State Sen. Ben Allen, a Democrat, is running for California insurance commissioner in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election. Newport Beach residents will see the race on their ballots. Allen represents Senate District 24, covering Westside, Hollywood, South Bay and Santa Monica Mountains communities in Los Angeles County. He was first elected to the state Senate in 2014 and is serving his third term, according to his Senate biography.

Jane Kim, also a Democrat, is the other candidate certified for the race, according to BallotReady election data.

Candidate information

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

Experience and public service

Allen served as a board member of the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District from 2008 to 2014, according to BallotReady. He has been a state senator since 2014. He also served as a voting student member of the University of California Board of Regents.

His professional background includes work as a litigator at Bryan Cave LLP, of counsel at Richardson and Patel LLP from 2011 to 2014, and adjunct faculty at UCLA Law School from 2011 to 2014.

He served as communications director for U.S. Rep. Jose Serrano of New York. Allen also worked on the Latin American team at the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs and as a judicial clerk at the United Nations' International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda.

Allen has received endorsements from the California Democratic Party, the California Teachers' Association, the California Labor Federation and the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, according to endorser claims compiled by BallotReady. The Communication Workers of America and the Riverside County Democrats also endorsed him.

On the issues

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

Insurance market stability and wildfire risk: Allen said he would implement reforms allowing the use of wildfire catastrophe modeling and the inclusion of reinsurance costs in rate applications. He said this would align California with national standards and ensure rates reflect true climate risk. He said the Department of Insurance must use scientifically developed data as it implements the Sustainable Insurance Strategy.

Reducing premiums through resilience: Allen said he would expand programs such as Safer from Wildfires, the California Safe Homes grant program and vegetation management programs to help residents lower risk and premiums. He said he would work with the Legislature, the governor and local governments to design neighborhood-scale programs that reduce disaster risk and bring down insurance rates. He also said he would work with insurers to invest in new solutions and technologies to drive down 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 and more insurable communities.

Transparency and consumer protection: 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 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 hardening programs.

Climate accountability: 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.

Endorsements

Ben Allen’s campaign lists endorsements from U.S. Sens. Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla, former California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones and former Gov. Gray Davis. Other supporters include Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, Senate President Pro Tem Monique Limón and U.S. Reps. Ted Lieu, Julia Brownley and Laura Friedman. Local endorsements include Los Angeles County Supervisors Lindsey Horvath and Hilda Solis, Santa Monica Mayor Caroline Torosis and SMMUSD board member Stacy Rouse.

Organizational supporters include the California Democratic Party, California Environmental Voters, Sierra Club, Equality California, California YIMBY and Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California. Labor endorsements include the California Federation of Teachers, California Professional Firefighters, State Building and Construction Trades Council of California, AFSCME District Council 36 and UNITE HERE Local 11. The campaign also lists editorial endorsements from the San Francisco Chronicle, Mercury News and East Bay Times.

Candidate responses were submitted through BallotReady questionnaires and the candidate's campaign website.