FILE - In this Oct. 19, 2017 file photo, California's State Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones talks during a news conference in Los Angeles. California's insurance commissioner says homeowners who lost their homes in last month's wildfires in Northern California have up to 24 months to collect insurance payments. Jones said Monday, Nov. 20, some out-of-state insurance adjusters brought in by companies to help with the high volume of claims have wrongly told homeowners they have between six and 12 months. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel, File)
California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones is seeking new laws to protect homeowners after wildfires. Jones yesterday called for quick action, pointing out that over three-and-a-half-million homes are located in areas identified by insurers as being at high or very high risk of fire. In Sonoma County, roughly 17 percent of homes are in high or very high risk areas, and the percentage jumps to around 50 in Lake and Mendocino counties. The October fires have resulted in about nine-billion dollars in insurance claims in the North Bay, with almost seven-and-a-half-billion dollars from Sonoma County losses.