News

Capital Public Radio

By Chris Nichols

California’s wildfires have destroyed thousands of homes in recent years. But in an awful shock after the fact, many homeowners find their insurance doesn’t come close to covering the full cost of replacing their home.

Democratic Assemblyman Marc Levine of Marin County said his bill, AB 1797, could take away some of that secondary shock.

The legislation, now on Gov. Jerry Brown’s desk, would better inform homeowners about the full replacement costs they face following a wildfire or other disaster.

“What we’re asking insurance companies to do is to provide replacement cost estimates for the full coverage of a home to make sure policyholders are informed of any gaps in insurance that they may have,” Levine said.

Sacramento Bee

By Bryan Anderson

SUBSIDIZED JOURNALISM?

Assemblyman Marc Levine, D-San Rafael, is floating an idea he says will support local journalism — next year.

He wants to provide newspapers with tariff relief and protect journalists by instituting freezes on newsroom layoffs before the sale or purchase of a news outlet. He said taxpayers would have little or no financial burden to pay for the plan. He noted that the Trump administration’s decision to impose tariffs on Canadian paper has forced newsprint costs to rise as much as 30 percent.

Beyond that, Levine was short on specifics, explaining that he wants to meet with media companies and industry groups over the next few months before formally introducing a bill next year.

“You don’t always get all the stories you want, right?” Levine said of the relationship between the government and the media. “But it’s nonetheless a necessary part of a democratic society, and we are all so much better for it. Our democracy thrives on the free press.”