State insurance commissioner visits Lake County to see fire damage, tour assistance center
- Elizabeth Larson
- Posted On
LUCERNE, Calif. – California’s insurance commissioner made another fire-related visit to Lake County to discuss available services for survivors and survey the damage from the Mendocino Complex.
Commissioner Dave Jones and his staff made several stops in Lake County on Thursday, including one at the local assistance center at the Lucerne Alpine Senior Center and at the First Lutheran Church across the street where he had a closed-door meeting with local officials to discuss the situation.
He told Lake County News that he toured the local assistance center, meeting service providers including AAA insurance, checked in on the available resources and asked center staff about what concerns they’re hearing from community members.
Jones said he met with Board of Supervisors members Jim Steele and Tina Scott, as well as Nathan Spangler, the county’s recovery coordinator.
He said he shared with them what services his agency offers and heard from them about their issues and concerns.
“It’s given me a very good sense of the magnitude of the challenges the county is facing,” he said.
Jones said people are increasingly worried about being able to get insurance because of the wildland fire.
“This is going to be a growing problem,” acknowledged Jones, who has made suggestions to the Legislature to address the insurance issues for wildland fire survivors that so far haven’t been implemented.
He said he was impressed with the work being done by state and local agencies and nonprofits in responding to the Mendocino Complex, noting one Red Cross volunteer traveled from Colorado to help.
“Everyone is pitching in,” he said.
Jones later toured the fire area, seeing firsthand properties where homes, vehicles and other possession were laid waste by the complex.
For Jones, it wasn’t his first time seeing the devastation up close, as he has made previous trips to Lake County in response to its other fire disasters.
Since the Mendocino Complex began July 27, Jones has worked to assist wildland fire survivors, including taking actions to help them as they face recovery and offering guidance about the dangers of hiring unlicensed contractors.
The California Department of Insurance offers extensive online resources regarding wildland fires which can be found here. General consumer resources can be found here.
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