Making it harder for insurers to drop you
Here’s what SB 1301 means for you.
Eaton and Palisades fire survivors and allies with Senator Ben Allen after winning passage of SB 1301 at the Assembly Insurance Committee
Dear friends,
Matt Craig, Co-Founder and Managing Director filling in while Joy is away this week.
I’m happy to report that Joy’s family successfully pulled her away from her laptop and cell phone for a long-overdue family vacation. We are so grateful to her husband, Dave and her daughters for their unwavering support behind the scenes, and hope they are having an amazing time.
My work at EFSN is largely in the background - I work closely with our small team shaping strategy, crunching numbers, and smoothing out wrinkles. Some weeks are heavier than others, but putting time aside from my family and business to work with the incredible team at EFSN has been a life-changing experience. Every dollar we raise, and every hour I commit to our mission, scales exponentially out into the Survivor community, and without those investments, we wouldn’t be where we are today.
Over the next six months, EFSN is looking to expand our full-time and volunteer team, and we’d love to hear from you. My volunteer role at EFSN gives me hope, inspiration, and validation, and we’d love to share that opportunity with more people from our growing Community.
Fill out the form HERE and tell us more about your professional expertise, interests, and availability for the rest of 2026. We’d love to find ways to work together.
School is out, but EFSN is in session. I'm thrilled to report that last Wednesday, SB 1301 passed the Assembly Insurance Committee. This is another critical victory for L.A. fire survivors and every Californian.
Your voices are being heard, and we're changing the trajectory of the future together. More on what this means for all of us, and what comes next, down below.
What does SB 1301 actually do?
You've probably heard the nightmare scenario. You may even have lived it.
Your insurer suddenly decides not to renew your policy. A vague letter arrives in the mail. No real explanation. No clear path to fix the problem. Just the terrifying prospect of losing your insurance.
SB 1301, authored by Senator Ben Allen, is designed to change that.
If your insurer wants to drop you, they now have to tell you exactly why, in writing, with specific reasons. They have to give you more advance notice. And if the problem is something you can fix, they have to tell you exactly what you need to do to keep your policy.
Magda Molina testified for us at the hearing. She and her husband spent $8,000 making repairs their insurer demanded, only then to be told it still wasn't enough to keep their coverage.
SB 1301 would have protected Magda. She would have known the rules from the beginning and had a real opportunity to keep her insurance.
In the past few years, nearly one million Californians have already been pushed onto the FAIR Plan or into expensive surplus lines coverage.
SB 1301 helps stop the bleeding.
Thank you to everyone who made this happen
This victory belongs to the survivors, advocates, and community organizations who have been fighting with us for insurance access all year.
A huge thank you to the Altadena Town Council, Pacific Palisades Community Council, DENA Rise Up, Team Palisades, Pasadenans Organizing for Progress, EFRU, Palisades Recovery Coalition, and the dozens of organizations and thousands of individuals across California who endorsed our bills at fixinsurance.org.
Special thanks to California Community Foundation and to Extreme Weather Survivors for distributing social media ads featuring our amazing survivors. And to our brilliant co-sponsors at Consumer Watchdog.
Congratulations to Senator Ben Allen for championing SB 1301.
Joy will be back next week to share more about where all of our insurance reform efforts stand and what comes next.
A Note of Gratitude
We are proud to share that Every Fire Survivor's Network has received a $200,000 grant from the Pasadena Community Foundation to support our work on behalf of Eaton and Palisades fire survivors.
This project was funded by a grant from the Pasadena Community Foundation and we are deeply grateful.
Founded in 1953, PCF has spent more than 70 years investing in the well-being of this community. Their support at this moment means we can keep showing up: hosting webinars, organizing press conferences, fighting for policy change and making sure survivors have a seat at every table where decisions about their recovery are being made.
None of this work is free. As a survivor-led organization, we run lean. Every dollar we raise goes directly toward building the infrastructure survivors need to fight back and rebuild. Grants like this one from PCF make it possible for us to keep going and to grow.
If our work has meant something to you or someone you love, we ask you to consider contributing. Whether it is $25 or $2,500, your support helps us stay in this fight for the long haul. Donate at https://www.efsurvivors.net/donate.
Thank you to the donors and community members whose generosity makes PCF's work possible. Because of partners like them and supporters like you, survivors are not facing this alone.
Broken Systems and Burnout
If you're exhausted from insurance battles and red tape, you're not failing.
That exhaustion is a logical response to broken systems.
Our partners at Extreme Weather Survivors are hosting a webinar on moral injury, burnout, and self-advocacy for disaster survivors. As EWS says, the people closest to the problem are closest to the solution.
What to Expect:
Understand why rage and deep fatigue are completely logical responses to broken systems.
Connect about lived experiences of fellow survivors battling these barriers to recovery and advocating for change.
Learn concrete tools for chronic burnout management and effective self-advocacy.
Join us on July 1 at 6 p.m. Register here.
All three underinsurance webinars are now available on demand.
Last week, EFSN wrapped up our three-part underinsurance series with practical strategies for addressing underinsurance and advocating for a fair settlement.
If you haven't read the Pulitzer Prize-winning San Francisco Chronicle investigation that brought national attention to California's underinsurance crisis, it's essential reading:
https://www.sfchronicle.com/projects/2025/california-home-insurance-underinsured/
Watch all three webinars on demand:
Canvassing Volunteers Needed for Rally for Recovery
We're looking for canvassing volunteers to help spread the word about our Rally for Recovery.
Your mission: hit the courts! Help us post flyers on cars outside pickleball tournaments we assign around Altadena and neighboring areas, getting our message straight into the hands of the community.
This is a great fit for someone with 1-2 hours to dedicate weekly and a flexible schedule.
Interested? Fill out our quick sign-up form here.
Got a scary property tax notice in the mail?
You're not alone.
Several survivors have contacted us after receiving delinquency notices and penalty notices from Los Angeles County, despite having already submitted paperwork for fire-related property tax relief.
The Treasurer and Tax Collector has confirmed to us that receiving one of these notices does not mean your request was denied.
They said:
"Property owners may still see penalties online or receive delinquent notices. Automated delinquent or defaulted notices will continue to be issued until all wildfire-related tax matters are resolved, which may extend through June 30, 2030."
In other words:
If you've applied for fire-related property tax relief, don't panic if you receive a delinquency notice.
The good news is that L.A. fire survivors remain eligible to defer our 2025 property tax payments until June 30, 2030, with no penalties or interest.
This extension was recently highlighted by the Los Angeles Times, which noted that the deferral was made possible by EFSN, and explained how to get the deferral (article here).
Here's what you should know:
• L.A. fire survivors may defer property tax payments until June 30, 2030
• No penalties or interest will accrue during this period
• Properties must have suffered more than $10,000 in damage
While payments can be deferred until 2030, survivors are encouraged to make partial payments when possible to avoid a large lump-sum payment later.
More info from the Treasurer and Tax Collector here.
Are You in the EFSN Discord?
One of the questions we hear most often is:
"How are other survivors handling this?"
That's exactly why our Discord exists.
Thousands of survivors, allies, nonprofits, journalists, and experts connect there to share information, compare notes, ask questions, and help each other navigate recovery.
Need advice about insurance?
Trying to understand rebuilding timelines?
Looking for information about permits, contractors, smoke contamination, housing, or debris removal?
Ask a question in Discord and chances are someone has already been through it.
Many important updates appear in the Discord and never make it into the EFSN Weekly.
But the best part isn't the information. It's the community.
As one member described it:
"It’s like a warm hug every night before I go to bed."
How Ellen Starts Every Morning
Ellen's home was contaminated by the Eaton Fire.
In this short video, she shares why she starts every morning in Discord and how the community has helped move her family's recovery forward step by step.
Watch Ellen's story:
How to Join the EFSN Discord
Discord access comes with the EFSN Weekly newsletter.
Here's how it works:
Sign up for the EFSN Weekly
Check your welcome email for your Discord invitation
Set up your account on your phone or computer
Introduce yourself and start connecting
Already on the newsletter but never joined Discord?
Sign up here:
That's all from me this week.
Wishing you continued progress.
Warmly,
Matt Craig
The Every Fire Survivor's Network (EFSN) connects 10,000+ fire survivors and allies across Eaton, Palisades, Malibu, and Topanga. Together, we remove barriers and help families get home. Join us: efsurvivors.net
