State Sen. Ben Allen, a Democrat who graduated from Santa Monica High School, is running for California insurance commissioner in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election.

Allen represents Senate District 24, which covers the Westside, Hollywood, South Bay and Santa Monica Mountains communities of Los Angeles County, according to his Senate biography. He said on his campaign website that he would push for wildfire catastrophe modeling in rate applications, transparency in claim denials and programs to lower insurance premiums through community-level disaster resilience. Jane Kim, also a Democrat, is the other candidate in the race, according to BallotReady election data.

Candidate information

  • Party: Democratic
  • Background: Grew up in Senate District 24; graduated from Santa Monica High School in 1996
  • Education: Bachelor's degree in history, Harvard University (2000); master's degree in Latin American studies, University of Cambridge (2001); juris doctor, University of California, Berkeley (2008)
  • Fellowships: Aspen Institute-Rodel Fellow; Truman National Security Project Fellow; senior fellow, Humanity in Action
  • Languages: Fluent in Spanish

Experience and public service

Allen was first elected to the California State Senate in 2014 and is serving his third term. Before that, he served as a board member of the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District from 2008 to 2014.

His earlier career included work as a communications director for U.S. Rep. Jose Serrano of New York, a judicial clerk at the United Nations' International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, and staff on the Latin American team at the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs. He also worked as a litigator at Bryan Cave LLP, served as of counsel at Richardson and Patel LLP from 2011 to 2014, and taught as adjunct faculty at UCLA Law School during the same period. He served as a voting student member of the University of California Board of Regents.

Allen has been endorsed by the California Democratic Party, the California Labor Federation, AFL-CIO, the California Teachers' Association, the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, the Los Angeles County Democrats, the Communication Workers of America and the Pacific Palisades Democratic Club, according to BallotReady.

On the issues

The following positions are drawn from Allen's responses on his campaign website via BallotReady. All statements reflect the candidate's own claims.

Wildfire resilience and insurance rates

Allen said he would implement reforms allowing wildfire catastrophe modeling and the inclusion of reinsurance costs in rate applications, which he said would align California with national standards and ensure rates accurately reflect true climate risk. He said he would expand programs such as Safer from Wildfires and the California Safe Homes grant program to help residents lower risk and premiums. Allen said he would also work with the Legislature, the governor and local governments on neighborhood-scale programs to reduce disaster risk.

Post-disaster rebuilding

Allen said he supports resilient redevelopment in post-disaster areas like the Palisades and Altadena as models for safer, more fire-resilient communities.

Insurer accountability and transparency

Allen said he would require insurers to clearly explain claim denials and maintain real-time reporting of delays and outstanding claims after disasters. He also said he would simplify insurance materials and require insurers to explain available discounts under Safer from Wildfires and other hardening programs.

Climate risk and fossil fuels

Allen said he would restore past transparency programs that revealed insurers' fossil fuel investments and require regular gold-standard stress testing to prevent insurers from underwriting risky fossil projects. He said he supports efforts to ensure fossil fuel companies bear appropriate financial responsibility for climate damages driving up insurance costs.

Department modernization

Allen said he would invest in staffing and digital infrastructure to handle rate requests, consumer complaints and disaster claims more efficiently. He said he would update the Department of Insurance website to make it user-friendly and accessible.