By Lookout Staff
September 17, 2025 -- State Sen. Ben Allen, who will be termed out of his Santa Monica area seat next year announced Tuesday that he will run for California Insurance Commissioner.
As Commissioner, Allen -- who played a key role in recovery efforts after this January's Palisades Fire -- would oversee the California Department of Insurance, the consumer protection agency for the nation's largest insurance marketplace.
Created in 1868, the Department has 1,400 employees who oversee more than 1,600 insurance companies and license more than 495,000 agents, brokers, adjusters, bail agents and business entities, according to the department's website.
“The Palisades Fire underscored what we’ve known for years: our world is changing beneath our feet,” Allen said in a statement. “If we want to keep California affordable and livable, we must make our insurance system adaptable to the realities of a changing world."
According to a press release announcing his candidacy, the Palisades Fire "was a defining moment" for Allen, erupting "off a trail he knew well, within sight of where he grew up and where he’s raising his family."
The fire, which burned from January 7 to 31, scorched more than 23,000 acres and destroyed more than 10,000 structures in Pacific Palisades, Malibu and parts of the Santa Monica Mountains, communities Allen has represented since 2014.
In the wake of the fire, Allen helped secure funding to rebuild critical local infrastructure and landmarks and "wrote legislation to assist mobile home park residents who lost everything," according to his office.
He also "supported efforts to establish home hardening standards to help residents better protect their homes from future fires and reduce liabilities for the insurance market."
“I like digging into tough policy issues and working on solutions that put people and quality of life first,” Allen said in a statement. “The role of Insurance Commissioner is incredibly difficult, and faces major headwinds.
"For so many Californians, insurance is too expensive and inaccessible," Allen said.
According to his office, Allen "enters the race with considerable advantages in polling, fundraising, experience, and political support."
A lifelong Santa Monica resident, Allen served on the School Board before running for State Senate in 2014, replacing Ted Lieu, who was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives that year.
