State Farm, the insurance company most exposed to the recent wildfires in Los Angeles, announced Friday that it had agreed to pay out 65% of the value of personal property claims before requiring itemization.
The company made the announcement after meeting with Special Presidential Envoy for Special Missions Ric Grenell, who has been President Donald Trump’s representative in California during the rebuilding effort.
Grenell posted on X earlier this week about his discussions with State Farm:
I’ve been in discussions with Jon Farney from @StateFarm over the last few weeks.
— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) April 14, 2025
I appreciate his willingness to work with us.
Until now, State Farm had only guaranteed fire victims 50% of the value of their personal property claims for losses in the fire. To receive the full 100%, the company required an itemized list of all lost objects — a task dreaded by those who had endured the disaster, as it required them to revisit their losses, again, for months.
Other companies have provided a far larger percentage, or have done away entirely with itemization.
In a statement Friday, the company said:
Our focus continues to be on supporting our customers in their recovery from the devastating 2025 wildfires in Los Angeles. Effective April 14, State Farm General Insurance Company increased advance contents payments to customers with total losses from 50% of their contents limit to 65% without requiring an inventory. We’ll continue to work with state and federal officials in support of our customers and appreciate their engagement.
Contents coverage is one type of benefit within the policy. Another type is dwelling coverage, which helps cover damage to the home and attached structures such as garages and structures permanently attached to the home or property. Contents coverage helps cover personal possessions not permanently attached to the home or property, such as furniture and electronics.
Approximately 2,500 of our customers have experienced total losses stemming from the January 2025 wildfires.
We understand this is a difficult time for our impacted customers, and we’re here to help. Our claim handlers are assisting customers with their claims, including the contents inventory.
Previously, we offered advances up to 50% of the policy’s contents limit to customers who suffered a total loss from the January wildfires without requiring a detailed personal property inventory. This already went substantially beyond what California law requires [30%].
…
We’re reaching out to customers who already received an advance to offer the additional 15%. Customers will need to sign a form to receive this additional amount.
State Farm continues to face criticism from those who endured the Palisades and Eaton Fires, who say that the company is dragging its feet in paying for claims and using delaying tactics, such as switching adjusters.
While Grenell has been engaged in pushing State Farm to do more to help its policyholders, state authorities have been invisible. California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara failed to show up earlier this month for a hearing on State Farm’s request to raise rates; he was in Bermuda during a similar hearing in March.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of The Agenda: What Trump Should Do in His First 100 Days, available for pre-order on Amazon. He is also the author of The Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency, now available on Audible. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
