Growing Our Civic Coalition to Stop Illegal Delays and Denials
September 19, 2025
This week, we reached an incredible milestone: every local legislator representing the Eaton and Palisades fire areas has endorsed our 5-Action Plan to stop illegal delays and denials.
Assemblymembers John Harabedian and Jacqui Irwin. Senators Sasha Perez and Ben Allen. Supervisor Kathryn Barger. Altadena Town Council Chair Victoria Knapp. All united with us. That’s a clean sweep.
This coalition proves something powerful. 70% of insured Eaton and Palisades survivors face delays and denials that are impeding recovery.
To keep up those delays and denials, insurers rely on us being isolated.
But we are not isolated. We are stronger together, as survivors and with allies.
Senator Ben Allen, who announced this week that he’s running for Insurance Commissioner, has already endorsed our plan. We’ll be encouraging, nicely but firmly, every candidate for Insurance Commissioner to do the same.
The bigger our coalition, the more pressure on Commissioner Lara — and on every candidate seeking to replace him in 2026 — to make insurers honor their contracts, so that we can recover and so that every Californian can have an insurance system we can trust.
If you haven’t yet read our 5-Action plan, please do. It lays out your rights under California law. The delays, denials, and underpayments we’re facing aren’t just devastating — they’re illegal.
Here’s just a bit of what you’ll learn inside about your rights:
Insurers must respond to any communication from a policyholder within 15 days
They must accept or deny a claim in writing within 40 days, with the facts and legal basis
Once a claim is accepted, payment must be issued within 30 days
👉 Read the EFSN 5-Action Plan to Stop Illegal Delays and Denials: https://www.efsurvivors.net/s/EFSN-5-Actions-Stop-Insurer-Misconduct.pdf
We’ve come a long way in just a few months. But this fight is only beginning. Together, we’ll secure the payouts we’re owed — and the recovery we deserve.
Power in Numbers
Our EFSN survivor community has grown to more than 8,500 survivors! And the action is happening every day inside the EFSN Discord.
Thousands of your neighbors are already inside, trading notes on insurers, swapping rebuilding tips, and sharing breakthroughs that move claims forward.
Each insurer has its own channel, so when one survivor makes progress, everyone else with the same insurer can leverage that win. That’s how we turn individual victories into shared progress.
If you’re not inside yet, you’re missing the fastest way to get answers, connect with others who truly get it, and push your recovery forward. Join the conversation happening right now.
👉 Enter your name and email to get your Discord invite link: https://www.efsurvivors.net/newsletter
AI With the Andrews
Insurance paperwork is exhausting, but two remarkable EFSN members — both named Andrew — are showing us how to make it easier.
Andrew King, a total-loss survivor, and Andrew Wessels, a smoke-damage survivor, have each developed custom AI toolkits that are helping hundreds of survivors:
Build detailed loss inventories without endless spreadsheets
Draft letters to adjusters citing policy language and California law
Interpret dense policy documents so you know your coverage
These tools are saving each survivor hundreds of hours and unlocking tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars in payouts.
👉 Watch the “AI with the Andrews” webinars and download both free toolkits: https://www.efsurvivors.net/expert-resources
Whether your home has smoke damage or you’re facing a total loss, we strongly recommend watching both. Each Andrew takes a different approach to AI. Both approaches are proving invaluable.
Recap: Consumer Watchdog Webinar
What a night this week with Consumer Watchdog founder Harvey Rosenfield, Executive Director Carmen Balber, and Litigation Director Will Pletcher!
Together we cut through the misinformation around Prop 103. The insurance industry claims Prop 103 caps insurance rates, or drives insurers out of California. None of that is true.
Prop 103 actually protects insurers’ profits. It just forces them to justify rate hikes with transparency and public hearings. That’s why survivors’ voices have been so powerful in holding State Farm accountable as they seek a $1.2 billion rate hike. Without Prop 103, that increase would already be rubber-stamped.
Carmen also broke down new the laws coming out of Sacramento from the legislative year which ended last Saturday. These range from mortgage forbearance to interest on withheld insurance funds, and she explained which are relevant to us now.
🎥 Full recap, replay + resources: https://view.flodesk.com/emails/68cb31b784be56301fae76df
Around the EFSN Discord
Advocacy Channel: Where We Learn and Debate Together
One of the most dynamic spaces in our Discord is the Advocacy channel. It’s where survivors dig into the big issues shaping our recovery.
Lately, we’ve been unpacking the proposed Zone Zero regulation, which could require removing most vegetation near homes in Altadena. Costs could run tens of thousands per household, with no insurance coverage. Survivors are asking: Who pays? What happens to resale values? Could insurers use this to drop us?
The Advocacy channel is where fresh ideas surface and where we decide, together, which issues EFSN should take on. Wondering how we choose when to take a formal position? Joy Chen explains here.
Join the conversation and help shape our advocacy.
👉 Advocacy channel: https://discord.gg/55eBXEzuxG
Edison Settlement Proposal: Andrew K used AI to chart Edison’s draft settlement protocol. Both Option A and B carry trade-offs, and litigation remains uncertain.
👉 Check out the comparison chart: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-jzumaABUuHlsBj4UapBRORKfS87pf_K6vEjkItIrZA/edit?tab=t.0
Good Neighbor Bar Patio Shut Down: Owner Randy Clement is asking for support to reopen the outdoor patio, where EFSN held our 6-month fire anniversary event and our August Community Dinner.
👉 Sign the petition: https://form.jotform.com/232855788947176
Share Your Insurance Story
Insurance companies spend millions telling lawmakers “all is well.” Unless we counter with truth, they win. That’s why your story matters:
• Stories change laws
• Stories win court cases
• Stories shift public opinion
👉 Please share your insurance story now: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfTK5_daAp-GFUuAA_WBNxvFSuhzXj6C_jIoVggceYehN1E0w/viewform?link_id=28&can_id=e13ec9b4a28e959dbb2a8408d296aa2f
What? You’re not in our Discord yet?
Enter your email address here and we’ll send you your invite right away. Join thousands of neighbors already sharing resources to recover faster and stronger.
