Chris and Nancy Brown embrace while searching through the remains of their home, leveled by the Camp Fire, in Paradise, Calif., on Monday, Nov. 12, 2018. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

California's insurance commissioner, Ricardo Lara, has issued a mandatory one-year moratorium on insurance companies refusing to renew policies on homes in wildfire disaster areas in Northern and Southern California.

This is the first time the insurance department has issued such a moratorium under a new law, Senate Bill 824, also known as the Wildfire Safety and Recovery Act, which took effect in January.

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Victoria Spears

Victoria Prussen Spears is senior vice president of Meyerowitz Communications Inc., a law firm marketing communications consulting company. A graduate of Sarah Lawrence College and Brooklyn Law School, Ms. Spears was an attorney at a leading New York City law firm before joining Meyerowitz Communications. She may be contacted at [email protected].

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