State Sen. Ben Allen has served California’s 24th Senate District since 2014. (photo courtesy of Ben Allen for Insurance Commissioner)

California State Sen. Ben Allen (D-Santa Monica) has announced his candidacy for California insurance commissioner in 2026, pledging to put consumers first while ensuring a strong, fair, robust and climate-resilient insurance market that meets the state’s evolving challenges. Allen has represented California’s 24th Senate District since 2014 and is termed out at the end of 2026.

Allen said the Palisades fire in January was a defining moment of his career in public service. The fire erupted near a trail he knows well, within sight of where he grew up and where he is raising his family.

“The Palisades fire underscored what we’ve known for years: our world is changing beneath our feet,” Allen said. “If we want to keep California affordable and livable, we must make our insurance system adaptable to the realities of a changing world, while making sure insurance companies treat people right and stay viable so that consumers and our economy have real options.”

Allen immediately got to work on efforts to assist with the initial governmental response – bringing state and federal leaders together to help with resident assistance, securing funding to rebuild critical local infrastructure and landmarks, and helping families piece lives back together. He authored legislation to assist mobile home park residents who lost everything, provide tax assistance for fire victims and give greater help to victims trying to maximize contents coverage from insurers. Allen has supported efforts to establish standards to help residents better protect homes from future fires and reduce liabilities for the insurance market. He said the experience has given him a clear look into the challenges and limitations of the current insurance system.

“I like digging into tough policy issues and working on solutions that put people and quality of life first,” Allen said.

Allen’s candidacy was welcomed by U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Senate President Pro Tem Mike McGuire (D-North Coast) and Pro Tem-designee Monique Limon (D-Santa Barbara) and Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas (D-Hollister).

For information, visit benallenca.com.