Even California Politicians Are Saying It: Public Adjusters Are Essential for Wildfire and Property Claims

If you’ve filed an insurance claim after a wildfire, water loss, or major property damage in California and felt like you were fighting the process alone you’re not imagining it. And now, even elected officials are acknowledging that the system isn’t working the way it should for homeowners.

At the recent PCAPIA Spring Meeting in Costa Mesa, California State Senator Ben Allen who is also running for California Insurance Commissioner stood before a room of more than 100 public adjusters, attorneys, and industry professionals and said something that every policyholder in Los Angeles and across the state needs to hear: public adjusters play a critical role in helping insured homeowners navigate increasingly complex property insurance claims, particularly in the aftermath of the recent Los Angeles wildfires.

That’s not a marketing line. That’s a candidate for Insurance Commissioner saying it from a podium.

Why a Future Insurance Commissioner Is Talking About Public Adjusters

California’s insurance landscape has been in crisis. Carriers have pulled out of high-risk markets. The California FAIR Plan has become a last resort for hundreds of thousands of homeowners in fire-prone areas like Pacific Palisades, Altadena, and communities throughout Los Angeles. And when the January 2025 wildfires devastated parts of Southern California, policyholders were left trying to rebuild their lives while simultaneously learning how to file six-figure insurance claims.

Senator Allen’s remarks underscore a growing recognition in Sacramento that insurance company adjusters work for the insurance company not for you. When your home burns down or floods, the insurer sends their own representative to assess the damage and set the number. That representative’s job, at its core, is to protect the company’s bottom line.

A public adjuster’s job is the exact opposite.

Public adjusters like our team at Rubin Adjusting are licensed professionals who work exclusively for you, the policyholder. We document every inch of your loss, interpret your policy language, and negotiate directly with the insurance company to make sure the settlement you receive reflects the actual cost of your damage not the number the carrier hoped you’d accept.