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 [ NEIGHBORHOOD ](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&id=327)

#  California Senator Ben Allen Joins Race for Insurance Commissioner!

Written by Nick Antonicello on October 16 2025.

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WESTSIDE - Coastal advocate and environmentalist, Senator Ben Allen (D-24) of Santa Monica has officially joined the race to become California's next insurance Commissioner.

Senator Allen, who is term-limited in his current position joins a crowded field of prospects to succeed incumbent Ricardo Lara, who is mulling a potential race for lieutenant governor. A former legislator as well, Lara is barred from seeking reelection.

Noting California is facing an insurance crisis in an email to supporters earlier this month, Allen referenced the catastrophic wildfires of the Pacific Palisades and those who survived have struggled to receive compensation while insurers have walked away from writing policies leaving many with what he described as "skyrocketing premiums or no coverage at all. With the risks of fire, floods, and sea level rise only growing, the status quo just isn't sustainable."

As an emphasis and importance of who serves in this position becomes more and more apparent, the race to succeed Lara to become the 9th insurance head will be a major race on the ballot come November of 2026.

Allen reminded supporters of his long resume of public service at the local and state levels as he is uniquely qualified to assume the office of California Insurance Commissioner.

"I believe I have built a track record focused on results in difficult areas, standing up to special interests while also working with various stakeholders, bringing people together, listening, negotiating, pushing, and applying creativity to deliver results."

Allen noted the position overseas the homeowner and auto insurance systems and that "we will need to figure out a path for real risk reduction in our communities that also holds insurers accountable for providing affordable and accessible policies while treating consumers right."

According to the California Citizens Compensation Commission, as of the latest resolution (effective December 1, 2025), the salary for the Insurance Commissioner is $193,835 annually. The Commissioner also typically receives the same state benefits (health, dental, etc.) as other state officers under managerial designations.

The Insurance Commissioner leads the California Department of Insurance (CDI), which is the state’s regulatory agency over the insurance industry.

Here is a summary of the principal responsibilities:

- License, regulate, and examine insurance companies, agents, brokers, adjusters, etc.
- Ensure insurers remain solvent and able to pay claims (financial surveillance)
- Approve or reject rate proposals (premiums) to check for excessive, inadequate, or unfairly discriminatory rates.
- Investigate and resolve consumer complaints against insurers, agents, or brokers.
- Analyze market conduct examinations and audits to ensure companies comply with insurance laws and regulations.
- Investigate and prosecute insurance fraud (in coordination with fraud bureau).
- Adopt regulations under the California Insurance Code to implement laws, manage departmental rulemaking, and coordinate with other regulatory bodies.
- Represent California in national and multistate insurance regulatory fora (e.g. National Association of Insurance Commissioners, NAIC) and set model policies.
- Appoint members to various advisory boards and commissions related to insurance programs (e.g. FAIR Plan, automobile assigned risk plans, guarantee associations)
- In some special areas (such as catastrophe modeling, climate risk, etc.), the Commissioner has statutory authority to create or oversee offices or initiatives (for example, in California law the Commissioner may hire actuaries or consultants to assist with principle-based reserving)
- The Commissioner’s authority does not extend to fully regulated managed care health insurance plans such as HMOs in some cases — those may be regulated by the California Department of Managed Health Care.

Allen grew up in the 24th Senate District and attended public schools, graduating from Santa Monica High School in 1996. His father, Michael, spent his career on the English Department faculty at UCLA and mother, Elena, was a public-school teacher and artist who served as Chair of the Santa Monica Arts Commission. Allen earned a Bachelor of Arts degree magna cum laude in History from Harvard University; a master's degree in Latin American Studies from the University of Cambridge; and a Juris Doctor degree from UC Berkeley. He and his wife Melanie, an attorney, have a son, Ezra, and a daughter, Ena.

*(Nick Antonicello is a thirty-two-year resident of Venice who covers the political and governmental state of affairs on the Westside. Have a take or a tip? Contact him via e-mail at <nantoni@mindspring.com>)*

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