Your Messages for State Farm
and Comm’r Lara
Your voice matters. Add your voice when you sign the letter.
I have many friends and neighbors who are in terrible distress due to not receiving funds or adequate support from State Farm. As an Eaton Fire survivor, I am aghast at how poorly State Farm has managed claims. Farmers has done right by me, and I will not stop seeking justice for my neighbors until State Farm steps up to meet their obligations.
Please do what is right for the people who have gone through so much already. It is not just about $$$ now!
We are a very frustrated State Farm customer with exactly these experience. Delay, incompetence, unprofessionalism, and total lack of customer service. We have $40,000+ on credit cards incurring interest. For sure I am now physically sick from dealing with this. It is beyond outrageous.
We are on our 4th adjuster. Have not yet to receive a single fixed point of contact, nor a written progress report, both of which are my right due to the fact this is a federally declared emergency. State Farm attempted to use our policy against us misleadingly.
Our adjuster #4 is extremely rude and condescending. We have shared doctors reports with State Farm about her health and the fact that the doctors do not want us to return to the area until phase 2 is over and the adjuster said he didn’t care about a doctors note.
My husband and I are both disabled. I have 30% of one kidney, which is crucial that my blood pressure stay down and it has been escalated ever since working with this gentleman. They did do an environmental test but only did a very small portion of the home. And even in the report, it says the house is dirty after we had it cleaned twice by Servpro isn’t that indicative of what we will be breathing if we should return home before phase 2 is completed. The debris trucks passed our house multiple times a day, covered and uncovered. This is a very unhealthy situation for us both physically and mentally we need help.
The families suffering from corporate greed and negligence deserve better than this — and it’s your duty to ensure restitution.
It has been over three months since the fire broke out, and we still have no idea when we can begin remediation. State Farm changed our adjusters six times within the first two weeks, and we were unable to get ahold of any of them during the first month. When we were finally assigned a seventh adjuster—someone who would at least answer the phone—we received nothing but denials.
We requested environmental testing and additional temporary housing and were denied both. When we eventually decided to pay for testing out of pocket and submitted the results, State Farm then insisted on sending their own vendor. It has been four weeks since their vendor conducted testing, and we have yet to receive the results. They broke their promise to share the results last week and have continued to delay into this week. Meanwhile, they refuse to discuss any remediation—structural or content-related—while our belongings continue to soak in toxic ash and fumes.
Although they claim that the company’s values are “built on a foundation of shared values — quality service and relationships, integrity, and financial strength,” the reality of how they treat their insureds is in stark contrast. They stonewall, deny, and delay, making us fight and beg for every little approval causing significant stress, trauma, and financial strain during an already difficult time.
Please ensure they fulfill their obligations before any rate increase is even considered.
State Farm continues our trauma on a daily basis by not fulfilling their promises. Please hold them accountable.
Please hold State Farm accountable in good faith to its customers prior to any rate increase.
It was approximately 2 months before State Farm finally started covering my housing expenses.
Partial reimbursement from January 7th until February 19th did not come until March 27th. I was only for approximately half of my expenses up to that point in time.
In the meantime for the last month and a half I was told they would just finalizing things and they'd be contacting me the following week. Nothings been finalized yet on State Farm side. I've been trying to stay considerate and reasonable but after over 3 months there is no reason that there should not be some kind of settlement from State Farm. Anything that's been asked of me I have delivered in short order. I never would have imagined then I would need to spend every waking moment of my day becoming better informed and document and print out anything and everything that I could think of that might be asked of me. On paper I have good insurance. After 3 months of incredible housing and financial insecurity, which is caused many sleepless nights. I want to know when I will have this resolve with the insurance company so I can move forward and get everything done that I need to get done so I can be back in my home.
In addition to increased car insurance rates, the impact of substantial increase to our homeowner's insurance will be an additional financial burden. We lost our home and all contents in the Eaton Fire. It will take years for us to recover from the personal financial devastation. We are on our third claims adjuster with State Farm, who refuses to pay us even up to our limits. An increase to homeowners insurance, which we currently continue to pay in full, illustrates the lack of consideration for the people who voted to put you in office, and the dismissive attitude towards the constant suffering we are currently experiencing.
State Farm told me they would easily reach my policy limits for rebuilding, but then when their “estimate” came through, it was way under our limits and way under market. They are making me go through 100 pages and itemizing materials it will take to rebuild. Contractors aren’t willing to provide this much detail so is my only option to hire a public adjuster which would eat into the coverage I’ve been paying for all along? They were willing to take our money to cover us for those amounts. Why not question it then? Why only now when it’s coming out of their pockets??
State Farm’s strategy has been one of obfuscation and intentional delays, adding an unnecessary burden to our traumatized community. Working through their roadblocks requires time and resources we don’t have, which is what they are counting on. Don’t reward bad faith!
You pay insurance for when the worst happens, not when it’s convenient for the insurance companies to help. Please ensure the victims of these fires get the full coverage to which they’re entitled. Thank you.
All things stated on this petition we have been suffering from because of State Farm. I have been in the insurance industry business for for over 40 years and have never seen anything like the extremely poor "horrible" experiences that we are dealing with at State Farm.
Dear commissioner, your job is to stop, not to enable, State Farm’s abuse.
This is shameful and disgusting. You have a moral and financial obligation to help your customers.
My son and daughter in law live in Altadena. Their home survived. State Farm has done nothing but disrespect and ignore their needs. They have the ‘Cadillac’ of Home Owners Policies. Fat lot of good that has done them! They paid for years to no avail. Please, in these horrible times, do what is right for my son and all those affected by the Eaton and Palisades fires! Stop making every homeowner jump through hoops!
The additional stress caused by State Farm's bare minimum response in this situation borders on criminal. They must be pressured to do right by Eaton Fire survivors.
Commisioner Lara, my family has slept in 6 beds since the fire with a 7th on the way. State Farm is holding $35K in submitted receipts, none of which have been reviewed or reimbursed. State Farm has suggested that we dry clean clothes damaged by lead, chlorine gas, and possibly hydrogen cyanide and put them on our 18-month old and our 5-year old with respiratory issues. Despite a positive test for lead in our home, our adjuster has never uttered the word "lead" in written or verbal form to us. State Farm did not review an initial cleaning estimate for 60 days. State Farm has never responded to 1 of our letters or any of our requests, many of which are starting to get near 60 days old. It has been over 3 months since the fire, and State Farm has done absolutely nothing to help us remediate and restore our home. They have not lived up to their obligations and responsibilities. If they are expecting to raise rates, they also need to fulfill their obligations AND request an equal amount of funds from their parent company that is earmarked directly for survivor disbursement within 30 days.
The trauma of losing my entire life has been consistently managed by the stress, frustration, and helplessness that State Farm has forced upon myself and my family since. When we should be being supported by the company we paid for that express purpose, instead we’re fighting to prove that we “deserve” their assistance. All we’re asking is for State Farm to give us the help we paid them for.
I’m still waiting for my estimate for coverage A. I can’t begin to rebuild until I know how much money I’ll have. I’ve been hearing for over a month it’s “in review.”
When a company offers a service for a price, then delays, obstructs, and denies rightful claims, then it is a fraudulent enterprise. The government should sanction and prosecute State Farm for their Ponzi scheme.
We have been loyal State Farm for decades. This is unacceptable to be treated this way.
This is unconscionable, and appalling that something hasn’t already been done to ensure that insurance companies do the right thing
Dear Commissioner Lara, I have been a State Farm policyholder for over two decades. They paid my mandatory amount on personal property but have not progressed on my personal property claim since that time. They have me itemize every single item and have yet to provide an estimate on any room I have completed itemizing. They cancel meetings, they blame not having wifi, they blame having training so they don't have time to work on claims. Last week they cancelled a meeting I had waited two weeks for five hours before our meeting as they were being sent back home with almost no notice. This past weekend they changed adjusters and he knows nothing about my claim. It appears they have no intent to pay me for my remaining coverage. I shouldn't have to pay a lawyer just to be treated like a human. I cannot sleep and I cannot continue like this.
I have been forced to move to different temporary housing 9 times since the fire because State Farm will not authorize an apartment or home rental and initially would not even authorize. an Airbnb. When they finally authorized a 1 month Airbnb 4 weeks after the fire, there was nothing left locally so I moved to an Airbnb 40 miles from my home. 2 months later, I am back in Pasadena but in a hotel. They also would not test for lead in my home while all around nectest results were showing high levels of lead in smoke damaged homes. So I have ordered the lead test but am in a que at lab so as of April 10th still do not have results so my home cannot be cleaned until the lead test results are known. So I wait- living in a hotel when at least had State Farm allowed me to rent an apartment my life could be a bit more normal to say nothing of the higher costs of my claim being driven by hotel and meal charges.
Our home has confirmed asbestos and lead. Since forwarding testing results that State Farm told us they would not cover, our agent Dawn Haynes and her manager Frank Boyd, have done NOTHING on our claim filed nearly 3 months ago.
Commisioner Lara, my family has slept in 6 beds since the fire with a 7th on the way. State Farm is holding $35K in submitted receipts, none of which have been reviewed or reimbursed. State Farm has suggested that we dry clean clothes damaged by lead, chlorine gas, and possibly hydrogen cyanide and put them on our 18-month old and our 5-year old with respiratory issues. Despite a positive test for lead in our home, our adjuster has never uttered the word "lead" in written or verbal form to us. State Farm did not review an initial cleaning estimate for 60 days. State Farm has never responded to 1 of our letters or any of our requests, many of which are starting to get near 60 days old. It has been over 3 months since the fire, and State Farm has done absolutely nothing to help us remediate and restore our home. They have not lived up to their obligations and responsibilities. If they are expecting to raise rates, they also need to fulfill their obligations AND request an equal amount of funds from their parent company that is earmarked directly for survivor disbursement within 30 days.
I am a renter and my landlords policy is thru State Farm, from what they have expressed there has been a lot of back and forth to properly assess and cover what is necessary, to date I’m still displaced waiting for them to replace old toxic carpet that they demand the restoration company to clean first whe it does not make sense since it’s porous and even experts say it must be replaced for safety reasons.
17 people are dead, 10k buildings gone in Altadena. State Farm is ruining any chance at rebuilding.
My girlfriend is someone who lost her home to the fires, I won't stand by and let a company sheepishly pull strings to save dollars while screwing over traumatized families. This is as much as I can do from where I am.
We are a very frustrated State Farm customer with exactly these experience. Delay, incompetence, unprofessionalism, and total lack of customer service. We have $40,000+ on credit cards incurring interest. For sure I am now physically sick from dealing with this. It is beyond outrageous.
When a company offers a service for a price, then delays, obstructs, and denies rightful claims, then it is a fraudulent enterprise. The government should sanction and prosecute State Farm for their Ponzi scheme.
Allowing state farm to do this is completely unacceptable
They are taking advantage of their customers
These stories of real families devastated by loss, then hung out to dry by the company that is reneging on its obligations.... this could easily be me. I live not far from Altadena. My home is insured - at least for now - by State Farm.
My dwelling estimate process has been delayed by a third-party vendor employee who not only refused to follow State Farm’s own protocol of doing a Total Loss Matrix with the insured prior to issuance of an initial or rebuilding estimate but also falsified my claim file. This has caused me undue further stress during an already emotionally fraught process. State Farm management refused to reassign a new dwelling estimator after the first erroneous estimate despite my request. It was worse the second time despite my documented concerns about potential retaliation.
State Farm needs to stop the delay, stall, deny and adjuster changes. If they are to receive their increase request, they need to increase the amount of personal property, Coverage B, without itemizing to at least 75%.
Thank you for being an advocate for your constituents.
I lost my home in the Eaton fire. In addition to the items spelled out in the form letter, I’d like to highlight that State Farm's rebuild estimate process is broken in several ways.
1) While neighbors with other insurance companies have known their rebuild payouts for weeks, we don't expect to get a correct rebuild estimate completed until May or later. For many of us, the initial State Farm estimates have not arrived yet. For those that have their estimates, they're claiming that we can rebuild our homes for a fraction of what reasonable builders are quoting (State Farm's <$300 sq ft compared to >$400 sq ft for the cheapest of houses). The reconciliation process forces each of us to hire one or more builders to make an estimate not for the house we want to build but for the house that burned down. The builder’s estimate needs to be as detailed as State Farm’s 80+ page estimate report. State Farm will then reconcile their estimate with the builders to eventually fix their mistakes. If this was only happening for a few of us, I’d chalk it up to overworked estimators. But I have yet to hear from anyone whose estimate is anywhere close to correct. Ours is <75% of our coverage and <70% of a reasonable ballpark estimate to rebuild what we had.
2) State Farm won’t provide exact debris removal coverage amounts until the rebuild estimate is complete. This means that impacted homeowners were not able to consider private debris removal without gambling on whether their debris removal bills would be covered or not. I visited the State Farm tent 5 times, spoke to my adjuster at least 3 times, and spoke to my agent and his field adjuster. Each conversation resulted in a different explanation of debris removal coverage. I’ve heard similar stories from my neighbors who are insured by State Farm, while my neighbors with other insurers knew their debris removal coverage amounts within weeks of the fire.
3) Because we won’t know what State Farm will pay us to rebuild our property, we can’t start conversations with builders. We can’t answer basic questions like “What’s your budget?” and “How many square feet are we building?” until we finish reconciling State Farm’s rebuild estimate and get our Coverage A amount.
4) State Farm’s rebuild estimates are filled with obvious errors to the point of being cartoonish. Some neighbors are saying that their estimates are missing entire rooms. Ours is missing at least two rooms. We also received our estimate prematurely, with the actual estimate still under review at State Farm with no estimate for when it will be finalized and delivered. The copy we were sent by accident didn’t not include coverage for Other Structures or Option ID (State Farm’s term for extended coverage), cutting off our payment at the Coverage A limit. Our landscaping debris removal numbers were also wrong, only showing a limit of maybe 3% of Coverage A while our policy allows for 5% of Coverage A. We contacted our adjuster, who apologized and told us to ignore the estimate’s intro, but said we could review the other 75 pages which detailed the rebuild coverage for each room of the house while she got the report fixed.
If you speak to other impacted State Farm homeowners, you’ll hear similar stories.
If you aren’t going to respond after these homeowners have been paying you insurance then you’re just a racqueteering criminal organization.
Please do the right thing and hold State Farm accountable and support the individuals and families in need of answers, assistance, and the insurance payments due to them.
Over the last decades I have seen State Farm abandon its customers, including when they dropped my own Mom’s policy when she filed her first claim (for water damage due to a leak) after being a paying customer for 30+ years. What they’re doing with Eaton Fire survivors is unconscionable. Please help hold them accountable.
On behalf on many friends who lost their homes in the fire, please give them certainty that they will get the financial support they need and have paid for to rebuild their lives.
Dear Commissioner, please ensure that State Farm does not exploit Californians who are trying to recover from this tragedy. Thank you.
Commissioner Lara~
You must hold State Farm accountable!!!
Everyone I know with State Farm who still has a home left in the burn area, is so much worse off than those of us who lost our homes. They are having to completely fend for themselves and being told to move back into their toxic homes. It is criminal and dangerous.
My parents and sister lost their home in the Eaton fire and are still without any answers about their claim - leaving them in limbo. My parents are over 75 years old and without a clear path forward. They need to be compensated for their loss! State Farm has switched up their contact multiple times and left my parents without anyone to talk to. Please hold State Farm responsible. Thank you.
Please do the right thing and help these Californians!
Please do not allow State Farm to continue to risk the health of children and families. They have repeatedly gone against best practices and the recommendations of remediation companies. We are still displaced due to State Farms delays and games. Our home tested positive for lead and they continued to assert that we could only clean items not dispose of them. Finally a week or two ago we were told that we could come up with a non salvageable list but there were not guarantees. Meanwhile, it is impossible to clean my house properly without disposing of soft goods and porous items.
It is wholly unacceptable for State Farm to deny, delay, deny delay and keep using tactics to resist meeting their obligations to people who have paid into their policies. This has to change and cannot be allowed to continue.
Following a letter telling my my cleanup should last only 5 days and a $30K check (estimates by reputable companies are more in the $100K range, including for abatement of lead found by testing), State Farm has gone completely dark on my public adjuster, who is acting on my behalf. No calls, no emails, nothing. And no explanation. At least they’re paying my hotel bills for the time being, but that’s it. I can’t get abatement/remediation started without approval of an estimate by State Farm. This is disgraceful.
If you let SF behave this way towards people who paid for coverage, you're setting a terrible precedent for the rest of the companies, who are already looking for ways to pay less in claims. We didn't ask to be burned out of our homes. The least you can do is make sure we're treated well in a truly awful situation.
As someone who is trying to go home to their smoke infested house - shame on you SF for dragging your feet. We've been through enough. We want a safe home for ourselves and our kids.
State Farm is atrocious. Please help the Eaton Fire victims!
My neighbors have State Farm, and I have heard nothing but horror stories dealing with them. Attempting to force people back into standing homes that are clearly contaminated with lead, asbestos, and arsenic (any or all) is inhumane and reprehensible.
To raise insurance rates is an egregious and callous in light of how their insureds' lives have been forever changed. Insurance companies talk about being a good neighbor when in fact, it is about revenue and profit generated from our misery and loss.
Years from now, State Farm, and other insurance companies who are cutting as much as they can from supporting clients will see long-term health impacts on people who entrusted their health to the expert insurance companies advice.
This is wrong, and it is unacceptable for any government agency to watch this go down without taking action. If everyone from the public and private sector want to really "help" (an overused word that means nothing in this context), then do something to prevent the exploitation and harm caused by State Farm and other insurance companies who put profit over people.
Insurance companies like State Farm made a commitment, and clients have paid into it with full faith in delivering in an emergency. Raising prices exponentially, neglecting to put human lives over profit, and benefiting from this disaster is not only unconscionable but will prove to ruin our small town from recovery and long-term sustainability.
We'll be so focused on losing our lives due to resultant health concerns, families and elders won't be able to keep their homes. The economic impact will be too great.
How State Farm is treating its customers in the Altadena community and it is shameful! They could care less that there is lead in the home and insist my family and 4 week old child move in and use the breast pump, oven, couch, etc. after being vacuumed. This is all outrageous. Do something already!
We filed our claim with State Farm on January 14 for smoke damage caused by the Eaton Fire. Our home is located within the burn zone. Today is April 13, and despite the time that has passed, we have not received a single payment, nor have we come close to reaching an agreement on how to properly remediate the damage to our home.
There is visible ash and soot throughout, including inside our exterior doors and windows, and a thick layer throughout much of our attic. Beyond what’s visible, our entire home and our personal belongings are permeated
with the smell of smoke. Based on environmental testing results from
neighboring homes, it is reasonable to believe that our property also contains elevated levels of lead and other harmful contaminants. Despite this, State Farm continues to deny coverage for necessary testing—testing
that is crucial to thoroughly and accurately assess our loss, and that should be their responsibility.
This experience has been an absolute nightmare. We are now working with our
second adjuster after the first was negligent, unprofessional, uncommunicative, and even dishonest on multiple occasions. I’m mentally and emotionally exhausted. The claim process has dragged on at an agonizingly slow pace, and at this point, I have little hope that we’ll receive a resolution that reflects the seriousness of our situation or the
compensation we rightfully deserve.
I have been a State Farm customer for 20 years and we trusted State Farm to help us when disaster struck. Instead, we’ve been met with delay, denial, indifference, and gaslighting. I’m losing hope that we’ll be treated fairly—and that’s a devastating place to be when your home, health, and peace of mind are on the line.
We have State Farm. It took three letters and an extended period of time to get reimbursed for $17,000 in ALE reimbursements. Meanwhile, they will only approve 1-3 months on ALE at a time because our house is still standing but contaminated, forcing my family of 5 to move every time the period is up. We have moved 12 times so far due to lack of early approval for a longer term lease compounded by lack of housing availability.
We have State Farm. It took three letters and an extended period of time to get reimbursed for $17,000 in ALE reimbursements. Meanwhile, they will only approve 1-3 months on ALE at a time because our house is still standing but contaminated, forcing my family of 5 to move every time the period is up. We have moved 12 times so far due to lack of early approval for a longer term lease compounded by lack of housing availability.
DO THE RIGHT THING!
We are State Farm policyholders and we haven't seen a dime towards remediation or renovation our home so desperately needs so we can move on with our lives.
I am a total loss survivor who lived on Thurin Ave in Altadena. My insurance company, USAA, has been amazing to work with. I cannot imagine enduring the trauma we experienced with this fire being compounded by an unsupportive insurance company. Please help my neighbors ensure their claims are resolved fairly and quickly.
January 7th was devastating enough, but what State Farm is doing to us is even worse and we aren't getting the support from Commissioner Lara. We are left to figure this out on our own. We need Commissioner Lara to make State Farm cover the testing and remediation of our houses.
The way State Farm is handling this disaster just adds to the devastation and trauma everyone affected by the fires is already suffering.
The families suffering from corporate greed and negligence deserve better than this — and it’s your duty to ensure restitution.
A close friend is currently not getting the coverage that was promised. I hope State Farm does the right thing and provide the necessary assistance that was promised.
The resolution of the payout on my policy has been “in process” for months. I have received some of the money owed to me from the complete destruction of my once beautiful home, but getting the full payment I am entitled to has been an additional emotional burden I should not have to endure after losing everything. It’s inhumane.
Our house hold has been a loyal customer with State Farm since 2001 and yesterday received an unbelievably low offer. We are being re-traumatized by their delays and deflection. It should be a crime.
Beyond the trauma of the fire I am now being abused by State Farm insurance as I try to settle my claim.
I find their tactics deceitful, arrogant and lacking of any decency. I do not want to succumb to their passive aggressive bullying tactics and so I am looking for help.
For years, we paid our bills and did our part to ensure that we would be made whole in the event of a disaster. Make these insurance companies hold up their end of the bargain.
$35K in submitted receipts for Airbnbs, basic clothes, and abestos testing and State Farm has not reviewed or responded to a single one. Bring justice to these survivors!
State Farm is the United of home and auto insurance. They are the worst for cutting corners and not wanting to pay.
Got my lowball offer from State Farm yesterday. Trauma all over again.
I would like State Farm to be held accountable for the damages of our homes.
This has caused me undue further stress during an already emotionally fraught process. State Farm management refused to reassign a new dwelling estimator after the first erroneous estimate despite my request. It was worse the second time despite my documented concerns about potential retaliation.
State Farm has delayed EVERYTHING. Now they aren’t willing to pay for our temporary housing. Even though we have plenty of coverage. They haven’t reimbursed us for our hotel stays and our credit cards are maxed out. We are literally going to be homeless. I have more than enough coverage to fix my home and receive temporary housing. They had the nerve to tell me we should be back in our house by now, when they haven’t approved one thing for clean up. They won’t pay for testing even though we’re surround by burnt down homes. We’ve paid. Why won’t they????
Commissioner Lara, I urge you to stand with the Eaton Fire Survivors efforts to hold State Farm accountable to pay out claims in a timely manner without delay. As a 2021 Marshall Fire survivor it was well known in our community that State Farm acted in the same manner as they are with the Eaton Fire Survivors. The impacts of their tactics are profound and greatly impeded the recovery/rebuild process for many in my community. Trying to rebuild and recover after a fire is a devastating, time consuming, demanding process and to compound that by denying, delaying payments and requiring an itemized list of every item you possessed with how old each item was, how much did you pay for each item and how much does it cost to replace each item, then to have it be depreciated and you then have to go back and argue a value just compounds the loss and consumes already limited time when you are trying to move forward and recover and rebuild your life.
I urge you to image yourself in the same position that the Eaton Fire survivors are in making decisions on what can be salvaged of every life possession, will it contain toxic byproducts that may harm me or my family, do I have time to write endless itemized list of every item I possess so I can get paid my contents claim money, or do I let that go and focus on rebuilding/repairing my home while working full time to make ends meet, while possibly paying dual mortgage and rental expenses while displaced, while taking care of my family and while replacing items lost or deemed unsafe to use due to contamination.
Why isn’t State Farm following through with communication with those who are fully insured and have not heard back from the insurance company
I am particularly concerned about the rental dwelling proposed 48% rate hike. That is massive, and the cost will surely be passed on to renters who are often in a more precarious position than homeowners. Housing is already unaffordable for many in the Altadena area where I live (and rent).
Signing on behalf of a friend whose experience with State Farm has included extremely delayed processing of receipts and a refusal to cover the costs or cleaning or replacing damaged and chemically tainted belongings.
You must help the victims of the fire. State Farm’s delays and denials of insurance claims are now becoming a reason victims are not able to rebuild. Decide swiftly on this rate increase and get back to the work on the ground of helping victims recover and rebuild.
Showing support to a reasonable request.
I am a State Farm client and am very disappointed at the struggle to be serviced in a timely manner, professionally and meeting their rates for total destruction and loss.
I know so many people affected by this fire. I have dug through the ashes with them. Ran errands, given clothing, food, pet food, just been a shoulder to cry on. It is egregious that State Farm should get away with treating these people like this. State Farm has been paid when people paid their premiums and now it’s time for them to pay out for the service they supposedly provide that people have been paying them for!!!
I know so many people affected by this fire. I have dug through the ashes with them. Ran errands, given clothing, food, pet food, just been a shoulder to cry on. It is egregious that State Farm should get away with treating these people like this. State Farm has been paid when people paid their premiums and now it’s time for them to pay out for the service they supposedly provide that people have been paying them for!!!
I know so many people affected by this fire. I have dug through the ashes with them. Ran errands, given clothing, food, pet food, just been a shoulder to cry on. It is egregious that State Farm should get away with treating these people like this. State Farm has been paid when people paid their premiums and now it’s time for them to pay out for the service they supposedly provide that people have been paying them for!!!
You need to do right by the fire victims and also move forward realizing the added stress you're putting on owners and renters who have already experienced a major trauma.
Dear Commissioner Lara: Survivors are left to their own devices, under extremely stressful times to decided what to do with their homes and what is safest for their families. We need proper standards of recovery for insurance like mandatory testing for all chemicals associated with urban wildfires and proper cleaning and restoration protocols. People are being deserted by State Farm and other insurance carriers. HELP.
These are basic needs and state farm is being totally unethical and illegal.
It’s been 3 months and our home is still sitting with toxic asbestos, soot, smoke, lead. We paid for State Farm home insurance! Stop robbing your customers .
Absolutely awful that you are unwilling to support the customers that paid premiums to be covered in case of such devastating events. Please do what you promised, State Farm.
Be a better human, Lara.
I’m an Altadena homeowner and single mom of two, working full time. We just returned to our home after being displaced for three months, having thorough remediation, extensive repairs and post-remediation environmental testin to the home.
I do not have State Farm, I have another insurance company, and it’s been a giant headache to manage the process of getting my home restored to its pre-fire condition (not there yet). However, my insurance company is working with me and I’m in the process of getting reimbursed for overages. I am shocked at what my friends and neighbors wno are insured by State Farm are enduring. It is illegal and unethical and it has to stop. Why should my next-door neighbor receive such dramatically different coverage for such similar losses? Please hold State Farm accountable for their contracts.
Our family had to push State Farm to reimburse for environmental testing with them stating they would not pay for negative test results despite this being an urban wildfire with levels of lead and asbestos already found in nearby residences.
State farm denied both the total loss list we created and then had a professional, third party company create and give professional opinion on regarding porous items. We further had notes from our 1 yo and 3 yo's pediatrician recommending their mattresses and soft play items be replaced. State Farm again denied any replacement costs instead pushing for cleaning despite both soft goods cleaning professional opinion and medical professional opinions that these items can't and shouldn't be cleaned or used by our young children.
We have spent considerable time and money investigating and presenting evidence to State Farm about our claim while working, displaced and moving every 1-2 weeks (because State Farm would not approve lodging further than 1-2 weeks in advance), and caring for a baby and toddler.
State Farm is causing unimaginable harm to my family and my community.
State Farm’s bad faith in handling claims should not be rewarded.
State Farm’s preferred provider estimated cleanup of our still standing home would cost $98,000. State Farm gave us a check for $38,000. We had testing done by a CIH and our home has high levels of lead as well as arsenic and nickel. Our State Farm adjusters comment was that additional cleaning would not be necessary. They did not even give us enough money for the basic cleaning!
We are still displaced and no cleanup has begun on our home. We have paid our premiums for 30+ years and never made any claims. Our premium in June was wellover $7000.00. It’s time State Farm lived up to their obligations.
Please regulate State Farm.
State Farm agreed to remove and replace all of my drywall, insulation and plaster in my home, located in the burn zone. I received their commitment in writing. Now they are backtracking and refusing to honor their prior commitments, and are now denying coverage for almost everything.
My home is contaminated with hydrogen cyanide, arsenic and chloride anions. My family and I will die if we move back into our home unless it is properly remediated, which includes removal of every item including walls and flooring. Exposure to hydrogen cyanide will put you into a coma and after long-term exposure, can kill you.
I'm grateful I do not have State Farm. What you are doing to many of my friends is abhorrent!
One State Farm adjuster left our case without any payouts. We now have another adjuster, but she has never contacted us. We have spent thousands on testing our house for toxic contaminants, but have received no assurances we will be reimbursed. No payouts have been forthcoming for the damage to our house. We’ve been ghosted by State Farm.
It took State Farm more than 2 months to even come look at my property, and I have not received any money at all from them thus far. Today is April 14 and the fire was on January 7. I have been maxing out credit cards meanwhile and need to move forward.
My family lost our home in the Eaton Fire. We have State Farm. The ethics of this company, pressuring families even as they are living their most traumatic moments, are deranged. We paid diligently into our policy for years, the very least they could do is to stand by that policy. State Farm’s actions against the Altadena community prove they are not Good Neighbors. Please, Lara, don’t give State Farm an inch until they have lived up to their contractual obligations.
They haven’t approved ANYTHING. My credit cards are maxed out and now they don’t want to pay for temporary housing. I feel like I’m going insane. They tell me one thing, and the next day they say they don’t remember telling me that. My last adjuster told my present adjuster that I was “difficult”. We have more than enough coverage to cover EVERYTHING. Including temporary housing. I literally have panic attacks everyday. I’ve lost 20 pounds since January 7th. My hair is falling out and I’m scared. I know I’m not the only one. My heart goes out to anyone that has StateFarm.
And now they’re asking Ricardo Lara to approve rate hikes. Unconscionable!!
Don’t let State Farm’s billionaires abuse the people!
Please do not ignore the suffering of these honest people. Help take care of them by pressuring State Farm to actually BE a good neighbor!
The injustice happening to EF survivors by insurance companies is unconscionable. Please step in and do something.
Thank you! Every day is a struggle, and I’m a very strong person. This has taken me to my knees. If I told you everything State Farm has done you would just die. It’s almost unbelievable. My second adjuster called me a wicked witch. All I’m doing is trying to put my home back together. On top of everything else my sweet youngest child is struggling with everything! He has such PTSD. It’s scary. I truly can’t believe StateFarm is getting away with what they are doing. I will not give up though. I’m fighting for what I’m untitled to. Nothing more NOTHING less.
Please take responsibility for protecting and advocating for fire survivors, standing and total loss homes. Their safety, advocacy and confidence in returning to a safe home is the bare minimum need they are entitled to.
I've never met a person who had a good story about State Farm.
State Farm is dragging their feet paying us contents coverage limits even though our home was a total loss. They gave us 30% of limit pretty fast (req by law) and offered us 50% but only if we signed a form which requires us to replace everything we are claiming and provide receipts within 36 months of the date we sign. I do not believe we can get our home rebuilt in 3 years and they want us to submit a receipt for a new refrigerator? When I questioned this the adjuster shrugged and said that she wonders if they would pay for a storage unit for us to store the stuff we have to buy to get our limits. (I can provide a copy of this form upon request). Also they are making us itemize everything to get paid. We lost everything and this process is tedious and traumatic. They are intentionally putting us thru it to delay and likely eventually deny. I am very disappointed in State Farm and wish the insurance commissioner would intervene and compel them to pay limits on total losses without all the run around and red tape.
Take care of our people!
I’m hoping State Farm will at a minimum stop raising rates and taking advantage of vulnerable people who are in real need.
As someone who was displaced by the Eaton Fire and has so many friends and loved ones who lost so much in Altadena, I am appalled by State Farm's inaction and refusal to pay claims. Entire livelihoods are on the line; people I know have been forced to drain their savings and put themselves and their families in financially precarious positions because State Farm won't pay. You have the power to make them pay – use it. Thank you.
Despite having a public adjuster hired to represent us, State Farm has been delaying their response to every request we have made. For instance, State Farm delayed payment of our leased apartment. The building management taped an open letter into our apartment door with notification of the ‘overdue payment of the rent and additional charges associated with the delay’. This was humiliating and disturbing as every resident walking by had free access to this open letter with personal information. To protect our credit we paid the rent out of pocket. A week later State Farm sent the payment to the apartment building management office. It took a month to get reimbursed for the out-of-pocket payment we had made. Needless to say, we continue disturbed by the whole situation. Our anxiety levels are high as the middle of the month approaches and we need to request an extension of our month-to-month lease.
Also, I suffer from asthma; so we requested testing for contaminants before the cleaning of our property. State Farm denied such indicating that if we wanted to do it we would have to pay out of pocket. Following the recommendation of our public adjuster, we sent State Farm an appeal including quotes from two Environmental companies and indicating our choice based on qualifications and references. This time, State Farm denied us to utilize the company we had chosen and wanted us to use one of their ‘preferred vendors’. They emphasized that if we used our company of choice we might not be able to get reimbursed.
I have felt threatened by State Farm. However, my husband and I are firm in the decision we made; it is a safety and health issue and it is our right to choose the vendor we want to conduct the testing.
There is more to our ordeal but the above is just an abridged version.
I have a standing home and State Farm has caused significant financial hardship by refusing an advance and then delaying reimbursement for months. And they have been inconsistent in paying for hygienic testing. I have been denied and have refuted the denial and asked for a written response to my letter with no response. The adjuster had not given me any itemized estimates for the ALE payments. It’s going on 3 months since the State Farm sent Servpro for the estimate and he has yet to discuss the estimate with me. He had Servpro call me to start the work without discussing anything with me. Letter after letter sent to the adjuster with no response.
State Farm is our provider. We lost our home and its entire contents to the Eaton Fire. It has been over 3 months and, even though State Farm is requiring fire survivors to inventory their belongings, we still have not met with an adjuster. Even with the scope of the fire, it is unconscionable to require us to line-item everything we lost, especially when it is likely that will meet our policy maximum AND not have an adjuster assigned to us. Other insurers in California have dropped the itemization requirement. That would be the least that State Farm could do.
State Farm has repeatedly denied our request for a certified industrial hygienist, even though our home is within 250 yards of 30 burned structures. Although we told our adjuster, in writing, that we had not completed our personal property itemization, our claim has been closed. We have opened a complaint with the Department of Insurance, but have not received any assistance.
Commissioner Lara, serve the needs of the people!
State Farm’s behavior toward us is despicable.
We are displaced from our home while waiting for State Farm to approve remediation. They said they will not pay for us to buy new clothes or kitchen supplies because “our home is still standing so we can just go in there and wash the items ourselves.” Environmental testing found lead and other contaminants in our home. We have young children. We are spending thousands out of pocket. We started our 3 year old in therapy because of trauma, and my husband and I are on anti anxiety medication and are in therapy as well. The stress level is so high I have to work less, making less money. State Farm is refusing to pay for the environmental testing that found lead.
Dear Commissioner Lara,
Please take this petition seriously. We are devastated. Our home is still standing in the middle of the burn area. State Farm is not taking the situation seriously. There has been no action thus far. The house is full of toxins. My husband and I are older with serious health issues and we can’t go back at this time. It’s uninhabitable. We all need your help with this awful situation. Thank you.
State Farm is legendary in its bad faith actions to insured homeowners who fell victim to the Eaton fire. Incredible delays, obfuscation of the facts, unlawful denials of payments and downright lies by many of their adjusters.
Please make them comply with the law and don’t allow their rate hike.
We filed our claim with State Farm on January 14 for smoke damage from the Eaton Fire. Yet three months later, my wife and I have yet to receive
payment and no clear plan for proper remediation.
Ash and soot are visible inside and out, including a thick layer in our attic. The smell of smoke has permeated everything, and based on nearby
testing, we likely face elevated levels of lead and other toxins. Still, State Farm refuses to cover critical testing needed to assess the damage, but has stated these toxins do exist, but is not allowing proper
remediation of our home.
This process has been extremely trying as we continue to continue won with our lives and trying to resolve this process. We’re on our second adjuster
after the first was negligent and dishonest and refused to put anything in writing. The delays, denials, and lack of accountability have left our little family emotionally drained.
I have received one ALE payment from State Farm (for pro-rated January and partial payment for February’s rent). I’ve received NOTHING else for my extra living expenses.
I have yet to receive Part B estimate and we were told the Part A estimate is changing. Both estimates (part A and Part B) were contracted by State Farm to Servpro in January.
My home is sitting, uninhabitable and untouched, three and a half months later. I may have to dip into my 401k if I don’t receive MY insurance benefits. We are getting words and ‘promises’ but no action.
It’s has been over three months since the devastating disaster, and our lives are upside down since then. State Farm’s inaction, incompetence and lack of accountability is making it impossible to recover from this disaster and proceed with getting our homes remediated to be able to safely return.
They are making our lives miserable instead of helping us to rebuild and restore our homes. My family’s health and well being is severely compromised by this disaster which has turned into a crisis for us due to our insurance not delivering what we are entitled to.
Our families already suffer enough from this disaster, and they are adding unnecessary stress and burden on us. Our lives won’t be the same ever again, and State Farm is deteriorating our mental and physical health even further. It’s a shame that we need to deal with State Farm’s adjuster’s abuse and neglect in the time when they were supposed to be with us and support us in our recovery and restoration.
State Farm needs to get current with its policyholders claims. Putting additional financial strain on policyholders is not the solution.
If State Farm needs to reorganize in order to do payouts for claims due to the Eaton and Palisades Fires, that is an internal issue and the burden should not be laid at the feet of those who have been devastated by the fires.
Policyholders have been paying their wildfire insurance in good faith for years. Call it like it is... a breach of contract. Don't make residents of Altadena, Pasadena, Sierra Madre and the Palisades suffer further.
Shame on State Farm!