SACRAMENTO, CA — The Affordable Insurance & Recovery Act (SB 982), authored by Sen. Scott Wiener, will be heard tomorrow, April 14, in the California State Senate Judiciary Committee amid growing pressure to address California’s home insurance crisis. The hearing comes as rising premiums and fewer coverage options leave more Californians without insurance. Economic modeling shows the bill could deliver up to $62 billion in compensation for households and businesses while supporting broader economic growth.
Support for the legislation is rapidly growing. More than 70 consumer, labor, climate, and community organizations have endorsed SB 982, alongside 14,000+ Californians who have contacted lawmakers in support. Advocates and cultural leaders including Dolores Huerta, Mark Ruffalo, Jane Fonda, and Bill Nye have also weighed in.
“This growing coalition, from consumer advocates, labor unions, local business groups, and climate justice organizations to talent and high-profile voices, makes one thing clear: California’s insurance crisis is hitting everyone. Families are being priced out, small businesses are on the brink, and entire communities are at risk,” said Mary Creasman, Chief Executive Officer, California Environmental Voters. “When entertainment industry leaders and trusted public figures join advocates on the ground, it underscores just how widespread and urgent this crisis has become. Californians are united in demanding that Big Oil stop passing the cost of their pollution onto our communities and finally pay their fair share.”
For decades, fossil fuel companies have known their products would worsen extreme weather while misleading the public. As disasters intensify and insurance costs surge, SB 982 offers a path to stabilize the market, protect consumers, and ensure that those most responsible help pay for the damage they knowingly caused.
“As a Californian, I’ve seen firsthand how the climate crisis is impacting our communities, from families losing their homes to the rising cost of simply staying protected. Supporting SB 982 is about fairness and accountability, ensuring that the corporations driving this crisis help carry the burden instead of everyday people,” said Sophia Bush. “We have a responsibility to stand up now so that every Californian has a real chance to rebuild, recover, and feel secure in their future.”
“As a California homeowner, I care deeply about protecting the people and places that make this state so special. The insurance crisis is leaving too many families vulnerable after devastating climate events, and that’s not right,” said Gus Kenworthy. “Supporting SB 982 is about holding the biggest polluters accountable and making sure Californians aren’t left to shoulder the cost alone.”
“Major polluters, like large oil and gas corporations, are uniquely responsible for more frequent and extreme weather events like the extreme wildfires, polluter, and triple-digit weather. And as those disasters escalate and destroy homes, so does the insurance crisis,” said Angelique Cabral via Instagram. “The Affordable Insurance and Recovery Act, SB 982 would help make home insurance affordable and available in California.”
More frequent and severe climate-driven disasters are destabilizing California’s insurance market, driving massive losses and pushing costs onto homeowners, renters, and communities. Insured losses from the 2025 Los Angeles wildfires alone reached up to $40 billion, while the state’s FAIR Plan has expanded more than 500 percent in recent years as insurers retreat from high-risk areas. Meanwhile, more than 1 in 5 homeowners now lack coverage due to rising costs and cancellations.
The recently released California Earthquake Authority report underscores the scale of the insurance crisis, but fails to address the role of fossil fuel companies in driving climate risk–leaving a critical gap SB 982 is designed to fill.
Furthermore, supporters argue the California Business Roundtable’s opposition overlooks the role of climate-driven losses already destabilizing communities and markets. While the group claims the bill would harm the business climate, a Wall Street Journal investigation found oil executives sold $1.4 billion in stock during a recent price spike tied to President Trump’s war on Iran, including unplanned sales by Chevron CEO Mike Wirth–highlighting how companies profit from the volatility driving the crisis.
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CONTACT:
Erika Guzman Cornejo
(310) 755-1615
erika@envirovoters.org
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ABOUT CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL VOTERS
California Environmental Voters (EnviroVoters) believes the climate crisis is here and this moment requires transformative change. California has the policy solutions to stop climate change but lacks the political will to do it at the rate and scale that’s necessary. EnviroVoters exists to build the political power to solve the climate crisis, advance justice, and create a roadmap for global action. We organize voters, elect and train candidates, and hold lawmakers accountable for bold policy change. We won’t stop until we have resilient, healthy, thriving communities, and a democracy and economy that is just and sustainable for all. Join us at www.envirovoters.org and on Instagram, LinkedIn, and X. See more press releases.
