired even more staff to deal with claims from the January Palisades and Eaton fires.

Another bill that addresses the FAIR Plan’s financial stability is Assembly Bill 226, aimed at allowing it to spread out claims payments over time. It would do that by allowing the FAIR Plan to obtain bond financing through the California Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank.

Assemblymember David Alvarez, co-author of the bill with Calderon and Democrat from Chula Vista, told CalMatters: “We wanted to make sure if there was an event of (the LA fires’) magnitude, insurance companies wouldn’t use that as a reason to not cover California.”

He added that this legislation is just another “tool” to “maintain insurers in California, and get claims paid in a way that doesn’t cost consumers.” Alvarez also noted that the bill, which was first introduced last year, had no opposition. The FAIR Plan supports it.

Paying claims without full inventories

Senate Bill 495, by Sen. Ben Allen, a Democrat from El Segundo, would make California the only state in the nation to require insurers to pay claims in full without first seeing itemized inventories from policyholders.

It also gives consumers at least 180 days, up from 60 days, to provide proof of loss to their insurance companies after a declared state of emergency.

“A lot of insurance companies have already been doing this,” the senator said in an interview with CalMatters. “It’s a hassle for them to go through all the (inventory) lists, too.”

Allen said he has been going to town halls in his LA-area community and hearing from “people who have lost everything.” Getting rid of the inventory requirement “really cuts out an important barrier for a lot of people especially during a very difficult moment,” he said.

Lara backs the bill, and last week his department released a list of insurance companies that have agreed to pay at least 75% of contents coverage without a detailed inventory. A majority of companies operating in the state have — with some agreeing to provide 100%.

Insurance industry representatives opposed a similar bill in the 2004-05 legislative session and plan to do so again. Rex Frazier, president of the Personal Insurance Federation of California, said the bill could raise costs for insurance companies, which would pass the higher costs on to consumers. “Why require overpayment and require insurers to increase rates when people are already worried about the affordability of property insurance?” he said.

Insurance premium tax write-offs

Assembly Bill 1354, by Assemblymembers Heath Flora and Greg Wallis, would allow California taxpayers to write off the rising costs of their fire insurance premiums for the next five years. Flora, of Ripon, and Wallis, of Rancho Mirage, are Republicans.

The tax credits would reduce the amount of personal income taxes people would pay to the state. They would be based on the difference between their current premiums and their premiums from 2023, plus any current assessments or charges. If passed, the tax credit would apply to individuals with annual adjusted gross incomes not exceeding $150,000, with the limit being $300,000 for joint taxpayers. Owners of individual homes and properties with four dwelling units or less, and individual condos and mobile homes, would qualify as long as their property values do not exceed $3.3 million.

Flora told CalMatters he expects premiums to rise in the short term as the insurance department’s new regulations are implemented, but that he hopes it all means insurers will start writing policies in the state again.

“Our insurance industry is in shambles right now,” he said. “For the next few years it’s not going to be great. If we can allow our constituents to write off some of that increase, maybe they can get some sort of relief.”

But he doesn’t yet know what it would cost the state — and its taxpayers. Flora said he plans to ask the Legislative Analyst’s Office to look into it.

“There will be a hit to the general fund,” Flora acknowledged, adding that “in California, we spend a lot of money on a lot of different things. But fundamentally, people cannot buy homes without insurance.”

Amy Bach, executive director of the consumer advocacy group United Policyholders, does not support the bill and said “if we’re going to have insurance companies benefit from taxpayer funds paid toward premiums,” the state should extract some concessions from insurance companies, including getting them to write more policies. Bach said what she is in favor of is tax credits for mitigation expenses. For example, one bill would establish state grants for fire-rated roofs and other expenses, while another would allow for tax-free savings accounts for the purposes of mitigation or deductibles in case of a disaster.

Douglas Heller, director of insurance at Consumer Federation of America, agreed, saying taxpayer dollars would be better used preventing catastrophe and loss in the state.

Fossil-fuel company liability

Senate Bill 222, by Sen. Scott Wiener and several co-authors, would allow insurance companies and individuals to sue fossil-fuel companies over damages from climate-related disasters — part of a wave of efforts to hold the industry responsible for climate change. Hawaii is also considering a similar bill.

“Disasters that are so much more frequent and so much bigger in scale than five to 10 years ago (are) not random,” said Wiener, a Democrat from San Francisco, during a press conference. “That’s because of climate change being fueled by companies.”

The idea is that allowing individuals, insurers and the FAIR Plan to try to recoup some costs from disasters would provide an alternative to insurance companies simply raising their rates.

A business group that represents insurance companies warned against the legislation, saying it could lead to increased costs for consumers. Though California Business Roundtable does not publicly disclose all its members, it does include executives from the insurance and fossil-fuel industries, said Brooke Armour, president of the California Center for Jobs & the Economy, the group’s information arm.

Center for Climate Integrity, a co-sponsor of Wiener’s bill, has been trying for almost a decade to hold the fossil fuel industry accountable for climate change. Iyla Shornstein, political director at the group, said if nobody holds the oil industry responsible for disaster costs, insurance rates will only continue to “skyrocket and overburden victims.”

​ Orange County Register