Gov. Brown signs two wildfire insurance bills

Gov. Jerry Brown on Monday signed two minor bills that would provide additional consumer protections in the aftermath of the October wildfires, where many homeowners found themselves underinsured.

Brown signed AB 1799 by Assemblyman Marc Levine, D-San Rafael, that would mandate the specific information carriers are required to provide to fire victims after a loss. It would include the full insurance policy, any endorsements to the policy and the declarations page. Some fire victims said they had trouble accessing those documents from their companies after the North Bay fires.

He also signed AB2229 by Assemblyman Jim Wood, D-Healdsburg, that would require insurers to disclose any fire safety-related discounts offered by them. It will go into effect in 2020.

Other more far-reaching bills that would have helped fire victims recover their costs were derailed in the Legislature due to strong lobbying from the insurance industry.