Proposed initiative enters circulation: New requirements for homeowner insurance policies. Initiative statute.

California Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber, Ph.D., announced that the proponents of a new initiative were cleared to begin collecting petition signatures on Nov. 25, 2025.

The Attorney General prepares the legal title and summary that is required to appear on initiative petitions. When the official language is complete, the Attorney General forwards it to the proponent(s) and to the Secretary of State, and the initiative may be circulated for signatures. The Secretary of State then provides a calendar of deadlines to the proponent(s) and to county elections officials. The Attorney General's official title and summary for the measure is as follows:

NEW REQUIREMENTS FOR HOMEOWNER INSURANCE POLICIES. INITIATIVE STATUTE. Requires Insurance Commissioner to set wildfire safety standards for properties and insurers to offer homeowner insurance to properties that meet those standards. Insurers that do not offer insurance for such properties cannot sell automobile or home insurance in California for five years. Requires insurers to detail reasons for nonrenewal, specify repairs needed to obtain renewal, and allow more time for repairs. For homes destroyed by disaster, requires insurers to pay 100 percent of personal property coverage limit (up to $350,000) without requiring homeowner to submit an itemized claim. Authorizes refunds of rates found excessive. Summary of estimate by Legislative Analyst and Director of Finance of fiscal impact on state and local governments: Increase in state spending to regulate insurance companies. This cost would be small compared to the state's total budget and could be passed on to insurers. (25-0020A2.)

The Secretary of State's tracking number for this measure is 1997 and the Attorney General's tracking number is 25-0020A2.

The proponents of the measure, Jamie Court, Carmen Balber, and Harvey Rosenfield, must collect signatures of 546,651 registered voters (five percent of the total votes cast for governor in the November 2022 general election) in order for the measure to become eligible for the ballot. The proponents have 180 days to circulate petitions for the measure, meaning the signatures must be submitted to county elections officials no later than May 26, 2026. The address for the proponents is c/o James C. Harrison, Kristen Mah Rogers, and Aaron D. Silva, Olson Remcho, LLP, 555 Capitol Mall, Suite 400, Sacramento, CA 95814. The proponents may also be contacted at (916) 442-2952 and jharrison@olsonremcho.com, krogers@olsonremcho.com, and asilva@olsonremcho.com.